1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Arras
In March 1917 33rd Division was withdrawn to train for the Arras offensive. After initial successes in early April, the BEF attempted to continue the advance towards the Hindenburg Line by raids and strong patrols. 19th Brigade was detached on 12 April to assist 21st Division in attacks on 13 and 15/16 April. These attacks were unsuccessful, but 19th Bde was firmly established in the forward part of the Hindenburg Line when the rest of 33rd Division took over the front. Casualties during the subsequent fighting were heavy.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Third Ypres
33rd Division spent the summer on the Flanders coast defending the Nieuport sector before being moved to the Ypres Salient in September to join in the Third Ypres Offensive. The division was due to attack at dawn on 26 September and moved into position during the night of 24/25 September, with 19th Bde in reserve, but it was itself heavily attacked on the morning of 25 September. Despite being driven from many positions and suffering severe casualties, the division was able to play some part in the patched-up attack (the Battle of Polygon Wood) the following day, recapturing its original line and establishing advanced posts in the first objective.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Third Ypres
The division was withdrawn from Polygon Wood for a short rest, then took over the defence of the Passchendaele Salient in November in the worst of Flanders mud. 5th/6th Scottish Rifles was particularly aggressive with its patrols during the winter, forcing the enemy to give up possession of the 'Gasometers'.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Spring Offensive
The German spring offensive opened on 21 March 1918, and 33rd Division was sent south as reinforcements, concentrating in the Arras area by 8 April. When the second phase of the offensive broke through further north (the Battle of the Lys) the division moved to cover the important transport hub of Hazebrouck. 19th Brigade took up positions covering the approaches to Méteren, where patrols on 12 April found the Germans driving broken British units westwards. The line was held by machine gunners and groups of these stragglers, then at dusk the 5th/6th Scottish Rifles arrived to stabilise the front.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Spring Offensive
The line held during 13 April, then the next day a gap appeared to the battalion's left, towards the eastern edge of Meteren. Once again, a defence line was restored, with the help of divisional machine gunners and a New Zealand entrenching battalion. This line was strengthened on 15 April with the help of Royal Engineers and divisional cyclists. 19th Brigade was relieved that night.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Spring Offensive
The fighting was still going on when 33rd Division relieved French troops east of Dickebusch Lake on 6 May. It took over a line running to Scottish Wood and Ridge Wood, an area that had been in the rear area of the Ypres Salient, but was now the front line and was threatened by the Germans who had captured Mont Kemmel. The Germans began a bombardment of the position at 03.30 on 8 May followed by an attack at 07.30 that gained a lodgement in Ridge Wood.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Spring Offensive
19th Brigade came up at 10.00 to restore the position, and a second German attack was stopped. The divisional commander now ordered 5th/6th Scottish Rifles to recapture Ridge Wood. The battalion moved from the right of the division, behind Dickebusch Lake where it was screened by trees, and the CO, Lt-Col H.B. Spens, then carefully deployed and 'launched a most energetic counter-attack, carried out with outstanding valour and enterprise'.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
After the Battle of the Lys, 33rd Division spent several months in the Ypres sector before being relieved by US troops at the end of August and going for training. By the time it re-entered the line in the Cambrai sector the Allied Hundred Days Offensive was well under way. It was ordered to make a preparatory attack on the outer defences of the Hindenburg Line on 21 September. At dawn 19th Bde advanced on the right, but machine gunners of the German Alpenkorps inflicted heavy casualties on 5th/6th Scottish Rifles and other assaulting battalions and they were driven back. During the night, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles' second-in-command, Major C.C. Scott, led a successful surprise attack that seized 'Gloucester Road' trench and the troublesome 'Meath Post' strongpoint, and held on against counter-attacks until relieved.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
Having prepared the way for the Battle of St Quentin Canal (29 September), 33rd Division's role was simply to occupy ground from which the outflanked enemy were expected to retire. However, although the main attack was successful, the enemy facing the division did not budge until the following day, when patrols pushed forwards to the canal bank.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
33rd Division crossed the canal without opposition on 5 October. Ordered to pursue towards the River Selle on 8 October, 19th Brigade advanced without an artillery barrage, but accompanied by field artillery, machine guns, engineers and cavalry, capturing several German guns while 5th/6th Scottish Rifles cleared the village of Clary. The division covered 7 1⁄2 miles in the day. The Selle was the next major German defence line; 33rd Division closed up to it on 11 October and established bridgeheads.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
After a pause to prepare for a major offensive, the Battle of the Selle, 33rd Division crossed the river in strength on 22 October and launched its attack at 02.00 on 23 October, with 5th/6th Scottish Rifles leading 19th Bde on the left. The German defences consisted of a line of Rifle pits supported by machine guns, but the battalion overcame all resistance and reached the first objective by about 03.30. The barrage lifted at 03.52 for the next bound, and the battalion took the second objective by 07.00.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
The rest of the brigade then passed through to take the third objective against weak opposition, but were held up before the final objective. 19th Brigade, accompanied by Royal Engineers, continued the attack the following morning, reaching the outskirts of Englefontaine. On the night of 25 October this village was taken by a pincer movement, 19th Bde working round the high ground to its north.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
The BEF's last major attack of the war was the Battle of the Sambre. On 4 November, 33rd Division bivouacked in the Forêt de Mormal, then on 5 November it passed through the 37th Division to the attack, making rapid progress, despite the cratered roads and fallen trees. The division crossed the Sambre by raft bridges next day, and in the evening 19th Bde took up the pursuit, liberating Pot de Vin the following morning. By the end of 7 November the brigade had reached the Maubeuge–Avesnes road, when the 38th (Welsh) Division took over the pursuit.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 5th/6th Scottish Rifles, Hundred Days Offensive
When the Armistice with Germany came into effect at 11.00 on 11 November, 33rd Division was camped in the Sambre Valley near Leval. Although the final operations were successful, casualties had been heavy, and the division had also been badly affected by the Spanish flu pandemic. It moved back to Hornoy-le-Bourg, in the Somme area for the winter. Demobilisation got under way in January 1919, and the last cadres returned to the UK by the end of June. 5th/6th Scottish Rifles was disembodied on 18 November 1919.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 2/5th Scottish Rifles
The 2nd Line battalion was formed in Glasgow in September 1914. The 2nd Line Lowland Divisional and Brigade HQs began to form in January 1915, but it was some time before the various formations and units were assembled from their depots. Training was held up both by the lack of modern arms and equipment, and the need to supply reinforcement drafts to the 1st Line. By August, however, the division was substantially complete and stationed at Bridge of Allan with the 2nd Scottish Rifles Brigade at Cambusbarron, when they were officially numbered 65th (2nd Lowland) Division and 195th (2/1st Scottish Rifles) Brigade respectively.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 2/5th Scottish Rifles
In November 1915 the 2/5th Scottish Rifles absorbed the 2/8th Battalion. At this time the infantry battalions in the 64th (2nd Highland) and 65th (2nd Lowland) Divisions were numbered sequentially, with 2/5th Scottish Rifles becoming No 17 Battalion. In January 1916 it had reverted to its previous designation, but had absorbed 2/7th Bn. In March 1916 the division moved to Essex and joined Southern Army (Home Forces), 195th Bde being quartered around Billericay and then from July at Terling.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 2/5th Scottish Rifles
In January 1917 65th (2nd Lowland) Division moved to Ireland to relieve 59th (2nd North Midland) Division, which had been the first TF formation to serve in that country. At first 2/5th Bn was stationed at Moore Park (Fermoy), and a year later at Galway. The battalion was disbanded at Tralee on 15 May 1918.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 3/5th Scottish Rifles
A 3rd Line or reserve battalion was formed at Glasgow in November 1914. On 8 April 1916 it was redesignated 5th Reserve Bn, Scottish Rifles, and on 1 September 1916, when it was at Catterick Camp in North Yorkshire, it absorbed the 6th, 7th and 8th Reserve Bns of the regiment and formed part of the Lowland Reserve Bde. Later it returned to Scotland, being stationed at Galashiels and Hawick. By December 1917 it was at Leven as part of the Forth Garrison. It was disbanded at Bridge of Allan on 31 December 1918.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 15th Scottish Rifles
In 1915 the Home Service men of the 5th, 6th and 7th Scottish Rifles were combined into 10th Scottish Provisional Battalion, which joined the Scottish Provisional Brigade (later 1st Provisional Brigade) on 22 May. In April 1916 the 1st Provisional Bde moved from Scotland to Kent to take over coastal defence duties, with 10th Bn stationed at Deal. The same month the battalion absorbed the 12th Scottish Provisional Bn, formed from Home service men of the 4th and 5th Bns Kings Own Scottish Borderers.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War I, 15th Scottish Rifles
The Military Service Act 1916 swept away the Home/Foreign service distinction, and all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. The Provisional Brigades thus became anomalous, and at the end of 1916 the remaining battalions were formed into numbered battalions of their parent units in new Mixed Brigades and Home Service Divisions. 10th Provisional Bn became 15th Bn Scottish Rifles on 1 January 1917, while 1st Provisional Brigade became 221st Infantry Brigade (later 221st Mixed Brigade). Part of the role of these home defence units alongside the Training Reserve was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. 15th Scottish Rifles continued in this role until the end of the war, and was disbanded on 30 July 1919.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Interwar
The TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920 when the 5th Cameronians reformed at Princes Street, with Lt-Col H.B. Spens, DSO in command. In 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA). In that year the 5th Bn absorbed the 8th Cameronians, becoming 5th/8th Battalion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The battalion formed part of 156th (West Scottish) Bde of 52nd (Lowland) Division. It also had affiliated to it 5th The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Cadet Battalion.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Interwar, Anti-Aircraft conversion
During the 1930s the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence for Britain's cities was addressed by converting a number of TA infantry battalions into AA units. The 5th/8th Cameronians was one of the battalions selected, becoming a Royal Artillery searchlight (S/L) regiment in late 1938 while remaining affiliated with the Cameronians. At the same time, the TA was doubled in size following the Munich Crisis, so two regiments were formed:


