2nd – 302nd (East Africa) Field Regiment, E.A.A.

The 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. began life as the 2nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.  When the 2nd Regiment was allocated to the Divisional Artillery of the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division in May 1943, it was renumbered to become the 302nd Regiment.

2nd (East Africa) Field Regiment, E.A.A.

The Regimental Headquarters, 2nd (East Africa) Field Regiment, E.A.A. formed at the Royal Artillery Depot at Larkhill, Kenya on 1st August 1942.  Lt. Colonel S. Southey was the Commanding Officer.[1]

On 20th November 1942, authority was received for the allotment (regimentation) of the 55th Light and the 58th and 59th Field Batteries to the Regiment.  At this time, the 55th (Tanganyika) Field Battery was serving in Madagascar with the 27th (Northern Rhodesia) Infantry Brigade Group and, latterly, the 1st (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.  By 25th November, the Regiment moved to Gilgil and took over the camp there from the 1st (E.A.) Field Regiment.  The 59th (E.A.) Field Battery moved to Gilgil on 16th December 1942 where it was regimented with the 2nd Regiment.  The 55th Battery arrived at Gilgil from Madagascar on 3rd January 1943, coming under command of the 2nd Regiment for the first time.  On 8th January, this Battery exchanged its 3.7-inch howitzers for 25-pounder guns and was redesignated as a field battery.[2]

The 58th (Uganda) Field Battery left Gilgil on 16th December 1942 and arrived at Moshi three days later.  Upon arrival, the Battery appears to have come under the command of the 25th (East Africa) Infantry Brigade.  The Battery appears to have been de-regimented from the 2nd (E.A.) Field Regiment from 1st February 1943.[3] 

The Regimental H.Q. and the 55th and 59th Batteries continued to train at Gilgil and Naivasha.  The 60th (E.A.) Field Battery moved to Gilgil on 16th March 1943 to join the 2nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A.  (The Battery had been regimented with the 2nd Field Regiment on or just after 1st March 1943).[4]

From 1st May 1943, the Regiment was allocated as Divisional Troops, 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division and retitled to become the 302nd (East Africa) Field Regiment, E.A.A. [5]

302nd (East Africa) Field Regiment, E.A.A.

The 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, less the 60th Battery which remained at Gilgil to continue training, moved to Moshi on 31st May 1943, arriving on 3rd April, and was by now under the command of the 11th (East Africa) Infantry Division.  Training for overseas deployment began, including jungle warfare training.[6]

During August 1943, the Regiment was allocated to the “third flight” of the deployment of the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division to Ceylon.  The 60th Battery arrived to join the Regiment at Moshi on 3rd September 1943.   Between 27th and 29th September, the Regiment moved to Mariakani and then for Kilindini for embarkation for Ceylon between 2nd and 3rd October.  The ship carrying the Regiment, H.M.T. Ascania, left Mombasa on the evening of 3rd October.  The Regiment disembarked at Colombo on 13th October and moved to Mankulam.  Between 9th and 12th November, the Regiment, less the 60th Battery, moved to the 11th Division concentration area at Hambantota, arriving on the late afternoon of 12th November.  The 60th Battery moved to Mulaittivu where it arrived on 11th November.  The Regiment was assigned to support the 26th (E.A.) Infantry Brigade.  The 60th Battery, having left Mulaittivu on 24th November, joined the Regiment at Hambantota on 28th November.  The Regiment participated in several exercises during December, returning to camp at Hambantota on 18th December.[7]

The Regiment remained at Hambantota into 1944.  During the February, the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division set out its intentions for amending the organisation, equipment and role of the Divisional Artillery to conform to the latest developments on the Burma front; the theatre of war which the Division was earmarked to enter in the future.  The 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment would operate on an ‘experimental’ war establishment with two Jeep-towed batteries of 25-pounder field guns (eight per battery) and one battery equipped with the 3-inch mortar.  Also noted was the possibility that later the 3.7-inch howitzer would replace the 25-pounders.  In the event, after arrival in India, a shortage of functioning mortars resulted in the Regiment fielding three 25-pounder batteries in the subsequent operation in the Kabaw Valley.[8]

