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The "Die-Hard" Gunners <img src="http://www.prole.demon.co.uk/middlesex/diehardbackbadge.gif" height="48" width="60"></a><!-- ParagraphBodyEnd --></b></p></td>
WWII Living History Group |
Unit History
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1/7th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment
(The 'Die- Hards')
The 1/7th Middlesex Regiment can trace its roots to the old 57th Regiment of Foot. This famous regiment won the nickname
The Die-Hards at the battle of Albuhera on the 16th May1811, during the Peninsula War. Their commanding officer
Col.Inglis had been shot from his horse and seriously wounded. As he lay on the ground he gave heart to his men by
refusing to be carried away and crying out "Die hard, 57th! Die hard" The overwhelming superiority in numbers of the enemy
caused the 57th to suffer 424 casualties out of 600 men. The battle
honour 'Albuhera' would be added to the cap bage of the Middlesex
Regiment.
The Middlesex Regiment would serve throughout the World in the many conflicts for the next hundred years.
In 1938 the Middlesex Regiment along with the Cheshire Regt, Manchester
Regt, Kensington Regt and elements of the Northumberland Fusiliers were
converted to Divisional Machine Gun Battalions.
These battalions were equipped with 48 Vickers Machine Guns and 12 3" mortars. Later 4.2" mortars would replace the 3".
The 1/7th was sent to France as part of the BEF in 1939 and fought a retreat to be evacuated at Dunkirk.
In 1941 the Battalion was posted to the 51st Highland Division, being the only English Infantry Regiment in that Division.
Coming from London the Battalion were at first treated with a some suspicion and a little curiosity by the Highlanders.
Once they had seen action with the Division they were accepted and earned the nickname 'The Middies- the wee boys with the guts'
The Division trained throughout 1941-1942 in the Ballater and Crathie areas on Royal Deeside.
In early 1942 the Battalion sailed with the Black Watch aboard HMT Stratheden, bound for North Africa.
Their first major engagements as support for the 51st was at El-Alamein
and Wadi Akarit.They would support the Highlanders at Medenine, Mareth,
Enfidaville and Tunis before moving on to the landings at Sicily and
Adrano.
The Division was withdrawn to the UK in 1943 to prepare for Operation 'Overlord', the invasion of Normandy.
Advance elemnts landed on D-Day, 6th June 1944. The main body landed on D+1 and fought at Caen, Bourgebous Ridge and Falaise.
The Division fought at Nijmegen in support of the US 101st Airborne during Operation 'Market Garden'
Later the Division fought at the Ardennes (The Battle of the Bulge),
before crossing the Rhine and enduring the battle of the Reichswald.
The 1/7th Middlesex saw more action than any other Battalion of the Regiment, earning many Battle Honours along the way.
The Middlesex has metamorphosed through many changes into B (Queens Regiment) Company, London Regiment.
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Origional pictures of the 1/7th
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