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73rd (Kent Fortress) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

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73rd (Kent Fortress) Searchlight Regiment
Active1939–1955
Country United Kingdom
Branch Territorial Army
TypeSearchlight Regiment
RoleAir Defence
SizeRegiment
EngagementsBattle of Britain
The Blitz

The 73rd (Kent Fortress) Searchlight Regiment was a volunteer air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1939 until 1955, at first as part of the Royal Engineers, later in the Royal Artillery. It served during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz.

Origin

90 cm Projector Anti-Aircraft, displayed at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth

The unit was first formed in April 1939 as part of the expansion of TA Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences under Anti-Aircraft Command before the outbreak of World War II. It was created by combining three existing AA Searchlight Companies of the Royal Engineers (RE): 322 and 347 AA Companies from 29th (Kent) AA Battalion, and 331 AA Company from 32nd (7th City of London) AA Battalion. It appears that 347 (Kent) Company was drawn from personnel of the three Electric Light and Works companies of the Kent Fortress Royal Engineers based at Northfleet, which gave its title to the new battalion:[1][2][3][4]

73rd (Kent Fortress) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers

  • HQ at Bexleyheath
  • 322 AA Company at Drill Hall, Horns Cross, Greenhithe
  • 331 AA Company at Bexleyheath
  • 347 (Kent) AA Company at Lamorbey House, Halfway Street, Sidcup

World War II

The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis, with units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October.[5] 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.[6] The battalion formed part of 29th (East Anglian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 6th Anti-Aircraft Division, responsible for the air defence of the Thames Estuary and the adjacent Kent and Essex shores.[1][4][7]

In August 1940 the battalion, along with all other RE searchlight units, was transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA), becoming 73rd (Kent Fortress) Searchlight Regiment.[8][9][10] By this time (the start of the Battle of Britain) it had been transferred within 6 AA Division to 56 Light AA Bde, which was responsible for the defence of airfields in SE England.[11][12][13][14]

The regiment continued to serve in AA Command during The Blitz and until it was placed in suspended animation in September 1944.[1][8][9]

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, the regiment was reformed in the heavy anti-aircraft artillery role as 608th (Kent) (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA ('Mixed' indicating that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit).[9][10][15][16]

Anti-Aircraft Command was disbanded in 1955, and there was a major reduction in TA air defence units. 608 HAA Regiment was amalgamated with 458 (Kent) (Mixed) HAA Regiment and 564 (Kent) (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment (the former 29th AA Bn RE). The new regiment became 458 (Kent) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, with 608 HAA Rgt providing RHQ and S Batteries.[9][15][17][18]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c 6 AA Division 1939 at British Military History
  2. ^ Planck, p. 226.
  3. ^ Monthly Army List, May 1939.
  4. ^ a b AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files
  5. ^ Routledge, pp. 62–3.
  6. ^ Routledge, pp. 65–6, 371.
  7. ^ Routledge Table LX, p. 378.
  8. ^ a b 73 S/L Rgt at RA 1939–45.
  9. ^ a b c d Litchfield, pp. 107–9.
  10. ^ a b Farndale, Annex M, p. 340.
  11. ^ 6 AA Division 1940 at British Military History
  12. ^ 6 AA Division at RA 1939–45.
  13. ^ Farndale, Annex D, p. 258.
  14. ^ Routledge Table LXV, p. 396.
  15. ^ a b 592–638 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
  16. ^ Watson TA.
  17. ^ 444–473 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
  18. ^ 564–591 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.

References

  • Gen Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, ISBN 1-85753-080-2.
  • Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.
  • C. Digby Planck, The Shiny Seventh: History of the 7th (City of London) Battalion London Regiment, London: Old Comrades' Association, 1946/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, ISBN 1-84342-366-9.
  • Brig N.W. Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, ISBN 1-85753-099-3

External sources

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