During Operation Veritable, 21-year-old Lieutenant Tony Paget, the youngest son of General Sir Bernard Paget, was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The battalion's objective was to capture the line of the River Issel northwest of Hamminkeln. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry War Memorial stands on Rose Hill in Cowley. The ground operation was intended to cross three bridges that had been taken by airborne troops and on into Germany. The soldiers poured out of their battered gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and taking the bridges within 10 minutes, losing two men Lieutenant Den Brotheridge and Lance corporal Fred Greenhalgh in the process. The battalion joined the Lines of Communication (LoC) force and the Provisional Battalion was re-titled the 1st Battalion on 6 July 1917. The regiment moved to Suez the following year. [110], In 1948, following the independence of India, the British Government implemented substantial defence cuts,[111][112] which involved all second battalions in the Line Infantry being abolished or amalgamated with their first battalions; this included the Ox and Bucks. The 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the TA Battalions of 145 Brigade, were deployed to fight rearguard actions at Hazebrouck and Cassel, two of a number of strongpoint hubs on the corridor's south-west perimeter. The victory at Falaise signified the end of the Battle for Normandy. [39] The regiment then took part in the last actions of the war, taking part in the Battle of the Selle and the Battle of Valenciennes. A combination of German numerical advantage and the French fifth Army's retreat led to the battalion subsequently taking part in the 220-mile retreat, in exceptionally hot weather, that began the following day, not stopping until just on the outskirts of Paris, then halting the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne (59 September). The battalion was stationed in Jerusalem when the King David Hotel bombing took place on 22 July 1946. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were involved in heavy fighting at Richebourg l'Avoue on 1516 May. [61], After Dunkirk the 1st Ox and Bucks was brought up to strength with large numbers of conscripts and later transferred to the 148th Independent Brigade Group serving in Northern Ireland. Following amalgamation, the regiment was re-titled the 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd. The battle for Kut began on 26 September 1915 and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28 September. (d.3rd Sep 1916) Jaques Charles. The 2nd Ox and Bucks fought on the Somme battlefield at Delville Wood, Guillemont and on 13 November in the battle of Beaumont Hamel: a large attack on the Redan Ridge in the battle of the Ancre. In late January, due to a new policy within the BEF of integrating the Regular and Territorials, the 1st Ox and Bucks was exchanged in 11th Brigade for the 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment and transferred to the 143rd Infantry Brigade, of the 48th Division. Roll of Honour 1/4 Oxford and Bucks L.I. - 1/4th Oxfordshire The battalion had split into two groups with the aim of reaching Dunkirk by going through the surrounding enemy forces. The battalion left Tilbury on 23 December and travelled by rail to Dover[84] and was on the first ship to enter Calais following its liberation. My regiment was the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and I found myself and other young chaps like me out in the front line of action. [90], The 2nd Ox and Bucks took a leading part in the division's 300-mile advance across Northern Germany, mostly on foot. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for an action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The 1st Ox and Bucks took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. The remainder of 1st Bucks landed on the second tide of the invasion on D-Day. [55] On 8 May 1955, the old Queen's Colours were presented to the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral by General Sir Bernard Paget for safekeeping in a ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Capt. On 30 December the battalion moved to Drehance and took part in holding the bridgehead at Dinant. The 2nd Bucks battalion was finally disbanded in July 1944. The battalion left in May 1947. 1/4th Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, 1915 to 1919. The 1st Ox and Bucks arrived in Archangel, Northern Russia, in May 1919, as part of the Allied force that intervened in the Russian Civil War to assist the 'White Russians' in their fight against the Bolsheviks. The battalion fought at Akyab in 1944 and at the main Japanese Base at Tamandu in 1945. 8th August 1917. [47], A Provisional Battalion had been formed in January 1916 from reinforcements intended for the 1st Ox and Bucks, joining the 28th Indian Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division. The Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of the division, was subsequently employed for a brief period of time on occupation duties in Bulgaria. Research - Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum [45] 635 officers and men of the battalion fought in the battle of Ctesiphon and 304 became casualties. The 1st Ox and Bucks subsequently took part in operations around the Lower Maas that took place during October and November, including forcing the enemy from its position holding a bridgehead over the River Maas, west of Roermond. The Commanding Officer, with tongue firmly in cheek, put him in for a Distinguished Flying Cross. The 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Buckinghamshire (Ox and