Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Badge of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Active	1881–1958
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Garrison/HQ	Oxford
Nickname	The Ox and Bucks, The Light Bobs
March	Nachtlager in Granada
Anniversaries	Waterloo (18 June)
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	HM Carlos I of Portugal

The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.

The regiment was formed as a consequence of 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, The Oxfordshire Light Infantry on 1 July 1881.

In 1908 the regiment's title was altered to become the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commonly shortened to the 'Ox and Bucks'.

Operations across the Empire (1881–1914)

1st Battalion

The 43rd Foot was based in Burma when it became the 1st Battalion. In 1882 it moved to Bangalore, India. In 1887 the battalion returned home, being based in Parkhurst, England. It moved to Kinsale, Ireland in 1893 and, having been based in other parts of Ireland, returned to England in 1898. In December 1899 the Second Boer War began and the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa to take part in it. 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. The war raged on for a further two years and the regiment saw extensive service for the duration of the conflict. The Oxfordshires returned to the UK in 1902 with the conclusion of the war. It moved to India the following year where it was based until the outbreak of war in 1914.

2nd Battalion

The 52nd Light Infantry was based in Oxford, England when it became the 2nd Battalion. 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. In 1884 it arrived in Gibraltar and the following year took part in the expedition to Egypt. In 1886 they were based in India, where they would remain into the 20th century. During their stay they took part in the Tirah Expedition in the volatile North-West Frontier in 1897. In 1903 the battalion returned home, being based in Chatham. They were still based in Britain when World War I was declared.

First World War (1914-18)

During the war, the Ox & Bucks raised 12 battalions (17 in all), six of which fought on the Western Front, two in Italy, two in Macedonia and one in Mesopotamia. The regiment won 59 battle honours and four theatre honours. Many gallantry honours were awarded to the Ox & 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 and Lance-Corporal Alfred Wilcox, both of the 2/4th Battalion.

Western Front

2nd Ox & Bucks defeating the Prussian Guard at Nonne Bosschen. Painting by William Barnes Wollen (1857–1936)

In August 1914 the 2nd Ox and Bucks arrived on the Western Front as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division – one of the first divisions of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to arrive in France. The battalion took part in the first British battle of the war, at Mons, where the British defeated the German forces that they had encountered on 23 August. The battalion subsequently took part in the 220 miles 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 (5–9 September). The 2nd Ox & 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 by the British Army. On 11 November the Germans made another attempt to capture Ypres, sending—on the orders of the German Kaiser—the élite Prussian Guard against the British forces. The 2nd Battalion counter-attacked them at Nonne Bosschen wood, proceeding to prevent their advance and then routing them; almost one hundred years after the 52nd had defeated Napoleon's Imperial Guards at Waterloo. First Ypres was the last major battle of 1914.

At the Battle of Festubert – which was launched in support of the French attack south of Vimy Ridge – in May 1915 the 2nd Ox and Bucks were part of the second wave of the 5th Brigade attack and, during the course of the battle, sustained just under 400 casualties; the largest the regiment had suffered so far in the war, and the largest it had suffered for over 100 years. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment also saw action at Loos in September, and the 2nd Ox & Bucks alone took part in the subsequent attack against the Hohenzollern Redoubt in October. The 1/4th Ox & Bucks took part in the First Day of the Somme on 1 July 1916, in which the British Army suffered over 60,000 casualties – the largest casualties sustained in a day by the British Army. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks on the Western Front saw extensive service during the Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November), suffering heavily, including at Mametz Wood, Pozières, and at Ancre the last major subsidiary battle. The 2nd Ox and Bucks fought on the Somme battlefield at Delville Wood and Guillemont and on 13 November in the battle of Beaumont Hamel.

