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23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, was made up of 60th Battery,
89th Battery, 100th Battery.
When the war broke out on 3rd September 1939 the 23rd Army Field Regiment was stationed in England, with RHQ and two Batteries at Topsham Barracks, Exeter, and two Batteries at Bristol, having returned from India in 1935.
Immediately on the declaration, the Regiment was mobilised on a two-Battery basis at Topsham, and very soon came under Command 3rd Division. This formation was ready for war at the end of the month.
Since then, the Regiments travels have taken them to places as far apart as Abberville in France, and Algiers, to Tripoli and Trieste. The number of countries served in is only equalled under the number of nationalities they have supported. Pole, American, French, Senegalese, Ghoums, Gurkhas, New Zealanders, South Africans and Canadians.
But this exhaustive list is almost eclipsed by the number of different insignias that had been painted on the regimental transport which reached an all time record in the first winter of the Italian campaign, when some trucks sported First, Fifth and Eight Army signs, until General Leese saw them.
The Original Regiment had to surrender when surrounded by German Forces at St Valery having failed to reach Dunkirk. Only 1 officer and about 10 other ranks got back to England and a new unit was formed around them.
Amongst the new recruits were some POW escapees who had made it home from prison camps in Europe.
They fought with distinction in North Africa and Italy.
10th Sep 1939 Equipment
11th Sep 1939 Training
12th Sep 1939 Training
16th Sep 1939 Orders
19th Sep 1939 Visit
19th Sep 1939 Orders
20th Sep 1939 Orders
21st Sep 1939 Ammunition
21st Sep 1939 Advance Party
22nd Sep 1939 Road Party
22nd Sep 1939 Advance Party
22nd Sep 1939 On the Move
23rd Sep 1939 Recce
23rd Sep 1939 Lack of Transport
23rd Sep 1939 On the Move 
24th Sep 1939 On the Move
24th Sep 1939 Looting
25th Sep 1939 Billets
25th Sep 1940 Inadequate Accomodation
26th Sep 1939 Conference
26th Sep 1939 Billets
26th Sep 1939 Loading
27th Sep 1939 Billets
27th Sep 1939 On the Move
28th Sep 1939 Reliefs
28th Sep 1939 Billets
28th Sep 1939 On the Move
29th Sep 1939 Billets
29th Sep 1939 Unloading
30th Sep 1939 Transport Issues
30th Sep 1939 Unloading
1st Oct 1939 Communication
1st Oct 1939 On the Move
2nd Oct 1939 On the Move
2nd Oct 1939 Orders
3rd Oct 1939 Advance Party
4th Oct 1939 Advance Parties
5th Oct 1939 Conference
5th Oct 1939 Orders
6th Oct 1939 Preparations
7th Oct 1939 Conference
8th Oct 1939 Rail Parties
9th Oct 1939 Divisional HQ
10th Oct 1939 Arrivals
11th Oct 1939 Espionage
12th Oct 1939 Recconaissance
13th Oct 1939 Reliefs
14th Oct 1939 Front Line
15th Oct 1939 Entrenching
16th Sep 1939 Orders
16th Oct 1939 Digging in
17th Oct 1939 Difficulties
18th Oct 1939 News
19th Oct 1939 Poor Weather
20th Oct 1939 Recconaissance
21st Oct 1939 Recreation
22nd Oct 1939 Recreation
23rd Oct 1939 Front Line
24th Oct 1939 Recconaissance
25th Oct 1939 Visit
26th Oct 1939 Shortages
27th Oct 1939 Conference
28th Oct 1939 Work Required
29th Oct 1939 Exercise
30th Oct 1939 Exercise
31st Oct 1939 Exercise
14th of November 1939 Preparations
16th of November 1939 Preparations
17th of November 1939 Preparations
18th of November 1939 Memorandum
20th of November 1939 Defences
22nd of November 1939 Air raid
23rd of November 1939 Conference
26th of November 1939 Church parades
27th of November 1939 Conference
30th of November 1939 Bad weather
3rd December 1939 Air Raid Warning
13th December 1939 Exercise
14th December 1939 Exercise
15th December 1939 Exercise
29th December 1939 Visits
31st December 1939 Recce
2nd January 1940 Cold
14th January 1940 Message
16th January 1940 Preparations
18th January 1940 Orders
19th January1940 Orders
19th January1940 Instructions
30th January 1940 Orders
1st March 1940 Moves
1st March 1940 Instructions
1st March 1940 Orders
1st March 1940 Orders
2nd March 1940 Orders
2nd March 1940 Operational Order
5th March 1940 Conference
6th March 1940 Exercise
7th March 1940 Exercise
7th March 1940 Exercise
7th March 1940 Orders
8th March 1940 Move
10th March 1940 Training
11th March 1940 Conference
20th March 1940 Conference
20th March 1940 Precautions
22nd March 1940 3rd Division H.Q.