Bucks) Light Infantry were stationed in India on the North West Frontier (as 52nd Ox and Bucks Light Infantry) at the start of the Second World War, before being recalled to the UK. The Oxfordshires returned to England in September 1902 with the conclusion of the war,[4] and was stationed at Chatham. In August the 2nd Ox and Bucks took part in the Battle of Albert (1918) (2123 August) and the Second Battle of Bapaume (31 August 3 September) while the 2/4th Ox and Bucks and the 2/1st Buckinghamshires (both part of 184th Brigade of 61st Division) took part in the advance into Flanders, with both offensives seeing the Allies advance to the Hindenburg Line by early September. [65] The 1st Bucks established themselves on Queen Red and Queen White sectors of Sword Beach opposite La Breche on the easternmost landing site of the invasion. [54], General Sir Bernard Paget initiated the founding of a regimental chapel in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford in 1930. Richards, always known as " the Baron, " was A/Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 1st Ox and Bucks (43rd) before being evacuated from Dunkirk on 1 June 1940. [82], The 2nd Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division, was withdrawn to the United Kingdom on 2/3 September to recuperate and reorganise. (d.24th Oct 1944) Leighton Alfred Thomas. The 2nd Ox and Bucks sustained 632 casualties during the first five months of the war and by 1915 it was a very different battalion from that which had arrived on the Western Front at the start of the war. [109], In October 1945, the 2nd Battalion, as part of 6th Airborne Division, arrived in Palestine as Britain's Imperial Strategic Reserve in the Middle East. [55] A service of dedication was held in 1931. [67] The 1st Bucks was placed into suspended animation in June 1946 and the battalion was finally disbanded on 7 August 1946. An anti-tank platoon of 1st Bucks landed on the first tide of the invasion on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The 52nd Light Infantry was based in Oxford, England, when it became the 2nd Battalion. Welcome to SOFO We are currently performing some maintenance on our website. In March 1922 the battalion arrived in Rawalpindi, India, later moving to Razmak in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier. PRIVATE Served from 1939 - 1946 Served in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry David Sutherland SERGEANT Served from 1946 - 1948 Served in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Robert Mitchell RIFLEMAN Served from 1953 - 1962 Served in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Robert Sumner The 2nd Ox and Bucks took off from Birch and Gosfield airfields at 06.30hrs on 24 March and the gliders moved southwards over the North Sea, then east over Brussels and landed in Hamminkeln area at about 10.00hrs. It is estimated that just under 2,000 Britons and up to 3,000 Indians perished in captivity. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Ward commanded the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd) to May 1947 and he was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel CH Styles, who had enlisted in the regiment shortly after the ending of the 1st World War, and was to be the last Commanding Officer of the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd). Lieutenant Den Brotheridge led the first platoon to land at Pegasus Bridge followed one minute later by Lieutenant David Wood's platoon. [30], The New Year of 1917 brought with it a period of severe weather conditions on the Somme plain which led to an unofficial truce between the two sides. The 5th Ox and Bucks remained in a training role throughout the war and did not see active service outside the United Kingdom, aside from briefly serving in Northern Ireland. They, and other battalions of the regiment, sustained heavy casualties as part of the defence of the Somme during the Battle of St. Quentin (2123 March), the First Battle of Bapaume (2425 March) and in subsequent battles that saw the Germans achieve significant gains as the battalion was forced back across the old Somme battlefield to the 1916 line on the Ancre. [49], In October 1915 the British and French landed in Salonika at the request of the Greek Prime Minister. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. The Germans were defending their last great natural barrier in the West and Operation Varsity which began on 24 March 1945 was the last major battle on the Western Front during the Second World War. The regiment left Suez in April 1953. In addition to the 2nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, this experimental formation consisted of a further three battalions; the 1st Border, 1st Royal Ulster Rifles, and 2nd South Staffordshires. On 15 April 1946, 6th Airlanding Brigade, which the battalion was still part of, was renumbered the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade. The regiment saw service in France, North Africa, Burma, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Ernest Walter Pratley 1st/4th Btn. The operation was immortalised in the film The Longest Day. It was initially based in Chatham and in 1907 moved to Tidworth, Wiltshire. It moved to Shorncliffe Army Camp, England, two years later. [55], The regiment was based at Belfast Barracks, Osnabrck, West Germany, from July 1953, as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). . The division was sent to Persia and Iraq Command and the battalion later fought in the final battle in the Tunisia Campaign in April 1943. In 1882 the unit moved to Bangalore, India. In March 1917, the Germans began the withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line (14 March 5 April) and at the end of March the 2nd Ox and Bucks moved from the Somme to the back areas of Arras. This was the 52nd of Waterloo fame who, under the command of Colonel Sir John Colborne, broke a battalion of the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. Sgt. (d.13th August 1944) The regiment was formed as a consequence of the 1881 Childers Reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), forming the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry on 1 July 1881. On 17 May Gunners from the 5th British Infantry Division relieved the battalion which then moved to the former German cavalry barracks at Lneburg before flying home to the United Kingdom on 18 May 1945[95] and returning to Bulford Camp, Wiltshire. The regiment was deployed for most of its time in Cyprus in the Limassol area where it had replaced the Norfolk Regiment and the Ox and Bucks utilised their experience gained in Palestine following the Second World War. [71], Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Brett, the 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry returned to England in July 1940, after having served in British India and Burma for the last eighteen years. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Sgt. The war ended on 30 September 1918 with Bulgaria signing an Armistice with the Allies. Records Search now. [44], The 1st Ox and Bucks, as part of the 17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade, 6th (Poona) Division, left India for Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in November 1914; there, the battalion took part in the campaign against the Ottoman forces that ruled the country. The creation of T-Force had been inspired by James Bond author Ian Fleming who had created 30 Assault Unit, which worked alongside T-Force in Germany. Oxf. Pte. The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). Palestine was in a highly volatile political state and the battalion was extensively deployed on internal security duties and in assisting the civil authorities to keep the peace between the different communities. This was a British Army Field Service Regulation dating from 1907. The bocage country of small fields and orchards surrounded by thick hedges was of greater advantage to the German defenders than to the Allied troops and the battalion sustained many casualties from snipers, mortar and shell fire. The Ottomans signed an Armistice with the Allies on 30 October, ending the war in the Middle East. Lieutenant Dennis Fox led the first platoon to land at Horsa Bridge. The 1st Bucks formed part of the 6th Beach Group landing on Sword Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. In May 1919, the 2nd Ox and Bucks left Germany where they had been part of the army of occupation and returned to Cowley Barracks, Oxford, the following month. The 2nd Ox and Bucks moved to Athlit, near Haifa, in November 1946, then to Zerca in Transjordan before returning to Jerusalem in January 1947. On 19 October 1917 the battalion transferred to the 50th Indian Brigade, 15th Indian Division. D Company, led by Major, later Colonel John Tillett, was involved in heavy fighting at the Dortmund-Ems Canal; the company secured the position and captured more than a dozen anti-aircraft guns however sustained casualties from enemy artillery fire. Many gallantry honours were awarded to the Ox and Bucks, including two Victoria Crosses the most prestigious honour for bravery in the face of the enemy that were awarded to Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks[15] and Lance-Corporal Alfred Wilcox, both of the 2/4th Battalion. The battalion later fought in the Second Battle of the Odon. [65] The battalion's time there was a period of static warfare. The 2nd Ox and Bucks crossed the German frontier at Malmedy on 9 December 1918. It would end at the furthest captured bridge at Arnhem (see Battle of Arnhem) one end of which was taken by 1st Airborne Division, although the operation had clearly ended in failure by 25 September. In December 1899 the Second Boer War began and the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa to take part in it. [102], In late March 167 Brigade, together with the rest of 56 Division, was transferred to Egypt to rest and be brought back up to strength. The 4th Ox and Bucks (TA) took part in the defence of Cassel, Nord until 29 May. [79] The Battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the battalion would fight in France. They were joined in January 1940 by the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Ox and Bucks, both of which were Territorial units serving alongside the 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, as part of the 145th Infantry Brigade, part of 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division. The history of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry begins in 1755 when it was raised as the 54th (or Lambton's) Regiment of Foot; two years later it was re-numbered as the 52nd. On 24 July 1944 it was transferred to the 213th Brigade, which was later redesignated the 140th Brigade, part of the 47th Infantry (Reserve) Division, after the original 140th Brigade was disbanded. It saw extensive service in the conflict, including in the relief of the besieged British garrison at Kimberley and in the defeat of the Boers at Paardeberg in February. Just before the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, a small force led by Major John Howard landed in six Horsa gliders and captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Crosse took over command of the 2nd Ox and Bucks on 8 July 1916[27] and was to lead the battalion for the next three years.