In March 1917 the Germans began the retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the 2nd Ox and Bucks and other battalions of the regiment saw much involvement in the Arras Offensive that began on 9 April and ended on 16 May, including at the Battles of Scarpe and Arleux. The battalions of the Ox & Bucks saw further service in many of the subsidiary battles during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as Third Ypres) that took place between 31 July-6 November. Some of the battles that the Ox & Bucks took part in included Menin Road and Polygon Wood in September and early October. The 2nd Ox & Bucks and the 6th (Service) Battalion, Ox and Bucks also took part in the Battle of Cambrai (20 November-3 December) that saw the first large-scale use of tanks by the British and was the last major battle of 1917. On 21 March 1918 the Germans launched the last-gasp Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) and the Ox & Bucks suffered yet more heavy casualties as part of the defence of the Somme during the St. Quentin and in subsequent battles that saw the Germans achieve significant gains. After that offensive lost its momentum, the Germans launched Operation Georgette in April which the Ox & Bucks defended against in the Battle of the Lys and subsequent actions. By August the Germans offensives had failed and the Allies had launched a counter-offensive against the Germans. In August the 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the Battle of Albert (1918) and the Second Battle of Bapaume while the 2/4th Ox & Bucks and the 2/1st Buckinghamshires took part in the advance into Flanders, with both offensives seeing the Allies advance to the Hindenburg Line by early September. The 2nd Ox & Bucks took part in the offensive against it that saw the Allies break through the defence, taking part in the Battle of Havrincourt, Battle of the Canal du Nord and the Second Battle of Cambrai. 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. The 2nd Ox and Bucks, following its leading role in the final British offensive, after the Armistice, crossed the German frontier at Malmedy. The war ended on 11 November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany. 15,878 members of the regiment lost their lives during the First World War.

Mesopotamia

The 1st Ox & 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 Battalion took part in the march towards Kut-al-Amara with the intention of capturing it from the Ottomans. The battle for Kut began on 26 September and raged for a number of days until the Ottomans went into retreat and Kut was captured on 28 September. The Battalion then took part in the Battle of Ctesiphon (22–24 November) during the pursuit of the Ottoman forces and in the effort to capture the capital Baghdad, which ended in the 6th Poona Division being defeated by the Ottomans. The Division subsequently retreated to Kut, reaching it on 3 December, where they were besieged by the Ottomans, beginning on 7 December, with a garrison of 10,000 British and Indians. The Ottomans launched numerous attempts to take Kut, all of which were repulsed by the defenders, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The British launched numerous attempts to relieve Kut, all of which failed with heavy losses. On 26 April 1916—supplies had dwindled significantly and many of the garrison's defenders were suffering from sickness—the garrison negotiated a cease-fire with the Ottomans and on 29 April the British-Indian force of 8,000 surrendered to the Ottomans, including 300 men of the 1st Ox & Bucks. Many of the Ox & Bucks taken at Kut, like the rest of the prisoners, suffered mistreatment by the Ottomans and did not survive the war; it is estimated that just under 2,000 British and up to 3,000 Indians perished in captivity.

A Provisional Battalion had been formed in January 1916 from reinforcements intended for the 1st Ox & Bucks, joining the 28th (Garwhal) Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division. The battalion joined the Lines of Communication (LoC) force and the Provisional Battalion was re-titled the 1st Battalion on 6 July 1917. On 19 October 1917 the Battalion transferred to the 50th Brigade, 15th Indian Division. By then, the British had taken Baghdad and were gradually pushing the Ottomans further back. Between 26–27 March 1918 it took part in fighting against the Ottomans at Khan Baghdadi. The Ottomans signed an Armistice with the Allies on 30 October, ending the war in the Middle East.

Italy and Macedonia

The 1/4th Ox & Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion were part of the 145th (South Midland) Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division that left the Western Front for Italy in November 1917—a member of the Allies since May 1915—after it suffered very heavy casualties and came close to collapsing after it was defeated at the Battle of Caporetto. The Regiment and the rest of the British forces did not take part in a major battle until June 1918 when they took part in the Battle of Asiago (15–16 June) that saw the Austro-Hungarians—an ally of Germany—successfully defeated in their offensive against the Allies; it was the last Austro-Hungarian offensive against Italy. On 23 October the Allies launched a successful offensive against Austria-Hungary, with the Regiment crossing the Piave River, taking part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. The Austro-Hungarians signed an Armistice with the Allies on 4 November 1918 and the 1/4th Ox & Bucks and 1/1st Buckinghamshires ended the war in Austria-Hungary.

In October 1915 the British and French landed in Salonika at the request of the Greek Prime Minister. The British 26th Division—including the 7th (Service) and 8th (Service) Battalions, Ox & Bucks—landed between December 1915 and February 1916. The Regiment's time in the Balkans was mostly quiet, experiencing sporadic fighting, but it included the repulsing of a Bulgarian invasion of Greece at Lake Doiran in April–May 1917. The Regiment saw very heavy fighting against the Bulgarians around Doiran the following September, after the Allies had launched an offensive in July 1918 with the intention of ending the war in the Balkans. The war did end on 30 September 1918, with Bulgaria signing an Armistice with the Allies. The Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of the division, was subsequently employed for a brief period of time on occupation duties in Bulgaria.

