1st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, W.A.A.
The 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. was raised on 1st May 1941.
The Battery was
then reorganised and redesignated to become the 1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
1st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, W.A.A.
1st May 1941
formed at Freetown, Sierra Leone
8th March 1943
reorganised as the 1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
8th March 1943
by reorganisation of the 1st Light
Anti-Aircraft Battery, W.A.A.
2nd May 1944
reorganised and
re-designated as the 81st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
2nd May 1944
by reorganisation of the 1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
9th October 1944
redesignated as the 65th Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
65th Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A.
23rd October 1944 by redesignation of the 81st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
1946
disbanded in West Africa.
1st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, W.A.A.
1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.
The 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, W.A.A. was formed at
Freetown with effect from 1st May 1941, and formed part of the
1st
L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. However, the personnel
for the new battery, the Commanding Officer Major J.A. Macnabb,
R.A., six Officers and 96 British Other Ranks, did not arrive in
Freetown until 26th May 1941, when they disembarked after arriving
from the United Kingdom.[1]
The Battery H.Q. was established at Kissi Camp on 6th June 1941.
Given the increased possibility of war with Vichy France, on
7th June all anti-aircraft guns in Freetown were ordered to be
manned immediately. On 9th June, four Bofors guns
were deployed at Hastings Aerodrome and two were deployed at Kiss
Oil Tanks. On 10th June, the Battery took over
gun sites L.10, L.11 and L.12 from the 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A.
The 1st Battery’s deployment was thus:
H.Q. 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
Kissi Camp
- detachment 4 X Bofors
Hastings Aerodrome
- detachment 2 X Bofors
Kissi Oil Tanks
- detachment 1 X Vickers Mk II 2-pdr
L.10
- detachment 2 X QF 3-inch 20cwt gun
L.11 & L.12.
[2]
During June, July and August 1941, various guns moved locations
to facilitate training. On 11th July 1941, the
Battery H.Q. and one troop with two semi-mobile Bofors moved from
Kissi Camp to Wilberforce for training.[3]
2nd A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.
On 15th July 1941, the designation of the 1st L.A.A. Regiment was
changed to become the
2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, W.A.A., with
effect from 1st July 1941. The 1st L.A.A. Battery
continued to form part of this Regiment.[4]
A further Bofors at site L.9 was taken over from the 71st L.A.A.
Battery, R.A. on 23rd July. Gun sites L.33 and
L.34 were manned in August and on 22nd August opened fire on a Vichy
French reconnaissance plane without inflicting any damage.
The Battery H.Q. moved to Eight Man House, Klinetown on 13th
September.[5]
On 16th September 1941, two reinforcement drafts arrived from the
United Kingdom with Convoy WS 11, disembarked at Freetown and were
temporarily attached to the 1st L.A.A. Battery.
58 British Other Ranks (B.O.R.s) from the 64th L.A.A. Battery draft,
being ‘A’ Troop, were posted to the 1st L.A.A. Battery, with their
two Officers, on 28th September. ‘A’ Troop
appears to have retained its identify within the 1st Battery.
Details of the drafts are:
Serial 31295c ‘C’ Troop, 109th
L.A.A. Bty 2
Officers and 39 B.O.R.s
Serial 31301
‘A’ Troop, 64th L.A.A. Bty, R.A. 2
Officers and 58 B.O.R.s.[6]
The gun site at L.34 once again engaged Vichy French aircraft,
firing 25 rounds on 25th September 1941. One of
the QF 3-inch 20cwt guns went to Government Wharf on 26th September
and was handed over to the Naval Authorities the next day.
Twelve reinforcements for the 64th L.A.A. Battery, R.A. were
attached to the 1st L.A.A. Battery on 29th September.[7]
On 2nd October 1941, Major Macnabb and 49 B.O.R.s left on leave
to the United Kingdom.
1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.
On 8th October 1941, the 2nd A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. was re-titled
to become once again the 1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A., the 1st L.A.A.
