71st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, R.A.

The 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A. was formed at Fareham on 1st April 1939.  It was formed of ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Troops which were re-designated on 22nd September 1940 to become 547, 548 and 549 Troops.  A fourth troop formed ‘D’ Troop, 219th Battery, 46th L.A.A. Regiment R.A. from 2nd April 1941.[1]

The 71st Battery, with three troops, arrived at Gourock from Gosport, Devon, for embarkation on 17th December 1940 and embarked on H.M.T. Neuralia the following day.  The ship formed part of the ‘Slow Section’ of Convoy WS 5A, which sailed on 18th December.  In transit to Freetown, the convoy came under attack from the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, but there was only minor damage to one ship.  Arriving safely in Freetown Harbour on 5th January 1941, the personnel of the 71st Battery disembarked.  The Battery H.Q. was established at Bishop’s Court: 548 Troop was stationed at Kissi Oil Tanks with two Bofors guns; detachments of 548 Troop were at Farren Point, King Tom and Bishop’s Court; a detachment of 547 Troop went to the Transit Camp at Wilberforce.  The Battery came under the command of the Sierra Leone Heavy Regiment, R.A.[2] 

Sierra Leone Heavy Regiment, R.A.

Having only just disembarked, two Officers and 21 British Other Ranks from 547 Troop immediately re-embarked to take up detached duties at Takoradi, Gold Coast (modern Ghana).  The detachment disembarked from the M.V. Cap Des Palmes at Takoradi on 14th January 1941.  The four Bofors guns were towed from Spurrell Camp to the Ordnance Shed on 16th January for overhaul.[3]

At Freetown, guns were deployed at the Bishop’s Court site (one) and Farren Point (one) on 6th January 1941.  The next day, one gun was deployed at the Cricket Pitch site, Bishop’s Court; one gun at the King Tom site; two additional guns went to the Kissy Oil Tanks.  The detachment of 547 Troop was split up to reinforce the other two troops.  On 20th January, one Vickers 2-pounder Mk.11 gun was taken over at the Maramba Iron Ore Mines from the Sierra Leone A.A. Battery, R.A.[4]

Sierra Leone Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A.

On 9th January 1941, the Headquarters, Sierra Leone Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. was formed and the 71st Battery was posted to this new regiment.[5]

Major T. Durrant, 71st Battery Commander, assumed command of the Sierra Leone A.A. Regiment, R.A. on 21st January 1941.  Command of the 71st Battery was taken over by Captain A.J. Bark, R.A.  Enemy aircraft, presumably belonging to Vichy France, were engaged by guns of the Battery on 30th January.[6] 

The 3-inch 20cwt gun at Cape Sierra Leone was taken over form the 197th H.A.A. Battery, R.A. on 7th February 1941, and manned by five B.O.R.s and eight African Other Ranks.  The Battery conducted firing practice that day, with six Bofors guns at Lumley Beach.  Two of the guns were manned by A.O.R.s.  The Bofors at the Cricket Pitch site moved to Pepel  on 14th February.  Captain A.J. Nacnabb assumed command of the Battery that same day.  A French aircraft was engaged by the 3-inch 20cwt gun at Cape Sierra Leone on 18th February.  The 3-inch 20cwt gun at Wellington was take over from the Sierra Leone H.A.A. Battery, R.A. on 21st February.  The gun at Cape Sierra Leone was in action again on 27th February.  An exercise undertaken by the 161st Infantry Brigade was supported by a troop from the Battery.[7]

At Takoradi, meanwhile, during February 1941, four guns were drawn from the Ordnance Store, two of which were put into action.  In March 1941, Major Durrant resumed command of the Battery, on 10th March.  On 11th April, a French aircraft was engaged by the 3-inch 20cwt gun at Pepel.[8]

1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.

The Battery transferred to the newly formed 1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. on 1st May 1941.  On 5th June, five Officers and 34 B.O.R.s were posted from the Battery to the 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. (with effect from 1st May).  Three Officers and 26 B.O.R.s were posted to the 71st Battery, also on 5th June, with effect from 26th May.  Some or all of these British personnel may have been amongst those who arrived from the United Kingdom on 26th May.  Then on 11th June, twenty A.O.R.s were posted from the 71st Battery to the 1st L.A.A. Battery W.A.A., with effect from 1st May.  On 18th June, gun sites L10-L13 were handed over to personnel of the 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.[9]

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 71st L.A.A, Battery, R.A. and the 1st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. continued to form part of this Regiment.[10]

When ‘A’ and ‘B’ Troops exchanged commitments on 16th August 1941, between them they manned six gun sites.  On 14th September, ‘B’ Troop became fully ‘Africanised’, to consist of one British Officer, eighteen B.O.R.s and 45 A.O.R.s.  Major Durrant relinquished command of the Battery on 15th September to take command of the 4th H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  He was replaced by Captain Bark.[11]

