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Somerset Light Infantry 1st Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 2nd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 4th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 5th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 7th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 8th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 9th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 10th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 11th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 30th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 50th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry 7th Sep 1940 Orders 1st Dec 1943 Reorganisation 1st Mar 1944 Egypt (Suez) 3rd Mar 1944 Ataka Egypt 4th Mar 1944 Ataka Egypt 7th Mar 1944 Ataka Egypt 8th Mar 1944 Ataka Egypt 9th Mar 1944 Ataka Egypt 10th Mar 1944 Port Said Egypt 11th Mar 1944 Port Said Egypt 16th Mar 1944 Italy 17th Mar 1944 Italy 18th of March 1944 Italy 19th of March 1944 Italy 20th of March 1944 Italy 21st of March 1944 Italy 22nd of March 1944 Italy 23rd of March 1944 Italy 24th of March 1944 Italy 25th of March 1944 Italy 26th of March 1944 Vairano Italy 27th of March 1944 Vairano Italy 29th of March 1944 Vairano Italy 11th May 1944 In Action 12th May 1944 Difficult Obstacle 6th Jun 1944 Shelling and Snipers 24th Jun 1944 Attack Launched 4th Jul 1944 Attack Made 10th Jul 1944 In Action 11th Jul 1944 Reliefs 3rd Aug 1944 Reliefs 7th Aug 1944 Orders 10th Aug 1944 In Action 1st Sep 1944 Move 2nd Sep 1944 Reorganisation 24th Sep 1944 Heavy Fighting 26th Sep 1944 Reliefs 27th Sep 1944 Orders 28th Sep 1944 Reliefs 30th Sep 1944 Reliefs 2nd Oct 1944 Shelling 12th Oct 1944 Attack Made 19th Oct 1944 Reliefs 25th Oct 1944 Reliefs 26th Oct 1944 Orders 3rd Nov 1944 Reliefs 4th Nov 1944 Orders 5th Nov 1944 Patrols 18th Nov 1944 In Action 29th Dec 1944 Recce 30th Dec 1944 Recce 31st Dec 1944 Planning 19th Jan 1945 Preparations 20th Jan 1945 Reliefs 21st Jan 1945 Advance 22nd Jan 1945 Stand Down 11th Feb 1945 In Action 12th Feb 1945 In Action 13th Feb 1945 Advance Continues 15th Feb 1945 Counter Attack 16th Feb 1945 In Action 17th Feb 1945 In Action 20th Feb 1945 Heavy Shelling 31st Mar 1945 Advance 9th Apr 1945 Attack Made 23rd Apr 1945 On the Move 24th Apr 1945 Move 25th Apr 1945 Conference If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here. Those known to have served with Somerset Light Infantry during the Second World War 1939-1945. Bacon Edwin John. Barnes Harold Fitzherbert Aston. Lt. (d.3rd Oct 1944) Biggs George William. CSM. Bovey G. Cleaves Leonard Kitchener. Pte. Cooper John Albert Victor Welsh. Pte. Coyle John James. Pte. Fear George Austin. Pte. Feltham Alfred Ernest. Sgt. Giblin Joseph. Cpl. (d.27th Sep 1944) Goggin John. Cpl. (d.20th Feb 1945) Griggs Frederick John. Cpl. Hann Edwin George. Sgt. Hewitson Edward. Pte. (d.9th Sep 1944) Holyoake Alan. Hooley James Alfred. Pte. Lambert MM Brian John. Pte. Parsons Gordon. Cpl Pritchard John Edwin. Cpl. (d.9th August 1944) Rabel Joseph Raymond. Capt. Selwood Paul Roy Herbert John. Pte. (d.10th July 1944) Skelton Charles Courtney. Pte. (d.18th Nov 1944) Wilkinson Frederick Allen. Cpl. Wilson Edward Patrick Joseph. 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 Somerset Light Infantry from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about Somerset Light Infantry ? There are:1398 items tagged Somerset Light Infantry 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. Pte. Brian John Lambert MM 4th Btn. Somerset Light Infantry Pte.Brian Lambert served with the 4th Btn. Somerset Light Infantry British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below. Dan Add to this record. G Bovey Somerset Light Infantry G Bovey served with the Somerset Light Infantry British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project has lost touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below. Dan Add to this record. Edward Patrick Joseph Wilson 2nd Btn. Welch Regiment My father Edward Wilson married a Guernsey girl in 1937 and was called up to the Somerset Light Infantry in 1940. I am not sure what he did between 1940 and 1944 