Battery, W.A.A. remaining under command.[8]
The defence of Hastings Aerodrome was taken over by the 3rd
L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. on 27th October 1941. That
same day, ‘B’ Troop, 1st L.A.A. Battery took over the defence of
Kissi Oil Tanks from the 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A., being equipped
with two Bofors guns. The next day, ‘C’ Troop
moved from Wilberforce Barracks to partially completed hutments at
Kissi Oil Tanks.[9]
The remaining 3-inch 20cwt gun was withdrawn from site L.53 on
25th November 1941 for handing over to the Royal Navy.
The handover was completed on 10th December.
On 30th November, ‘B’ Troop moved to accommodation at Kissi
Station, making way for the personnel of the newly formed ‘D’ Troop.[10]
On 2nd December 1941, 27 African Other Ranks (A.O.R.s) were
posted to the 1st L.A.A. Battery from the L.A.A. Recruits Training
Centre. On 11th December, ‘B’ and ‘D’ Troops
exchanged accommodation. The 64th Troop, 1st
L.A.A. Battery had firing practice on 29th December.
The Battery moved to guns to Hastings Aerodrome on 30th
December, the guns being made available from the L.A.A.T.C
(A.A.T.S.) The Vickers 2-pounder gun at Marampa
(site L.61 and previously manned by a detachment of the Sierra Leone
H.A.A. Battery) was removed and brought to the Battery H.Q. on 30th
December. Three Bofors were withdrawn from sites
L.17, L.19 and L.21 on 31st December to participate in an exercise.[11]
On 5th January 1942, two Officers and thirty B.O.R.s embarked for
Gambia and were struck off strength of the Battery.
On 7th January, two Officers and thirty-eight B.O.R.s of ‘A’
L.A.A. Independent Troop, R.A. joined the Battery, with effect from
29th December 1941. These men had arrived on 25th
November 1941 from the United Kingdom with Convoy WS 12Z.
Forty-four A.O.R.s were posted to the unit from the A.A.T.C.
on 11th February. Sites L.21 and L.22 were taken
over by the 71st L.A.A. Battery on 16th February.
Forty A.O.R.s were posted to the 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. on 23rd
February to form an 18-pounder battery. The 1st Battery was
re-deployed during March. The Battery H.Q. moved
to Bassu Town on 18th September.[12]
Notification was received on 4th February 1943 of the impending
re-organisation of the Battery to become The Battery moved to Murray
Town on 24th February 1943, Bassu Town Barracks being handed over to
the 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A. on 26th February.
Throughout February, the 1st Battery received reinforcements.
The reorganisation of the Battery was completed by 8th March
1943, the unit now titled as the 1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery,
W.A.A., formed part of the
1st L.A.A./Anti-Tank Regiment, W.A.A.[13]
Summary history of the 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
© Steve Rothwell
05
July 2025
[1]
War diary 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A., WO 173/173; War diary
1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A., WO 173/172
[2] WO 173/172; WO 173/173
[3] WO 173/173
[4] WO 173/173
[5] WO 173/173
[6] WO 173/172; WO 173/173;
W.S. Convoys – WS9-WS19, 1941-1942, WO 193/55
Although Serial 31295c is identified as ‘B’ Troop, 109th
L.A.A. Battery, R.A. in the listing for Convoy WS 11 (WO
193/55), the war diary of the 109th L.A.A. Battery, R.A.
identifies this detachment as ‘C’ Troop (WO 173/177).
‘C’ Troop, 109th L.A.A. Battery, R.A. was posted to the
71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A. on 28th September 1941.
The remaining elements of Serial 31301, the 64th
L.A.A. Battery, R.A. went to Bathurst, Gambia (B.H.Q. and
‘C’ Troop) and APO S.102 (Lagos, Nigeria or Takoradi,
Ghana???) (‘B’ Troop).]
[7] WO 173/173
[8] WO 173/172
[9] WO 173/173
[10] WO 173/173
[11] WO 173/172; WO 173/173
[12] War diary 1st L.A.A.
Battery, W.A.A., WO 173/411
[13] War diary 1st L.A.A./Atk
Battery, W.A.A., WO 173/737