In late January and early February, many men were involved in harvesting millet.  On 1st March, seventy-six Africans left on leave.  The Regiment continued to train and took part in several exercises.  In February 1944, the organisation and employment of the divisional artillery was changed based on the then current practice being employed in Burma.  The 302nd Regiment was to be reorganised to consist of two Jeep-drawn batteries of 25-pounder guns and one equipped with sixteen 3-inch mortars.  Later in March, training was given to the 60th Battery in mortar firing and on 20th March the Battery received eight new mortars.  There was a major exercise in April and Lt. Colonel Southey was succeeded as Regimental Command on 12th April by Lt. Colonel R.N. Syme.  On 3rd May the Regiment was visited by the Supreme Allied Commander, Lord Mountbatten.  After inspecting the personnel of the Regiment, Mountbatten gave a talk to all British personnel and English-speaking Africans.  During the month, the 60th Battery was trained in the use of the 3-inch mortar (due to problems with the South African-made mortars, the Battery did not go on to use the mortar in action, instead it retained the 25-pounder field gun).  On 27th May, the Regiment moved off on foot for embarkation, finishing the last of the journey by rail.  Arriving at Colombo on the morning of 31st May, the personnel embarked on board the S.S. Navasa.  The ship sailed for India on 2nd June, where the men disembarked by assault craft on 8th June and entrained for Dohazari.[9]

The Regiment stayed at Dohazari until 17th July 1944, when it embarked upon a river steamer for a journey up the Brahmaputra to Pandu en route to Karching at Imphal which was reached on 23rd July.  The Commanding Officer visited the Commander Royal Artillery (C.R.A.), 23rd Indian Infantry Division on 30th July; it was expected that the Regiment would shortly come under the command of this formation.  However, given the Japanese withdrawal from the Imphal area, orders were changed and the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division was ordered to pursue the Japanese down the Palel-Tamu Road to the Chindwin, and down the Kabaw Valley which runs North-South parallel to the Chindwin to the East.  The 302nd Regiment was assigned in support of the 25th (E.A.) Infantry Brigade whose task was to advance eastwards along the Sittaung track.  The Regiment moved off on 5th August, less the 60th Battery.  High waters on the Yu River held up the general advance for two days and during this time, the 60th Battery and the Rear R.H.Q. moved forward to join the Regiment near Moreh which was reached on 17th August.  The next day, the Regiment moved onto the Sittaung track, but the 25th Brigade advance was now held up by Japanese rearguards in the hills in front of the Chindwin.  Infantry of the Brigade reached Sittaung on the West bank of the Chindwin on 4th September.[10]

It was not intended that the 25th Brigade should cross the Chindwin at Sittaung.  The 302nd Regiment was now ordered to withdraw to support operations elsewhere, leaving the 60th Battery under command of the 25th Brigade.  These orders took effect from 12th September 1944 and the next day the R.H.Q. recrossed the Yu River to bivouac on the Palel-Tamu Road, just north of Tamu.  There was now a pause in operations for the Regiment.  The weather was appalling and there were many casualties due to sickness and exhaustion.  The 60th Battery returned on 6th October and the Regiment prepared to join the main advance of the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division down the Kabaw Valley to Kalemyo.  The R.H.Q. with the 55th and 59th Batteries set off down the Tamu-Kalemyo Road on 13th October and reached Khampat on the evening of 17th October.  The R.H.Q. and the 59th Battery left there on 21st October to reach Yazagyo on 23rd October.  Here, the 54th Battery, 303rd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. was placed under command of the 302nd Regiment due to the 60th Battery being delayed to the North by a ten-day road closure to allow for the rebuilding of the road following the cessation of the monsoon rains.[11]

