405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. – 405th (W.A.) H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.

The 405th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, R.A., was formed at Arborfield on 16th January 1941, under the 205th Training Regiment, R.A.  The Commander was Major R.E. Hann.  It was regimented with the 95th H.A.A. Regiment, R.A. on 25th March 1941.  It left the Regiment on 2nd August 1941 and a cadre was organised as ‘S’ H.A.A. Battery.  The Battery, now formed the 405th B.H.Q and one four-gun section and ‘S’ H.A.A. Battery H.Q. and one four-gun section, left the United Kingdom on 29th September, sailing on board the Narkunda with Convoy WS 12 from off Oversay on 1st October.  The ship arrived at Freetown on 14th October 1941.[1]

The ‘S’ H.A.A. Battery H.Q. and section and disembarked at Freetown the following day.  Upon arrival at Murray Town Barracks, these men joined an advance party to form the 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A., part of the 2nd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  Some Officers and men joined the Regimental H.Q. [2]

The 405th Battery H.Q. and section came under the command of ‘C’ H.A.A. Regiment, R.A. as it embarked on the Narkuna, on 28th September 1941.  Four days after arrival at Freetown, ‘C’ Regiment H.Q. with an advance party of the 405th Battery transferred to H.M.S. Royal Ulsterman, which sailed from Freetown the next day.  These personnel disembarked at Takoradi on 24th October.  The title of ‘C’ H.A.A. Regiment, R.A. changed to become the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. on 24th October.  The 405th Battery remained non-operational.  Four static 3.7-inch guns and stores were unloaded from S.S. Beckenham at Takoradi on 12th November.[3]

The 405th Battery was joined by 143 African Other Ranks on 3rd January 1942.  With a single four-gun section, it came into action at Takoradi on 29th January.  Further reinforcements for the Battery 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, this detachment having arrived at Freetown from the United Kingdom on 19th February 1942,
- ten Officer Cadets (?), posted to the 405th H.A.A. Battery from the 313th H.A.A. Battery.[4]

In addition to these reinforcements, the 405th Battery received four additional 3.7-inch guns, arriving on 3rd March 1942.  It seems that a full troop was now formed within the Battery, ‘A’ Troop.  On 18th March, an advance party was sent to Accra.  The four 3.7-inch guns recently arrived and installed at the ‘Ink’ site, Takoradi, were withdrawn on 4th May and entrained for Accra, where they came into action on 7th May.  The 405th H.A.A. Battery H.Q. entrained for Accra on 30th May 1942, arriving on 1st June.  The Battery H.Q. moved from the cantonments, Accra to ‘A’ Site on 22nd October 1942.  On 19th November, ‘A’ Troop, 405th H.A.A. Battery entrained for Accra where it arrived the next day.[5]   

The 405th Battery was now posted to join the newly formed 6th H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. with effect from 6th November 1942 (authority dated 25th November 1942).  On 1st December, ‘A’ Troop H.Q.(?), with the mobile section, from ‘D’ Site to ‘C’ Site, leaving the presumably static section at ‘A’ site.[6]

The Battery remained at Accra in to 1943 where the Battery ceased to be operational on 22nd February.  On 20th April 1943, the Battery was re-regimented to become part of the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  Mobilisation orders for overseas service were received the same day.  The Battery would embark direct from the train at Takoradi where it would join the 3rd H.A.A. Regiment (in India?).[7]

The Regimental H.Q., and presumably the 405th Battery, appear 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 405th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. became known officially as the 405th (W.A.) H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.

The Regiment arrived in Assam on around 1st December 1943, coming under the command of the 13th A.A. Brigade.  On 29th November, the 405th (W.A.) H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. arrived at Agartala.[8]

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.[9] 

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 began to move to Kumbhargaon on 7th May.  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, reuniting with ‘F’ Troop at around this time.  The 4th H.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. embarked at Bombay on 9th October 1945, bound for West Africa.  The rest of the Regiment remained at Kumbhargaon until early November when it returned to West Africa and was disbanded.[10]

17 August 2025