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Interwar, Anti-Aircraft conversion
Thus the 8th Bn (57th S/L Rgt) once more had its own identity and history. In the event, only three batteries were formed in 5th Bn (56th S/L Rgt) at 261 West Prince's St (HQ, 419, 418 and 419 Btys), 420 being formed in 57th S/L Rgt.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, Mobilisation
The regiment formed part of 3 AA Division covering Scotland. In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti- Aircraft Command. In June a partial mobilisation of TA units was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA and searchlight positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations. 5th Cameronians (56th S/L Rgt) became part of 52nd Light Anti- Aircraft Brigade, which was formed in August 1939 with responsibility for all of 3 AA Division's S/L provision.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment
During the Phoney War period there were a number of attacks on the naval bases of Scotland before the Luftwaffe turned its attention to the campaigns in Norway and France and the Low Countries. In August 1940 the RA took over all the S/L regiments in AA Command, after which the regiment was designated 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment, RA. The regiment supplied a cadre of experienced officers and men to 235th S/L Training Rgt at Ayr where it provided the basis for a new 531 S/L Bty formed on 14 November 1940. This battery later joined 52nd (Queen's Edinburgh, Royal Scots) S/L Rgt.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment
Eastern Scotland largely escaped air attack during the Battle of Britain. In November 1940, at the height of The Blitz, a new 12 AA Division was formed to take over responsibility for western Scotland (including Glasgow and the Clyde) while 3 AA Division (including 52 AA Bde and 56th S/L Rgt) retained responsibility for eastern Scotland.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment
This was still the situation on 11 February 1941 when the newly-formed 535 S/L Bty joined the regiment. This battery had been formed on 14 November at 237th Training Rgt at Holywood, County Down, by a cadre from 52nd S/L Rgt.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment
When the Blitz ended in May 1941 the Edinburgh area had escaped relatively lightly, though the nearby Rosyth Dockyard had been a target.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 56th (5th Battalion, Cameronian Scottish Rifles) Searchlight Regiment
535 S/L Bty left the regiment on 23 January 1942 and transferred to 57th (8th Cameronian) S/L Rgt in 12 AA Division. Later in the war it took part in the Allied invasion of Italy as an independent S/L battery. 535 S/L Battery was replaced in 56th S/L Rgt by 357 S/L Bty transferred from 39th (Lancashire Fusiliers) S/L Rgt on 23 January 1942. 357 S/L Bty continued to wear its Lancashire Fusiliers badges.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
By 1942, AA Command had more than enough S/L units, but was still seriously short of light anti-aircraft (LAA) gun units, and began a programme of converting S/L units (which also had the benefit of saving manpower). On 18 February 56th S/L Rgt was converted to the LAA role as 125th (Cameronians) LAA Rgt:


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
By the middle of June the regiment had completed its conversion and was assigned to 6 AA Bde in 6 AA Division (later 2 AA Group) in South East England.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
414 LAA Bty left the regiment  on 3 October and joined 144th LAA Rgt based in Northern Ireland. 125th (Cameronians) LAA Rgt transferred within 2 AA Gp to 27 (Home Counties) AA Bde in December 1942.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
However, in the spring of 1943, 125th LAA became an unbrigaded regiment, later leaving AA Command entirely and joining 76 AA Bde, one of the formations under 21st Army Group earmarked for the planned invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord).


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
The regiment with its three batteries, now designated a mobile unit, was at Toft Hall in Cheshire on 1 June 1943 when it came under the command of 76 AA Bde and began training for Overlord. During the summer months, it took part in various exercises on the South Coast of England, including  practices with landing craft. In January 1944, 76 AA Bde moved to Essex, with 125th LAA Rgt established at Southend-on-Sea by the end of the month. Intensive training by units continued at firing camps and exercises around the country.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
By now the brigade had been joined by the lorries of 323rd Company Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) to provide mobility, with 1617 LAA Rgt Platoon assigned to 125th LAA Rgt. The standard organisation for a mobile LAA regiment in the forthcoming campaign would be three batteries (54 guns) equipped with towed or Self-Propelled (SP) Bofors 40 mm guns.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Normandy
In May, those units required for the assault phase of Overlord began to gather in southern England and concentrated at Southend. Elements of 76 AA Bde landed on D-Day (6 June) itself, and follow-up units arrived over following days. 76 AA Brigade's role was to defend Gold Beach, the Mulberry Harbour being constructed at Arromanches, and the little harbour of Port-en-Bessin. RHQ of 125th LAA Rgt under Lt-Col J.S Gow landed in Normandy on the evening of 9 June and the reconnaissance party of 417 S/L Bty arrived the following day.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Normandy
The battery was ready for action at Arromanches by 13 June, followed by the other two batteries on 15 June (418 at Huppain, 419 at Escures). There were a number of night engagements of Luftwaffe bombers, but daylight activity was restricted to attacks by a few single-engined Fighter-bombers. The regiment's Z Group of rear-echelon troops arrived from England on 18 July, and the RASC lorries began to arrive on 22 July.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Normandy
Following the Battle of Falaise, 21st Army Group began its break-out from the Normandy beachhead. On 27 August 419 LAA Bty handed over its towed Bofors guns to 73rd and 120th LAA Rgts, and received SP Bofors in exchange, ready to follow the advancing army. On 1 September it transferred to the operational command of 80 AA Bde, which moved up to cover the crossing of the Seine. Two batteries deployed to cover the bridging operations at Mantes-Gassicourt and one to Vernon; later it moved to the crossing at Les Andelys.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Normandy
On 11 September the regiment returned to 76 AA Bde, which was in the Amiens area and scheduled to move up to cover the vital port of Antwerp, but this move was cancelled and the brigade went instead to join the siege of Boulogne (Operation Wellhit). It was withdrawn from Amiens on 22 September and reached Boulogne the following day, just as the siege ended.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Normandy
On 19 October the regiment joined 107 AA Bde, which was supporting the Siege of Dunkirk, using HAA and LAA guns against ground targets, as well as against Luftwaffe aircraft attempting to drop supplies to the besieged garrison.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
The regiment was withdrawn from Dunkirk on 1 November and moved to rejoin 76 AA Bde defending Antwerp. A Gun Defence Area (GDA) covering the whole area of Antwerp and the Scheldt estuary was established, with 76 AA Bde responsible for the 'Scheldt North' sector. HAA positions were established at intervals of 4–5000 yards along the waterway, interspersed with irregularly sited LAA positions.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
125th LAA Regiment was fully deployed by 4 November, with RHQ and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshop in the convent at Hoogerheide (later at Kapelle), 417 LAA Bty at Krabbendijke, 419 LAA Bty at Rilland Cloisters, and 418 LAA Bty in the countryside. 2nd S/L Rgt arrived on 17 November with the primary task of cooperating with the LAA guns against mine-laying in the channel. Lieutenant-Colonel Gow acted as brigade commander on occasions when the brigadier was absent. 125th LAA Regiment contributed personnel to a local warning radar troop that 76 AA Bde organised from its own resources


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
The only enemy aircraft seen in this period were on reconnaissance missions, usually flying very high. However, at the beginning of December 417 LAA battery was ordered to send A Trp to 4th Commando Brigade to defend the island of North Beveland against enemy shipping; C Trp joined it in early January 1945.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
When the German Army launched its Ardennes offensive (the Battle of the Bulge) aimed at breaking through to Antwerp, 76th AA Bde was ordered to take precautions against possible attacks by German airborne troops, as well as dealing with increased air activity; the night of 26/27 December was the busiest since the brigade arrived at the Scheldt.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
On 1 January 1945, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Bodenplatte: daylight attacks against Allied airfields in support of the Ardennes offensive. Between 09.20 and 09.54 some 50–60 enemy aircraft, mainly Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190, came over 76th AA Bde's area. Its war diary records: 'This was the best day since our formation', with 15 aircraft claimed as 'certainly destroyed' and others probably crashed in enemy territory.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
Antwerp was heavily attacked by V-1 flying bombs; on 26 February one of these landed in 417 LAA Bty's area, causing a number of casualties. As the war in Europe drew to its close, AA commitments in rear areas were reduced and units closed up to the Scheldt, where they were either sent forward into Germany (as AA or occupation troops) or prepared for disbandment. Several regiments were disbanded in April 1945, other were converted into garrison troops or driver training regiments. 125th LAA Rgt remained in 76th AA Bde's order of battle in the final weeks of the war.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Antwerp
The brigade was ordered to cease fire on 3 May 1945 when a local truce came into effect to allow supplies to be sent to civilians in enemy-occupied Holland (Operation Manna). This was followed on 4 May by the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath and the end of the war in Europe (VE Day).


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Occupation duties
After VE Day, the brigade remained temporarily on its AA tasks. Its units then returned to the mainland from the Scheldt islands and concentrated north of Antwerp before moving into Germany in June to garrison the Dortmund–Bochum area. The units under command during this period included 125th LAA Rgt


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Occupation duties
By October the brigade had established its HQ at Burgsteinfurt Schloss under the command of 52nd (L) Division in British Army of the Rhine. As well as guarding vital points, it was responsible for camps containing 6000 disarmed former Wehrmacht soldiers and 9000 Displaced persons (DPs).


