South Staffordshire Regiment 1929

[kc]

Discovered this photo of the South Staffordshire Regiment on board HMS Courageous in 1929. Anyone got any more details of the conflict etc?

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmscourageous20.jpg

Gun carriages, galleys and men of the South Staffordshire Regiment transporting to Palestine on HMS Courageous during trouble there in September 1929.

[John Brown]

kc

This document is heavy reading but provides the info requested.

http://siri-us.com/Imperial_Policing/IP-9-11.doc

Regards...

[David Verghese]

Discovered this photo of the South Staffordshire Regiment on board HMS Courageous in 1929. Anyone got any more details of the conflict etc?

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmscourageous20.jpg

Gun carriages, galleys and men of the South Staffordshire Regiment transporting to Palestine on HMS Courageous during trouble there in September 1929.

kc

It is a long time since you posted your query so I realise that you may have found some answers.
The unit in this picture is The 2nd Battalion The South Staffs Regiment which was the army unit near my school, hence my interest in the battalion, its history and exploits. Old boys from my school served in the battalion. Seeing your post on a remote part of the Forum (and I don't understand the relevance of the one reply you received) I popped into the Regimental Museum of the Staffordshires, which is at Lichfield. A cursory search of their records, which covers all battalions, yielded very little, however I found the following on an internet search, which should answer your question regarding the nature of their service role in the trouble there:

http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/38BED104DB074B49052565E70054EB22

For the record they were one of two army units posted to the Palestine-Transjordan area, the other being The First Battalion The Northamptonshire Regiment. The 2nd South Staffs returned in late 1929, but I was able to ascertain that the 1st Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment were sent to Palestine in 1930, when the local situation became more difficult.

The 2nd South Staffs became a gliderborne unit in WWII and gave distinguished service at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden in 1944. Two of their number received The Victoria Cross namely, Major Robert Henry Cain and Lance Sergeant John Daniel Baskeyfield. Sadly the latter has no known grave.
Although I have the citations I will leave it to the honourable Forum member from Snyder Texas to post them if he so wishes, since this is a role he does well on this Forum.

The Military Cemetry at Arnhem is one of the most serene places I have ever visited. It is beautifully kept.

David

[qprdave]

The Times Reported the Jerusalem Riots and the sending of the South Staffs to the area on Courageous

Dave

[David Verghese]

An excellent and timely response Dave.

Will the Admiral of the Fleet see the post.

David

[qprdave]

Oh yes..He will see it.

Nothing much gets past "Eagle Eyes" kc

[qprdave]

1) Lance Sergeant John Daniel Baskeyfield V.C.
2,3,4) Major Robert Henry Cain


1) Published in The Times

[kc]

Thanks - the replies are much appreciated, despite this being an old thread!