25th March 1940 Orders Amended
25th March 1940 3rd Division H.Q. Operation Instruction No 0754
25th March 1940 3rd Division H.Q. Operation Instruction No 0754
25th March 1940 Orders
25th March 1940 Orders
26th March 1940 Operational Order
28th March 1940 Conference
29th March 1940 HQ Moves
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Exercise
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Route
30th March 1940 Instructions
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Exercise
30th March 1940 Orders
30th March 1940 Orders
31st March 1940 On the Move
1st April 1940 Orders
21st Apr 1940 Advance Party
1st May 1940 Visit
1st May 1940 Orders
2nd May 1940 Visit
2nd May 1940 Operational Instructions
6th May 1940 Defences
7th May 1940 Training
8th May 1940 Experiments
9th May 1940 Instructions
10th May 1940 Orders
10th May 1940 Air Raids
10th May 1940 Advance
10th May 1940 3 Div Operation Order 13.
11th May 1940 Move
11th May 1940 Line Established
11th May 1940 Divisional HQ Moves
12th May 1940 Petrol
12th May 1940 In Position
12th May 1940 On the Move
13th May 1940 Movement
13th May 1940 Rumours
13th May 1940 Refugees
14th May 1940 Shelling
14th May 1940 Contact
14th May 1940 Shelling
15th May 1940 Civilians
15th May 1940 In Action
15th May 1940 Civilians Evacuated
16th May 1940 Withdrawal
16th May 1940 Fighting Withdrawal
16th May 1940 Withdrawal
17th May 1940 Withdrawal
17th May 1940 Congested Roads
17th May 1940 Withdrawal
17th May 1940 Orderrs
18th May 1940 Fighting Withdrawal
18th May 1940 Enemy Penetrate
18th May 1940 Heavy Fighting
19th May 1940 Fighting Withdrawal
19th May 1940 Withdrawal
19th May 1940 Withdrawal
20th May 1940 Fighting Withdrawal
20th May 1940 Enemy Attacks
20th May 1940 Supplies
21st May 1940 Supplies
21st May 1940 Shelling
22nd May 1940 Ammunition in Short Supply
22nd May 1940 Orders
22nd May 1940 Withdrawal
23rd May 1940 New Positions
24th May 1940 Short Rations
24th May 1940 Attack Made
25th May 1940 Cellars
26th May 1940 Divisional HQ Moves
26th May 1940 Field Ambulances Move
26th May 1940 Enemy Aircraft
25th May 1940 Rations
26th May 1940 On the Move
27th May 1940 Defensive Positions
27th May 1940 New Line Occupied
28th May 1940 Divisional HQ Moves
28th May 1940 Divisional HQ Moves
29th May 1940 Vehicles Destroyed
29th May 1940 Withdrawal
30th May 1940 Delays
30th May 1940 La Panne
30th May 1940 Policy
31st May 1940 Embarkation
31st May 1940 Air Attacks
14th June 1940 Inspection
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Want to know more about 23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery? There are:628 items tagged 23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery 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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Albert William Mead Royal Artillery My granddad, Bill Mead, is a veteran of WW2 and I am currently trying to find anyone who remembers him or has any photos that may be of interest to him. He was a member of the Royal Artillery, is from Birmingham and was in Stalag VIIIB Lammsdorf and Stalag XXA.
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Albert William Mead Royal Artillery My granddad, Bill Mead, is a veteran of WW2 and I am currently trying to find anyone who remembers him or has any photos that may be of interest to him. He was a member of the Royal Artillery, is from Birmingham and was in Stalag VIIIB Lammsdorf and Stalag XXA.
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Gnr. Leonard Vernon "Marta" Pritchard 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery (d.1st Aug 1945) Leonard Pritchard was a POW in Stalag XXA in Thorn, Poland. He escaped in 1944 and was never seen again. It is presumed that he died of wounds on or about 1st of August 1945. All we have left are a couple of photos and the letters he wrote to his brother Frank. He is remembered at the Brookwood Memorial.
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L/Bmbdr. George Pigg 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery George Pigg joined the Army in 1930. He was sent to France in 1940 and was captured at St Valery En Caux. He spent the rest of the war as a Pow and
spent time at Stalag 383 in Hohenfels.
