‘C’ H.A.A. Regiment, R.A. - 3rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, W.A.A.

The 3rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, W.A.A. was formed on 24th October 1941 by the redesignation of the Headquarters, ‘C’ Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A.[1]

 

‘C’ Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A.

The Headquarters, ‘C’ H.A.A. Regiment, R.A. was raised at Woolwich on 10th September 1941.  Major, temporary Lt. Colonel A.A.E. McBarnet, R.A. was appointed as Commanding Officer and joined on 15th September.  The R.H.Q. was complete to establishment on 25th September and preparations were made for embarkation for overseas service.  The R.H.Q. left Woolwich Arsenal Station later that day and travelled via Euston Station to Gourock, arriving just after midnight.  The Officers and men then embarked on H.M.T. Narkunda (code B.20).  Two days later, the 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A., consisting of two Officers and 106 Other Ranks, embarked on the Narkunda on 28th September, and was posted to ‘C’ Regiment from that date.  The ship sailed from Gourock on 30th September to join Convoy WS 12 which sailed from off Oversay on 1st October.[2]

The Narkunda arrived in Freetown Harbour on 14th October 1941.  The Regimental H.Q. transferred to H.M.S. Royal Ulsterman on 18th October, being joined by the advance party of the 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. consisting of three Officers and 31 Other Ranks.  The Royal Ulsterman sailed for Takoradi, Gold Coast (Ghana), the next day and arrived on 23rd October.  The personnel disembarked the next day.  That same day, 24th October, the R.H.Q., ‘C’ Regiment was re-designated to become the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.

 

3rd H.A.A. Regiment, R.A.

The new Regiment was joined by the 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. on 24th October 1941, apparently formed from ‘T’ L.A.A. Battery and 547 Troop, 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A.   The new battery was formed of ten Officers, 124 B.O.R.s and 91 African Other Ranks (A.O.R.s).  While the 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. remained non-operational, the 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. was already manning four, single Bofors gun sites around Takoradi, identified as B1-B4.  Further Bofors sites were brought into action: B7 on 11th November; B5 on 12th November.  On 12th November, four static 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns and associated stores, all belonging to the 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A., were unloaded from the S.S. Beckenham.  Two more Bofors sites were brought into action: B8 on 13th November; B6 on 14th November.[3]

On 10th December 1941, the 3rd H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. and the 6th Coast Battery, W.A.A. became part of the Regiment.  It seems that the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  took over the units and responsibilities formerly under the command of the Takoradi Fire Command, presumably from 10th December 1941.  The 3rd H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. had been formed at Takoradi on 3rd June 1941 (tbc), absorbing the Takoradi detachment of the 197th H.A.A. Battery, R.A.  Four additional Bofors guns, with two predictors and generators, arrived for the 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. on 14th December and were put into action over the next few days.[4]

The Regiment was by now formed as follows:

H.Q. 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.                                
            - Battery H.Q. and one section 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A.           
            - 3rd H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
            - 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.
            - 6th Coast Battery, W.A.A.

On 31st December 1941, the personnel strength of the Regiment was:
                        - Officers            32
                        - B.O.R.s          429
                        - A.O.R.s          414.

The major weapons with which the Regiment was equipped were:

- six 4.5-inch anti-aircraft guns              
- four 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft            guns (not yet in action)
- twelve 40mm Bofors light anti-aircraft guns.[5]    

In January 1942, the Regiment began receiving African Other Ranks, who were posted to the batteries.  On 20th January, a 150cm anti-aircraft searchlight arrived for service with the 6th Coast Battery, W.A.A.  Four additional 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns were taken on by the Regiment.  Practice firing was undertaken during February and on 19th February, ‘A’ Troop, 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. moved to Accra with four Bofors guns.  Further reinforcements arrived on 24th February:

- ‘Z’ H.A.A. Section, with two Officers and 19 B.O.R.s, and posted to the 405th H.A.A. Battery,
- ten Officer Cadets (?), posted to the 405th H.A.A. Battery from the 313th H.A.A. Battery.[6]

Lt. Colonel McBarnet was succeeded by Lt. Colonel J.O. Horne in February or March 1942.[7]

