determination to become efficient in the job which will stand them in good stead in their new role. I
hope they will enjoy their work and I feel sure that, with the spirit they have in the unit, they will be a
credit to themselves, to you, and to their country.'
So on November 26, 1941, after 16 months as infantry, the former 7th Loyals bade farewell to the
windswept Yorkshire coast and travelled back across the country to start their new role as
artillerymen. Preliminary training for 317 and 319 started at Aberystwyth in mid-Wales and for 318
at Saighton Camp, outside Chester.
AIR DEFENCE OF GREAT BRITAIN
December 1941 to March 1943
'Training has been constant, with many lessons
learned. We are now equipped with all our guns
and have had some grand engagements.'
BARELY a month later, the newly-formed regiment was thrust into an operational role. Just after
Christmas, RHQ moved to Stanmore, north-west London, and 317 and 319 deployed to provide
ADGB (Air Defence of Great Britain) anti-aircraft cover from sites at Stanmore and Luton.
Meanwhile, 318 was detached to start training for the task that would be the hallmark of the whole
regiment - mobility. The new gunners had to become expert in moving quickly and efficiently in
preparation for their possibly vital role on the battlefield.
New Year's Day 1942 saw the 92nd on the move to Calverton, Nottingham, with some units
going further east for gunnery training at the famous anti-aircraft school at Stiffkey on the Norfolk
coast - 'a desolate, lonely place with one little pub that was full if it had four people in it,' Corporal
Prince recalled.
On January 10, there was drama at Calverton when a German plane dropped four bombs on the
regiment's area. Two failed to explode and no one was hurt. Just over a fortnight later, the 92nd was
on the road again, transferring to Frogmore Hall, a large redbrick mansion set in extensive wooded
grounds near Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire.
While 317 and 319 moved into the new base, 318 went to Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, to take
over protection of installations including waterworks at Kempton, Hampton and Uxbridge.
The regiment now came under the command of 3rd British Infantry Division - the 'Iron Division' -
to which it would be attached to the end of the war, and to whose fame it was destined to
contribute. Throughout February, while 318 stayed at Walton, 317 and 319 undertook mobile
training. By the end of a cold, snowy month, the regiment's new vehicles were starting to arrive. On
March 16, there was an air raid alert at Walton, but the raiders passed over without unleashing any
bombs. Four days later, the whole regiment concentrated in Hertfordshire, moving into tents at
Hitchwood South Camp, near Hitchin, to start a month's mobile training in conjunction with 3rd
Division.RHQ and 319 personnel lined the route during an inspection of the division by the King. On
April 20, the regiment marched back to Frogmore Hall. Heavy showers during the early part of
the month affected training, with vehicles becoming bogged down, but the latter part of April
saw exceptionally warm and fine weather.
Frogmore Hall was the 92nd's base for most of the summer as the men continually trained and
practised, becoming ever more skilful in the techniques of gunnery. Tragically, two men died
there in motor accidents. On May 20, 1942, Gunner George Dansey was killed by a vehicle
being driven by an officer under instruction. On June 19, Gunner Frederick Wilson died after
being hit by a lorry as it drove around the winding inner road of the estate.
On July 24, the regiment was on the move once more. Its destination was Ryde, Isle of
Wight, where it linked up with other units of 3rd Division, including 8 Infantry Brigade and Royal
Marines. An 'exhilarating' exercise with the Commandos followed, plus a two-day assault course
at Ashey Down. The non-swimmers among the 92nd's men were taught to swim.
By August 17, the regiment was concentrated back across the Solent at Chandlers Ford,
Southampton, for the start of a four-day exercise in Kent and Sussex. It then went to Clacton-
on-Sea, Essex, for a week's firing practice before moving to Sandbanks, Bournemouth - on the
edge of Poole Harbour - on September 8.
Training continued into October. On the 12th, two Focke-Wulf 190 (FW 190) fighters soared
over a ferry near the guns of 317, one of the raiders firing its cannon. The battery was later in
action against enemy aircraft in the Brighton area.
Encounters with German raiders along the South Coast were usually fleeting, with barely time
to aim and fire the Bofors before the plane had passed out of range. 'They used to come in very
low,' recalled George Baker, a young Liverpudlian who joined the regiment - where his brother
Billy was already serving - in the autumn of 1942. 'When they got near the coast, they would
sweep up and in, either aiming at targets or just giving harassing fire.'
At the beginning of November, the 92nd started a week of hardening exercises, manhandling
guns across rivers and quarries, followed by anti-tank practice and anti-aircraft practice against
targets towed by naval launch. 'Training has been constant, with many lessons learned, especially
in regard to the anti-tank role of 40mm equipment,' wrote the CO, Colonel Hollwey.
Early in December, the regiment moved across to Kent, stationed at Ashford and Folkestone -
where 317 engaged two Messerschmitt 109s (ME 109) and 318 fired against two FW 190s.
On the 11th, an FW 190 was engaged by an RAF Typhoon fighter in front of 318's guns, which
were unable to fire for fear of hitting the British plane. Enemy aircraft also attacked nearby Rye
with machine guns.Training continued into October. On the 12th, two Focke-Wulf 190 (FW 190) fighters soared
over a ferry near the guns of 317, one of the raiders firing its cannon. The battery was later in action
against enemy aircraft in the Brighton area.
Encounters with German raiders along the South Coast were usually fleeting, with barely time to
aim and fire the Bofors before the plane had passed out of range. 'They used to come in very low,'
recalled George Baker, a young Liverpudlian who joined the regiment - where his brother Billy was
already serving - in the autumn of 1942. 'When they got near the coast, they would sweep up and in,
either aiming at targets or just giving harassing fire.'
At the beginning of November, the 92nd started a week of hardening exercises, manhandling guns
across rivers and quarries, followed by anti-tank practice and anti-aircraft practice against targets
towed by naval launch. 'Training has been constant, with many lessons learned, especially in regard
to the anti-tank role of 40mm equipment,' wrote the CO, Colonel Hollwey.