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- 2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment



   2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment saw action in France in 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force and were evacuated from Dunkirk. They saw action as part of 50th Division in North Western Europe from mid 1944 onwards.

 

25th of June 1943 Beach Intelligence  location map

28th of June 1943 Orders

28th of June 1943 Traffic Control

28th of June 1943 Stores

28th of June 1943 Signals

28th of June 1943 Orders  location map

28th of June 1943 Markings

28th of June 1943 Signage

28th of June 1943 Ferry Services

26th of June 1943 Orders

8th of March 1944 Appx "A" to 2 Cheshire Adm Planning Instr. No. 1  location map

8th of March 1944 Planning Instr. No. 1

30th of March 1944 Appendix "A" to 2 Cheshire Adm Planning Instr No 2  location map

30th of March 1944 2 Cheshire Adm Planning Instr No 2

31st Mar 1944 Orders

1st May 1944 Exercise

1st of May 1944 Battalion Orders No 31  location map

2nd May 1944 Exercise

3rd May 1944 Exercise  location map

4th May 1944 Exercise  location map

4th of May 1944 Battalion Order No 32  location map

5th May 1944 Exercise

6th May 1944 Exercise  location map

7th May 1944 Exercise  location map

8th May 1944 Recce

9th May 1944 Conference  location map

9th of May 1944 Battalion Orders No. 35  location map

10th May 1944 Recce  location map

11th May 1944 Waterproofing  location map

11th of May 1944 Battalion Orders  location map

11th of May 1944 Appendix "C" to 2CH/2/201/S  location map

11th of May 1944 Appendix "A" to 2CH/2/201/S  location map

11th of May 1944 Final Concentration  location map

11th of May 1944 Forecast of Moves  location map

12th May 1944 Conference  location map

13th May 1944 Desperate Straits  location map

13th of May 1944 Battalion Order No 37  location map

14th May 1944 Exercise

15th May 1944 Waterproofing

16th May 1944 Preparations

17th May 1944 Planning  location map

18th May 1944 Conference

19th May 1944 Vehicles  location map

20th May 1944 On the Move  location map

21st May 1944 Planning  location map

22nd May 1944 Maps  location map

23rd May 1944 Shortages  location map

24th May 1944 Conference  location map

25th May 1944 Notice

26th May 1944 Quiet

27th May 1944 Briefing  location map

28th May 1944 Briefing  location map

29th May 1944 Briefing

30th May 1944 On the Move  location map

31st May 1944 Ready  location map

1st Jun 1944 Preparations

5th Jun 1944 Intelligence

5th Jun 1944 Orders

6th Jun 1944 Almost to Plan

6th Jun 1944 In Action

6th Jun 1944 Landing

6th Jun 1944 Landing

6th Jun 1944 Advance  location map

6th Jun 1944 The Rising Tide

6th Jun 1944 Under Fire

6th Jun 1944 Objective Taken

6th Jun 1944 Difficulties

6th Jun 1944 Advance

6th Jun 1944 Into Position

6th Jun 1944 Communications

6th Jun 1944 Tides

6th Jun 1944 Digging in

6th Jun 1944 Behind Schedule

7th Jun 1944 Advance

7th Jun 1944 Advance

7th Jun 1944 Landing

7th Jun 1944 Objectives Taken  location map

7th Jun 1944 Moves  location map

8th Jun 1944 Consolidation

9th Jun 1944 Counter Attack

10th Jun 1944 Enemy Patrol

10th Jun 1944 Counter Attack

10th Jun 1944 Counter Attack

10th Jun 1944 Enemy Active

11th Jun 1944 Attack Made

11th Jul 1944 Mortar  

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORMANDY 1944

4.2-inch mortar of the 2nd Cheshires supporting an attack by units of 231st Brigade, 50th Division, on the village of Hottot, south-west of Tilly-sur-Seulles, 11th of July 1944. IWM (B 6941)



11th Jul 1944 Mortar

1st Aug 1944 Reliefs  location map

2nd Aug 1944 Quiet  location map

3rd Aug 1944 Ground Gained  location map

4th Aug 1944 Orders  location map

5th Aug 1944 Enemy Withdraw  location map

6th Aug 1944 Conference  location map

7th Aug 1944 Devastation  location map

6th Oct 1944 Reliefs


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

2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Fisher William. Pte. (d.14th November 1942)
  • Forgan Thomas Hungerford Keith. Capt.
  • Jones Alfred. L/Cpl.
  • Renshaw DSO. Harold Henry. Sgt.
  • Smith Robert Howard. L/Cpl.
  • Watson Louis Reginald. Private

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 2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment from other sources.



