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The 4th Battalion The Cameron Highlanders
Excerpt from Tobruk: The Story of a Seige; by Anthony Heckstall-Smith, 1960.
The 4th Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders were part of 152 Infantry Brigade of the 51st (Highland) Division with the BEF early in the war. The 4ths were part of the two brigades who covered the British and French withdrawal to Dunkirk and were captured in France in June 1940.
The 4th Battalion was reconstituted in Inverness in July 1940, and departed to garrison the Dutch West Indies. In march 1942 they were The Battalion was then assigned to 46th (Highland) Brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Division, as replacements for the 7th Battalion. In November 1942, they were posted to the 228th Independent Infantry Brigade, part of the Orkney & Shetland Defences (OSDEF). In December 1942 after 2nd Battalion had been lost at Tobruk, the 4ths were disbanded and reformed as the 2nd Battalion
On the 20 December 1942 the 4th Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (228th Independent Infantry Brigade, Orkney & Shetland Defenses) were disbanded and reformed the 2nd Battalion.
In January 1944 they were assigned to the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, 4th Indian Infantry and departed for Taranto, Italy. They took part in the lengthy campaigns in Italy until November 1944 when they were then sent to Greece. In July 1945 they were flown to Austria as part of 61st Infantry Brigade, 6th Armoured Division for occupation duties returning to Britain at the end of August 1945.
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List of those who served with 4th Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron
Highlanders during The Second World War
Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.
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Lt Col Ian E. Begg 4th Btn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders Early in 1942 this unit along with the 2nd BN Shropshire Light Infantry was transported by train from New Orleans to Halifax NS. From 21 Feb-9 Mar 1942 these two BNs were stationed at Ft Slocum, NY, an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation located in Long Island Sound near New Rochelle, NY (just north of the Bronx line.
Because of wartime secrecy little is known about this episode. I am the historian of Ft. Slocum. I would be grateful if anyone could provide more information about Lt/Col Begg and/or his unit. |
L/Cpl. John Alexander Davidson 4th Btn. Cameron Highlanders My Late Uncle, John Davidson lived in the far north of Scotland, in a place called Belladrum Estate, a stones throw away from a village called Kiltarlity, approximately ten miles from Inverness. Until just recently I knew very little by way of his wartime exploits other than that he was a prisoner of war & he was put to work in the salt mines.
That has changed dramatically earlier today, when I made contact with someone who to my delight furnished me with some vital details to get me seriously started to find out about his time during the war. I am told he was a Lance Corporal in the 4th Camerons and was upon capture interred in a POW Camp called at Lamsdorf, Stalag 344
I would very much like to hear from anyone who knew him or who has a picture of him from his experiences. |
Lt. Fred Nicholls MM, Croix de Guerre. 4th Btn. Queens Own Cameron Highlanders My late father, Fred Nicholls enlisted in the Camerons in 1931, according to his medals, of which I have only his dress set, including his Military Medal and French Croix de Guerre. He had many overseas postings before during and after the war. He was with the 4th Camerons on the Somme in June 1940 as a platoon Sergeant. He had to take command of the platoon when his commanding officer was injured and captured. After they ran out of food and ammunition they were ordered to surrender by their C.O. which they did along with the rest of the 51st Highland Division. After the surrender, the troops where marched toward Germany. According to his own story he stayed with his men until they crossed the Belgian border, it was at this point that he made his first escape. I am in possession of both his own account of his escapes and the official M19 debrief account. Whilst they do differ slightly, broadly speaking one confirms the other. He was incarcerated at St Omer after his 2nd or 3rd recapture. It was there that he met Sgt Andrew Faith of the R.H.A. both of them where like minded and they again escaped. After walking through France they eventually crossed the Pyrenees in to Spain where they were arrested and imprisoned by the Spanish Army. They were later released and eventually repatriated via Gibraltar. After returning to the UK they where both awarded the Military Medal. It was after this that he attained the rank of Lieutenant. I have not got his record of service so where and and when he spent the rest of the war is a little sketchy. However he was posted to Aruba with the Camerons in 1941 and he was seconded to the control commission in Germany. He was demobed in 1947. |
Pte. Daniel Robert Douglas 4th Btn. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders My Father Daniel Robert Douglas, of the 4th Battalion Cameron Highlanders joined the army on the 15th of July 1939 and was taken POW on the 6th of June 1940, captured at Abbeyville. He was allocated POW No. 542 and held at Stalag 9 in Bad Sulza, Germany.