Inter-War

1st Battalion

The 1st Ox & 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 left later in the year, being based in Limerick, Ireland in 1920 to assist in operations against Sinn Féin and the IRA. It moved to Shorncliffe, England two years later. In 1925 the Battalion joined the British Army of Occupation in Germany, remaining there for two-years before heading for Parkhurst, England. The 1st Ox & Bucks remained in England until the outbreak of war in 1939.

2nd Battalion

In 1919 the 2nd Ox and Bucks left the Western Front, moving to Tipperary, Ireland to, like the 1st Battalion, take part in operations against the IRA and Sinn Féin. In March 1922 the Battalion arrived in Rawalpindi, India, later moving to Razmak in Waziristan on the North-West Frontier. In 1929 the Battalion moved to Maymo in Upper Burma and then to Rangoon. In 1934 the Battalion returned to India initially to Bareilly and then to Mhow where they remained until they left India in June 1940 arriving home the following month.

Second World War (1939-45)

On 3 September 1939—two days after Germany had invaded Poland—the British Empire, France, and their Allies declared war on Germany, beginning the Second World War. During the Second World War the Regiment raised 9 Battalions and the 3rd (Special Reserve) Training Battalion. The Regiment saw service in France, North Africa, Burma, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

North-West Europe (France & Belgium) 1939-40

The British rapidly sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to France in September which included the 1st Ox & Bucks as part of 4th Division. They were joined by the Territorial 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion and the 4th Ox & Bucks in January 1940, all of which eventually became part of the 48th (South Midland) Division, with the 1st Ox & Bucks part of the 143rd Brigade and the 4th Ox & Bucks and 1st Buckinghamshires part of the 145th Brigade.

The Germans launched their invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, shattering a period of the conflict that was known as the Phoney War. The German invasion of northern Belgium—where the BEF was located—was a diversion with the main attack being through the poorly-defended Ardennes forest. The BEF withdrew west towards the Dendre river after the Dutch Army had surrendered, and then withdrew further towards the Scheldt river by 19 May. The British force, having given a good account of themselves in the defence of the Scheldt, eventually withdrew into France, moving towards the Dunkirk area where, on 26 May, the evacuation of the British force back to Britain began, known as Operation Dynamo (26 May-3 June). The 1st Ox & Bucks took part in the defence of the Ypres-Commines Canal (26–28 May) and were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk, having had more than 300 casualties. The other battalions took part in the defence of Mount Cassel until 29 May where they eventually attempted a breakout though the 4th Battalion was encircled by German forces near Watou and being finally overwhelmed. The 1st Bucks took part in the battle for Hazebrouck which commenced on 27 May where they came under heavy attack from all directions by the German 8th Panzer Division and managed to delay the German advance. The 1st Bucks were eventually ordered to fight their way back to Dunkirk; only 10 officers and approximately 200 men of the battalion reached the UK. More than 330,000 British and French troops were evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation.

North-West Europe (D-Day to Germany) 1944-45

1st Battalion The Buckinghamshire Battalion was part of the 6th Beach Group, landing on D-Day on 6 June 1944 as part of the beach group that organised the units on the landing beaches. In July the Battalion supplied companies for the Bridgehead defence particularly to the 2nd Ox and Bucks. The 1st Ox & Bucks landed later that month as part of the 71st Infantry Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division. On 25 June Operation Epsom began that was intended to take the town of Caen—a vital objective for the British that proved to be a formidable town to capture—and failed in its intention of capturing Caen though, however, it did divert significant numbers of Germans away from the Americans. The Germans counter-attacked and the 1st Ox & Bucks moved to positions around the Odon bridgehead where it suffered from heavy German artillery barrages. The Allies launched further attempts to capture Caen, and the first Allied troops entered it on 9 July; by then, much of it had been destroyed. After holding the line the 1st Ox & Bucks first major engagement with the enemy during the battle for Caen was the successful attack to capture the village of Cahier and a nearby mill. Fighting around Caen continued for much of the month, with the Battalion sustaining significant casualties. In August the Battalion took part in an advance towards Falaise, known as Operation Totalize, that saw the Allies reach and capture it. The Battalion captured Pierrefitte during the operation to close The Falaise Pocket which was eventually closed, encircling two German armies, one of which was effectively destroyed by the Allies. The victory of the Falaise Pocket signified the end of the battle for Normandy. The 1st Ox & Bucks then took part in the advance east, eventually entering Belgium in early September.

