53rd Airlanding Light Regiment – 211th Anti Tank Battery

This is a large document, badges and medal grouping named to Gunner C. Wilson – 53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery. Very interesting regiment what saw action in Norway, D-day and Varsity. This grouping consist of many personal letters, paperwork,booklets, medals, insignia and wartime money including ‘één Gulden’ which is Dutch money for Commonwealth troops. Please read the regimental history below:

53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment RA was the main artillery support for 6th Airborne Division. The 53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment was redesignated as an Airborne Airlanding Light Regiment in 1943, with 210, 211 and 212 Batteries as Airlanding Light Batteries in support of Regimental HQ armed primarily with 75mm Pack Howitzers.

53rd Airlanding Light Regiment was first deployed into Airborne service at Normandy. Due to shortage of suitable transport aircraft, 211 Battery was the only force from 53rd Airlanding Light Regiment which took part in the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. 210, 212 Battery and the Regimental HQ arrived on 14 June. The deployment of 211 Battery on the evening of 6 June marked the first time in history a Field Battery had been flown into battle accompanying their guns.

When the remainder of 53rd Airlanding Light Regiment arrived, the Batteries were primarily deployed in a ‘counter mortar’ attack role, in support of Airlanding and Parachute infantry formations. 211 Battery remained in Normandy until the majority of 6th Airlanding Brigade was finally withdrawn in early September 1944.

Later in early 1945, 53rd Airlanding Light Regiment took part in the Rhine Crossing on 24 March 1945, landing at LZ ‘P’ during Op Varsity and then proceeded through to the Baltic, deployed continuously until returning to Bulford in late May.