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, World War II, 125th (Cameronians) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Occupation duties
As the year progressed, units were progressively disbanded as the troops were demobilised. 125th (Cameronians) LAA Rgt was placed in suspended animation on 1 March 1946, completed on 9 April.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the regiment reformed at Glasgow as 591st LAA Rgt (Cameronians). It formed part of 77 AA Bde (the wartime 51st LAA Bde) at Glasgow. On 16 March 1949 the regiment became 591st (Mixed) LAA/SL Rgt (Cameronians) ('Mixed' indicating that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit). On 1 June 1950 it absorbed  518th LAA/SL Rgt (the prewar 18th LAA Rgt formed at Glasgow in 1938) without change of title. On 1 October 1953 it dropped the S/L part of its title once more.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Postwar
AA Command was disbanded on 10 March 1955 and there were wholesale amalgamations amongst its units. 591st (Cameronians) LAA Rgt amalgamated with 474th (City of Glasgow) HAA Rgt and 483rd (Blythswood) HAA Rgt to form 445th (Cameronians) LAA Rgt with the following organisation:


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Postwar
(474th HAA Rgt had previously absorbed 592nd (Glasgow) LAA Rgt, descended from 8th Bn Cameronians.)


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Postwar
On 1 May 1961 445th LAA Rgt absorbed Q (West Lothian, Royal Scots) Bty of 432nd LAA Rgt at Edinburgh and reorganised as 445th (Lowland) LAA Rgt:


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Postwar
Between 4 October 1961 and 18 March 1964 the regiment dropped the LAA part of its title, becoming 445th (Lowland) Regiment, RA, but later in 1964 it was designated a Light Air Defence Regiment. When the TA was reduced into the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve in 1967, the regiment was disbanded and became concurrently part of 207 (Scottish) Bty in 102 (Ulster and Scottish) LAD Rgt, and T (Glasgow) Bty in the Lowland Rgt, RA (Territorials).


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Uniform and Insignia
The various companies that were raised in 1859–60 had variations on Volunteer grey uniforms. However, after a vote in 1862 they all adopted 'Elcho grey' (Hodden grey) with blue facings, the blue collar and cuffs laced in grey with an Austrian knot on the sleeve, and blue piping on the trousers. The soft grey peaked cap had a diced blue-and-white band and a silver bugle badge. Yellow leggings were worn. From 1872 to 1876 a grey busby was adopted, but the grey cap was reintroduced until 1878 when a grey helmet with bronze fittings came into use. In 1902 a drab service dress with green Austrian knot and field grey cap was adopted. This was retained until the early 20th Century when it adopted the Rifle green uniform with dark green facings of the Scottish Rifles.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Memorials
After World War I the Place de la Mairie in Clary was renamed Place des Ecossais to commemorate its liberation by 5th/6th Bn Scottish Rifles. When King George V visited Clary in November 1918, the battalion was drawn up in the place in his honour. Later a plaque was erected in the place.


1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, Memorials
The Cameronians War Memorial, commemorating all the regiment's battalions in World War I, sculpted by Philip Lindsey Clark, stands in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. There is also a plaque to all the Cameronian dead in World War I in Glasgow Cathedral.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers
The 1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers (1st LAV), popularly known as 'Brown's Corps', was an auxiliary  unit of the British Army raised in Liverpool in 1859. As the Lancashire & Cheshire Royal Garrison Artillery in the Territorial Force it was responsible for defending the Mersey Estuary and the coastline of North West England. It was one of the few coast defence units to fire a shot during World War I but also provided personnel for a number of siege batteries that saw action on the Western Front. It continued in the coast defence role during World War II, at the end of which it sent troops to work in the rear areas in Europe. It was reformed postwar but was broken up when the coast artillery branch was abolished in 1956.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
An invasion scare in 1859 led to the emergence of the Volunteer Movement and huge enthusiasm for joining local Volunteer Corps. The 1st Administrative Brigade, Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, was established in February 1860 to bring together a number of small artillery volunteer corps (AVCs) that had sprung up in the Liverpool area of Lancashire:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
The Brown family took a prominent role in the early history of the unit and it was popularly known as 'Brown's Corps'. Sir William Brown, 1st Baronet, of Richmond Hill (died 1864), was Honorary Colonel of the 1st Lancashire AVC, and his grandson and successor Sir William Richmond Brown, 2nd Baronet, was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Admin Bde in 1861. The 2nd Baronet's younger brother, James Clifton Brown (simultaneously an officer in  the Royal Lancashire Militia Artillery), became Major of the brigade in 1862 and from 1864 Lt-Col of the 1st Lancashire AVC.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
By 1869, due to disbandments and amalgamations, the admin brigade disappeared leaving the 1st Lancashire AVC as an independent unit of eight batteries. Sir William Richmond Brown, 2nd Bt, now became the honorary colonel, and the Lt-Col Commandant was his younger brother Alexander Hargreaves Brown, formerly a Cornet in the 5th Dragoon Guards (later 1st Baronet of  a new creation).


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
Another family closely associated with 1st Lancashire AVC was the Behrends, a Liverpool shipbroking family. Henry David and Edward Augustus Behrend were commissioned into 'Brown's Corps' in 1887 and 1888, appointed captains in 1890 and 1893 and majors in 1900 and 1905 respectively. H.D. Behrend became Lt-Col in 1906 and retired in 1913. Lieutenant Arthur Behrend served in the East Lancashire Regiment and with 90th Bde RGA during World War I, and returned to the Lancashire & Cheshire Artillery after the Armistice.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
The 1st LAV's war stations were the gun batteries guarding the approaches to Liverpool on the Lancashire (north) shore of the Mersey Estuary, Seaforth Battery and North Fort. Seaforth Battery was completed in 1879 and mounted four 12.5-inch RML guns (later replaced by two 4.7-inch QF guns). The older North Fort was disarmed and dismantled between 1884 and 1887 and its site taken over by the expanding docks. A new battery was built further up the coast at Crosby Point in 1906–07, named Crosby Battery and armed with three 6-inch Mark VII BL guns by 1914. In peacetime the defences were maintained by a small detachment of Regular gunners from the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) who also trained the Volunteers.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Volunteer Force
By the 1870s the 1st LAV had established its headquarters (HQ) at 19 Low Hill, Liverpool. It was included in the Lancashire Division of the Royal Artillery (RA) from 1 April 1882, transferring to the Southern Division when the Lancashire Division was abolished on 1 July 1889. On 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and with the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation  on 1 January 1902, the unit became the 1st Lancashire RGA (Volunteers).


