MEMORIES
AND INFORMATION - STAFFORDSHIRE
The 27th STAFFS (WALSALL) BATTN.
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is a page within the www.staffshomeguard.co.uk website.
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The
defence of Walsall was the responsibility of one battalion,
the 27th Staffordshire (Walsall) Battalion. This Battalion
was (at 1st February 1941)
a member of No. 2 Group of the Central Midland Area of the
Home Guard, together with its neighbouring battalions which
covered Aldridge (32nd), Wednesbury (36th) and Darlaston
(37th).
The 27th Battalion's Commanding Officer
was Lt. Col. W.A. Burn, M.C. and its senior officers were
Majors A.W. Ellis, M.M.,
L.H. Finch, T.D.,
A.F. Ennals, M.C., W.H. Williams, M.B.E.
and H.R. Wilks, M.C. These six officers are among a total
of 72 listed in 1941 making this Battalion one of the larger
ones. No doubt many of the family
names will still be recognised by Walsall residents.
Through the generosity of a visitor to this
site (see below) a glimpse of just one part of this huge
body of men is now possible.
**********
One of the units of the 27th Staffordshire
(Walsall) Battalion probably operated near to the 32nd (Aldridge)
Battalion "G" Company's area of responsibility which
was Rushall. A picture of this unit has survived and is shown
below. It was taken in the period 1940-1943 and the location
is either the Walsall Arboretum or Park Lime Pits, Rushall.
(To see a higher definition version of this
photograph, please click
here).
Three members of the unit have so far been
identified.
Rear Row, 7th from the left: Private David Reay
Middle Row, 6th from the left:
Captain Mayo
Front Row, 6th from the left: Corporal William Bate Cobb
PRIVATE
DAVID REAY lived in Blue Lane, Walsall and was the son
of Walter and Ada Reay. He was employed as a flamecutter
at Wellman Smith & Owen at Darlaston and was in a
reserved occupation due to the importance of his work.
He was thus exempt from military service. Despite this
he volunteered and joined the 2nd Battalion, Worcestershire
Regiment. Regrettably his patriotism cost him dear and
he did not live to see the end of the war in the Far East.
He served with the Regiment in Burma and there suffered
wounds which led to his death on May 28th 1945 at the
age of 23. He lies at the Maynamati War Cemetery, now
in Bangladesh and his name appears on the Roll of Honour
at Walsall Town Hall.
CAPTAIN
T. E. MAYO who commanded the unit depicted above was associated
with the well-known Walsall Estate Agents, Fraser, Wood
& Mayo. He is listed in 1941 as Lt. T.E. Mayo. Like
several other men shown in the photograph his medal ribbon
indicates Great War service less than 25 years earlier.
CORPORAL WILLIAM BATE COBB:
At the time of the photograph he was living in Lichfield Road, Walsall and worked for his cousins at William Bate Ltd, electro platers, based at Hospital St. Walsall.
He later told his son (to whom we are indebted for this information) that he had been in the Home Guard. He could also fly, having qualified in 1938 at South Staffs Aero club and the story he told his family was that he once flew a patrol in a De Havilland Gipsy Moth; it was armed with a machine gun, but he never got issued with any rounds of ammunition. Few Home Guards could surely claim the distinction of an aerial patrol!
William Cobb moved to Devonshire in 1951; he died in 1990.
We are much indebted to Carl Watts
of Walsall, the nephew of David Reay, for providing much
of the above information including the photograph and
for permitting us to reproduce it here; and to Steve Cobb for the information about his father. They and we would
welcome any further information about this unit and the
Battalion as a whole.
