page_title: Hallamshire Battalion
section_title: Hallamshire Battalion
hierarchical_section_title: Hallamshire Battalion / History / Second World War / Hallamshire Battalion
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 Carriers and troops of the Hallamshire Battalion, 49th (West Riding) Division, with civilians in the Dutch town of Ellekon, 16 April 1945.
context_page_description: The Hallamshire Battalion was an infantry battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment, part of the British Army in existence from 1859 until 1999.
context_section_description: The Hallamshire Battalion saw action in the Second World War, and would serve with the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division throughout the war, as it had in First World War. The battalion and most of the division first saw action as part of the ill-fated Norwegian Campaign in April 1940. The battalion arrived with most of the 146th Infantry Brigade, although they were poorly-trained and equipped for the task being assigned to them. They were ashore for twelve days, seeing limited action and losing their only casualties on the journey home when one of their transports was sunk.
  The battalion spent the next two years "defending" Iceland and training as Alpine troops before returning to Scotland for garrison duties and to prepare for the invasion of North West Europe. The Hallamshires landed in France on D+3, 9 June 1944, three days after the initial invasion on D-Day, and moved into the front line four days later. Twelve days after landing the Hallamshires were involved in the attack on Fontenay-le-Pesnel (Operation Martlet) against the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The attack was successful but at the expense of 123 members of the battalion killed or wounded. To this day, former members of the battalion at that time still celebrate the victory as the Fontenay Club.
  The battalion was involved in the capture of the docks at Le Havre before the Germans could destroy the vital installations. Here they captured 1,005 prisoners, three Dornier flying boats and a submarine. In September, the Hallamshires crossed the Antwerp-Turnhout canal and for his part in a subsequent action, Corporal John William Harper was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism. During the winter months, the battalion served in the Nijmegen salient and participated in the liberation of Arnhem in April 1945, their final action of the war. Eleven months had seen the battalion suffer 158 officers and other ranks killed and 689 wounded or missing.
caption: Men of the Hallamshire Battalion with civilians, Holland, April 1945.
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