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Territorial Force
Under the Haldane Reforms that created the Territorial Force, the 1st Lancashire RGA (V) merged with part of the 1st Cheshire RGA (V) to became the Lancashire and Cheshire RGA as a defended ports unit. The single command facilitated coordination between the defences on the Lancashire and Cheshire banks of the Mersey Estuary. The Cheshire side included  Fort Perch Rock armed with three 6-inch Mark VII BL guns in 1914. There was also a detachment at Barrow-in-Furness defending the shipyards and airship works.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Mobilisation
On the outbreak of World War I the Lancashire & Cheshire RGA's organisation was as  follows:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Mobilisation
On 31 August 1914, the formation of Reserve or 2nd Line units for each existing TF unit was authorised; each was prefixed '2/' to distinguish it from the 1st Line ('1/'). Initially these were formed from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, and the recruits who were flooding in. In 1915 Henry Behrend was re-commissioned from the TF Reserve as Lt-Col to command the 2nd Line unit of the L&C RGA.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
On 29 January 1915, No 7 Company, manning the Walney Island Battery guarding the shipyards and airship sheds at Barrow, exchanged fire with the German U-boat U-21.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
By October 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and there was an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery to be sent to France. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field. Soon the TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service were also supplying trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
Although complete defended ports units never went overseas, they did provide cadres to form units from New Army ('Kitchener's Army') volunteers for front line service. The L&C RGA is known to have supplied cadres for 39th and 95th Siege Btys in 1915 (see below). During 1916 new siege batteries are recorded to have been raised at 'Mersey' (161, 170, 197, 235, 256, 297) and 'Liverpool' (204, 279, 314), and further batteries in early 1917 at the L&C RGA's Crosby Battery (358, 393, 401) and at Mersey (437). These were formed from later conscripts, but were presumably organised by the L&C RGA since there were no Regular RGA units present at these sites.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
This process meant a continual drain on the manpower of the defended ports units and in April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. By this stage of the war, the L&C RGA serving in the Mersey and Barrow Defences of Western Command consisted of 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/5, 2/1, 2/2, 2/3, 2/4, 2/5 and 2/7 Companies. These were reduced to just three companies, given a slightly higher establishment (five officers and 100 other ranks) and renumbered, abolishing the 1st and 2nd Line distinction:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
In addition, three L&C companies (1/4, 2/6 and 2/8) had been transferred to the Thames & Medway Defences in Eastern Command – much closer to possible German naval attacks – and these were combined with 1/2 and 2/2 Companies of the Essex & Suffolk RGA to form Nos 1 and 2 Companies of the Kent RGA.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
By April 1918 the guns in the Mersey Garrison consisted of one 6-inch at each of Perch Rock and Crosby Point batteries, and two 4.7s at Seaforth, while the Barrow Garrison had two 6-inch Mk VIIs at Walney Island Battery and two 4.7s at Hilpsford Battery, under Coastal Fire Command No 24 at Liverpool.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, Home Defence
The TF was demobilised in 1919 after the Armistice with Germany.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
This battery was formed at Sheerness on 10 June 1915 with a cadre (including Capt G.G. Mallinson) provided by the L&C RGA. The battery went out to the Western Front on 2 November, equipped with four 8-inch howitzers.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
39th Siege Bty was positioned north of Ypres under Second Army and spent the following months in the routine of registering likely targets with the aid of spotting aircraft and carrying out short bombardments of requested targets, while suffering a steady trickle of casualties from retaliatory fire. In June 1916 it was sent south to join Fourth Army's preparations for the 'Big Push', the Battle of the Somme.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
After participating in the seven-day bombardment, the battery fired a sequence of barrages lifting from one predetermined line to the next in support of III Corps' assault on La Boisselle during the First day on the Somme. Unfortunately, many of the heavy howitzer shells failed to explode. The attack was a failure. The battery continued to support the attacks on Bazentin le Petit and Pozières, then on Le Sars, Martinpuich, High Wood and Courcelette as the offensive continued through the summer and into the autumn.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
In January 1917 the battery rejoined Second Army at Ypres where activity increased as preparations began for that year's Flanders campaign. On 1 June 1917 39th Siege Bty was joined by a section (2 officers and 70 other ranks (ORs) with two 8-inch howitzers) from the newly arrived 311th Siege Bty, bringing the battery up to an establishment of six guns. It supported the successful Battle Messines (7 June), then moved to forward positions under Fifth Army for the bombardment preceding the opening of the Third Ypres Offensive on 31 July. It supported II Corps, which had the hardest task of the day, and the attack fell short of its objectives.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
Captain Mallinson of the original L&CRGA cadre left the battery on 13 August 1917 to take command of 221st Siege Bty. The campaign ground on during the summer and autumn. During the attack of 20 September (the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge) three of the battery's guns were put out of action. By October the British gunners were struggling to bring up guns and ammunition through the morass of mud to continue the offensive and the gunners of 39th Siege Bty had to be  pulled out of the line for rest. They returned later in the month and resumed barrage fire for the Second Battle of Passchendaele until the fighting died down in November.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
Having been constantly switched from one heavy artillery group (HAG) to another, the RGA batteries now became subunits of permanent heavy brigades: 39th Siege Bty joined 30th Brigade and remained with it for the rest of the war. The German Spring Offensive was launched at the end of March 1918, but it was not until 10 April that the fighting spread to Ypres. On that day 30th Bde's howitzers were called upon to support the hard-pressed troops south of the city.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
By 14 April Second Army was obliged to pull back from the Passchendaele Ridge to shorten its line and the guns were dragged back. From their new positions the guns carried out harassing fire (HF) and counter-preparation and disrupt the German attacks until they were forced back to the ramparts of Ypres itself on 26 April, with 39th Siege Bty back at Busseboom. The last German attack in the sector died out on 29 April. In May 30th Bde was pulled out of the line for rest and training in GHQ Reserve.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
On 19 June 39th Siege Bty was back 'in action' north of Arras. 30th Brigade was now under First Army and remained with it until the end of the war. The summer was spent on HF and counter-battery (CB) fire tasks. The Allied Hundred Days Offensive began on 8 August and First Army began to advance on 18 August, supported by CB fire. On 19 September the heavy guns began moving forward to support First Army in the Battle of the Canal du Nord on 27 September.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
During October 39th Siege Bty moved up again, reaching Billy-Montigny with five of its howitzers on 13 October, but on 18 October it had to be left behind because there was no canal bridge strong enough to take its heavy howitzers. It finally moved up on 1 November, and four of its howitzers came into action on 4 and 5 November, but the Germans were retreating too quickly for the howitzers to keep up. Hostilities ended on 11 November when the Armistice came into effect.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 39th Siege Battery
The battery continued in the Regular Army after the Armistice. It became 39th Bty, RGA, on 19 April 1919, and converted into 39th Mountain Bty on 20 January 1920. However, on 16 April that year it was absorbed by the cadre of 3rd Mountain Bty in India.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 95th Siege Battery
This battery was formed at Portsmouth on 16 December 1915 by a cadre of 3 officers and 78 other ranks (the equivalent of a TF Company) drawn from the L&C RGA. It went out to the Western Front in May 1916 equipped with four 9.2-inch howitzers and immediately joined Third Army to begin the bombardment for the disastrous Attack on the Gommecourt Salient on the first day on the Somme. It switched to Fourth Army for the continuation of the Somme offensive, and then moved to First Army. It was with 50th HAG as part of the concentration of heavy guns for the Battle of Vimy on 9 April 1917. Later it moved to Second Army's command for the Battle of Messines and to Fifth Army for the Ypres offensive.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 95th Siege Battery
In October 1917 the battery transferred to 90th HAG with Third Army. It supported IV Corps in the continuing operations of the Battle of Cambrai. 90th HAG became 90th Bde in early 1918, and 95th Siege Bty remained with it for the rest of the war. In August 1917 the battery had been joined by a section of gunners from 419th Siege Bty, but it was not increased to six howitzers until January 1918.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 95th Siege Battery
Third Army was attacked on the first day of the German Spring Offensive (21 March) and all the batteries of 90th Bde had to be pulled back in the 'Great Retreat'. While the huge 9.2-inch howitzers were towed back, the gunners of 95th Siege Bty fought the advancing Germans with smaller 6-inch howitzers. The front was stabilised in early April and by late August Third Army had joined in the Allied Hundred Days Offensive across the old Somme battlefields. The subsequent advance in September and October entailed 95th Siege Bty hauling its howitzers forward in pairs to new gun positions.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War I, 95th Siege Battery
90th Brigade supported 42nd (East Lancashire) Division for the attack on the Canal du Nord on 27 September and was attached to the New Zealand Division for the Second Battle of Cambrai on 8 October. It supported IV Corps' attack at the Battle of the Selle on 20 October. By 5 November the heavy howitzers had been left behind, and the men were in billets by the time the Armistice came into effect.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Interwar years
When the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920, the Lancashire & Cheshire RGA was reformed, with its HQ at Liverpool and two batteries, one from Nos 1 and 2 companies, the other from Nos 3 and 4. During 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army and the unit was redesignated the Lancashire & Cheshire Coast Brigade, RGA, the batteries being numbered 177 and 178. When the RGA was subsumed into the RA on 1 June 1924, the unit became the Lancashire & Cheshire Heavy Brigade, RA, and the batteries became heavy batteries. In 1926 it was decided that the coastal defences of Great Britain should be solely manned by part-time soldiers of the TA. Together with the Lancashire Fortress Royal Engineers the brigade provided the coast defence troops in 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Area.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Interwar years
During the 1930s until the eve of World War II the organisation of the L&C Heavy Bde was:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Interwar years
In line with the RA's modernisation of its titles, the brigade was termed a regiment from 1 November 1938. On the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 it was responsible for the following guns:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 524th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Coast Regiment
With the danger of invasion after the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk, the coastal artillery regiments underwent a major reorganisation in the summer of 1940. On 14 July the regiment became 524th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Coast Regiment with the batteries designated A and B:


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 524th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Coast Regiment
The batteries at Fleetwood and Lytham St Annes were 'emergency batteries' of Royal Navy guns installed during the summer of 1940. Each consisted of 2 x 4-inch Mk VII guns.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 524th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Coast Regiment
By 1942 the threat from German attack had diminished and there was demand for trained gunners for the fighting fronts. A process of reducing the manpower in the coast defences began. The manpower requirements for the forthcoming Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) led to further reductions in coast defences in April 1944. By this stage of the war many of the coast battery positions were manned by Home Guard detachments or in the hands of care and maintenance parties.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 619th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Infantry Regiment
By the end of 1944, 21st Army Group was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry. At the same time the German Luftwaffe and Reichsmarine were suffering from such shortages that serious  attacks on the United Kingdom could be discounted. In January 1945 the War Office began to reorganise surplus air and coast defence regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 619th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Infantry Regiment
On 15 January 1945 the bulk of 524th (L&C) Coast Rgt became 619th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Infantry Rgt, RA, in 301 Infantry Brigade, serving in Scottish Command. After infantry training, the brigade came under the orders of 21st Army Group on 9 May, and landed on the Continent on 15 May (a week after VE  Day), where it came under the command of First Canadian Army. After carrying out occupation duties it was placed in suspended animation on 31 October 1945.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, World War II, 619th (Lancashire & Cheshire) Infantry Regiment
Meanwhile, a few details of RHQ 524th (L&C) Coast Rgt had been retained in the UK. On 29 February 131 Bty became independent, and the residue of 111, 171 and 405 Btys came under its administrative control on 20 May. RHQ, 131 Bty and the other details began entering suspended animation on 1 June, completing the process by 22 June 1945.


1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, Postwar
In 1947 the regiment was reconstituted in the TA as 420 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Coast Regiment, as part of 104 Coast Brigade. In 1954 the batteries were subtitled: Q (Lancashire) and R (Cheshire). Two years later the Coast Artillery were disbanded. Q and R Batteries of 420 Regiment were converted into 253 and 624 Squadrons of the Royal Engineers at Liverpool and Wallasey respectively. Originally they were to be field squadrons, but this was quickly changed and they became crane operating squadrons attached to 107 Corps Engineer Rgt and 113 Army Engineer Rgt respectively. Both squadrons were disbanded in 1961.


