The Royal Norfolk Regiment is one of the oldest and most distinguished fighting forces in the British army. Its line of descent can be traced back for over three centuries, all the way from modern Afghanistan to Monmouths rebellion in 1685.Throughout these years, and many campaigns, the regiment has maintained a marked local loyalty and tradition which remain strong today. This sense of local identity is celebrated by Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell in this highly illustrated history of the regiment which describes, in graphic detail, the exploits of Norfolk soldiers who have made a notable contribution to the British army in every major conflict the country has faced.
Steve Smith tells the story of the five Battalions of the Norfolk Regiment who served on the Western Front using previously unseen photographs, diaries, accounts, and letters. He has also had full access to the Norfolk Regiment Museum archives. It is the men who served in the Norfolks who will tell this story. This book will interest readers nationally & locally as it not only studies the Regiment’s participation in well-known battles such as Ypres and the Somme, but also takes a fresh look at the lesser-known battles fought, battles such as Elouges in 1914 and Kaiserschlacht in 1918. Steve has considered the German perspective too, looking at the men who faced them at places such as Falfemont Farm in 1916. Using new evidence from the Regiment’s participation in the Christmas Truce, he separates the truth from myth surrounding the stories of football played at this time, a controversy that still rages. Steve has walked the ground over which they fought and fresh maps complement this research so the book serves as a history book for those at home and a guidebook for those who wish to get out and explore, down to trench level, the ground covered in its pages.
A chronicle of the WWII British Expeditionary Force unit that faced a German firing squad after surrendering at the Battle of Dunkirk. In 1939, the BEF was deployed to counter the German aggression in Europe. The men of 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, were some of the first to land in France. Less than a year later, they would be massacred by the Waffen-SS in one of the most egregious war crimes of the Second World War. After deploying to the Maginot Line sector in January of 1940, the Norfolks experienced some of the war’s most monumental firsts—including the first decorations to be awarded, and the first British officer killed in action. But more tragedy was to come when the Germans launched their May offensive. As the Allies withdrew towards the English Channel, the Norfolks were ordered to defend a section of the Canal Line. After several days, they were surrounded and forced to surrender. The next morning, ninety-nine men of the Battalion were marched to a paddock and machine-gunned in cold blood by their SS captors. Miraculously, two men survived and helped bring the SS officer responsible, Fritz Knoechlien, to justice after the war.
On 27 May 1940, in the hamlet of Le Paradis, in northern France, almost a hundred soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment were murdered. After a resolute defence of their positions whilst part of the rearguard that was protecting the retreat to the Dunkirk beaches, these soldiers, who had surrendered, were disarmed, marched as a body to a field and massacred by member of the SS Division that they had been fighting. However, two men survived: William O'Callaghan and Albert Pooley. Pooley in particular, was badly wounded and endured a tortuous couple of years as a sick PoW before he was repatriated in the spring of 1943, a clear indicator of his feeble physical condition. He reported the massacre on his return to the UK but was not, it seemed, believed. It was only after the war, despite continued ill health, and a return to le Paradis, that his story was taken up and a proper investigation was launched. In 1948 the officer responsible for the atrocity, an SS officer, Fritz Knoechlein, was tried in Hamburg, found guilty and executed. This edition of Cyril Jolly's account of Albert Pooley's story includes a new introduction by Nigel Cave and many new photographs. To follow the fateful trail of these men in the flat, rather uninspiring, country around Le Paradis; and to stand in the small Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery where those so cruelly treated lie, is a sobering and moving experience. It is fortunate that Private Pooley survived, showed such extraordinary courage in his determination to get justice for his comrades; and that Cyril Jolly wrote such a gripping, if horrific, account of one of several massacres that took place during the traumatic weeks that led to the Dunkirk Evacuation.
The first complete account of the fiercely guarded secrets of London’s clandestine interrogation center, operated by the British Secret Service from 1940 to 1948 Behind the locked doors of three mansions in London’s exclusive Kensington Palace Gardens neighborhood, the British Secret Service established a highly secret prison in 1940: the London Cage. Here recalcitrant German prisoners of war were subjected to “special intelligence treatment.” The stakes were high: the war’s outcome could hinge on obtaining information German prisoners were determined to withhold. After the war, high-ranking Nazi war criminals were housed in the Cage, revamped as an important center for investigating German war crimes. This riveting book reveals the full details of operations at the London Cage and subsequent efforts to hide them. Helen Fry’s extraordinary original research uncovers the grim picture of prisoners’ daily lives and of systemic Soviet-style mistreatment. The author also provides sensational evidence to counter official denials concerning the use of “truth drugs” and “enhanced interrogation” techniques. Bringing dark secrets to light, this groundbreaking book at last provides an objective and complete history of the London Cage.
Primus in armis, 'first in arms', is the motto of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, Britain's senior Regiment of volunteer cavalry raised in 1794 against the threat of French invasion. The Wiltshire Yeomanry has served for over 200 years and fought in South Africa, the First and Second World Wars and more recently as individuals in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the places where the Regiment fought in the Second War will be familiar to modern readers including Aleppo, Palmyra, Baghdad, and more bizarrely, meeting the Russian army on friendly terms in Tehran. The battle of El Alamein in the western desert was possibly their finest hour. The author has accessed the extensive Regimental archives and interviewed many families of veterans to obtain a glimpse into the personalities of these soldiers. A wealth of unseen material from around the world has surfaced including stories concerning the aristocracy of the inter-war years and the previously forgotten service of the Regiment's most famous officer. This first, illustrated history of 'The Royal Wilts' will appeal to anyone with an interest in the British Army. **Includes 368 black-and white and 70 colour photographs.**
A detailed portrayal of life in the 2nd Norfolk regiment 1940-45, told by the fighting men themselves. Taken from hundreds of hours of taped history with veterans, conducted by the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive.
Norwich in the Second World War is the story of the city and its people, both civilian and military, from the construction of the first air raid shelters in 1938 through to VE Day in 1945 and the return of Far Eastern prisoners of war in 1946. Featuring first-hand accounts of what happened when enemy bombers raided the city, notably during the notorious Baedeker Blitz of 1942, rare photographs and documents make this book a must for anyone who knows and loves the city of Norwich.
