55th (Wessex) Field Regiment was a unit of the Royal Artillery in Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA). Its origin was a brigade organised in 1927 from the former West Somerset Yeomanry and field batteries from Wiltshire. Just before the outbreak of World War II the Wiltshire elements were separated to form a second regiment, after which the 55th (Wessex) was often referred to simply as the West Somerset Yeomanry (WSY). It served in Home Forces for the first part of the war, but in 1942 it was assigned to the Guards Armoured Division and served with that formation throughout the campaign in North West Europe, from Normandy to the German surrender in 1945. It continued as an artillery regiment in the postwar TA until 1967.

Origin

The Yeomanry were the mounted arm of the British Army's Auxiliary forces and by World War I these part-time soldiers had become part of the Territorial Force. The West Somerset Yeomanry (WSY), first formed in Somersetshire in 1794,Frederick, p. 51. served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, and on the Western Front in both the mounted and dismounted roles.James, p. 28. However, after the war it was decided that only the 14 most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as cavalry in the new Territorial Army (TA); the rest were converted to other roles. Thus on 1 June 1920 the WSY was transferred to the Royal Artillery, becoming part of 94th (Dorset & Somerset Yeomanry) Field Brigade. In 1927 it was transferred to the 55th (Wessex) Field Brigade, which already contained field artillery units recruited in Wiltshire and was reorganised as follows:Frederick, p. 516.Litchfield, p. 209.Monthly Army List, various dates. Brigade Headquarters at County Territorial Hall, Taunton, Somerset 217 (Wiltshire) Field Battery (Howitzer) at Drill Hall, Swindon, Wiltshire 220 (Wiltshire) Field Battery at Swindon 373 (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Battery at Taunton 374 (West Somerset Yeomanry) Field Battery at Glastonbury, later Shepton Mallet

The brigade served as 'Army Troops' in 43rd (Wessex) Divisional Area.Titles & Designations 1927. In 1938 the RA modernised its nomenclature and a lieutenant-colonel's command was designated a 'regiment' rather than a 'brigade'; this applied to TA field brigades from 1 November 1938.

After the Munich Crisis the TA was doubled in size and its units formed duplicates. In the case of the 55th (Wessex) this was done on 22 July 1939 by splitting off the two Wiltshire batteries to form 112th Field Regiment, with its own Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Swindon. While the new regiment remained with 43rd (Wessex) Division, 55th (Wessex) Field Regiment joined the duplicate 45th Division that was in the process of formation.Farndale, Annex D.Frederick, p. 528.Joslen, pp. 69–70.Joslen, pp. 73–4.

Part of the reorganisation was that field regiments changed from four six-gun batteries to an establishment of two batteries, each of three four-gun troops.Farndale, Annex A.Forty, pp. 72–3Sainsbury, Chapter 2: 'The Development of Field Artillery Tactics, Organisation and Equipment, 1920-1945', pp. 13–29.Sainsbury, Appendix 2. Now consisting solely of 373 and 374 (WSY) batteries, 55th (Wessex) Field Rgt was frequently referred to simply as the 'West Somerset Yeomanry'.Rosse & Hill, passim.

Before World War II the TA field artillery was equipped with 18-pounder guns and 4.5-inch howitzers, all of World War I patterns. Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before the outbreak of war. A few Morris CDSW gun tractors were issued to TA batteries in early 1939. The rearmament programme of 1938 introduced the Ordnance QF 25-pounder gun-howitzer, initially in the form of the hybrid 18/25-pounder consisting of a 25-pdr gun mounted on a converted 18-pdr carriage, but these were only just being issued to Regular units when war broke out, and TA units had to wait.Farndale, p. 4.

World War II Mobilisation and training The TA was mobilised on 1 September 1939, two days before war was declared. 45th Division assumed full independence from 43rd (Wessex) Division on 7 September. Like its 1st Line parent, the division remained in training in the West Country under Southern Command during the Phoney War period.Collier, Map5.

After the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had been evacuated from Dunkirk in June 1940, 45th Division was moved into the anticipated invasion area of South East England. Following the loss of the BEF's equipment in France, the 45th was one of the better-equipped formations, its three field regiments together having 12 x 25-pdrs, 6 x 18-pdrs and 12 x 4.5-inch howitzers (against an establishment of 72 x 25-pdrs). In November 1940 the division moved to I Corps covering North East England and Yorkshire.Collier, p. 125, Map17.

The BEF's experience in the Battle of France had shown up the problems with the two-battery organisation: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment. As a result, field regiments were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries, but it was not until late 1940 that the RA had enough trained battery staffs to carry out the reorganisation.Farndale, p. 99. 55th (Wessex) Field Rgt formed its third battery, designated 'W' Bty, at Barnsley on 15 November 1940, and it was numbered as 439 Bty on 1 February 1941.

From February 1941 45th Division was in GHQ Reserve in the Midlands, moving to East Anglia under XI Corps in July.Collier, Map 20. 45th Division was reduced to a lower establishment in December 1941 and thereafter was used as a source of men and units for other formations. 55th (Wessex) Field Rgt joined the Guards Armoured Division as its second field regiment on 8 June 1942.Joslen, pp. 11–2.Rosse & Hill, p. 19.