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Gnr. George William Albert Hedges 23rd Field Regiment, 91/100 Bty. E Troop Royal Artillery My dad, George Hedges was a Gunner through and through and he was extremely proud of his Regiment.
Although dad did not talk very much about what happened to him during the war towards the end of his life around 2015 at the age of 92, he would sit and talk to my husband who was also ex Royal Artillery.
One story which made me so sad was that when his Regiment was at Monte Casino he had taken his gun up to the front line and then retired back to the cook house. He got his meal and parked up to eat it in his vehicle. A voice in his head said "George move, don't sit here", so dad moved and a few minutes later a shell fell on the exact spot he had been sitting previously.
Dad was not a man who believed in angels or anything of that nature but his guardian angel was definitely with him that day. I like to think it was my granddad looking out for him.
Dad was lucky and came through the war relatively unharmed. Although he always said that if it was not for the fact that when he was in Greece towards the end of the war and because he could ride horses (he looked after the officer's horses.) He could go off my himself riding for the day and this was what helped him to work through what today we call PTSD.
I am proud of my dad, and my grandson will wear his medals with pride this Remembrance Day.
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William Kenyon 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery My Dad, William Kenyon survived the war, but died in 1975. I found this amongst his papers with quite a few names I assume he fought with. The poem "Looking Back" is by Bmdr F H Gamblin.
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Gnr. Thomas Joseph Risley 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery Tommy Risley from Latchford in Warrington was an ex-Regular in the Royal Horse Artillery who was called up from the Reserve list at the outbreak of war. He served with 23rd Field Regiment in Northern France as part of the BEF. He was captured at St Valery in June 1940 and marched to camp BAB21. He was a prisoner in E793, Stalag VIIIb in Silesia as well. He was force marched some 800kms east surviving what is now the infamous Long March of allied POWs to Germany in the face of Russian advances.
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Sgt. Thomas George Pamplin 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery (d.8th July 1944) Tom Pamplin was regarded as the sensible one. He wrote a series of letters to his younger brother, who had been wounded in the head at Dunkirk, advising him to leave hospital as soon as he could and get a job. As the oldest brother of 3, who had all joined up prior to, or at the outbreak of the war, he had been destined to take over the family shop in Battersea. His death in Italy devastated the family. By all accounts, Tom was a principled anti-fascist, who left a comfortable life to fight for a cause. He is buried in Assisi Cemetery.
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Gnr. Raymond Nicholson "Yorkie" Hampshire 23rd Field Regiment, 60th Battery Royal Artillery Raymond Hampshire, my father, left Britain for North Africa on December 26th, 1942 sailing from Glasgow. He served with the First Army, in the 23rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. His first major participation in battle after landing in North Africa was at Thala and Kasserine Pass (Feb 18th - Feb 23rd). On March 17th he reported that the weather was very wet and cold. Sunday 4th April the unit was attacked by 50 Stuka dive bombers. Tuesday April 6th 90/100 battery Major was awarded the MC in recognition of the battery's gallantry at Kasserine Pass.
Thursday April 23rd, Battle for Tunis - zero hr 22.00hrs 130 guns opened on Longstop Hill, and the RAF bombed every hour for 48hrs. On Friday 60 Battery took the Hill at 14.00 hrs. The Infantry found only 70 living Germans when they took the Hill, all others were dead. On Saturday 24th April they lost part of the Hill but re-took it on Sunday 25th. Battle raged on 28th, 29th and 30th when strong enemy attack was repelled. Battle continued and on May 5th the battery advanced, 700 guns were used in the attack, and battle raged for 20hrs. May 12th Germans abandoned their posts. 19th May, saw a victory march through Tunis.
On September 27th they boarded a US Navy landing craft and left for an unknown destination: eventually they landed at Amalfi. The weather was very wet and very cold. On October 13th there was a 'big push', with 392 guns in action and 300 German dead. The regiment moved up to between Naples and Rome, and were attacked by thousands of mosquitoes! The eventual destination was Monte Cassino and the great battle there. Father lived to tell the tale, but it was a story of horror and death on all sides.
He returned to the family in December 1945 and lived to the age of 77. He was a wonderful father and husband.
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Mjr. Norman Melhuish Colson 23rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery (d.21st April 1944) Norman Colson is a recently discovered relative of mine. He is my 4th cousin. He died in a Prisoner of War Camp.
His father, Major Douglas Fairley Colson, died in action in 1919 in Syria.
His Uncle Cecil Colson, a second Lieutenant, died in action in Ypres, Belgium.
A family who gave their lives in service of their Country.
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