91st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
military unit
91st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (91st HAA Rgt) was a part-time unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed in the West Riding of Yorkshire just before the outbreak of World War II. Its service during the war included Home Defence during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz, and a length period in Middle East Forces. Postwar, it continued to serve in the TA in the air defence role until 1955.
Origin
In the period of international tension of the late 1930s, the TA's Anti-Aircraft (AA) strength grew rapidly, much of this expansion being achieved by splitting existing units. 91st Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in the Royal Artillery on 7 March 1939 with a new regimental headquarters (RHQ) and one battery at Goole (then in the West Riding), but also drawing on two existing batteries:
RHQ at Goole
Commanding Officer (CO): Lieutenant-Colonel K.G. Chilman, formerly of 221 AA Bty
221 (1st West Riding) AA Bty at Lumley Barracks, York – transferred on 7 March 1939 from 62nd (Northumbrian) AA Rgt, but originally converted from a battery of 54th (West Riding and Durham) Medium Brigade
270 (Wentworth) AA Bty at Wentworth, South Yorkshire – transferred from 68th (North Midland) AA Rgt under which it had been forming at Rotherham in January 1939
286 AA Bty at Goole – newly formed
World War II
Mobilisation
In June 1939, as the international situation worsened, a partial mobilisation of the TA was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected gun positions. On 22 August, the whole of Anti-Aircraft Command was mobilised ahead of the declaration of war. The regiment deployed in the Humber Gun Zone as part of 39 AA Bde in 2 AA Division (although a new 7 AA Division was being formed to cover the area north of the Humber, its exact responsibilities had still to be worked out). RHQ was established at Paull Vicarage, and it drew its ammunition from the nearby Paull magazine. 221 (WR) Battery was at two sites on the south bank of the Humber, each with 4 x 3.7-inch guns, 270 Bty was at Paull, and 286 Bty at King George Dock, Hull, and at Brough. The regiment also temporarily deployed eight sections armed with Lewis guns to the radar station at Staxton-on-Wold in the light AA (LAA) role. (39 AA Brigade already referred to its AA gun regiments as HAA to distinguish them from the specialist LAA units that were being formed; this became official across the Royal Artillery on 1 June 1940.)
On the outbreak of war, the Humber Gun Zone had 30 HAA guns, of which 28 were operational.
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