This page looks at the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in the Second World War and will help you research each battalion of the regiment as well as the soldiers who served with them. I have written a series of guides to help you research soldiers who served with the British Army during the war:
I offer a Second World War Soldier Research Service.
The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in the Second World War
1st Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
272, 320, 352, 358, 483, 532
2nd Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
On 3 September 1939, the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry was stationed at Location. A regular battalion of the British Army, the 2nd Battalion was part of the 10th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division in which it remained for the duration of the war. The 2nd Battalion was widely travelled and initially served as part of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. After evacuation from France, the Battalion remained in Britain until March 1943, when it landed in North Africa and took part in the Tunisian Campaign. Later, the 2nd Battalion served in Italy before being sent to Greece in December 1944 where it remained for the rest of the war.
4th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
322
5th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
322, 377
The photograph below shows the officers of the 5th Battalion in March 1943 and appears in the Battalion’s war diary. Each officer is named on the reverse.
6th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
The 6th Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry was formed on 9 October 1940 following the conversion of the Regiment’s 50th Holding Battalion. On 11 October 1940, the Battalion joined the 203rd Independent Infantry Brigade and served with this formation until 30 June 1941. On 19 July 1941, the Battalion joined the 73rd Independent Infantry Brigade. The 6th Battalion was disbanded on 9 December 1942 at Helston “and all personnel on the strength of the Battalion were re-constituted as and posted to 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry”. The originally 1st Battalion had ceased to exist following very heavy casualties in North Africa and was now being reformed in Britain.
7th (Home Defence) Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
The 7th (Home Defence) Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry was formed at Plymouth on 14 October 1940. It was formed by transferring 25 officers and 600 other ranks from the 10th (Home Defence) Battalion The Devonshire Regiment. Its first commanding officer was Major William H. Liddell who had been awarded the Military Medal for gallantry while serving in the ranks during the First World War. Following its formation, the 7th Battalion took over a series of vulnerable points in Plymouth and the surrounding area, including at Fort Staddon and Wembury. The Battalion remained at Plymouth until January 1941, when it moved to Camborne and then to Falmouth in August. On 21 November 1941, while still stationed at Falmouth, the 7th (Home Defence) Battalion was redesignated as the 30th Battalion.
30th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
The 30th Battalion was formed at Falmouth on 21 November 1941 following the redesignation of the 7th (Home Defence) Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
287, 446, 483
50th Holding Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
On 9 October 1940, the 50th Holding Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry was converted to a rifle infantry battalion and was redesignated as the 6th Battalion.
Researching a Battalion of The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
War Diaries of The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
1st Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: January – March, then August 1942
- Reference: WO 169/5006
- Notes:
- Date: 02 January – 28 December 1943
- Reference: WO 169/12518
- Notes: The daily entries in this war diary are mostly brief but they are supplemented by “Remarks” at the end of each month. There are no appendices and the war diary is typed.
- Date: 01 January – 28 December 1944
- Reference: WO 169/15093
- Notes: This war diary is very similar to the preceding one, with mostly short entries supplemented by “Remarks” at the end of each month. A lot of the daily entries concern the comings and goings of officers. This war diary is also typed.
- Date: 02 January – 26 October 1945
- Reference: WO 166/17153
- Notes: This is the last of the 1st Battalion’s war diaries covering its service in Britain and it’s the same as the first two. The daily entries are usually brief and its the “remarks” at the end of each month that provide a lot of the information. This war diary is also typed and there are no appendices.
- Date: November and December 1945
- Reference: WO 169/20042
- Notes:
- Date: January – June 1946
- Reference: WO 169/23199
- Notes:
2nd Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: September 1939 – June 1940
- Reference: WO 167/734
- Notes:
- Date: July 1940 – December 1941
- Reference: WO 166/4214
- Notes:
- Date: January – December 1942
- Reference: WO 166/8639
- Notes:
- Date: January and February 1943
- Reference: WO 166/12519
- Notes:
- Date: March – June 1943
- Reference: WO 175/496
- Notes:
- Date: July – December 1943
- Reference: WO 169/10199
- Notes:
- Date: January 1944
- Reference: WO 169/16279
- Notes:
- Date: February – June 1944
- Reference: WO 170/1379
- Notes:
- Date: July – December 1944
- Reference: WO 170/1380
- Notes:
- Date: 1945
- Reference: WO 170/4997
- Notes:
- Date: January – June 1946
- Reference: WO 170/7992
- Notes:
4th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: August 1939 – December 1941
- Reference: WO 166/4215
- Notes:
- Date: 1942
- Reference: WO 166/8640
- Notes:
- Date: 1943
- Reference: WO 166/12520
- Notes:
- Date: January – August 1944
- Reference: WO 166/15094
- Notes:
5th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: August 1939 – 3 January 1942
- Reference: WO 166/4216
- Notes: This is a very good war diary, though not due to the daily entries but for the hundreds of pages of appendices. The daily entries between August 1939 and April 1940 are just summaries of the unit’s activities. Fortunately, from May 1940 there are daily entries in the diary. There is an interesting account of how on embodiment the unit’s transport consisted of three trucks. Fortunately, most officers had their own cars which were used by the unit.