On 17 September the invasion of the Netherlands began, known as Operation Market Garden in a combined land and airborne operation. The Battalion took part in the ground operation in support of the airborne corridor to Arnhem. The 1st Ox & Bucks led the advance of 71st Infantry Brigade to the Wilhelmina canal where they encountered heavy enemy resistance. The ground operation was intended to cross through three bridges taken by airborne troops and into Germany, that would end at the furthest captured bridge at Arnhem—taken by 1st Airborne—though the operation ended in failure by 25 September. The 1st Ox & 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. Lieutenant Colonel JH Hare the Battalion's Commanding Officer was killed during the battle for Hertogenbosch on 28 October and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Howard of the Buffs. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched their last-gasp major offensive of the war in the Ardennes that became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 1st Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of its division, was rushed to Belgium shortly afterwards to assist in the defence where it experienced awful weather conditions, some of the worst Belgium had seen in years. The Allies launched a counter-attack in early January and the German offensive was defeated later that month, by which time the 53rd Welsh Division had been relieved and returned to Holland soon afterwards in preparation for the invasion of Germany.

In February the Battalion was involved in the Allied invasion of the German Rhineland, including taking part in the Battle of the Reichswald: the five-division assault on the Reichswald Forest, where the battalion was involved in heavy fighting against German paratroops and armour at the village of Asperberg. The Battalion crossed the Rhine in late March and attached to 8th Armoured Division continued its eastwards advance, seeing action at, among others, Ibbenburen in April where they saw heavy fighting against determined German marines though, in spite of this, the British succeeded in capturing the town. The Battalion met with fierce enemy resistance at Gross Hauslingen before continuing the advance through Dauelsen, Gyhum and Wehldorf and the 1st Ox & Bucks eventually reached the city of Hamburg—captured on 3 May by British forces—where they remained until the end of the war in Europe.

2nd Battalion

Transport moving across the Caen Canal Bridge at Benouville, June 1944. The bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge after the mythical winged horse on the formation sign of British airborne forces.

In 1941 the 2nd Battalion re-roled as an airborne, specifically an Air Landing, unit, joining the 1st Airborne Division and in 1943 the 6th Airlanding Brigade, 6th Airborne Division. As part of Operation Deadstick just before the landings on D-Day 6 June 1944, D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks Commanded by Maj. John Howard as well as Royal Engineers and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment (totalling 181 men), were to land via 6 Horsa gliders to capture the vital Pegasus Bridge over the Caen Canal and the bridge over the Orne River (known as Horsa Bridge and east of Pegasus). This was intended to secure the eastern flank to prevent German armour from reaching the British 3rd Infantry Division that was landing on Sword Beach.

Pegasus Bridge

The Ox and Bucks landed very close to their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight—the first Allied unit to land in France—they 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 Greenhalgh—in the process. One Glider assigned to the capture of Horsa Bridge was landed at the bridge over the River Dives, some 7 miles from where they were meant to land. They, in spite of this, captured the River Dives bridge, advanced through German lines towards the village of Ranville where they eventually rejoined the British forces. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half an hour after the landings by 7 Para, with further units arriving shortly afterwards. The Germans launched many attempts to re-capture the bridges, all being repulsed. Later in the day, at about 1:00pm, Lord Lovat and elements of his 1st Special Service Brigade arrived to relieve the exhausted defenders, followed by the British 3rd Infantry Division. The operation was immortalised in the film The Longest Day.

As the first day of the landings closed, more reinforcements arrived as part of Operation Mallard, they included the rest of the 2nd Ox & Bucks. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Darell-Brown DSO replaced Lieutenant Colonel Michael Roberts who had been injured during the landings and remained in command of the Battalion during the defence of the Ardennes and on the Rhine landing. On 7 June the Battalion captured the small village of Herouvillette and then headed for the village of Escoville where they met some extremely determined resistance. Having experienced intense fighting with German troops supported by armour and unable to successfully dig in and hold the village, the Battalion withdrew, moving back to Herouvillette where they took part in its defence. The Battalion subsequently held the line at Chateau St Come on Bréville ridge until August, then taking part in the British breakout and advance to the Seine that began in August, known as Operation Paddle. The Battalion crossed the River Touques and the advance continued through St Philibert, La Correspondance, Pretreville and Malbortie. On 25 August the Battalion was ordered to attack and capture the village of Manneville La Raoult, where a German Garrison was based. After heavy fighting, during which the enemy used mortar and artillery fire, by nightfall the Battalion had occupied the village and had captured a number of prisoners and transport. Lieutenant Freddie Scott was awarded a Military Cross for action which drove the enemy from a position from where his platoon had come under heavy attack by machine-gun fire and grenades. The battle for Manneville La Raoult was to be the last battle the Battalion fought in France. The following day, the Battalion moved to Foulbec. The 2nd Ox & Bucks, along with the rest of 6th Airborne, was withdrawn to the UK in early September to recuperate and reorganise. By then, of the original 181 men that had taken part in the Pegasus and Horsa operation, just 40 remained fit for active duty. The 2nd Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne were then rushed back to Belgium, by sea and land, to take part in the defence of the Ardennes, after the German invasion on 16 December. By the time the Battalion arrived in the Ardennes, in freezing weather conditions, the German offensive had lost its momentum. One of its companies was involved in heavy fighting whilst in support of 13 Parachute Battalion in the village of Bure. The 2nd Ox and Bucks remained in the Ardennes until 24 January. The Battalion then moved 200 miles north to the River Maas, near Venlo, in Holland to defend the position there, before returning to the UK in late February.

The 2nd Ox and Bucks were once again involved in a gliderborne air assault landing, known as Operation Varsity, the objective of which was to cross the Rhine. Operation Varsity, which began on 24 March 1945, was the last major battle on the Western Front during the Second World War. The 2nd Ox and Bucks landed further east than any other British Army unit to capture bridges from the Germans. The Battalion, like many others during the assault, suffered heavily as the Germans met the landing gliders with ferocious fire in the air and on the ground, suffering hundreds of casualties. The 2nd Ox and Bucks casualties included 103 killed during the battle of the landing area. The Battalion had lost half its strength, companies were severely depleted and non commissioned officers were frequently required to act as platoon commanders. It saw very heavy fighting at Hamminkeln, where its objectives were the railway station and bridges over the River Issel between Hamminkeln and Ringenburg. Lieutenant Hugh Clark led a bayonet charge to take a road bridge for which he was awarded a Military Cross. CSM John Stevenson was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for defeating several enemy attacks with a platoon he commanded on the east bank of the River Issel. The 2nd Ox and Bucks captured and held all its objectives. The Germans launched a number of counter-attacks, all of which were repelled. The Battalion subsequently took a leading part in the 300 mile advance across Germany, mostly on foot, including taking part in the opposed crossing of the Weser and eventually linking up with the Russians near the Baltic port of Wismar on 3 May 1945. The Battalion was selected to represent the British Army in providing the Guard of Honour for the meeting between British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and his Russian counterpart, Rokossovsky, at Wismar on 7 May 1945. 1,408 officers and other ranks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry lost their lives during the Second World War.

T-Force

Main article: T-Force

During spring and summer 1945 two companies of the Buckinghamshire Battalion, along with the 5th Battalion of the King's Regiment, were attached to a secretive unit known as T-Force. Their role was to locate Nazi scientists and military research facilities. 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. They carried out investigations in Hanover, Bremen and Hamburg. Post-war, elements of the Bucks who had been attached to T-Force were absorbed into No.1 T Force which continued to search for military secrets in the Ruhr.^[1]

North Africa & Italy (1942-45)

The 7th Ox and Bucks, part of 56 (London) Division, took part in the final battle in Tunisia in 1942. The Battalion made a successful attack at Enfidaville following a 3000-mile road move from Iraq. In the Italian campaign 7th Ox and Bucks took part in the landings at Salerno and Anzio and had heavy casualties. The Battalion fought its way up Italy to the Gothic Line near Rimini. 7th Ox and Bucks were dispersed as reinforcements to other regiments in 56 Division in late 1944.

Far East (1944-45)

The 6th Ox and Bucks served on the Arakan Front during the advance down the west coast of Burma in 1944/45. The Battalion fought at Akyab in 1944 and at the main Japanese Base at Tamandu in 1945. An advance party of 2nd Ox and Bucks was in India in August 1945 preparing for an airborne assault in the Far East.

Post-World War II (1945-1966)

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. Palestine was in a highly volatile political situation and the Battalion was extensively deployed on internal security duties and in assisting the civil authorities in maintaining peace between the different communities. The Battalion left Palestine in 1947. In 1946 the 1st Battalion deployed to Trieste—the following year the Free Territory of Trieste—as part of the British-American force there. The Battalion left in May 1947. In 1948, with the end of the Second World War, the British Government implemented substantial defence cuts, which involved all second battalions in the Line Infantry being amalgamated with the 1st Battalions, this included the Ox & Bucks. Following the amalgamation the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Battalion The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd.

