The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed on the north-east perimeter of 6th Airborne Divisions's landing zone, the furthest east of any British Army unit, to capture bridges from the Germans. The 2nd Ox and Bucks were initially based at Mughazi camp, near Gaza, then at Ras-El-Fin, near Tel Aviv and at Nathanya, near Haifa. 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 Reprographics: documents and photographs can be scanned on request. [32], In January 1918, the 2nd Ox and Bucks marched to Beaulencourt. The 7th (Service) Battalion was part of 78th Brigade whereas the 8th (Service) Battalion was a pioneer battalion attached to the division. The Ox and Bucks 5th (Service) Battalion went into the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915 at a strength of 17 officers and 767 men and only two officers and 180 men survived the battle. [101], Shortly before departing the United Kingdom the battalion was inspected by General Sir Bernard Paget, Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, an officer who had served with the regiment before and during the Great War and whose son Lieutenant Tony Paget would later serve with the 1st Battalion of the regiment. Roll of Honour 1/4 Oxford and Bucks L.I. - 1/4th Oxfordshire L/Sgt. The 6th Airborne Division was formed in the Second World War, in mid-1943, and was commanded by Major-General Richard N. Gale. 7th Bn OXF & BUCKS LI 1940-1945 - LIGHTBOBS [59] The British force, having given a good account of themselves in the defence of the Scheldt, eventually withdrew into France, moving towards the area around Dunkirk. Members of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - Forces Reunited 2nd Battalion Ox and Bucks Light Infantry | ParaData Book in advance. German army companies fighting the battalion each had a German officer and Sergeant however many of the soldiers were Russian and Eastern European. [94] Many German soldiers and refugees were unable to move to the British army controlled area and were forced into Soviet captivity. By the time the battalion arrived in the Ardennes, in freezing weather conditions, the German offensive had largely lost its momentum. Bennett William Edward. 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. [104], Reinforced by large numbers of anti-aircraft gunners of the Royal Artillery who now found their original roles redundant, the battalion returned to Italy in July and fought in the severe battles around the Gothic Line near Gemmano, again sustaining heavy losses. 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. In October 1943 the brigade became part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division and started training for the invasion of North-Western Europe. 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry War Memorial, 5th (Huntingdonshire) Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment, captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges, 214th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), The Western Australia University Regiment, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers, "Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Ox & Bucks Light Infantry - 1st & 2nd Battalions", "The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907", "1914 Battle of the Marne and advance to the Aisne", "Move a step closer towards more brutal trench warfare", "2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Private 9966, 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Mudros Agreement: Armistice with Turkey", "1917-1918 1/4th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "1917-1918 8th (Service) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry War Memorial (1369419)", "1939 From the outbreak of war to October 1941", "This roll of honour is dedicated to the memory of 1408 officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry who gave their lives in the Second World War, MCMXXXIX-MCMXXXXV", "4th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1939-1940", "The Royal Green Jackets Band and Bugles", "John Stevenson's personal account of fighting in north-west Europe during World War II", "1944 1st Buckinghamshire Normandy D Day", "1944 1st Buckinghamshire 1944 Normandy to Brussels", "A short history of the Buckinghamshire Battalion", "The 53rd Welsh Division in World War II", "1944 The coup de main attack on Pegassus Bridge", "6th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1940-1942", "6th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1945", "7th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry June 1940-July 1942", "BBC - WW2 People's War - Oxs and Bucks at Anzio", "The Berkshire Regiment 1881-1885 The Royal Berkshire Regiment 1885-1959", "7th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry June 1944January 1945", "4th Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1942-1944", "5th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry", "Western Australian University Regimental and the Royal Green Jackets", "Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum opened by Princess Royal", 1/4th Oxford and Bucks War Diary July and August 1917, 1/4th Oxford and Bucks, Roll of Honour First World War, The Story of the 2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment of Foot, 105th Regiment of Foot (Madras Light Infantry), 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), 106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry), 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry), Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment), Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment), Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment), Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment), Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers), Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders), Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), Liverpool Rifles, King's (Liverpool Regiment), Liverpool Irish, King's (Liverpool Regiment), Liverpool Scottish, King's (Liverpool Regiment), Leeds Rifles, Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment), Cinque Ports Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, Hallamshire Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oxfordshire_and_Buckinghamshire_Light_Infantry&oldid=1133018067, Military units and formations in Buckinghamshire, Military units and formations in Oxfordshire, Military units and formations established in 1881, Regiments of the British Army in World War II, Regiments of the British Army in World War I, Military units and formations disestablished in 1958, 1881 establishments in the United Kingdom, Military units and formations in Burma in World War II, Military units and formations in British Malaya in World War II, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 3rd (King's Own Royal Buckinghamshire Militia) Battalion based in, 4th (Oxfordshire Militia) Battalion based in, [7th] 3rd (Oxford University) Volunteer Battalion based at, [8th] 4th (Eton College) Volunteer Battalion based at, 19131917: Lt-Gen. Sir Fiennes Middleton Colvile, KCB, 19171918: Maj-Gen. Thomas Manbourg Bailie, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 22:08. Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - The Long, Long Trail The 1st Bucks formed part of the 6th Beach Group landing on Sword Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. [72], In October 1941 the battalion, together with the rest of the 31st Brigade, was re-roled as an airborne battalion, specifically as glider infantry, and the 31st Brigade was redesignated the 1st Airlanding Brigade and became part of the 1st Airborne Division. Lieutenant Hugh Clark led a bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. The Germans counter-attacked, the 1st Ox and Bucks moved to positions around the Odon bridgehead where it suffered from heavy German artillery fire. [99], The 50th (Holding) Battalion were a hostilities-only battalion created on 3 June 1940, whose original job was to 'hold' men who were medically unfit, awaiting orders, on a course or returning from abroad. By August the German offensives had failed and the Allies had launched a counter-attack. On 26 June the battalion was ordered to occupy the village of Breville, moving back to Chateau St Come on 8 July. It moved to Shorncliffe Army Camp, England, two years later. [68], The invasion of the Netherlands began on 17 September; it was known as Operation Market Garden and was a combined land and airborne operation. The regiment left Suez in April 1953. Oxfordshires Regiments - Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum The 52nd Light Infantry was based in Oxford, England when it became the 2nd Battalion. Seeing both the pilot and co-pilot of the glider slump over their joysticks as casualties, he took control of the aircraft and brought it safely down. [9], On 16 October 1908,[10] as part of the Haldane Reforms, the regiment's title was altered to become the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commonly shortened to the Ox and Bucks. The battalion's objective was to capture the line of the River Issel northwest of Hamminkeln. [55] A service of dedication was held in 1931. On 2 January 1945 the battalion moved to Custinne and then to Resteigne. In March 1922 the battalion arrived in Rawalpindi, India, later moving to Razmak in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier. The battalion remained in the Ancre area from 29 March 1918 to 3 April 1918. [90], The 2nd Ox and Bucks took a leading part in the division's 300-mile advance across Northern Germany, mostly on foot. [54], General Sir Bernard Paget initiated the founding of a regimental chapel in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford in 1930. The 1st Oxford and Bucks were called back from leave and on 10 August 1956 sailed from Southampton on HMT Dilwara and arrived at Limassol on 20 August 1956. BBC - WW2 People's War - Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 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. In the Italian Campaign, 7th Ox and Bucks took part in the landings at Salerno in September 1943 and then the Anzio landings in February 1944 and sustained heavy casualties in both landings and came under command of the US Fifth Army, led by Lieutenant General Mark Wayne Clark, in both landings. The battalions of the Ox and Bucks on the Western Front saw extensive service during the Battle of the Somme (1 July 18 November), suffering heavily, including at Mametz Wood, Pozires and at Ancre, the last major subsidiary battle. 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. [110], In June 1949, the regiment moved to Greece during the civil war in that country. [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. (d.16th May 1940) Hope John Anthony. Day by Day: A 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Diary, June 1944 After individual accounts from officers in our last two Pegasus Stories, this time we're sharing a broader regimental account which covers the men's experiences day by day, and at times hour by hour, following their gliderborne arrival on 6 th June 1944. The battalion was stationed at Albuhera barracks, Aldershot, when World War I commenced. [19] The 2nd Ox and Bucks later took part in all the subsidiary battles of the First Battle of Ypres (19 October 22 November) that saw the heart ripped out of the old Regular Army, with 54,000 casualties being sustained. The war raged on for a further two years; the regiment saw extensive service for the duration of the conflict. Following the battle of Loos few pre-1914 2nd Ox and Bucks officers remained, they had either become casualties or promoted to take up positions in other battalions. [91], During the spring and summer of 1945, two companies of the 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion,[96] along with the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), were attached to a secretive unit known as T-Force. [77], The battalion took part in the British breakout and advance to the Seine which began later in August, known as Operation Paddle. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO, replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and would remain in command of the battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and over the Rhine landing. The 2nd Bucks were posted as reinforcements to battalions deployed in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. [105], After the retreat to Dunkirk and being evacuated to England, the 4th Battalion was reformed and remained with the 145th Brigade until the brigade disbanded in November 1943 and the battalion was transferred to the 144th Infantry (Reserve) Brigade, still as part of the 48th Division, now designated the 48th Infantry (Reserve) Division and responsible for the training of all new Army recruits. [65] Lieutenant Colonel RDR Sale commanded both 1st Bucks and 6th Beach Group and after the Commander of No 5 Beach Group Lieutenant Colonel DHV Board was killed soon after landing, Sale assumed command of both Beach Groups approximately 7,000 men. 8th August 1917. The 2nd Bucks battalion was finally disbanded in July 1944. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. [46] On 26 April 1916supplies had dwindled significantly and many of the garrison's defenders were suffering from sicknessthe garrison negotiated a cease-fire with the Ottomans and on 29 April the British-Indian force of 8,000 surrendered to the Ottomans, including 400 men of the 1st Ox and Bucks. Obituary: Edmund Richards, Royal Green Jackets Chronicle 2002. The 2nd Battalion counter-attacked them at Nonne Bosschen wood, preventing their advance and then routing them;[21] almost one hundred years after the 52nd had defeated Napoleon's Imperial Guard at Waterloo. On 3 April 2 Ox and Bucks was the first Allied unit to cross the Weser during which the unit was bombarded by enemy flak artillery. The 1st Bucks were eventually ordered to fight their way back to Dunkirk;[60] only 10 officers and approximately 200 men of the battalion reached the United Kingdom. The regiment won 59 battle honours and four theatre honours. The 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks, along with the rest of 53rd (Welsh) Division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where the battalion endured terrible weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II.