The Durham Light Infantry Tribute Page

Freddie Knowles

Albert Kennedy

Somme Plt of Somerset Draft at Brancepeth 1960 - 5FK

Somerset Draft at Brancepeth 1960 - 6FK

Somerset Draft at Buttermere - Aug 1960 (6cFK)

Somerset Draft atop High Stile in Lake District. Extreme left George Bawden RIP, ?,?,?,?,?,Cpl Kennedy,Ball, Batt, Scudamore (6dFK)

Tommy Lloyd and Albert Kennedy - Wuppertal 1953 -7FK

Orderly Room - L to R. L/Cpl Calvert, Bunger, Black, Moss, Inman, Mr Petrie, The Adjutant, C/Sgt Oakley, Clara. (6bFK)

Brancepeth Camp as it was in 1950

Pictures and captions by Bob Bogan BEM.

The actual Camp was turned into an open cast coal mine after the Camp closed (early 1960's). In 63/64 once coal had been extracted it was levelled and grassed over back to farm land.

Camp Diagram - ATS Quarters were junior offrs and RSMs - offically sub standard quarters. (19jpg)

View from top end (old wooden camp fence post) is all that remains, notice bolt. Main gate would have been approx. just below red bush on the left. Sports field on left just over this new fence. Guard room approx. by red bush.- drill square to right and lower down. Training Coy office to right plus gym. Wood spiders well to the right, NAAFI long low stone building bottom of view. (BB1)

This is approx. where the top gate entrance was - only old opening left at the top of Camp top boundary ( verified by kerb stones for entry) (BB2)

Having got off the bus from Durham you would walk up slight slope from Crossed Junction to reach the Main Gate - dead centre of picture. The kerb stones at this point are much newer, so this is where the main gate was - guard room to the right - MI room to left - carry on to NAAFI on left - drill square in front and up to the right. (BB3)

Two officers houses (semi-detatched), now private homes. These were quarters for junior 8DLI (TA) officers (BB4)

View of CO's house, it was sold off, now private home. (BB5)

Assault course, is now overgrown, mother nature has taken over, no sign of water ditch - 6foot jumps - walls etc. (BB6)

Walking along the Page Bank Road on my way to the three officers houses I came across three old WD Camp concrete fence posts. A new wooden fence runs a few feet to their right. (Its the sunshine making it look so white) (BB7)

The rear bottom gate. (BB8)

View of part of Golf course taken from the Page Bank road. (BB9)

Brancepeth Castle main entrance is between the two massive towers. (BB10)

Brancepeth Castle main entrance - rather small compared to its massive tower and battlements, easy to defend and close off. The Guard Room was on the left as you moved towards the keep. (BB11)

Brancepeth Castle DLI HQ. for Brancepeth Camp DLI Training Depot. DLI always kept peacocks in the keep (BB12)

View of where the wooden spiders would have been in the back toward the skyline and slightly right. (BB13)

Brancepeth Village cross roads, turn left past Camp and onto Willington and Crook. Turn right and onto Meadowfield, Langley Moor and then Durham City. (BB14)

Looking over rear bottom gate, this is the area where married quarters started, the senior officers houses can just be seen in the tree line. The wooden spider accom. was further up and to the right. (BB15)

Rear view of Brancepeth Castle, old railings at edge of golf course, this is the road from Page Bank/Spennymoor. (BB16)

Brancepeth sign going back down looking towards bus stop. This road takes you to Durham City. (BB17)

View taken from where the long low NAFFI would have been, drill square up to left slightly, guard room up to right past this tree. Behind and to the west of the Guard Room was the specially built hockey pitch (BB18)

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(© Copyright All Rights Reserved by Keith Hutchinson)

The Picture (43jpg) above is the main gate of Brancepeth Camp, the Guardroom is on the right. Probably taken in 1955 when the 2nd Btn DLI were been disbanded I think they marched up from the castle after the parade, they were in Wuppertal Germany up in till then. Taking the salute at Brancepeth Guard Room in 1955 was Lt Col KMW Leather OBE MC. he was CO 2DLI- [Tony Bewick]

There was a big parade in Durham city when the colours were laid up. We were trucked down from Brancepeth and after the service in the Cathedral marched through the city with colours flying and band playing (i.e. exercising the freedom) It all felt a bit shambolic as the steepness of the streets down from the Cathedral, paved in slippery steps, were not ideal in ammunition boots, certainly not at Regimental pace, and the band was way in front so the music was echoing back. The DLI Museum which I visited a few years ago gave the date as 1956 so I sent them the copy of the service sheet that I had kept to prove it was June 1955. [John Brigg]

(© Copyright All Rights Reserved by Keith Hutchinson)

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Stained glass window at the Town Hall of Durham in honour of The Durham Light Infantry.(44jpg) © Copyright All Rights Reserved by Keith Hutchinson)

Bob Martin, Dickinson, Canon Jervaise Markham, John Fishwick (dcd), Ken Day (dcd)( 7bFK)

Driver is Tony Bewick, Passenger is Colburn - 7cFK

Rear rank: Llwenyn,Morton,Evans,Tuttman,Mcgregor,Elphant - Front rank: Cooper,Machin,Lewis,Gorman,Davis,Mt Clerk.

