51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, RA
Active 1938–1 March 1955
Country  United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
Type Searchlight Regiment
Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
Role Air Defence
Part of 3rd AA Division
Garrison/HQ Dundee
Engagements Normandy
North West Europe

The 51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was a Scottish unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed for air defence just before World War II. It later served as an anti-aircraft (AA) artillery unit in the North West Europe Campaign 1944–45.

Origin

The unit's origin lay in two independent AA Companies of the Royal Engineers (RE) formed in Aberdeen and Dundee in 1935 and equipped with searchlights. During the expansion of TA air defence units in 1938, the two were combined into a new 51st (Highland) AA Battalion, RE and a third company raised, giving the battalion the following organisation:[1][2][3]

Major W.C.G. Black, MC, TD, officer commanding 20th (Fife & Forfar Yeomanry) Armoured Car Company, was promoted to lieutenant-colonel to command the new battalion on 12 October 1938.[1]

In February 1939 the TA's AA units came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command.

World War II

Mobilisation

In June 1939 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.[4] At this time, 51st AA Bn was part of 52nd Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade, a new formation being organised at Stirling with responsibility for searchlight provision within 3rd AA Division covering Scotland.[2][5][6]

51st S/L Regiment

In August 1940 the RE searchlight battalions were transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA), and the unit was redesignated 51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA).[2][7][8][9] It remained with 52 AA Bde in 3 AA Division throughout the Battle of Britain and The Blitz (when Clydebank was badly hit).[10][11][12]

124th LAA Regiment

In February 1942, the regiment was converted to the Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) artillery role as 124 (Highland) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA).[2][7][8][13] In March 1942 the regiment joined Second Army forming in England for Operation Overlord.[2]

124 LAA Regiment went to Normandy in late August 1944 as part of 75th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, which immediately took over AA defence for the Caen area, including the Caen Canal and River Orne bridges. Two weeks later, Canadian troops captured Ostend, and 124 LAA Rgt with the rest of 75 AA Bde moved up the coast to defend it. In November it moved again, to guard the Scheldt estuary, and when the war ended the bulk of 124 LAA Rgt was on the south bank of the Scheldt under 75 AA Bde, with 411 Bty detached to the north bank under 76th AA Bde [14][15][16][17]

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, the regiment was reformed as 586 (Highland) LAA Regiment, RA, with HQ at Dundee and forming part of 78th AA Bde (the former 52 AA Bde) based in Perth.[7][18][19][20][21]

In March 1949, the regiment was redesignated again, as 586 (Highland) LAA/Searchlight Regiment, RA.[7][8][19]

When Anti-Aircraft Command was disbanded in March 1955, 586 Rgt was absorbed into 276th (Highland) Field Regiment, RA.[7][19][22]

Honorary Colonel

Honorary Capt C.A. Carlow, a retired Volunteer officer, was appointed Honorary Colonel of the battalion on 12 October 1938.[1]

Insignia

124 LAA Regiment wore a regimental shoulder flash consisting of a Scottish saltire in the RE colours of blue on red.[7][13]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Army List.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 3 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  3. ↑ Glasgow Herald 13 January 1938.
  4. ↑ Routledge, pp. 65–6, 371.
  5. ↑ AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  6. ↑ Routledge Table LX, p. 378.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Litchfield, pp. 274–5.
  8. 1 2 3 Farndale, Annex M, pp. 338–9.
  9. ↑ 51 S/L Rgt at RA 39–45
  10. ↑ 3 AA Division 1940 at British Military History
  11. ↑ Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.
  12. ↑ Routledge Table LXV, p. 396.
  13. 1 2 124 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45
  14. ↑ Routledge, pp. 314–5, 319, 326–7, 366.
  15. ↑ Joslen, p. 463.
  16. ↑ Ellis, Vol I, Appendix IV.
  17. ↑ Ellis, Vol II, Appendix IV.
  18. ↑ Watson, TA 1947
  19. 1 2 3 564–591 Rgts at British Army 1945 on
  20. ↑ 67–106 AA Bdes at British Army 1945 on
  21. ↑ Litchfield, Appendix 5.
  22. ↑ 266–288 Rgts at British Army 1945 on

References

Online sources

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