The 405th H.A.A. Battery entrained for Accra on 30th May 1942, arriving on 1st June.  The 5th L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. was formed at Takoradi, Gold Coast on 10th July 1942.  The British personnel of eight Officers and ninety-four B.O.R.s had travelled from the United Kingdom as reinforcement draft RFGZA, with Convoy WS 20 which arrived at Freetown on 2nd July.  The new Battery is presumed to have been regimented initially with the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  The 5th L.A.A. Battery entrained for Accra on 19th October and arrived the next day.  The 5th Battery at Accra took over the equipment of ‘A’ Troop, 2nd L.A.A. Battery on 26th October and became operational.  On 6th November 1942, at Accra, the 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. and the 5th L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. were regimented with the newly formed 6th H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.[8]

The 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. disembarked at Takoradi on 18th November 1942 and joined the Regiment.[9]

During January and February 1943, the Regiment undertook a number of practice shoots, including using the 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun in the anti-tank role.  On 26th February, all of the gun sites manned by the 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. were evacuated and all the equipment brought to a central point.  The A.A./T.C. School opened at ‘The Ridge’ on 27th February and began intensive training.[10]  

The 2nd L.A.A. Battery W.A.A. was reorganised as a L.A.A./anti-tank battery on 9th March 1943, and left the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. to become an independent unit within the 5th West African Infantry Brigade.[11]

The Regiment began mobilisation for overseas service on 20th April 1943.  The batteries regimented were to be the 4th, 251st  and 405th H.A.A. Batteries, W.A.A.  On 6th May, the Regiment was advised that the 251st H.A.A. Battery would not join the Regiment in the Gold Coast, but in India.  The 405th Battery joined up with the Regiment when it embarked at Takoradi.  The 3rd H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. left the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. at Takoradi on 20th April 1943, to be attached to the 3rd Coast Regiment, W.A.A. for all purposes pending absorption.[12]

The Regiment left Silchar on 1st May 1945 and arrived at Kumbhargaon on 7th May.  Here it remained, awaiting repatriation to West Africa.  The Battery H.Q. and one troop of the 405th H.A.A. Battery arrived on 19th May.  Lt. Colonel O’Connor relinquished command on 12th July and Major F.T. Morgan took his place.  The 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. embarked at Bombay on 9th October 1945, on board the S.S. Bergensfjord, bound for West Africa.  The 3rd H.A.A. Regiment was still at Kumbhargaon on 31st May.[13]

The Regimental H.Q. appears to have left Takoradi on the journey to India at the end of May 1943.  Arriving at Bombay on 9th July, the Regiment disembarked three days later and moved to Dhond, where it remained until around 13th November.

During October 1943, the Regiment became known officially as the 3rd (W.A.) H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.

The Regiment arrived at Urunarband, near Silchar, on around 1st December 1943, coming under the command of the 13th A.A. Brigade.  The Regimental Commander, Lt. Colonel J.O. Horne, became the Anti-Aircraft Defence Commander (A.A.D.C.) Silchar.  On 29th November, the 251st (W.A.) H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. and the 405th (W.A.) H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. arrived at Kumbhirgram and Agartala respectively.  The 4th (W.A.) H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. went to Hailakandi/Rajyeswapur where it remained non-operational until early 1944.[14]

These dispositions remained in place into 1944.  At Agartala, the 405th Battery was under the local operational control of the Agartala Anti-Aircraft Defence Commander (A.A.D.C.), Lt. Colonel R.G.B. Reed of the 2nd L.A.A. Regiment, I.A.  The Indian regiment left during March, leaving the Battery Commander of the 405th Battery, Major K.E. Hann, as the A.A.D.C. Agartala until the arrival of the R.H.Q., 18th L.A.A. Regiment, I.A. on 23rd May.  The 405th Battery resumed the role of A.A.D.C. Agartala during August 1944.  The 405th Battery, with ‘E’ Troop and less ‘F Troop left at Agartala, moved to Kalaura, on 27th November and arrived the next day.  The 4th Battery arrived at Sylhet from Hailakandi/Rajyeswapur on 15th December.[15] 

The Regiment was ordered on 3rd February 1945 to concentrate but this did not take place and the Regiment remained disposed as before.  Finally, on 1st May, the Regiment, with the 251st Battery, left Silchar and arrived at Kumbhargaon on 7th May.  Here it remained, awaiting repatriation to West Africa.  The Battery H.Q. and one troop of the 405th H.A.A. Battery entrained at Kulaura on 12th May and arrived on 19th May.  Lt. Colonel O’Connor relinquished command on 12th July and Major F.T. Morgan took his place.  The 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. embarked at Bombay on 9th October 1945, on board the S.S. Bergensfjord, bound for West Africa.  The rest of the Regiment remained at Kumbhargaon until early November when it returned to West Africa and was disbanded.[16]

18 August 2025

11 June 2025