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4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment
After home defence duties, guarding the airfields of the south east, the 4th and 5th Territorial Battalions of The Dorsets landed in Normandy with XII Corps and 43rd Wessex Division. Fighting their first battle against the Waffen SS of 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions on the slopes of Hill 112 as part of the 43rd Wessex Division.
The 5th Dorsets were sucessful in attacking Chateau Fontaine Etoupfour. The 4th Dorset's attack on Etterville, was met with stiff opposition and heavy mortar fire, but was also successful. However during the final phase of the attack in Maltot, a battalion of German Tiger tanks separated the British infantry from their tanks, the 4th Dorsets reduced to little more than a company in strength. In 1945 The 4th and 5th Dorsets crossed the Rhine by assault craft supported by the 7th Dorsets (by now renamed the 94th and 110th Lt Anti Aircraft Regiment) with their 25 pounder guns. Having crossed the River Waal at Nijmegen the 43rd Wessex Division lead the advance to the Rhine at Arnhem. The 4th Dorsets were to cross the Rhine to reinforce the airborne troops but the current was too strong and they were dispersed along the enemy beach. Again the 4ths suffered many casualties with three hundred either killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. The final drive of the War took the Dorsets across Northern Germany to Bremerhaven on the North Sea coast.
7th Jul 1944 Reliefs
7th Jul 1944 Reliefs 
8th Jul 1944 Reliefs Complete
8th Jul 1944 Orders
8th Jul 1944 Artillery Active
9th Jul 1944 Orders
10th Jul 1944 In Action
10th Jul 1944 Orders
10th Jul 1944 Attack made
1st Sep 1944 Move
2nd Sep 1944 Reorganisation
16th Sep 1944 Planning
17th Sep 1944 On the Move
18th Sep 1944 Enemy Aircraft
19th Sep 1944 Orders
20th Sep 1944 On the Move
21st Sep 1944 Reports
22nd Sep 1944 Moves
23rd Sep 1944 Mortars
24th Sep 1944 Orders
25th Sep 1944 Assault
25th Sep 1944 In Action
25th Sep 1944 Withdrawal
26th Sep 1944 On the River Banks
26th Sep 1944 In Action
26th Sep 1944 In Action
26th Sep 1944 First Aid and Rest
27th Sep 1944 Contact Lost
28th Sep 1944 Returnees
29th Sep 1944 Orders
30th Sep 1944 Civilians
2nd Nov 1944 Reliefs
19th Nov 1944 In Action
27th Nov 1944 Reliefs
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Those known to have served with 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Bealing Edward William Robert.
- Cuthbertson Malcolm.
- Gibson Derrick Paul. Pte.
- Gobby Edgar Warren. Pte.
- Gordon John Andrew. Pte.
- Hermitage Frederick Robert John. Pte.
- Hook Jack Pitts. Cpl.
- Leech William Norbert. Cpl. (d.25th September 1944)
- Lloyd Frederick Charles. Cpl. (d.28th February 1945)
- Porter MID. Frank Edward. CSM.
- Slaney Charles Austin. Pte, (d.3rd Aug 1944)
- Suart Joseph Anthony . L/Cpl. (d.26th Sep 1944)
- Watts Wilfred Charles. Sgt.
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment from other sources.
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Want to know more about 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment? There are:1352 items tagged 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Pte. Derrick Paul Gibson 4th Btn. Dorset Regiment My dad, Derrick Gibson was called up for active service in 1944 on his 18th birthday. He did his training in Norfolk then was shipped over to Holland where he joined the 4th Dorsets.
After the war finished he then completed his service by going to Palestine via Italy.
I am in the process of looking into his war records with little success.
I would also like to know how he got to Holland, I guess it was by ship and would like to know more details about his journey.
I will carry on looking for more information
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Pte, Charles Austin Slaney 4th Btn. Dorset Regiment (d.3rd Aug 1944) Charles Slaney aged 24 was killed in action on the 3rd of August 1944, during the Normandy campaign. Initially buried at Le Bigne on the 3rd Aug 1944 Charles was reburied long with 20 comrades at Tilly Sur Seulles War Cemetery on the 8th Jan 1946. Tilly sur Seulles is not far from Caen.