1st Lancashire Engineers
The 1st Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps was a Volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Engineers, first raised in 1860. It went on to spin off a unit of fortress engineers and provided a signals training centre during World War I. Its successor units provided signal support for West Lancashire Territorial Army (TA) formations in the early stages of World War II, and for Eighth Army HQ during the Second Battle of El Alamein, the advance to Tunis, invasion of Sicily and through Italy, ending the war in Austria. Postwar successor units have continued in the TA and Army Reserve to the present day.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. One such unit was the 1st Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVC) formed at Liverpool on 1 October 1860. In the early part of 1864 it absorbed the 2nd Lancashire EVC, which had been formed at Liverpool on 29 December 1860 (the 3rd Lancashire EVC at St Helens became the new 2nd). The unit ranked 4th (later 3rd) in the list of precedence of EVCs, and by 1866 it consisted of eight companies, with its headquarters at 44 Mason Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
During the 1860s the 1st Lancashire EVC acted as a battalion headquarters, with several smaller EVCs attached to it: 1st Flintshire EVC (1863–1897); 1st Cheshire EVC (1864) and 2nd (St Helens) Lancashire EVC (1864–1867). The Rossall School Cadet Corps – the oldest school cadet corps in the UK, founded in 1860 – was attached to the 1st Lancashire EVC from 1890 to 1908.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
When Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–1886, did not have enough Regular Royal Engineers (RE) to man the fixed mines being installed to defend British seaports, he utilised the Volunteer Engineers for this task. After successful trials the system was rolled out to ports around the country. In October 1884 the 1st Lancashire EVC formed K Company to cover the Mersey Estuary, and in March 1888 this became independent as the Mersey Division Submarine Miners.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
Again, when Clarke needed engineers for railway construction at the Red Sea port of Suakin for the British force engaged there in 1885, he sent a detachment of Volunteers to assist the Regulars. The detachment was drawn from the 1st Newcastle & Durham EV and the 1st Lancashire EV (seven men).


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
The EVC titles were abandoned in 1888, when the units became 'Engineer Volunteers, Royal Engineers', proclaiming their affiliation to the Regular RE, and then simply 'Royal Engineers (Volunteers)' in 1896.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Origins
The unit sent a detachment of 26 volunteers to assist the regular REs during the Second Boer War in 1901.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Territorial Force
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) in 1908, the original plan was for part of the 1st Lancashire RE (V) to join the Lancashire Fortress Royal Engineers formed by the former Mersey Submarine Miners, and the remainder of the unit would form the West Lancashire Divisional Telegraph Company.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Territorial Force
By 1910 this plan had changed: none of the 1st Lancashire transferred to the fortress company, but the telegraph company had been expanded to form the Western Wireless Telegraph, Cable Telegraph and Air-Line Telegraph companies, collectively known as the Western Signal Companies. These were 'Army Troops', forming part of  Western Command. By now the HQ was at 38 Mason Street.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Territorial Force
The Commanding Officer of the companies from 1912 was Lt-Col F.A.Cortez-Leigh, transferred from a TF battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers. In professional life he was chief electrical engineer of the London and North Western Railway.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War I, Mobilisation
When war broke out in August 1914 the TF was mobilised and the Western Signal Companies were quickly recruited up to full strength. The unit established a training camp in the public park known as The Mystery at Wavertree. Almost the whole unit volunteered for overseas service, and it was quickly called upon to provide two cable telegraph sections and two air line telegraph sections to join the British Expeditionary Force serving on the Western Front. These sections left Wavertree in October 1914.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War I, Training Centre
In the autumn of 1914 the War Office decided to address the urgent need for trained signallers by using the TF to establish training depots. The Army Troops signal units of the five Home Commands were concentrated in Bedfordshire, and the officers and men were transferred to the Regular RE for the duration of the war.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War I, Training Centre
The Western Signal Companies became the Western Signal Service Centre, RE, based at the empty manor house at Haynes Park in Bedfordshire, with many of the men being billeted in nearby Clophill. The unit had to establish a complete depot in the park, with roads, huts, and electricity and water supplies.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War I, Training Centre
The training centre was later known as the Haynes Park Signal Depot, and remained under the command of Lt-Col Cortez-Leigh, who visited the Western Front in 1915 to see for himself the service conditions for which the men had to be trained. During the war some 2,000–3,000 officers and 20,000 NCOs and men from across the UK, together with thousands of horses and mules, were trained at Haynes Park. Mrs Cortez-Leigh took charge of a detachment of women of Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps at the park, which released men for active service.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Interwar
When the TF was reconstituted in 1920 as the Territorial Army (TA), the RE signal units became part of the new Royal Corps of Signals. The Western Command units became 2nd Western Corps Signals (Army Troops), based at Liverpool. However, the concept of Army Troops signal companies was soon afterwards abandoned and the unit reformed later the same year as 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals. The new unit was based at Mason Street, with No 2 Company at Prescot, and was commanded by Colonel J. Tennant.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Interwar
It also had 235th Field Artillery Signal Section and 210th Medium Artillery Signal Section attached to it. In 1937 a new drill hall named Signal House was opened at Score Lane, Childwall, Liverpool, and HQ moved in with Nos 1 and 3 Companies. In 1938 the unit provided the cadre for the new 4th AA Divisional Signals in Chester.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, Mobilisation
Following the Munich Crisis the TA was doubled in size. 55th (West Lancashire) Division, which was organised as a Motor Division, spun off a duplicate, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division, to which the signal unit provided 59th (Motor) Divisional Signals. The TA was mobilised in the days preceding the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, and 59th Division and its units became active on 15 September.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, 55th (West Lancashire) Divisional Signals
55th (West Lancashire) Division mobilised in Western Command. It remained in the UK throughout the war, moving from place to place. In June 1940 it was reorganised as a normal infantry division, and in January 1942 it was placed on a lower establishment. Although it was restored to full war establishment shortly before D Day, it never went overseas. 55th Divisional Signals acted as a training unit.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, 59th (Motor) Divisional Signals
59th Division also mobilised in Western Command, but early in 1940 the divisional signal unit was withdrawn and reorganised as 4th Army Signals. It was redesignated again in May 1940 as No 4 Line of Communication Signals, and in September it was sent to the Middle East where it operated in the rear areas of Western Desert Force and later Eighth Army during the Western Desert Campaign. It also provided signal detachments to British forces operating in Eritrea during the East African Campaign and in Palestine during the Syria–Lebanon Campaign.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, Eighth Army Signals
When Eighth Army HQ was formed in 1941, most of its administrative services, including signals, were provided by the South African Army. 4th LoC Signals supported these units, and in mid-1942 it took over completely from the South Africans when the bulk of the unit became 8th Army Signals, also providing personnel to XIII Corps Signals and East African Signals.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, Eighth Army Signals
The unit served with Eighth Army HQ at the Battle of Alamein, the advance to Tunis, the Allied invasion of Sicily, and the whole of the Italian Campaign. It ended the war in Austria, remaining there with the Army of Occupation until 1947, when its HQ and No 1 Squadron were disbanded. The rest of the unit was reorganised into the independent Klagenfurt and Vienna Signal Squadrons, and the Graz Signal Troop. In 1952 these were amalgamated into British Troops Austria Signals, which was reduced to a squadron in 1954 and disbanded in 1955.


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, Eighth Army Signals, Organisation
In 1939–1945 an Army Signal unit had the following organisation:


1st Lancashire Engineers, World War II, Eighth Army Signals, Organisation
By 1944 such was the volume of signal traffic that Army Signals had to be divided into two units, one for Main Army HQ and one for Rear Army HQ.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Postwar
55th (West Lancashire) Division was not reformed when the TA was reconstituted in 1947, but the Liverpool TA signals component did reform at Signals House as 22 (West Lancashire) Corps Signal Regiment. In 1949 the regiment became part of the Army Emergency Reserve (AER) (successors to the old Militia). Those TA members who chose not to accept the AER terms of service then became the nucleus of a new No 3 Squadron of 42 (Lancashire) Signal Regimentat Signal House. The AER regiment was disbanded about 1953.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Postwar
The former second-line 59th Divisional Signals also reformed in Liverpool in 1947, as 59 Mixed Signal Regiment ('Mixed' indicating that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit). When the TA was reduced to the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) in 1967, the regiment became 59 (West Lancashire) Signal Squadron in 33 (Lancashire and Cheshire) Signal Regiment based at Huyton (which also included 42 Signal Squadron from the former 42 (Lancashire) Signal Rgt).


1st Lancashire Engineers, Postwar
At the same time, a new 55 (Thames and Mersey) Squadron was formed in TAVR I (the 'ever-ready' portion of the reserves). It consisted of HQ at Liverpool, an Airhead Troop at Chelsea, London, and a Port Troop at Cardiff. The London troop left in 1970, when the squadron was renamed 55 (West Lancashire) Signal Squadron. A radio relay troop at Liverpool joined in 1972 and the Cardiff troop left in 1983. The squadron operated in the logistic support role until it disbanded in February 1999.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Postwar
On 16 February 1999 the titles of 33 (L&C) Signal Regiment's squadrons were changed, 59 becoming 59 (City of Liverpool) Signal Squadron and HQ Squadron becoming 55 (Merseyside) HQ Squadron. 33 (L&C) Signal Regiment was reduced to a single squadron after the 2009 Defence Review.


1st Lancashire Engineers, Honorary Colonel
The following officers served as Honorary Colonel of the 1st Lancashire EVC and successor units:


1st Land Force Brigade
The 1st Land Force Brigade (Serbian: 1. бригада копнене војске, romanized: 1. brigada kopnene vojske) is a mixed brigade of Serbian Land Forces. It consist from infantry, armored, mechanized, artillery, air defense, engineering and signal units.


1st Land Force Brigade, History and traditions
The brigade was formed on July 31, 2006, with command in Novi Sad from the former land forces units located in Vojvodina and Mačva; Novi Sad Corps, 1st Armored Brigade, 402nd and 485th Pontoon Battalion. By the 2007 brigade was again reorganized, with 110th and 111th Poonton Battalion being subordinated to the River Flotilla of Serbian Armed Forces.