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Cpl. Sidney John "Taffy" Thomas 4th Btn. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders My father, Sidney John Thomas, joined the TA prior to World War II and found himself a Welshman in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. He was part of the BEF sent to France at the start of the war and was captured at St Valery on 12 June 1940. The Battalion was covering the evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk. My father, like the rest of the 51st Division, spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps across Europe. His experiences, and those of his colleagues, were recorded in a meticulously kept log book which was provided by the YMCA. This log book, which I still have, contains poems, drawing and photographs relating to their years in prisoner of war camps. By 15.07.40 they had been marched across Europe and reached Thorn (Fort XV) in Poland. He spent the next 4 years in Lobsen (22.08.40.), Graudenz (22.04.42), Kulm (03.03.43.)before returning to Thorn (01.04.44)and then being marched to Fallinbostel (Stalag XIB) in Germany, where they arrived on 12th August 1944.
Many POWs contributed to the contents of the log book, they include: G Foot;- H Lowe;
- S M Taff;
- A Macgillvray;
- Nobby King;
- W Drake;
- J Westcott;
- Clifford;
- G Broughton;
- Alfred James;
- Eric J Holmes;
- J Owen;
- S Brands;
- Alex Clarke;
- S A Godfrey;
- J Ludford;
- W Waldack;
- "Wally";
- J Holt;
- B Gurner;
- G E Barder;
- R Wilson;
- Harry Cottle;
- A James;
- C Foot;
- A A Rees;
- F Richmond;
- F MacDonald;
- J Morrison;
- A MacKenzie;
- G MacKenzie;
- R Johnson.
My father survived the war, returning to his home town of Swansea where he lived until his death in 1991. |
Pte. William Smellie Weir 4th Bn. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (d.23rd Dec 1945) Weir William Smellie, a soldier of the British Army, died in the Soviet Union in a military hospital Number 2860 on the 21st of December 1945. He was buried in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Volodarsky area in the village Golyshevo. His Mothers name was Mary Dunn Weir. His name is on column N128 in Dunkirk Memorial, but his grave is in Russia. His relatives still do not know anything about him. Can anyone help establish his fate!
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Sgt. John "Seonaidh An Bhig" Robertson 4th Btn. Cameron Highlanders I am keen to find out more about my grandfather's war time experience. John Robertson was captured at St Valery, part of the 51st Highland Division. He spent the rest of the war in Stalag XXA working on a farm. Apparently on liberation of the camp by Russians he was taken to Odessa. It is thought that the Russians mistook him for a German as he had no papers on him.
I would be delighted to hear from any contacts. |
Pte. Samuel Slavin 4th Btn Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (d.14th Oct 1944) In January 2010 a group of friends from Liverpool visited Auschwitz in
Poland. Whilst there we also visited the Main Cemetry in Krakow and came upon the grave of Samuel Slavin. Jis relatives may like to know that we said a prayer and placed a poppy on the grave. Although covered in over a foot of snow, it was clear to see the site is being well maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I do not know if Samuel is related but as an ex soldier myself I can appreciate the sacrifice made by our Servicemen and women.
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Pte. William Smellie Weir 4th Battalion (d.21st Dec 1945 ) I am member of "Group 9 May" which in the past two years has been looking for graves of Soviet soldiers in the UK and the former Soviet Union. Some time ago in a database of the Ministry of Defence of Russia, I found an entry telling about a British soldier who died in Russia during the Second World War. Since then I've been collecting material about him and eventually I stopped just in front of one question - to find his relatives.
A brief history of William Weir: he was in the British Army since 1939. During the action was in German captivity in the area of Dunkirk. Was in a POW camp XX-B. After liberation (or escaping) he was sent to the Russian Military hospital 2860 were he died. He was buried in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Volodarsky area in the village Golyshevo. Date of Birth - 1918, Date of death - 21 December 1945. Defore WW2 he lived in Renton (Scotland), Back Street 132. His Mother's name was Mary Dunn Weir. His name is on column N128 in Dunkirk Memorial, but his grave is in Russia. His relatives still do not know anything about him. Please help me to find them so they may know of his fate! |
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