59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery

The 59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA), raised in Birmingham just before World War II.

Origin
The unit was formed in November 1938 when the 399th Anti-Aircraft (AA) Company was transferred from 45th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) AA Battalion, a TA searchlight unit of the Royal Engineers (RE), to the Royal Artillery (RA) to provide the cadre for a new unit, entitled 59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA). 45 AA Bn had itself been formed two years before by converting 5th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The new unit had the following organisation:
 * HQ at Coventry – raised 1 November 1938
 * 399 AA Battery at Birmingham
 * 427 AA Battery at Birmingham – raised 1 November 1938
 * 428 AA Battery at Birmingham – raised 1 November 1938

World War II
On the outbreak of war in September 1939, 59 S/L Rgt formed part of 54th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, a new formation based at Sutton Coldfield being formed within 4th Anti-Aircraft Division of Anti-Aircraft Command.

In November 1940, 59 S/L Rgt was transferred to the Orkney and Shetland Defences (OSDEF) under AA Command.

On 7 April 1943, while it was based at Holywood, Devonshire, the regiment was given a new role and title as 148th (Warwickshire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, with the following organisation:
 * 498 (Coventry) Battery – converted from 399 Bty
 * 499 (Sheldon) Battery – converted from 427 Bty
 * 500 (West Midlands) Battery – converted from 428 Bty

From 2 March 1944, 148 LAA Rgt served with 61 Division (a training formation in Eastern England) for the remainder of the war.

Postwar
When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, the regiment reformed at Birmingham as 594th (Warwickshire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA. The regiment formed part of 80 AA Bde (the former 54 AA Bde at Sutton Coldfield).

When AA Command was disbanded on 1 March 1955, there was a reduction in the number of AA units, and 594th LAA Rgt was amalgamated with 469th (The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) Heavy AA Regiment, 580 (5th Bn The Royal Warwickshire Regiment) LAA Regiment (the former 45 AA Bn, from which the cadre of the regiment had been drawn in 1938), and 62 (Worcesters) Heavy AA Regiment, to form a new 442 LAA Regiment.

594 Rgt formed 'Q' (Warwickshire) Bty in the amalgamated regiment, but in 1961, 442 LAA Rgt was broken up and 'Q' Bty transferred to 268th (Warwickshire) Field Rgt. Then in 1967 the TA was reorganised again, and 268 Rgt became Regimental HQ and 'P' (68 South Midland) Bty of The Warwickshire Regiment, TA. Finally the regiment was reduced to cadre strength in 1969 and subsequently disbanded.

Online sources

 * British Army units from 1945 on


 * British Military History


 * Orders of Battle at Patriot Files


 * Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth (Regiments.org)


 * The Royal Artillery 1939–45


 * Graham Watson, The Territorial Army 1947