Sergeant Rogers
No. 5568932 Sergeant Maurice Albert Wyndham Rogers, The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) (Plaistow). In Italy a Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment was ordered to attack high ground held by the enemy. The leading Company had taken their first objective but were unable to reach their final objective, owing to heavy enemy fire and casualties. The Carrier Platoon, dis- mounted, were ordered to capture the final objective, supported by fire from the Company and a troop of tanks. The objective was wired and mined and strongly defended by the enemy. The Carrier Platoon advanced through machine gun and mortar fire until they reached the enemy's wire, which was 70 yards from their objective. At this point the Platoon was under the intense fire of seven machine-guns firing at ranges of from 50 to 100 yards, and sustained a number of casualties. The Platoon, checked (by the enemy's wire and the intensity of his machine-gun fire, took cover and returned the fire preparatory to gapping the wire. Sergeant Rogers, the Platoon Sergeant, without hesitation continued to advance alone, firing his Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. He got through the enemy's wire, ran across the minefield and destroyed two of the enemy machine-gun posts with his Thompson Sub-Machine Gun and hand grenades. By now, Sergeant Rogers was 100 yards ahead of his Platoon and had penetrated 30 yards inside the enemy's defences. He had drawn on to himself the fire of nearly all the enemy's machine-guns and had thrown their, defence into confusion. Inspired by the example of Sergeant Rogers, the Platoon breached the enemy's wire and began the assault. Still alone and penetrating deeper into the enemy position, Sergeant Rogers, whilst attempting to silence a third machine-gun post, was blown off his feet by a grenade which burst beside him and wounded him in the leg. Nothing daunted he stood up and still firing his Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, ran on towards the enemy post. He was shot and killed at point blank range. (3rd June 1944 Anzio, Italy)
Sergeant Rogers
Your Text
Captain Hayward
21/22 March 1918 near Fremicourt, France.
Lt. (A./Capt.) Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward, M.C., Wilts. R.
For most conspicuous bravery in action. This officer, while in command of a company, displayed almost superhuman powers of endurance and consistent courage of the rarest nature. In spite of the fact that he was buried, wounded in the head, and rendered deaf on the first day of operations, and had his arm shattered two days later, he refused to leave his men (even though he received a third serious injury to his head), until he collapsed from sheer physical exhaustion. Throughout the whole of this period the enemy were attacking his company front without cessation, but Captain Hayward continued to move across the open from one trench to another with absolute disregard of his own personal safety, concentrating entirely on re-organising his defences and encouraging his men. It was almost entirely due to the magnificent example of ceaseless energy of this officer that many most determined attacks upon his portion of the trench system failed entirely. LG 24/4/18
 

Medals of the Regiments:
The Wiltshire Regiment

 
 
Wiltshire Regiment Cap Badge

awaiting more insignia pics

The Wiltshire Regiment cap badge 1898-1956 with the "AEA" cypher of
Alfred Ernest Albert, The Duke of Edinburgh 		 

© Images Copyright ©
 
 
 

The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)

1756 - 1959
 
 
 
Titles
pre 1881 post 1881
62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment 1st Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
99th (Duke of Edinburgh's Lanarkshire) Regiment 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
 
Earliest recognised formation: 62nd: 1756 when initially raised as a 2nd battalion of the 4th Regiment of Foot, renumbered '62nd' in 1758.
99th : 1824
 
Motto: ???
 
Regimental Journal:  The Journal of the Wiltshire Regiment.
 
WWI: Battle Honours;  60 Victoria Crosses; 1 Died; 5200
WWII:    Battle Honours;  34 Victoria Crosses;  1 Died; ????
 
Amalgamated: 1959, with The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) to form The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
 
 
A 2nd battalion of the 62nd Regiment was operational 1799-1802 and 1804-1816.
 

Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 62nd Regiment

Military General Service Medal.  1793 - 1814

clasps:
Nivelle
Nive
Total Medals
number: 64 83 89*
       

* Six single clasp Nivelle, twenty-five single clasp Nive, and fifty-eight two clasp medals.

 

Battle Honours: Nive; Peninsula

 
 
 

The First Sikh War 1845 - 1846.  62nd Regiment

The Sutlej Medal 1845 -46

Battle

Date

Ferozeshuhur

21-22/12/1845

Aliwal

28/01/1846

Sobraon

10/02/1846

numbers : 870? 662
 

A recipients first battle corresponds to the medal reverse type, followed by clasp(s) for subsequent battles.

 

Battle Honour: Ferozeshah

 
 
 

1st Maori War, New Zealand 1845-1847   99th Regiment 

New Zealand Medal 1845-1866

 
reverse undated 1845-1846 ??
number ? ?
 

Battle Honour: New Zealand

 
 
 

Crimean War  1854 - 1856  62nd Regiment

Crimea Medal 1854 -56

 
Clasp: →..none...

Sebastopol

Total Medals
Number: →?? ?
 

 

 

Battle Casualties;

Action.KilledDied of Wounds'Wounded'Dangerously
Wounded 		Severely
Wounded		Slightly
Wounded 		MissingTotal
Final Attack on the Redan23 --  3346 10112
2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. 7- -3 932 -51
        

 163

 
 

Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for:

Turkish Crimea Medal 1855

 

Battle Honour: Sevastopol.

 
 
 

Second China War 1856-60  99th Regiment 

Second China War Medal 1856-60

  
clasp:..none...

Taku Forts 1860

Pekin 1860

total medals
number: 978* 531628
     
 

*all paired with a Pekin clasp.

 

Battle Honour;   Pekin 1860

 
 
 

South Africa and the Zulu War 1877-79  99th Regiment 

South Africa Medal 1877-79

clasp: ...none....

1879

number : 29 875
 
 

Battle Honour:   South Africa 1879

 
1881: Regiments now become the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
 

Anglo-Boer War 1899 - 1902  2nd Battalion (January 1900- end of war) 

 Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Frequently encountered clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, also common:

 
clasp:

Wittebergen

number:?
 

 

OfficersNCOs and Men
KIA / DOW /DODWoundedMissing / POWKIA & DOWDeath from disease WoundedMissing / POW
 
2 /0/ 36 233 6679 149
 

Battle Honour: South Africa 1900-1902

 
 
 

The Great War 1914 - 1918  (10 battalions; 7 served overseas:- )

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star.

Battalion → 1  2* 1/4 2/4 5 6** 7
date of first overseas service.
 (first theatre red x )		 14/8
1914		 7/10
1914		 9/11
1914		 ?/1
1915		 ?/7
1915		 ?/7
1915		 ?/9
1915
France & Flanders x x       x x
Gallipoli         x    
Egypt & Palestine     x
9/1917		        
Mesopotamia        x    
Macedonia             x
India     x x      
Star
possible ? 		1914 or 1914-15 x x          
or 1914-15 only         x x x
VCs at a glance            
died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition the regiment as a whole lost an additional  135 officers who are recorded with 'battalion not shown'  or with battalions not shown here, or who we have  not yet allocated a battalion.)		 1424 1329 217 35 724 640 255
 

* The second battalion was in Gibraltar when war broke out and returned first to the UK
** Absorbed the Wiltshire Yeomanry to become the 6th (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry Battalion, 20/9/1917)

Regular Territorial Force New Armies Garrison.

 

 

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
741 officers and men of the Wiltshire Regiment also qualified for this medal.

VCs: 1; Hayward

Battle Honours: Mons; Messines 1914, 1917, 1918; Ypres 1914, 1917; Somme 1916, 1918; Arras 1917; Bapaume 1918; Macedonia 191518; Gallipoli 1915-16; Palestine 1917-18; Baghdad. Le Cateau; Retreat from Mons; Marne 1914; Aisne 1914, 1918; La Bassée 1914; Armentières 1914; Langemarck 1914; Nonne Bosschen; Neuve Chapelle; Aubers; Festubert 1915; Loos; Albert 1916, 1918; Pozières; Le Transloy; Ancre Heights; Ancre 1916; Scarpe 1917; Pilckem; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broodseinde; Poelcapelle; Passchendaele; St Quentin; Lys; Bailleul; Kemmel; Scherpenberg; Hindenburg Line; Epéhy; Canal du Nord; St Quentin Canal; Beaurevoir; Cambrai 1918; Selle; Sambre; France and Flanders 1914-18; Doiran 1917; Suvla; Sari Bair; Gaza; Nebi Samwil; Jerusalem; Megiddo; Sharon; Tigris 1916; Kut al Amara 1917; Mesopotamia 1916-18.

 
1921 title now changed to "The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's)"
 

Jewish / Arab unrest, Palestine 1936 - 39 2nd Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Palestine

number: ?
 
 
 
 

WW2 1939 - 1945  four battalions served overseas.

Battalion → 1st 2nd 4th 5th
campaign ↓        
France and Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk )		   x    
North Africa & Middle East   x    
Burma x      
Sicily / Italy   x    
N.W. Europe   x x x
 

Notes.
  In India at the start. Arrived Arakan under 4th Ind Inf. Bde/26th Ind Inf Div. 3/10/43. Returned to India NWF 15/10/44 13th Infantry Brigade for the duration. Iraq/Persia/Syria 28/8/42-12/6/43;
Sicily / Italy 10/7/43-3/7/44;
NW Europe from 4/3/45.		 129th Infantry Brigade for the duration
landed N.W. Europe theatre  23/6/44
 
 
 

WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
 Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B =  Burma, I = Italy,  F&G = France and Germany
  B I, F&G F&G F&G
         
 

Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

 


VCs: 1:  Rogers (2nd Btn., Anzio 3/6/44, Posthumous )

 

Battle Honours: Defence of Arras; Hill 112; Maltot; Mont Pinçon; Seine 1944; Cleve; Garigliano Crossing; Anzio; Rome; North Arakan. Ypres-Comines Canal; Odon; Caen; Bourguébus Ridge; La Varinière; Nederrijn; Roer; Rhineland; Goch; Xanten; Rhine; Bremen; North-West Europe 1940, 1944-5; Solarino; Simeto Bridgehead; Sicily 1943; Minturno; Advance to Tiber; Italy 1943-4; Middle East 1942; Point 551; Mayu Tunnels; Ngakyedauk Pass; Burma 1943-4

 
1948: Regulars reduced to a single battalion (1st)
 

The Cyprus Emergency 1955 - 1960  1st Battalion (1956-59)

General Service Medal 1918-62

clasp:

Cyprus

number:?
 
 
 
 

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Selected Links

The Regimental Museum. (Located in )   

 
 
 

Selected Bibliography;

 
Author Title Publisher
Col. N. C. E. Kenrick The Story of The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's); the 62nd and 99th Foot (1756-1959), the Militia and the Territorials, the Service Battalions and all those others who have served or been affiliated with The Moonrakers.. 324 pp.  Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd., 1963
Major W. S. Shepherd. The 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment (99th). A Record of their Fighting in the Great War, 1914-18.  182pp Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd., 1927

 

Additional Bibliography for this Page.

 
Author/Compiler Title Publisher
Officers of the Regiment. Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. -
Cook, Frank & Andrea.Casualty Roll for the CrimeaHaywood & Son 1976
     
  Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page  
     
     
 

 

 

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