- Date: 01 January – 26 December 1942
- Reference: WO 166/8641
- Notes: This is a good war diary for a unit serving in Britain with a lot of detailed entries, though there are only a small number of appendices. One of the appendices is a United National Day programme for the Borough of Harwich.
- Date: 11 January – 31 December 1943
- Reference: WO 166/12521
- Notes: Another very good war diary which contains a wide variety of appendices, including photographs. They show the officers of the 5th Battalion in March 1943, the Battalion’s boxing team, and cross-country team. All the photographs have names on the back apart from the combined cross-country and boxing team. One of the appendices shows “The principal beaches round Loch Fyne”
- Date: 01 January – 30 July 1944
- Reference: WO 171/1280
- Notes: This is an excellent war diary which contains a huge amount of information regarding the Battalion’s activities. There are over 500 pages in the war diary, most of which consists of appendices. They include the Battalion’s standing operating instructions, field returns of officers and other ranks, and Wyvern News.
- Date: 01 August – 30 September 1944
- Reference: WO 171/1281
- Notes: Another great war diary with lots of detail in the daily entries and a large number of appendices.
- Date: 01 – 31 October 1944
- Reference: WO 171/1282
- Notes: Another good war diary with lots of detail in the daily entries and a wide variety of appendices.
- Date: 01 November – 31 December 1944
- Reference: WO 171/1283
- Notes: This war diary is as detailed as the previous WO 171 diaries and contains a lot of appendices.
- Date: 01 – 31 January 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5177
- Notes: Another very good war diary with a wide variety of appendices including some aerial photographs.
- Date: 01 – 28 February 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5178
- Notes: This is another very good war diary with lots of detail in the daily entries and a wide variety of appendices.
- Date: 01 March – 30 April 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5179
- Notes: Another war diary which is packed full of information about the 5th Battalion both in its daily entries and the appendices. The latter includes a small number of aerial photographs.
- Date: 01 May – 30 June 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5180
- Notes: Another very good war diary with a wide variety of appendices.
- Date: 01 July – 31 August 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5181
- Notes: From July, the 5th Battalion’s war diaries are shorter than the previous months but are still very detailed when compared to most others from this period. There is a group photograph of the commanding officer, second-in-command, warrant officers and sergeants, as well as photographs of the Battalion’s officers, of, A, C, and Headquarters Companies and the Pioneer, and Anti-Tank Platoons. These photographs are of a high quality and you’ll be able to pick out individuals with ease.
- Date: 01 September- 31 October 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5182
- Notes: Another very good war diary with a wide variety of appendices. There are two “Photographs of the march past and presentation (Corporal Martin) by Field Marshal Montgomery at Celle 24 June 1945”.
- Date: 01 November – 31 December 1945
- Reference: WO 171/5183
- Notes: This is the last war diary for the 5th Battalion and its as good as the previous ones. There is a single quarterly historical report for the Battalion covering July-August 1946 but this won’t be anywhere near as detailed as the unit war diaries. Its catalogue reference is WO 267/444.
6th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date:09 October 1940 – 31 December 1941
- Reference: WO 166/4217
- Notes: This is a good war diary, not so much for the daily entries as they often contain no information, but for the wide variety of appendices and the monthly summaries. This war diary is typed.
- Date: 01 January – 30 December 1942
- Reference: WO 166/8642
- Notes: This is an average diary in parts and good in others. There is a general remarks column at the end of each month which adds more information. This war diary is typed and there are no appendices. In December 1942 the 6th Battalion was reconstituted as the 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
7th (Home Defence) Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: 14 October 1940 – 27 December 1941
- Reference: WO 166/4218
- Notes: Overall, a good war diary, though some of the entries do become very repetitive. There are a small number of appendices.
30th Battalion The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: 1942
- Reference: WO 166/8643
- Notes:
- Date: 01 January – 29 June 1943
- Reference: WO 166/12522
- Notes: This is a poor war diary where most of the daily entries simply record the arrival and departure of officers. There are movement orders as appendices.
- Date: August – December 1943
- Reference: WO 169/10200
- Notes:
- Date: January – April 1944
- Reference: WO 170/1381
- Notes:
- Date: May – December 1944
- Reference: WO 169/16280
- Notes:
- Date: 1945
- Reference: WO 169/20043
- Notes:
- Date: January – March 1946
- Reference: WO 169/23200
- Notes:
A Company
- Date: January – March 1945
- Reference: WO 169/20044
- Notes:
C Company
- Date: January – September 1945
- Reference: WO 169/20045
- Notes:
D Company
- Date: May – September 1945
- Reference: WO 169/20046
- Notes:
Regimental Depot Party The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry’s War Diaries
- Date: September 1944
- Reference: WO 166/15095
- Notes: