Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Jackson
I have no record of any regimental (ie Royal Sussex) insignia being worn by 109 (Royal Sussex) LAA Regt, but I should be very surprised if they did not wear something on BD to mark their roots in the Royal Sussex - a small flash in regimental colours of blue and orange possibly?
109 LAA Regt was formed on 1 Jan 42 by the conversion of 7 R Sussex and consisted of 357. 358 and 359 LAA Btys. It was a 21 Army Group unit and served in Normandy and beyond. It was placed in suspended animation on 9 Mar 46 and disbanded on 1 Jan 47. Prior to conversion 7 R Sussex was in 37 Inf Bde in 12 (Eastern) Inf Div and will have served in the BEF Apr-Jun 40. 37 Inf Bde (including) 7 R Sussex) became an Indep Inf Bde in Jul 40 and finally disbanded in Nov 41.
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Some small detail of the service of 7th Royal Sussex in the BEF:
"On 18th May 1940 the battalion was bombed while entrained in Amiens station and suffered heavily. They detrained and on 20th May took part in the devastating battle with Rommel’s Panzer Division outside Amiens. Armed with rifles and 50 rounds per man and a few Brens and Boyes Anti Tank rifles, the 7th Battalion held up the Germans for 24 hours before being over-run. 140 were killed; Badger was among the 197 that escaped back to UK. There they were reconstituted into 109 (Royal Sussex) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The regiment went to North West Europe after D-Day and Badger attained the rank of Sergeant."
From the obit. of Sgt William "Badger" Balcombe from the "Last Posts" in the "Roussillon Gazette"
http://www.royalsussex.org.uk/RSLHG_...%20Notices.htm