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Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment?


There are:1412 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Cheshire 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.


Private Louis Reginald Watson 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment

My late father, Private Louis Reginald Watson of the 2nd battalion Cheshire Regiment, was involved in the withdrawal from Gazala to Egypt via Tobruk where he was captured and shipped to POW Camp PG 73 in Capri Northern Italy. I have a photo taken at the camp on the 28th Oct. 1943 which he sent to my mother.

As a member of an outside working party repairing the road surface, he hid inside a culvert and escaped about the time of the Italian capitulation and stayed on the run until the advancing British forces reached him.

Geoff Watson



L/Cpl. Alfred Jones 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment

Alfred Jones served with the 2nd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment I'm researching my grandfather's history, especially his time during the War. I have recently purchased a copy of his service medals, campaign medal and the Burma star. Very interested in finding any more info.

Stephen Jones



Pte. William Fisher 2nd Btn Cheshire Regiment (d.14th November 1942)

Bill Fisher was my uncle, my mother's brother he lived at No 16 Gaskell Street in Wigan. He went to France as part of the Expditionary Forces, and was evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk. After some leave he went back to war, and was posted to North Africa where he was captured.

According to my Mother, Bill was handed over to the Italians for transportation to a P.O.W camp (Mum says they had a telegram to this effect). But, apparently, the Italians put the POW's onto an unmarked ship, and we unfortunatly sank it. This is the story as told to me by my Mother.... I would love to know the full story of Uncle Bill's war record, and to know with certainty how he died.

He is remembered on the El-Alamein war memorial.

Chris Casson



Capt. Thomas Hungerford Keith "Harry" Forgan 2nd Btn. Cheshire Regiment

Thomas Forgan was wounded in action when attacking an airfield in Italy in April 1942. He became a POW in August 1942. Thomas was born on 9th October 1919 and died in 2002 in Shrewsbury.




L/Cpl. Robert Howard "Smudge" Smith 2nd Btn. Cheshire Regiment

My dad, Robert Smith, enlisted in the British Army on 29th December 1929 at Seaforth for seven years with the Colours and five years with the Reserve. He was born the 31st December 1911 in Ainsdale, Lancashire. He was two days short of his 19th birthday when he enlisted. Dad did his training at Chester, then was posted out with his Regiment to India where he spent seven years, returning home to the UK. As he then had completed his Colour Service, he went into civvy street and worked for Cheshire Lines Railways.

Not long after, he was recalled for war service, going to France with his battalion the 2nd Cheshires. He was a machine gunner. Eventually, like many others, he was harried to Dunkirk. His first try at escaping from Dunkirk was thwarted by the ship he was on being bombed, but eventually he made the return back to Blighty in a small craft.

Dad then served in North Africa, before being caught in the bag at the fall of Tobruk. He was shipped to Italy as a PoW to a place called Bars. When the Italians surrendered, he and others made a break for it, but later were given away by a young fascist lad. The Germans then imprisoned Dad and he was sent to POW Camp Stalag IVF located at Hartmannsdorf Chemnitz. Whilst Dad was there he was put on work details in the fields, and he also did some boot repair work.

He and another lad had some Red Cross rations issued and decided to make a cake with some of the items. The German cook let them bake it in some of the hot ashes in the cook house but they couldn't wait so decided to eat the mixture as it was. Shortly afterwards they were both very sick, their stomach had shrunk so much they could not hold it down. My dad spoke of an old German sergeant who had lost four sons on the Russian Eastern Front, and who had only one son left who was serving in France. My dad got gangrene in his right hand. A German doctor saved it by scraping it out with scissors whilst dad was held down by two medical orderlies. The doctor poured pure iodine into the wound - it saved his hand, but he said he cursed that doctor while he worked on that wound.

My dad made it back to Blighty after the Americans freed them. He was discharged from the Army as being B1 Ref fitness. My father weighed less than 5 stone when he got back home, he was only 5ft 3 inches in height. My mum had to buy him youth's clothes, he was so light. Dad passed away in September 1990. The doctor said Dad did not want to go and fought all the way until his heart stopped.

Robert C Smith









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