The majority of burials here appear to be from the breakout battles and the dead were brought in from the battlefields in the vicinity for burial here in the Tilly-sur-Seulles cemetery. Buried alongside Charles Austin Slaney from the 4th Dorset's are:
- 4343763 Lance Corporal Gordon Francis Ball Aged 23
- 6143716 Lance Corporal Phillip Charles Coombs
- 14436851 Private William Robert Cooper Aged 18
- 3663782 Private George C Connor Aged 22
- 5735740 Lance Sergeant Charles Arthur James Dyke Aged 25
- 6016051 Corporal Wilfred Henry Everitt Aged 23
- 5334713 Private Gerald Ewers Aged 39
- 14702560 Private Clifford Gaskell Aged 18
- 14615848 Private Arthur Edward Hills Aged 19
- 4923487 Private George Harold Holland Aged 24
- 6014833 Private Douglas Haig Hunt Aged 25
- 14643160 Private Francis Jordan Aged 19
- 14702394 Private Gordon Alfred Joslin Aged 19
- 6144676 Private John Arthur Lee Aged 27
- 6143670 Private Ernest William Neal Aged 23
- 6023310 Corporal Charles John Newman Aged 29
- 5725664 Private George Joffre Owers Aged 29
- 14702344 Private Cecil Stanley Pentecost Aged 18
- 4078089 Private William Clifford Ralph Aged 22
- 6096589 Private Charles Albert Wickham Aged 28
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Pte. John Andrew Gordon 4th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment My father Jack Gordon joined the Army in September 1940 in the Durham Light Infantry. On 28th of August 1944 he was transferred to the 4th Dorset Regiment where he was part of Operation Market Garden. He was wounded in action on 27th of March 1945 possibly at Millingen. On 14th of November 1945 he was posted to the 5th Dorset Regiment.
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Sgt. Wilfred Charles Watts 4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment Royal Army Service Corps 43rd Wessex My father, Wilfred Watts served with the 4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment and 43rd Wessex Coy. Royal Army Service Corps. I am researching his war history.
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Cpl. William Norbert Leech 4th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment (d.25th September 1944) William Leech was aged 30 when he died, he is buried in the Lienden General Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands.
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Pte. Edgar Warren Gobby 4th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment Edgar Gobby is my Great Uncle, he served with the 4th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment.
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Pte. Frederick Robert John Hermitage 7th Btn. East Kent Regiment My father, Fred Hermitage, joined the 7th Buffs and was transferred to the 11th Battalion Durham Light Infantry on 7th July 1944. The 11th DLI was posted to the 1st Dorset Regiment on 26th August 1944 and dad was finally posted to the 4th Dorsets at Kemmel on 10th December 1944. He remained with them, ending his war in Soltau, Germany from where he was posted home on 30 November 1945.
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Malcolm Cuthbertson 4th Btn Dorset Regiment I am looking for information about my father who was a POW at Stalag XIIA. I gather that he must have been captured during the 4th Dorset's crossing of the Rhine in September 1944. He was previously of the King's Regiment Liverpool, serving in the UK and Gibraltar. Anyone remember him?
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Edward William Robert Bealing 4th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment My grandad Eddie Bealing died in 2014. He was born in 1921 in Gillingham Dorset and served with the Dorset Regiment. I am looking for information on his war record.
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CSM. Frank Edward Porter MID. 4th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment Frank Porter served with D Coy, 4th Battalion, the Dorsets from early 1930 thro'to 1945.The 4th were a
Territional Regiment of volunteer soldiers.
Prior to D-Day+4 he trained with his men around bases in the South of England. The main and final camp was at St.Martins Plain,Folkstone,Kent.
Invasion for them was at the time of the "Great Storm" in the Channel just before the break-up of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanche. Just the first of many hair-raising exploits I was to find out over time in the war over Europe. Wherever the fighting was the hardest the 4th Dorsets were in the thick of it!! But Old Frank made it through. The toughest test was in September 1944 at a small Dutch town call Arnhem.
The 4th were, as in army parlance "volunteered", for the suicidal rescue of the remaining Parachute Brigade. No words could convey the horrors or the heroism of that night of all who took part in the action. Frank said "It was down to a tin of bullybeef and some fags". He forgot to mention he was Mentioned in Despatches for what he alone did.
The heavy fighting continued right to the very end of the war with no let-up and a great many casualties.Frank's re-enforcements were largely 18-19 year old "Brummies", Dorset dialect and Birmingham accents!! Bet that confused the "Jerry".
The post-script to Frank's military career was on Lindenburgh Heath with the Battalion lined-up to give him a "Military General Salute" and a rousing farewell. Frank and Lil (his devoted wife) supported the RBL and attended all Regimental Re-unions until his death.
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