Overlord training

At the time, Guards Armoured Division was stationed in Southern Command, but its components, particularly specialist units such as the artillery, could be sent all over the country to training areas and practice camps, particularly to firing ranges on Salisbury Plain for the artillery. Equipped with 25-pdrs towed by Quad gun tractors, the WSY usually supported the lorried infantry of 32nd Guards Brigade, while the division's other regiment, 153rd (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Rgt, had self-propelled guns and supported the tanks of 5th Guards Armoured Brigade. Both regiments had access to Sherman tanks with dummy guns to act as armoured observation posts (OPs).Rosse & Hill, p. 33.55th Field Rgt at RA 1939–45.153rd Field Rgt at RA 1939–45.

In February 1943 the division took part in Exercise Spartan, involving most of the troops stationed in Britain, then went to Norfolk where there were a number of battle training areas. In June 1943 it moved to the Yorkshire Wolds, where in mid-February 1944 the whole division participated in a 12-day training exercise (Exercise Eagle) along with the other divisions assigned to VIII Corps. Finally, in April the division moved to Southern England to its concentration area round Brighton and Eastbourne for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord.Martin, pp. 21–2.Rosse & Hill, pp. 21–9.

Normandy Overlord began with the landings on D Day (6 June 1944). The infantry of 32nd Guards Brigade, accompanied by the WSY, were the first part of the division to cross to Normandy, and came under 43rd (Wessex) Division to act as a firm base for attacks being made across the River Odon (Operation Epsom). On 29 June a German counter-attack against Cheux saw several Panther tanks get through almost to the village, and the WSY in support in the brigade HQ area received the order 'Prepare for tanks'.Rosse & Hill, pp. 33-5. (Field regiments carried 12 rounds per gun of armour-piercing solid shot for such emergencies.Ellis, Normandy, p. 538.)

Guards Armoured's first divisional action was Operation Goodwood on 18 July, in which VIII Corps' three armoured divisions would secretly cross to the east side of the River Orne and then thrust southwards past Caen deep into German-held territory. The Guards were the second division in the column, but the advance ran out of impetus once the tanks had passed out of range of the supporting artillery, which was still west of the river because of congestion in the bridgehead.Buckley, pp. 94–112.Ellis, Normandy, pp. 327–47.Keegan, pp. 199–216.Rosse & Hill, pp. 36–47.

The German front began to break up at the end of July. Guards Armoured was deployed to support II Canadian Corps's Operation Spring on 25 July but did not get into action.Buckley, p. 148.Rosse & Hill, pp. 49–50. It was then shifted west as British Second Army began its move south (Operation Bluecoat) on 30 July. On the afternoon of 31 July Guards Armoured was ordered out of its assembly points north of Caumont to advance on 11th Armoured Division's flank. By evening it was in contact with the enemy south-east of St Martin and next day, despite traffic jams, it secured its objectives after some hard fighting. The advance lost impetus, with hard fighting round Arclais and Estry, but by 11 August the division was pushing its way south from Vire. The Germans pulled out on 16 August and Guards Armoured Division went into Second Army reserve.Buckley, p. 165.Daglish, pp. 71–9, 136–45.Ellis, Normandy, p. 394.Hunt, pp. 29, 56, 72–4, 89–91, 136–7.Martin, pp. 90–3, 96, 104.Rosse & Hill, pp. 50–79.

After Bluecoat, the Canadians' Operation Totalize completed the breakout and much of the German army was trapped in the Falaise Pocket. 21st Army Group then began a rapid advance across northern France, with Guards Armoured driving over in under 24 hours to seize a bridge over the River Somme at Corbie on 31 August. The division then broke up into brigade groups as it raced across Belgium. 32nd Guards Bde took the right centre-line, with the WSY following the Welsh Guards Group straight up the main road to Brussels. It covered in one day, breaking through rearguards and roadblocks to liberate Brussels by the end of 3 September.Ellis, Normandy, pp. 468–70.Ellis, Germany, pp. 4–6.Horrocks, pp. 194–201.Rosse & Hill, pp. 82–104.

Opposition hardened at the Albert Canal, but the Guards seized a bridgehead over it and advanced towards Hechtel. The Irish Guards group worked its way through Beringen, with orders to capture the slag heaps that the enemy were using as OPs. Shelling became heavy, and Major R. Eames, commanding 439 Bty, was wounded as he prepared an OP. However, the attack went in at 17.00. supported by the guns of the WSY, which also shelled some German armoured vehicles. The Irish Guards had secured the slag heaps by nightfall on 7 September. The Irish and Welsh Guards groups pushed on towards Hechtel in confused fighting, during which Maj G. Hollebone, commanding 374 Bty was wounded. On 10 September the Grenadier Guards group, followed by the Irish Guards group, advanced under cover of an artillery concentration and smokescreen, and rushed a vital undestroyed bridge over the Meuse-Escaut canal. The divisional artillery was then deployed well forward at Hechtel to cover the bridgehead, which was defended by the infantry of 32nd Guards Bde while the tanks went back to refit for the next operation.Ellis, Germany, p. 12.Rosse & Hill, pp. 104–20.

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