History of the 4th Battalion The Wiltshire Regiment
The 4th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment has a rich and distinguished history, serving in key conflicts from World War I to World War II. Originally part of the Territorial Army, the battalion played a crucial role in defending Britain and fighting in major campaigns across Europe, including the Battle for Normandy.
The Wiltshire Regiment Colours - Their Battle Honours
The 4th Battalion in 43rd Wessex Infantry Division.
129 Brigade Order of Battle
As part of 43rd Wessex Infantry Division, the 4th Wiltshires were one of the three Battalions which formed 129 Infantry Brigade, alongside the 5th Wiltshires and 4th Somerset Light Infantry. (Shown on the far left hand side of the Divisional Organisation chart on the right and the summary below)
Each of these Battalions numbered roughly 850 Officers and Men, divided into HQ group, 4 Rifle Companies A - D, plus a support Company containing the Battalion‘s Anti Tank platoon, Mortar Platoon and Assault Pioneers.
The Infantry Section
At full strength the Infantry Rifle Company of 1944 fielded an HQ platoon and 4 Rifle platoons, each approximately 30 men strong. Each platoon was lead by a Junior Officer, normally a Lieutenant or 2nd Lieutenant, supported by the platoon Sergeant.
In turn, each platoon was broken down into 10 men sections, this being the smallest fighting unit in the British Army and commanded by the section leader - a Corporal.
The section comprised a 3 man Bren gun group and a 7 man Rifle group which included the Corporal, normally armed with a Sten sub machine gun.
Additional Recommended Reading and Research
Whilst we hope you find the content on this website and the Social Media links interesting, there is no substitute for good quality research. If you are genuinely interested in learning more about the 4th Battalion The Wiltshire Regiment and specifically it’s role in the NW Europe campaign during 1944/45, then we recommend the books shown here - all of which are still available through good Military booksellers.
There are also a number of really good sources of information specific to the 4th Battalion via the Regimental Museum in Salisbury. The Maroon Square in particular, is an excellent reference source for everything related to the Wartime Battalion and arguably the most important source material available to the avid Historian.
