89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
The 89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (89th LAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the Buffs in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1941. It served with 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division in Normandy (Operation Overlord) and through the campaign in North West Europe until VE Day. 11th Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The unit was originally formed in January 1940 as a company of 14th (Holding) Battalion at Tonbridge in Kent, as part of the rapid expansion of the Army with wartime conscripts. When 14th (H) Battalion was disbanded on 28 May 1940, the company was expanded into 50th Holding Battalion, Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), and converted to a normal infantry battalion on 9 October that year as 11th Battalion, Buffs. On 26 October it joined 219th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) which was being organised as a static defence formation. The brigade was temporarily attached to 45th Division, at that time serving in I Corps in the invasion-threatened south-east corner of Kent. The brigade remained in position while the mobile divisions were swapped around: next it came under 44th (Home Counties) Division and then 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. 89th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment 11th Buffs left 219th Bde on 3 November 1941 and transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) to begin retraining in the light anti-aircraft (LAA) role, equipped with Bofors 40 mm guns: on 15 November it became 89th LAA Regiment with 308–310 LAA Batteries. Surplus men were drafted on 26 November to 211th Heavy AA Training Regiment at Oswestry where they joined a new 494 (Mixed) Heavy AA Bty that was being formed for 143rd (Mixed) HAA Rgt ('Mixed' indicating that women from the Auxiliary Territorial Service were integrated into the unit's personnel). After initial training, 89th LAA Rgt joined 2nd Division on 24 January 1942. However, that division was under War Office control preparatory to going overseas, and 89th LAA Rgt left on 24 March 1942 before the division embarked for India in April. It became part of the GHQ Reserve in early August 1942, before joining 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division on 29 December 1942. It served with that formation for the rest of the war. During December Lieutenant-Colonel H.C. Cory, MC, was transferred from 66th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, to command the unit. Overlord training Earlier in the war, 49th (WR) Division had been split up for service in the Norwegian Campaign and the Allied Invasion of Iceland. Now, returned to the UK, it had been reorganised in Western Command and was training for the planned Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord). In April 1943 it was assigned to I Corps in 21st Army Group (though it was actually in XXX Corps by D Day). At the beginning of 1943, 89th LAA Rgt was stationed at Pembroke Dock, and during the month its batteries carried out practice shoots at No 3 AA Practice Camp at