The Regiment with the 54th Battery moved down the road South of Yazagyo on 31st October in support of the 25th (E.A.) Infantry Brigade.  The advance of the 11th (E.A.) Division was held up North of Indainggyi and in front of Mawlaik.  The 25th Brigade was brought up from reserve to bypass Indainggyi to the West and to drive directly on Kalemyo.  The 302nd Regiment supported this Brigade and Kalemyo was entered on 14th November.  The 60th Battery did not rejoin the Regiment until 12th November.  The 26th Brigade was now ordered to take Indainggyi from the South, supported by a battalion from the 25th Brigade, while the rest of the 25th Brigade moved on Kalewa, beginning on 19th November, supported by the 302nd Regiment.  After hard fighting, the Japanese withdrew across the Chindwin and Kalewa was occupied on 2nd December.  The 25th Brigade crossed the Chindwin on the night of 3rd/4th December.  Once the bridgehead was secure, the Regiment, less the 55th Battery, crossed to the East bank on 9th December; the 55th Battery joining the Regiment the next day.[12]

The advance Eastwards into Burma was now to be taken up by the 2nd (British) Infantry Division, while the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division was withdrawn into 14th Army reserve.  Details of the planned withdrawal reached the 302nd Regiment on 15th December.  While the Regiment waited for this move, details of planned leave were published, including arrangements for African soldiers to have around two weeks leave during the coming year.  Whilst British Officers, N.C.O.s and Other Ranks were set to take their leave in Calcutta and Simla, the Africans were due to go to an East African Rest Camp in the Dimapur area, a situation thought less than satisfactory by the author of the Regimental war diary.  The Regiment began its move back to the Dimapur area on 22nd December when it recrossed the Chindwin.  On 29th December, it arrived at Bokajan, “a pleasant camp with [the] river.”  The Regiment remained here until leaving on 11th April 1945 for the Chas-Purulla area, to the East of Ranchi.[13]

The new camp was reached on 15th April 1945.  On 30th April, arrangements were made for the dispatch of the second African leave party to East Africa (the first appearing to have left at the end of February), with thirty-nine fortunate men being selected from the 302nd Regiment.  This scheme, recently instituted, granted leave in East Africa to African soldiers who had completed between two years five months and three years’ service outside East Africa. This scheme was similar to those instituted for British servicemen, known as ‘PYTHON’, under which those having served away from the United Kingdom for more than three years four months were granted home leave, available transport (shipping) permitting.  Understandably, this scheme was very popular with the African gunners and the second party left for Calcutta on 2nd May.[14] 

The Regiment moved to a new camp at Ranchi on 17th June.  Here, it was possible for African Other Ranks to take leave in Ranchi.[15]

As a result of complying with the East African leave scheme, it became possible to retain as active within the 11th (E.A.) Infantry Division only two field (303rd and 306th) and one anti-tank (304th) regiment.  The retained regiments were brought up to strength by the posting of men who were not due for leave, either from the 59th and 60th Batteries or form reinforcements.  The 302nd Regiment became a holding regiment, consisting of the 58th, 59th and 60th Batteries:

- 58th Battery:   holding African gunners eligible for East Africa leave until shipping became available
- 59th Battery:   composed of British and Africans not due for leave and who were surplus to requirements of the retained regiments
- 60th Battery:   composed of European personnel eligible for East Africa leave, in the same way as the 58th Battery was for Africans.

The 302nd and 303rd exchanged batteries on 19th July 1945: the 58th going to the 302nd Regiment the 55th going to the 303rd Regiment.  The guns were handed over to Ordnance during August.[16]

Lt. Colonel Syme left the Regiment on repatriation on 23rd August 1945; his post being taken by Major C.J.W. Pollard.  Lt. Colonel E.R.G. St. John returned from leave and assumed command from Major Pollard on 19th October.[17]

With nearly all Officers and Other Ranks returned to East Africa or posted to other regiments, on 30th November 1945, the 302nd (E.A.) Field Regiment, E.A.A. was absorbed within the H.Q.R.A., 11th (East Africa) Division, awaiting final disbandment.[18]

04 March 2025