Robin Hawksworth and Bob Fawcett - 8FK------Cpl. Hunter (cig in mouth) Cpl Knowles by his side. On the grass: Plummer, Hemmer, Tait, Martin, Longsdale, Allen, Lake District 1958. Cpl Hunter and Knowles served together in Korea. 8aFK

1st Recruit Platoon - Brancepeth Oct 1958 - Jan 1959 (9FK)

Mid row: Far left: Pte Ridley, Front Row: L to R - Cpl McMillan, ?, Sgt Carr, Pte. Ward (best recruit, later Cpl instructor at Depot), Lieut. P. Windsor-Aubrey, DCLI recruit, 2nd best name unknown, Cpl. Catterick, ?.

The map of the world as background was painted on barrack block wall and was used for photographs for every platoon.

2nd Recruit Platoon - Brancepeth Spring/Summer 1959 (10FK)

Far Right middle row: Stephen Miller, Back row 5th from left: Gregson (later Cpl. MT Plt. 1st DLI 1961/1963. Front row: 4th from left Lieut. P. Windsor-Aubrey, 5th Pte. Hutchinson (good hockey player 1st DLI, 6th Sgt. Carr. ?

Note the many Marksmen's Badges

The map of the world as background was painted on barrack block wall and was used for photographs for every platoon.

Somerset Draft at Brancepeth - Extreme left Cpl Catterick, Extreme right Cpl Kennedy (11FK)

Stockton Railway Station 4th May 1956 - Visit of HM The Queen - Guard of Honour furnished by B Company 1st Bn Durham Light Infantry. (Picture 55jpg supplied by Major Philip Windsor-Aubrey)

Queen's Colour Lt. P Windsor-Aubrey, Subaltern Lt R.B. McGregor-Oakford MC. Commanding Officer, Lt Col RG Atkinson MC. is the officer standing by the dais on HM Queen' left. (Picture 54jpg supplied by Major Philip Windsor-Aubrey)

Stockton Railway Station 4th May 1956 - Guard Commander Major Leslie Fleming MC. (Picture 53jpg supplied by Major Philip Windsor-Aubrey)

Recruit passing out parades at Brancepeth (Lt Grannum, Sgt Winter and right marker Cpl Lang) Picture supplied by Roger Grannum (11cFK)

You can click on this image for an enlargement

2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry - Jan 1955 Wuppertal - Corporals Mess

2nd DLI Band playing in the barracks at Wuppertal, the grass lawn area between cookhouse and NAFFI Blocks. Note in the centre of photograph playing the Clarinet, a very young band boy, "John Fishwick" 1st & 2nd Bn DLI man - Sadly John died as an in pensioner at The Royal Hospital Chelsea, maybe in 2004. (BB20)

2nd DLI reformed 1952 at Deeerbolt Camp Barnard Castle Co. Durham. Went into suspended animation 1955 at Brancepeth Camp. 2DLI served in BAOR Dec 1952 - June 1955 at Wuppertal.

This picture is of 2 DLI Army Football Assn Cup Winners, they played away at Aldershot, the score 1 - 0 (BB22)

Back row. Ray Bell. Harry Hindmarch. Bgr A Ankers. John Allison. Harry Dinsdale.

Front row. Harry Thompson. Morris Biddulph. Kenny Clarey. John Mccallum. Frank Boyd.

On right is Major Ted Darwin (3reunionFK)

A very well turned out bn. On right is Lt Col Eric Burini (6reunionFK)

(7reunionFK)

Captain Annand VC. - Funeral

On right is Col GC Bartram - behind the front rank in a bowler hat is Col RWH Crawford.(11reunionFK)

Major Christopher Lawton MBE. - Officers retirement to be landmark for a great regiment. He is the last member of the original Durham Light Infantry still serving in the British Army. This brings to an end a history spanning 250 years. Major Lawton will continue to serve the army as a retired officer having taken up the post as Regimental County Secretary for the Light Infantry in County Durham. (13reunionFK)