The detachment at Takoradi, originally from what was known as the 71st Battery’s 547 Troop, but by now designated ‘C’ Troop, consisting of two Officers, 24 B.O.R.s and 91 A.O.R.s  was posted to the 2nd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. on 24th September 1941.  As a result, ‘D’ Troop at Freetown was designated as ‘C’ Troop.[12] 

On 28th September 1941, ‘C’ Troop of the 109th L.A.A. Battery, R.A., which had arrived at Freetown from the United Kingdom with Convoy WS 11 on 15th September and comprising two officers and 39 B.O.R.s, was posted to the 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A. and became ‘D’ Troop.[13]

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., with the 71st L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A. and the 1st  and 3rd L.A.A. Batteries, W.A.A. remaining under command.[14]

On 25th October, the 71st Battery was deployed as follows:

- ‘A’ Troop                     Farren Point (L14)
- ‘B’ Troop                     Bishop’s Court (L12), training
- ‘C’ Troop                     King Tom (L9).[15]

‘B’ Troop moved to Waterloo Aerodrome for training on 1st December 1941 but later moved to the operational site at Cape Sierra Leone, on 27th December.  On 2nd December, ‘C’ Troop became ‘Africanised’, on the posting to the Troop of 42 A.O.R.s from the L.A.A.T.C.[16]

The Battery remained at Freetown and on 10th February 1942 formed a mobile troop – ‘D’ Troop – for which Bofors tractors were taken on.  On 22nd May, six B.O.R.s and 48 A.O.R.s were posted to the 3rd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A.  The months passed by with time spent on training and rotation with other batteries of the Regiment.  On 3rd October, the Battery relinquished all operational commitments, except for three guns at Kissi, and underwent one month’s intensive re-drilling and mobile training.  All sea front guns were ordered to deploy on 21st October on receipt of a warning of a possible submarine attack on Freetown Harbour.  They were stood down the following day.  When the training period ended on 31st October, the Battery reassumed its operational commitments at Cape Sierra Leone and Kissi.[17]

On 7th November 1942, the Battery sent ‘A’ Troop to take over the defence of Hastings Aerodrome.  ‘B’ Troop, less one section, took over the defence of Jui Flying Boat Base.  The sites at Kissi Oil Tanks were taken over by the 3rd L.A.A. Battery.  On 16th December, No.3 Section, ‘B’ Troop left Cape Sierra Leone to join ‘A’ Troop at Hastings Aerodrome.  The following day, Battery H.Q. moved from Bishop’s Court to Hastings Ridge.[18]

On 13th January 1943, an advance copy of a new war establishment was received, titled ‘African Colonial Forces, Light A.A. Battery R.A. & W.A.’  This reflected the mixed personnel establishment – British and African - which had been in operation for some time.  On 24th January, No.3 Section, ‘B’ Troop left Hastings Aerodrome for Wellington.  ‘A’ Troop was made entirely British on 4th March, with the African Other Ranks posted to ‘B’ Troop.[19]

1st H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.

The 71st Battery, together with the 3rd L.A.A. Battery, W.A.A., left the 1st L.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A. on 28th March 1943.  The 71st Battery came under the command of the 1st H.A.A. Regiment, W.A.A.  The reason for these changes was the reorganisation of the 1st L.A.A. Regiment to become a L.A.A./anti-tank regiment.  The 71st Battery’s time with the 1st H.A.A. Regiment was short-lived, however, and on 1st May 1943, the 71st Battery came under the direct command of Area Headquarters.[20] 

The Battery, being composed for Sierra Leonians, was also retained in West Africa in order to provide future reinforcements for the 1st H.A.A. Regiment in India, the limits of Sierra Leonian manpower having being reached.[21]

Headquarters, Sierra Leone Area

The Battery took over three H.A.A. sites on 19th May 1943 from units preparing to leave Sierra Leone.  ‘B’ Troop moved to Bassu-Town on 1st June.  ‘C’ Troop formed on 4th July.  Bassu-Town was vacated by ‘B’ Troop on 23rd August, pending a move to the Gold Coast.  The Battery Commander, Major Bark, was posted to the 109th L.A.A./Anti-Tank Battery, W.A.A. on 12th September.  Captain G. Walmsley, R.A. assumed command in his place.[22] 

G.H.Q. West Africa Command

Reduced in strength by postings to other units, seven Officers, 21 B.O.R.s and 146 A.O.R.s embarked at Freetown for the Gold Coast on 15th October 1943.  They disembarked at Takoradi on 19th October.  The Battery entrained for Accra on 2nd November, where it arrived on 4th November.[23]

The 71st L.A.A. Battery, R.A. was disbanded at Accra, Gold Coast, on 20th November 1943.  All remaining personnel were posted to the School of Artillery, West Africa.[24] 

29 July 2025