1st Land Force Brigade, History and traditions
The day of 1st Brigade is November 9. On that date, in 1918, Serbian Army 7th Infantry Regiment led by Major Vojislav Bugarski has marched in to Novi Sad.


1st Land Force Brigade, Tasks
It's covering the territory of north Serbia, mostly Vojvodina, from the border with Hungary on north to Croatia and Romania on west and east, to Mačva on south. The most units are, like the command of brigade, based in Novi Sad, while the other units are based in Bačka Topola, Sremska Mitrovica, Pančevo and Zrenjanin.


1st Landing Support Battalion
1st Landing Support Battalion (1st LSB) is a logistics battalion in the United States Marine Corps that supports distributed maritime operations and expeditionary advanced base operations. The unit is based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and falls under the command of the 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG) and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.


1st Landing Support Battalion, Mission
Provide throughput support for I Marine Expeditionary Force and other Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations in order to enable the distribution of equipment, personnel, and supplies by air, ground, and sea.


1st Landing Support Battalion, History
The battalion was originally commissioned during World War II as 1st Pioneer Battalion on February 7, 1942.


1st Landing Support Battalion, Unit awards
A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces have different categories: i.e. Service, Campaign, Unit, and Valor. 1st LSB has been presented with the following awards:


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire)
The 1st Landwehr Division (1. Landwehr-Division) was an infantry division of the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was formed on the mobilization of the German Army in August 1914 under the "Higher Landwehr Commander 1" (Höherer Landwehr-Kommandeur 1) and, initially, also referred to as the "Landwehr-Division Goltz" after its commander. The Landwehr was the third category of the German Army, after the regular Army and the reserves. Thus Landwehr divisions were made up of older soldiers who had passed from the reserves, and were intended primarily for occupation and security duties rather than heavy combat.


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire), Organization at mobilization
On mobilization, the 1st Landwehr Division was created by aggregating four mixed Landwehr brigades (gemischte Landwehr-Brigaden), each of which generally included its own infantry, cavalry and artillery. Its initial wartime organization was as follows:


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire), Organization at mobilization
The 33rd and 34th Mixed Landwehr Brigades were raised in the IX Corps area (the Province of Schleswig-Holstein, part of the Province of Hanover, the Grand Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck). The 37th and 38th Mixed Landwehr Brigades were raised in the X Corps area (the Province of Hanover, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, and the Duchy of Brunswick).


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire), Organization at mobilization
On 27 August, the division was ordered to reinforce the eastern front; however, the 37th and 38th Mixed Landwehr Brigades were left behind to guard the northern coast and later transferred to the western front.


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire), Combat chronicle
The 1st Landwehr Division began the war on the Eastern Front. In 1914-15, it participated in the battles of Gumbinnen, Tannenberg, and 2nd Masurian Lakes. It then took part in the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive. The division was then primarily employed in positional warfare until the armistice on the Eastern Front. In early 1918, it was transferred to the Western Front, where it was primarily employed in positional warfare in Flanders and Alsace-Lorraine.


1st Landwehr Division (German Empire), Late World War I organization
Divisions underwent many changes during the war, with regiments moving from division to division, and some being destroyed and rebuilt. During the war, most divisions became triangular - one infantry brigade with three infantry regiments rather than two infantry brigades of two regiments (a "square division"). In the case of Landwehr divisions, the mixed Landwehr brigades were converted to regular infantry brigades before being triangularized, and were often used to form new units. The 1st Landwehr Division's order of battle on 15 January 1918 was as follows:


1st Laotian Parachute Battalion
The 1st Laotian Parachute Battalion (French: 1er Bataillon de Parachutistes Laotiens	(1er BPL); 1st BPL) was a  paratroop battalion of the French Union Army formed in Vientiane, French Indochina in 1951. It was composed of French officers and Laotian non-commissioned officers and enlisted men, and fought in the First Indochina War.


1st Laotian Parachute Battalion, History
The 1st BPL began forming in October 1951 at Chinaimo near Vientiane, and reached a strength of 853 men in a headquarters and three companies by 1 April 1952. Its 2nd Company was formed from Commandos 4, 5, and 6 of the 1st Laotian Para-Commando Company. During 1952 it was involved in twenty operations, six of which involved parachute jumps. Between 15 and 24 December 576 men from the unit parachuted into Sam Neua to reinforce its garrison in Operation Noel; they were reinforced by eighty more to form a fourth company in February 1953. The Sam Neua garrison was defeated by a Vietminh invasion of 40,000 troops commanded by General Võ Nguyên Giáp, forcing the remnants of the 1st BPL to flee toward the Plain of Jars.


1st Laotian Parachute Battalion, History
It was reformed at Chinaimo a month later, and conducted reconnaissance and commando operations north of Luang Prabang for the rest of the year, including Operation Dampieres in September. The 1st BPL began preparing for Operation Condor, an attempt to relieve the Dien Bien Phu garrison, during March 1954. It advanced towards the Laotian-Vietnamese border in April and early May, withdrawing in mid-May after the garrison surrendered. The BPL reunited on 18 June near Savannakhet at the French Air Force's Seno Airbase. Between 2 and 4 August it conducted the final airborne operation of the war, in which it parachuted into the town of Phanop in Khammouane Province, linking up with local militia units and sweeping the territory up to Mụ Giạ Pass on the Vietnamese border.


1st Laotian Parachute Battalion, History
Following the implementation of the Indochina ceasefire on 6 August, the 1st BPL with 981 personnel returned to Seno and transferred to the Laotian National Army. Following the October departure of its French officers, the unit was redesignated the 1st Parachute Battalion (French: 1er Bataillon Parachutiste – 1er BP).


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division (1. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów) was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on February 20, 1919, partially of veterans of the I Brigade of the Polish Legions, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II. Regarded by the soldiers of the Wehrmacht as the Iron Division, it distinguished itself in the Invasion of Poland.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
As one of the most experienced and best equipped Polish divisions, it fought in many of the most notable battles of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919 and 1920. Among them was the operation of liberation of Wilno and Battle of Dyneburg in Daugavpils, Latvia (as part of Rydz-Śmigły's Third Army and under his personal command, although the actual commanding officer was Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski). During the Kiev Offensive of spring of 1920, the division formed the core of Rydz-Śmigły Operational Group and took part in the battle of Zhytomyr (April 25), capturing the city of Kiev itself (May 7).


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
After the Polish withdrawal, the unit took part in heavy retreat battles and shielded the retreat of the rest of the Polish forces. After several clashes with the 1st Cavalry Army, the division broke off and reached the area of the Wieprz River, from where it started the counter-offensive during the Battle of Warsaw (see Battle of Dęblin and Mińsk Mazowiecki). On the second day of the Polish offensive, August 16, the division managed to outflank the Bolshevik Mozyr Group by a forced march of over 56 kilometres.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
After that the division, commanded by Stefan Dąb-Biernacki, was attached to the Second Army and took part in the second biggest battle of the war, the Battle of the Niemen River. During the battle, the unit formed the core of the Wilno Group and took part in a successful outflanking manoeuvre of the Bolshevik forces centered on the city of Grodno.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
After that the division was moved to the rear and took part in shielding the border with Lithuania during Lucjan Żeligowski's forming of the Central Lithuanian Republic (see Żeligowski's Mutiny). After the war, the division was partially demobilized and stationed in Wilno as an en cadre divisional core. In the Second Polish Republic, the division consisted of three infantry regiments (1st, 5th, and 6th; all garrisoned in Wilno), and other units, such as light and heavy artillery regiments, a company of cyclists, military engineers, and a mounted squadron.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
Before the outbreak of World War II, the division, commanded by General Wincenty Kowalski, was partially mobilized in March 1939. As a part of the Wyszków Operational Group it was to shield the northern approaches of Warsaw from the German assault from East Prussia. After the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War, the division became fully mobilized and on September 4, 1939, it made contact with enemy troops in the forests around Długosiodło.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
On September 7 it took part in heavy fighting near Pułtusk, but was outnumbered 3 to 1 and ordered to retreat southwards to defend the Bug River line between Kamieńczyk and Wyszków. Reinforced by 98th Heavy Artillery Detachment and 61st Light Artillery Detachment, the division successfully repelled a German assault near Brańszczyk, after which it began delaying actions while retreating towards Kałuszyn. On September 11 that town was seized by German units and had to be retaken by force during heavy street fighting in the dark.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
From there, General Wincenty Kowalski planned a counter-assault of his division. In what became known as the Battle of Kałuszyn, on September 13, the division started an all-out assault on German positions in nearby villages. After heavy fighting, the division broke through the third line of German defences in the villages of Lipiny, Debowiec, Wola Wodyńska, and Oleśnica. It finally broke through the German lines at Jagodno, but also suffered heavy casualties and lost most of its artillery and logistical support. Dispersed units crossed the German lines and joined several different Polish units, some of them formed ad hoc.


