Offered is a fine campaign group to Private H. Williams, South Wales Borderers, who was reported missing in action in the Western Desert in June 1942, but subsequently re-joined his battalion.

India General Service Medal (1936-39), 2 clasps, NORTH WEST FRONTIER 1936-37, NORTH WEST FRONTIER 1937-39, impressed named 3908466 PTE. H. WILLIAMS. S. WALES. BORD, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence and War Medals (1939 – 45), the WW2 medals unnamed as issued, court mounted for display. Comes with copies of South Wales Borderers enlistment & pension ledger extracts and casualty lists 1942.

Lance Corporal Howard Williams enlisted into the South Wales Borderers on 21/8/1933 for 6 years with the colours. He is confirmed on the medal roll for the India General Service Medal with the North West Frontier 1936-37 clasp, but entitlement to the North West Frontier 1937-39 clasp has as yet not been confirmed. It is unknown if he was discharged to the Reserve 21/8/1939 (time expired) or is he was retained with the unit (Britain declared war 3/9/1939).

The 1st Battalion was still in India at the time remaining there until 1940, it deployed to Iraq to quell a German-inspired uprising in November 1941. The battalion saw subsequent service in Iran, and into Libya. It was destroyed at Sidi Rezegh 16-18/6/1942, Williams was initially posted as missing, but later re-joined the remnants of the Battalion in the British lines.

Between the middle of May and the 6th June, they had travelled 1,600 miles overland from Iraq. By the 16/6/1942, the battalion were dug into defensive positions at Bel Hamed about twenty miles south of Tobruk.  The Borderers were part of 20th Indian Infantry Brigade, 10th Indian Division, at Sidi Rezegh. The battalion was ordered to hold its positions to the last man. Early in the morning, Bel Hamed came under mortar and machine gun fire as the enemy probed the defences. At midday, German infantry were spotted and engaged by the battalion's gunners. Intermittent shelling from both sides continued throughout the afternoon. The RAF provided support, attacking enemy troop carriers and ammunition lorries. From around 5.30 p.m. Sidi Rezegh was heavily shelled and the attack continued into the night with some positions being overrun.

Throughout the following day the battalion came under sporadic shellfire. At 7.30 p.m. the battalion unexpectedly received orders to pull back to Sollum, seventy miles to the east. Under the cover of darkness, the battalion marched back over ten miles to find their trucks. The Intelligence Officer, sent to reconnoiter the route and find the transport, was captured by a German patrol before he could make his report. It was 3.30 a.m. on the 18th before the troops found their vehicles.

About an hour later, the leading vehicles discovered that about twenty German tanks had overtaken them and were blocking their route. With no hope of moving forward, and coming under heavy mortar and machine gun fire from the rear, the troops had no option but to leave the road and to drive south and east into the desert to try to outflank the enemy. For several hours they ran the gauntlet of continuous fire from all sides. Many vehicles were hit and the battalion lost over five hundred officers and men, many of whom were taken prisoner. Eventually, four officers and about a hundred men got through to the coast after seven hours driving behind or parallel to enemy forward forces.

The battalion was ordered to disband in Cyprus and the remnants of the battalion were transferred (with the exception of a small cadre that returned to the England), to the 1st Battalion of the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). A few months later the battalion in England was re-formed from the cadre and the 4th Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment. It remained in England for the remainder of the war.

L/Cpl Williams records have not been released, however based on his medal group it is possible that he may have been discharged for reasons unknown or remained with the battalion in England for the remainder of the war.