In 1949 the Regiment moved to Greece during the Greek Civil War. In October 1951, following a short period in Cyprus, the Regiment deployed to the British-controlled Suez Canal Zone in Egypt. There, the Regiment saw active service performing internal security duties. The Regiment left Suez in April 1953. It was subsequently based in Osnabrück, West Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). In July 1956 the Regiment took part in operations against EOKA terrorists in Cyprus. On 7 November 1958, after transferring from the Light Infantry Brigade to the Green Jackets Brigade, the Regiment was re-titled as the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and subsequently left Cyprus for home—the first time it had been based in the UK since 1939. The Regimental Depot which had been at Cowley Barracks, Oxford from 1876 to 1957 moved to Peninsula Barracks, Winchester in 1958. The Regiment was based at Warminster from 1959 to 1962 when it became the first regiment to be posted to the Far East without any National Servicemen following the end of conscription in 1961.

In April 1962, almost two years after the Malayan Emergency was declared over, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) arrived in the Malayan state of Penang. Peace did not reign for long and the Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Tod Sweeney MC was deployed to Brunei on the island of Borneo in December 1962, after an Indonesian-backed uprising occurred. In 1963, while still in Borneo, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) was re-designated as a rifle regiment to conform to the rest of the Green Jackets Brigade. The Regiment returned to Penang in April 1963. The Regiment was later involved in further operations in North Borneo and Sarawak. In March 1965 the Regiment was posted to West Berlin - its last overseas deployment as a regiment. On 1 January 1966 the Regiment amalgamated with the two other regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade to form the three battalion Royal Green Jackets, the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) becoming the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets. The battalion was disbanded in 1992 as a consequence of Options for Change and the 2nd Battalion (formerly The King's Royal Rifle Corps) was re-designated as the 1st Battalion. The 3rd Battalion was renumbered as the 2nd. In February 2007 the 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 2nd Battalion The Rifles and the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets became the 4th Battalion The Rifles.

Victoria Cross recipients

• Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks (2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)
• Lance-Corporal Alfred Wilcox (2/4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry)

Other information

• Colonel-in-Chief: HM Carlos I of Portugal
• Anniversaries: Waterloo (18 June)
• Alliances:
  • 52nd Regiment (Prince Albert Volunteers) - Canada
  • Le Régiment de Joliette - Canada
  • 43rd Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment) - Australia
  • The Western Australia University Regiment
  • The Hauraki Regiment - New Zealand

See also

• Air Landing Regiment
• Parachute Regiment
• Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers

Battle honours

• Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, Havannah, Mysore, Hindoostan, Martinique 1794, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1851-2-3, Delhi 1857, New Zealand, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1900-02
• First World War:
  • Western Front: Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Ypres 1914-'17, Langemarck 1914 '17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Hooge 1915, Loos, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Poziéres, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Bapaume 1917 '18, Arras 1917, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Arleux, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcapelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 and 1918, St Quentin, Rosiéres, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Béthune, Hindenburg Line, Havrincort, Canal du Nord, Selle, Valenciennes, France and Flanders 1914-18
  • Middle East: Kut-al-Amara, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut-al-Amara, Tigris 1916, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1914-18
  • Other: Doiran 1917 '18, Macedonia 1915-18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917-18, Archangel 1919
• Second World War:
  • North-West Europe: Defence of Escaut (Scheldt), Cassel, Ypres-Comines-Canal, Normandy Landing, Pegasus Bridge, Caen, Esquay, Lower Maas, Ourthe, Rhineland, Reichswald, Rhine, Ibbenbüren, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45
  • North Africa: Enfidaville, North Africa 1943
  • Italy: Salerno, St Lucia, Salerno Hills, Teano, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, Coriano, Gemmano Ridge, Italy 1943-45
  • Far East: Arakan Beaches, Tamandu, Burma 1943-45^[2]

References

1. ^ T Force, The Race for Nazi War Secrets, 1945 by Sean Longden Published by Constable & Robinson September 2009
2. ^ "The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Battle Honours". lightinfantry.org.uk. http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk/regiments/obli/ox_honours.htm. Retrieved 16 April 2010. 

External links

• http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk [British Light Infantry Regiments]
• 1/4th Oxford and Bucks War Diary July and August 1917
• 1/4th Oxford and Bucks, Roll of Honour First World War
• G. K. Rose. The Story of the 2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at Project Gutenberg