1st Legions Infantry Division (Poland)
The biggest group was rallied by the division commander but now numbered only three infantry companies out of an original three regiments. These troops broke through the forests near Radzyń Podlaski to reach the units of Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki and on September 22 took part in the successful Battle of Falków against parts of the German 8th Infantry Division. Shortly afterward the division effectively ceased to exist.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment
First Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski (Polish language: 1 Pulk Piechoty Legionow Jozefa Pilsudskiego; 1 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army in 1914-1939. Named after Józef Piłsudski, in the Second Polish Republic it was stationed in the city of Wilno.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment
First Legions Infantry Regiment was the oldest of all regiments of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. Its traditions dated to the First Cadre Company, which on August 6, 1914 marched from Austrian Galicia into Russian-controlled Congress Poland. Furthermore, it was based on the First Legions Regiment, part of Polish Legions in World War I, which existed from 1914 until 1917, and fought with distinction in the Battle of Łowczówek, Battle of Tarłów and Battle of Kostiuchnówka.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, Polish - Soviet War
The regiment was formed in November 1918 in Jabłonna and Radzymin near Warsaw. A few months later it joined fighting against the Red Army: in the area of Wilno and in Belarus. In winter of 1919/1920 it took part in the Battle of Daugavpils, and in spring 1920, it participated in the Polish Kiev Offensive. After a Soviet counteroffensive, the regiment, together with other Polish units had to retreat, fighting the 1st Cavalry Army (Soviet Union) of Semyon Budyonny. In August 1920, after the Battle of Warsaw, the regiment freed Drohiczyn and then Białystok, beating the Red Army in the Battle of Białystok. It then fought in the Battle of Lida, ending its participation in the war in mid-October 1920.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, Polish - Soviet War
On December 3, 1920, Marshall Józef Piłsudski decorated the flag of the regiment with Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, Second Polish Republic
In the interwar period, the regiment was stationed in northeastern city of Wilno (now: Vilnius, Lithuania). Its holiday was celebrated on August 6, the anniversary of the First Cadre Company march to Congress Poland. In 1930, Polish Ministry of Military Affairs included the regiment into the Second Category, which meant that in case of armed conflict, it was to be mobilized as one of the first units. In comparison to other regiments, First Legions Infantry Regiment was stronger by app. 500 soldiers.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, Second Polish Republic
The flag of the regiment was handed to it by Józef Piłsudski, on November 1, 1922. It was purchased by Polish residents of the town of Meriden, Connecticut.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, 1939 Invasion of Poland
In late August 1939 the regiment, commanded by Colonel Kazimierz Burczak, was concentrated in forests between the Bug River and the Narew, as part of 1st Legions Infantry Division (General Wincenty Kowalski), Operational Group Wyszków.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, 1939 Invasion of Poland
In the night of September 4/5, 1939, the regiment marched towards Różan, where it was engaged in first clashes with the advancing Wehrmacht. On September 5–6 it defended Polish positions near Pułtusk, and then retreated towards the Bug river. On September 8 it clashed with the enemy near Wyszków. Since there was the danger of encirclement, it had to retreat towards Biała Podlaska. On September 11, after the Germans had captured Kałuszyn, 1st Legions Infantry Division was surrounded by the Germans. After two days of bloody fighting, some Polish units managed to break through.


1st Legions Infantry Regiment, 1939 Invasion of Poland
On September 13–14 the regiment fought at Stoczek, then it advanced towards Trzciniec, to open the route to southern Poland. During this advance, the regiment suffered such heavy losses that it ceased to exist as a separate unit. Elements of the unit managed to reach the area of Chełm, and participated in fighting there, to capitulate on September 22–23.


1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore
The 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore was a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore from 22 April 1955 until 31 March 1959.


1st Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The First Legislative Council of Hong Kong was the first meeting of the legislative branch of the HKSAR government after the handover of Hong Kong, replacing the Provisional Legislative Council existing between 1997 and 1998. The membership of the LegCo is based on the 1998 election. The term of the session was from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 2000, only two years unlike the latter legislative session of four years. The legislature was held during the first term of the Tung Chee-hwa's administration. The pro-democracy camp who did not participate in the Provisional Legislative Council held 20 seats with Democratic Party being the largest party. Notable newcomers to the Legislative Council included Cyd Ho, Bernard Chan, Lui Ming-wah, and Wong Yung-kan.


1st Legislative Council of Hong Kong, List of members
The following table is a list of LegCo members elected on 24 May 1998 in the order of precedence.


1st Legislative Council of Hong Kong, List of members
Members who did not serve throughout the term are italicised. New members elected since the general election are noted at the bottom of the page.


1st Leningrad Tank Brigade
The 1st Leningrad Tank Red Banner and Order of Suvorov Brigade was a tank brigade of the Red Army during World War II. The brigade was in the lines during 30 September 1941 to 8 December 1944.


1st Leningrad Tank Brigade, History
The 1st Leningrad Tank Brigade was formed on 26 September 1941 in Leningrad as the 123rd Red Banner Tank Brigade from the disbanded 1st Tank Division (1st formation). When formed, the brigade had 43 KV-1s, 2 T-34s, 26 BA-10s and 3 BA-20s.


1st Leningrad Tank Brigade, History
From November 1941, the brigade fought near Leningrad, among other part of brigade had fought on the Nevsky Pyatachok. 7th May 1942 123rd Tank Red Banner Brigade was renamed to 1st Leningrad Tank Red Banner Brigade. During 1942-1944 the Brigade proceeded to fight in the vicinity of Leningrad. In June 1944 the brigade fought in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, during which it advanced from Leningrad to Vyborg. During August 1944, the brigade fought in the advance into Estonia.


1st Leningrad Tank Brigade, History
The brigade was reorganized as the 207th Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade on 8 December.


1st Libyan Division (Italy)
The 1st Libyan Division (Italian: 1ª Divisione libica) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. It was commanded by general Luigi Sibille. The division took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and was destroyed during the Battle of Sidi Barrani.


1st Libyan Division (Italy), History
Originally formed in the 1920s with the name Italian Libyan Colonial Division, this was a formation of colonial troops raised by the Italians in their colony in Libya and participated in the invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.


1st Libyan Division (Italy), History
This formation was reorganized into the "1st Libyan Infantry Division" by the beginning of Italy's entry into World War II. It had 7224 men (mostly native Libyans). Its commanding general was Luigi Sibille.


1st Libyan Division (Italy), History
In September 1940, the 1st Libyan Division participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt. On September 13 the entire 1st Libyan Division, including a regiment of Libyan paratroopers attacked Sollum on the Egyptian northern coast, held by platoons of Coldstream Guards. The British laid mines in the area and quickly withdrew to Marsa Matruh after suffering 50 casualties.


1st Libyan Division (Italy), History
In December the British started a counter-offensive. The Arabs and paratroopers of 1st Libyan Division fought hard on the December 10, 1940, amid a howling sandstorm, until on December 11 the division began to disintegrate with heavy losses. The division had dug in at Maktila near Sidi Barrani and was forced to surrender after heavy fighting during Operation Compass.


1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Sweden)
The 1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Swedish: Första livgrenadjärregementet), designation I 4, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was merged into a new regiment in 1927. The regiment's soldiers were recruited from the province of Östergötland.


1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Sweden), History
The regiment has its origins in fänikor (companies) raised in Östergötland in the 16th century. These units later formed Östergötland Infantry Regiment and Östergötland Cavalry Regiment which merged in 1791 and formed Life Grenadier Regiment. This regiment was split in 1816 creating 1st Life Grenadier Regiment and 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment.


1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Sweden), History
The regiment was allotted in 1685. The regiment was given the designation I 4 (4th Infantry Regiment) in a general order in 1816. 1st Life Grenadier Regiment was then merged with 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment in 1928 to reform the old Life Grenadier Regiment.


1st Life Grenadier Regiment (Sweden), Commanding officers
Executive officers (Sekundchef) and regimental commander active at the regiment in the years 1816–1927. Sekundchef was a title used until 31 December 1974 at regiments that were part of the King's Life and Household Troops (Kungl. Maj:ts Liv- och Hustrupper). In the years 1816–1818, the Crown Prince was the regimental commander. In the years 1818–1927, His Majesty the King was the regimental commander.


1st Life Guards Rifle Regiment
The 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Rifle Regiment (Russian: Ле́йб-гва́рдии 1-й стрелко́вый Его́ Вели́чества по́лк) was a regiment of the Russian Imperial Guard that existed from 1856 prior to being dissolved in 1918 after World War I and the Russian Revolution. It was part of the 1st Guards Infantry Division, which itself was part of the Guards Corps.


1st Life Guards Rifle Regiment, History
It was initially established on 27 March 1856 as the 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Rifle Battalion from several other regiments within the 1st Guards Infantry Division and the 2nd Guards Infantry Division, along with some other units. In 1863 the unit took part in quelling the Polish uprising and in 1870 became part of the newly formed Guards Rifle Brigade, under the command of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. It later had the distinction of personally escorting Emperor Alexander II during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.


1st Life Guards Rifle Regiment, History
In 1910 it was raised from a battalion to a full regiment and in 1914, with the outbreak of World War I and the general mobilization, it received a reserve battalion. In 1917 it was renamed "1st Guards Rifle Regiment" and was completely dissolved in May 1918. Several of its members went on to fight in the White Army during the Russian Civil War. In 1951 an organization for veterans of the regiment was formed by some White émigrés.


1st Life Guards Rifle Regiment, Patron
The patron of the 1st His Majesty's Life Guards Rifle Regiment was the reigning emperor.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion
1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion (1st LAAM Bn) was a United States Marine Corps air defense unit equipped with the medium range surface-to-air MIM-23 HAWK Missile System. The battalion was the lineal descendant of the 1st Defense Battalion which gained fame during World War II for its defense of Wake Island early in the war. 1st LAAM also deployed to Vietnam in 1965 providing air defense for the Marine Corps in the I Corps sector. The battalion was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona and fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38 (MACG-38) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW).


