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their pick-helves than many a male sentry with his gun, as several luckless gentlemen found to their cost". General Pile was also to write later, "The girls lived like men, fought their lights like men and, alas, some of them died like men". General Pile also proposed that the women should have a more practical uniform for this work, and should be given the same rates of pay as the men if they were doing the same job. On 2 December 1941, the Under
Secretary of State in the War Office wrote a letter recommending that members of the ATS be deployed in searchlight duties. In July 1942 the first seven searchlight troops were formed with ATS members and these were posted to
183:, respectively. Apart from 301 Bty, which was already an all-female battery, the regiment was still 50 percent male when formed, but the wholesale transfer of ATS in, and male gunners out, started immediately: A and B (male) Troops of 495 S/L Bty were exchanged for A & B Trps of 339 Bty of 26th (Mixed) S/L Rgt. On 1 June 1943 C & D Trps of 495 S/L Bty were disbanded and replaced by ATS personnel, and finally 23 August 1943 D/342 Trp disbanded and was replaced by an ATS troop. By the time the regiment was fully converted in August 1943 there were approximately 1500 women in the regiment, apart from the Commanding Officer and the Battery OCs.
146:(ATS) to these operational roles. They were first deployed to heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) gun units to work the AA instruments, radars and command posts. These 'Mixed' batteries were a success, but the replacement of men by women in searchlight (S/L) units was less easy to settle. The women would be scattered in small detachments in isolated conditions suffering hardship and few amenities. S/L sites were subject to enemy attack and usually had light machine guns for self-defence, but Defence Regulations prohibited women from firing them.
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Searchlights were of great importance in the Second World War as they were needed to illuminate the German
Bombers flying over Britain, so that the men operating the anti-aircraft guns could shoot them down before they had a chance to drop any bombs on the British towns and cities. A plan in 1935
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to see if they could cope with working in isolated places and if they would have the strength and the ability to operate the searchlights. The experiment proved successful and
General Pile later wrote that: "They showed themselves more effective, more horror inspiring and more blood-thirsty with
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In 1941 a secret trial called the Newark experiment was carried out in AA Command to find out if women would be able to carry out the duties required in searchlight regiments. Fifty-four members of the ATS were sent for training at
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However, by 1941 men were increasingly needed for deployment elsewhere and there was a risk that the number of anti-aircraft units might have to be reduced. The
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief
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541:
The
Hertfordshire Yeomanry Regiments, Royal Artillery, Part 2: The Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment 1938–1945 and the Searchlight Battery 1937–1945; Part 3: The Post-war Units 1947–2002
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in 2005 to commemorate the 60th
Anniversary of the disbandment of the Regiment. Forty-four women and two men from the Regiment attended together with the special guest,
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Members of the ATS on the posted strength of Royal
Artillery units wore the RA's 'grenade' collar badge above the left breast pocket of their uniform jacket.
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Sir
Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945"
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Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United
Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 13 March 1943,
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History of the Royal
Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941
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with 301, 342 and 495 Searchlight Batteries. The batteries came from 26th (Mixed) S/L Rgt,
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anticipated 100 searchlight companies, with 2334 searchlights lights and 43,500 men.
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History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55
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489:
Ack-Ack: Britain's Defence against Air Attack during the Second World War
543:, Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Trust/Hart Books, 2003,
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On 25 October 1942 the 93rd (Mixed) Searchlight Regiment was formed at
450:, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996,
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Order of Battle of AA Command, 27 April 1944, TNA file WO 212/85 .
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226:, near Southampton, on 1 Jul 1945, and was completed by 29 July.
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529:, London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994,
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26th Searchlight Regiment (London Electrical Engineers)
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93 (M) SL Regt RA commenced disbandment at The Copse,
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114:, formed in October 1942 and disbanded in July 1945.
426:. Royal Artillery Historical Society. Archived from
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110:was an all-female British air defence unit during
229:A reunion was organised at the Artillery Centre,
610:Regiments of the Royal Artillery in World War II
492:. London: George G Harrap & Co. p. 222
465:, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984,
30:Cap Badge of the Auxiliary Territorial Service
463:Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978
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605:Searchlight regiments of the Royal Artillery
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108:93rd Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery
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210:Brass collar badge of the Royal Artillery
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257:"ATS remembered searchlight ops history"
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422:Brigstock, Keith (17 January 2007).
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579:"Reunion 93rd Searchlight Rgt RA"
563:"History - Searchlight Operators"
507:"Churchill the Wartime feminist"
376:The National Archives (TNA), Kew
188:38th Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade
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424:"Royal Artillery Searchlights"
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186:The regiment was deployed in
144:Auxiliary Territorial Service
39:25 October 1942 – 1 July 1945
19:93rd Searchlight Regiment, RA
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140:General Sir Frederick Pile
126:ATS Searchlight Unit 1940s
408:Sainsbury, Plate 9, p. 7.
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486:Pile, Frederick (1949).
525:Routledge, Brig N.W.,
282:Routledge, pp. 399–400.
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539:Sainsbury, Col J.D.,
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163:93rd (M) S/L Regiment
136:Anti-Aircraft Command
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97:Anti-Aircraft Command
80:Searchlight regiment
461:J.B.M. Frederick,
390:Farndale, Annex D.
365:Farndale, Annex M.
353:Frederick, p. 875.
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505:Roberts, Andrew.
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565:. ATS Remembered
556:External sources
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513:on 20 May 2013
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582:. Retrieved
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340:93rd Reunion
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181:77th S/L Rgt
177:79th S/L Rgt
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112:World War II
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93:Part of
71:British Army
218:Disbandment
196:Southampton
138:1939–1945,
88:Air defence
599:Categories
416:References
194:defending
327:, p. 222.
314:Brigstock
442:Gen Sir
231:Larkhill
202:Insignia
584:25 June
569:23 June
517:25 June
496:25 June
434:23 June
325:Ack-Ack
270:Roberts
118:History
44:Country
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323:Pile,
224:Hamble
62:Branch
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36:Active
241:Notes
586:2013
571:2013
545:ISBN
531:ISBN
519:2013
498:2013
467:ISBN
452:ISBN
436:2013
179:and
152:Rhyl
85:Role
77:Type
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