but I know he spent some time near Weston Supermare in Somerset and also did a parachute training course with the Aimy Air Corps. He spent 1944 and 1945 in Burma and although there are numerous stories that he could tell, I have two small diaries that he kept whilst in Burma. Judith Edwards Add to this record. Pte. Edward Hewitson 1st Btn. Somerset Light Infantry (d.9th Sep 1944) I don’t know much about my grandfather Edward Hewitson's wartime service, only his number, regiment, and where he is buried (Karachi War Cemetery). The MOD has original photos of him and his grave. I'm checking to see if he is due any service medals. Neil Appleby Add to this record. Alan Holyoake 4th Btn. Somerset Light Infantry My gramps, Alan Holyoake fought for the Wessex Wyverns, 4th Somerset Light Infantry. He wore a golden two legged dragon symbol on his uniform and had the Jellalabad badge. He said they were feared by the Germans who called them Churchill's Dragon men. He was one of 15 men that survived from his company of 100. He didn't talk a lot about the war but a few of his memories included being burnt when his sergeant threw petrol on an open fire inside a house where they escaped by jumping through a window. He remembers a man they called Ginger who asked why everyone was on the floor while they were being 'shelled to blazes' and they said you'll learn after a while. Ginger later refused to go with my gramps on a mission to find stranded troops where 'the trees turned into splinters'. On another occasion Ginger ran away with a magazine of ammunition while the shells were falling he was seen being escorted by guards to a prison and said 'you were right about the shells', poor bloke. My gramps said the prisoners there were 'well drilled and done up to the nines' and had to polish rusty tins that were left out in the rain every night. They shaved in the reflections on the walls. He said the Americans had more food for breakfast than the Brits had for a whole day and they were very laid back and confident. He once found some Americans in a house with all the lights on playing cards and one gave him a whole pack of tobacco. One time his company moved too quickly into position and were attacked by the Dorset Regiment! He also remembered finding Germans sleeping in their foxholes and his sergeant had the sorry task of shooting them there as it was 'us or them'. He was sad about this as he knew that the Germans were just the same as he was and so young. Gramps never forgot how at the end of the war near Bremen all the soldiers fired their guns when they heard it was over. An old gentleman in a top hat emerged from the rubble and invited the soldiers for some coffee, an old lady said 'no more bomb bombs'. All the German soldiers got up and walked back to their villages they were from forming a long queue. After that he ended up helping to liberate Belsen which absolutely never spoke of as it was too awful. Tessa Pugsley Add to this record. Edwin John Bacon 2nd Btn. Somerset Light Infantry EdwinBacon served with he 2nd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry . I am looking for information as he never talked about the war. Alan Bacon Add to this record. Pte. George Austin Fear 2nd Btn. Somerset Light Infantry George Fear was injured in Italy on 11th of December 1944. Marilyn Slocombe Add to this record. Cpl Gordon Parsons 5th Btn Somerset Light Infantry Gordon Parsons served with the 5th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry in WW2 Add to this record. Lt. Harold Fitzherbert Aston Barnes 4th Btn. Somerset Light Infantry (d.3rd Oct 1944) Lt. Harold Barnes parachuted into Holland as part of Operation Market Garden, and is buried in Oosterbeek Cemetery in Arnhem. Peter Leadley Add to this record. Pte. Leonard Kitchener Cleaves 4th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry Dad, Leonard Cleaves was wounded twice,19th of August 1944 in North West Europe and 18th of April 1945 in Western Europe. The second time I was told he and others were pinned down in an orchard by a sniper. I remember the huge scar he showed me on his arm. Christopher Cleaves Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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