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Early years
The 2d Antiaircraft Battalion was activated at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia on 20 July 1937. The battalion was relocated to Marine Corps Base Parris Island, South Carolina in December 1937. They again relocated this time to San Diego, California in May 1938. The battalion was re-designated as the 2d Battalion, 15th Marines on 15 November 1938 and again as the 1st Defense Battalion on 1 November 1939 under Lieutenant colonel Bertram A. Bone.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II
The 1st Defense Battalion departed San Diego on board the USS William P. Biddle (APA-8) and USS Enterprise (CV-6) arriving at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in mid-February 1941. On 10 March 1941 a portion of the battalion, designated Detachment A, arrived at Palmyra Island where they immediately began construction of barracks and gun emplacements. In July 1941 the battalion sent another detachment from Pearl Harbor this time to Johnston Island. The Marine Detachment, 1st Defense Battalion, Wake Island was organized on 8 August 1941 at Honolulu, Hawaii, on board the SS Regulus. The detachment arrived at Wake Island on 19 August 1941.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Pearl, Johnston & Palmyra
7 December 1941 found the battalion defending four points: Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Johnston Island and Palmyra Island. The units at Pearl Harbor took part in the defense of the Marine Barracks at the Navy Yard. Following news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the civilian contractors already present on Johnston began to building more emplacements for the Marines' guns and positions.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Pearl, Johnston & Palmyra
The first attacks against Johnston Island occurred on 12 December 1941. A Japanese submarine, 8,000 yards offshore, broke the surface and fired star shells clusters over Johnston. The Marine 5-inch guns tried to find the enemy submarine with its own star shell clusters, scaring the submarine off.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Pearl, Johnston & Palmyra
Another attack came on the night of 15th. The US Navy supply ship, USS William Ward Burrows (AP-6), had arrived at dusk to drop off supplies meant for the Marines stranded on Wake, and to retrieve some civilian contractors to return to Pearl Harbor. The Navy ship and the Marines on Johnston spotted a flash at sea. The first enemy shells hit Johnston and its powerhouse, setting off a large fire that engulfed the building. The Marines returned fire for ten minutes until the submarine ceased firing.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Pearl, Johnston & Palmyra
The final attacks came on the nights of December 21 and 22. The December 21 shelling was almost a repeat of the attack on December 12. The final attack came on the 22nd. A Japanese submarine fired a star shell cluster and six shells at Johnston knocking down a homing tower and wounding a Marine. Fire from Marines coastal batteries forced the submarine to submerge.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Pearl, Johnston & Palmyra
The sole attack on Palmyra (located 900 miles southeast of Johnston) came near dawn on December 24, 1941. A Japanese submarine fired on Palmyra and the USS Sacramento (PG-19), which sat in the atoll's lagoon. The Japanese shells did minor damage to the ship before it was driven back under by Marine 5-inch coastal guns.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
In January 1941, the United States Navy constructed a military base on Wake Island. On 19 August, the first permanent military garrison, understrength elements of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion, totaling 450 officers and men, were stationed on the island, under Major James P.S. Devereux. The defense battalion was supplemented by Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-211, consisting of 12 F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, commanded by Major Paul A. Putnam. Also present on the island were 68 U.S. Navy personnel and about 1,221 civilian workers for the Morrison-Knudsen Civil Engineering Company. Forty-five Chamorro men were employed by Pan American Airways at the company's facilities in Wake Island, one of the stops on the Pan Am Clipper trans-Pacific air service initiated in 1935.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
Early on the morning of 11 December, the garrison, with the support of the four remaining Wildcats, repelled the first Japanese landing attempt by the South Seas Force, which included the light cruisers Yubari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; the destroyers Yayoi, Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hayate, Oite, and Asanagi; Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33 (two Momi-class destroyers converted to patrol boats), and two troop transport ships containing 450 Special Naval Landing Force troops.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
The U.S. Marines fired at the invasion fleet with their six 5-inch (127 mm) coast-defense guns. Major Devereux ordered the gunners to hold their fire until the enemy moved within range of the coastal defenses. "Battery L", on Peale islet, succeeded in sinking Hayate at a distance of 4,000 yd (3,700 m) with at least two direct hits to her magazines, causing her to explode and sink within two minutes, in full view of the defenders on shore. Yubari's superstructure was hit 11 times.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
The four Wildcats also succeeded in sinking the destroyer Kisaragi by dropping a bomb on her stern where the depth charges were stored. Both Japanese destroyers were lost with nearly all hands (there was only one survivor, from Hayate), with Hayate becoming the first Japanese surface warship to be sunk in the war. The Japanese force withdrew without landing. This was the first Japanese setback of the war against the Americans. After the initial raid was fought off the siege continued and frequent Japanese air attacks on the Wake garrison continued, without resupply for the Americans.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
The second Japanese invasion force came on 23 December, composed mostly of the ships from the first attempt with the major reinforcements of the carriers Hiryū and Sōryū, plus 1,500 Japanese marines. The landings began at 02:35; after a preliminary bombardment, PB 32 and PB 33 were beached and burnt in their attempts to land the invasion force. After a full night and morning of fighting, the Wake garrison surrendered to the Japanese by mid-afternoon.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
The U.S. Marines lost 49 killed and two MIA during the entire 15-day siege, while three U.S. Navy personnel and at least 70 U.S. civilians were killed, including 10 Chamorros, and 12 civilians wounded. Japanese losses were recorded at around 820 killed, with around 333 more wounded, in addition to the two destroyers that were lost in the first invasion attempt with nearly all hands (168 from Hayate and 157 from Kisaragi, 325 in total for the two Mutsuki-class destroyers) on the first assault. At least 28 land-based and carrier aircraft were also either shot down or damaged.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Defense of Wake Island
The Japanese captured all men remaining on the island, the majority of whom were civilian contractors. A special military decoration, the Wake Island Device, affixed to either the Navy Expeditionary Medal or the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, was created to honor those who had fought in the defense of the island.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Reorganization, garrison duty & deactivation
In February 1942 the 1st Defense Battalion Marines at Pearl Harbor set sail for Palmyra Island. On 1 March 1942 the battalion was reorganized with the detachments at Johnston and Palmyra being disbanded. The 1st Defense Battalion would remain at Palmyra Island until 13 October 1943 when they were relieved by US Army garrison forces. Shortly thereafter they set sail for Pearl Harbor. They remained there until January 1944 when they set sail again, this time for Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. On 26 February the battalion assumed patrolling duty for the islands beaches.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, World War II, Reorganization, garrison duty & deactivation
On 7 May 1944 the 1st Defense Battalion was re-designated as the 1st Antiaircraft Battalion. A month and a half later they were again re-designated, this time to the 1st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. On 24 October 1944 the battalion was relieved of all of its duties and on 15 November 1944 the 1st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion was disbanded.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Reactivation and transition to the HAWK Missile
On 12 January 1953 the battalion was reactivated this time as the 1st 75mm Antiaircraft Artillery Battery at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They utilized the newly acquired M51 Skysweeper. They relocated to Marine Corps Training Center 29 Palms, California in October 1953. For the remainder of the 1950s 1st 75mm AA Battery acted as the host unit for thousands of Marine Reservists training at the base during the summer. They also participated in numerous training exercises throughout the southwestern United States. The battery was reclassified as a battalion on 1 April 1959.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Reactivation and transition to the HAWK Missile
On 21 April 1960 Captain Milton Kramer fired the last 75mm M51 Skysweeper rounds in the Marine Corps while serving with the 1st 75mm AA Battalion at Twentynine Palms. The Skysweeper was officially retired from Marine Corps service as the 500-man battalion prepared to transition to the HAWK Missile System. On 2 May 1960, at a twilight parade at Marine Corps Base 29 Palms, CA the 1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion was officially activated by the Brigadier General Alpha L. Bowser. Of note, the Sergeant Major at this time was SgtMaj Robert Winslow.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Reactivation and transition to the HAWK Missile
This was SgtMaj Winslow's second stint with the unit as he had been a member of the 1st Defense Battalion at Wake Island at the beginning of World War II. He spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war of the Japanese. The new HAWK battalions were completely helicopter transportable and consisted of 24 HAWK launchers organized into a headquarters and service battery and four firing batteries.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Vietnam War and cutbacks
On 15 November 1964, 1st LAAM Battalion began conducting a routine operational and readiness test exercise dubbed "Operation Anthill" at MCB 29 Palms, CA. Events quickly escalated and three days later the 600-man battalion was tasked to move out heading for an undisclosed location in the Western Pacific. 1st LAAM Battalion departed California in November 1964 and arrived in Vietnam in February 1965 as one of the first American units to land in Vietnam. They were tasked with providing air defense for the area surrounding the massive Da Nang Air Base complex. 1st


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Vietnam War and cutbacks
LAAM firing batteries were based on the airfield and on Hill 327 which was a few miles west of the airfield. No enemy air attacks were ever attempted against the Danang Airbase however the battalion did participate in numerous civic action programs and conducted numerous practice HAWK Missile engagements while in country. On 1 July 1969, the battalion received a warning order from higher headquarters that they would be departing Vietnam in short order. Their departure was part of President Nixon's planned reduction of American forces in Vietnam.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Vietnam War and cutbacks
On 19 July, after four and a half years in country, 1st LAAM ceased all air defense activities in Vietnam and began to prepare for embarkation. On 11 August 1969 Alpha and Charlie batteries boarded the USS Belle Grove and the USS Tortuga at Danang and departed Vietnam. Three days later, Bravo and H&S Batteries boarded the USS Tulare and departed. After brief stops in Okinawa and Yokosuka the ships set sail for California. After LAAM's departure, air defense for the Danang area was provided by fighters located at the airbase.


1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, History, Vietnam War and cutbacks
The battalion began to arrive back in California in September 1969. Upon their return to Marine Corps Base 29 Palms, CA, 1st LAAM fell under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. 1st LAAM Battalion was deactivated on 30 November 1970 as part of a post-Vietnam War cutback in the Marine Corps' end strength.