Arthur Vizard has been identified as ‘17th from the left, second row’ in this company photograph of the 8th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, which must have been taken either before the war or in 1939. However, to me, he looks more likely to be the Lance Corporal standing at the very right end of the second row. Further details on the officers and men featured most welcome.
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Arthur Vizard enlisted as a Territorial in the 8th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, which was a Vickers medium machine gun unit. He trained on the Vickers and by the outbreak of war was serving as the Company Quartermaster Sergeant of C Company. He was left behind with ‘B Echelon’ in the UK when the unit went ot France in January 1940. It’s thus highly probable that many of the officers and men featured in this photograph were veterans of the ill-fated 1940 Campaign in France and Belgium. If anyone can place any names to faces please get in touch. For more on the 8th Battalion the Middlesex Regiment in WW2, see this external website:
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http://www.prole.demon.co.uk/middlesex/1_8.html (deadlink 2023)
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Arthur Vizard was assigned to the 170th Machine Gun Officers’ Cadet Training Unit at Droitwich and Aldershot in 1940 and was subsequently commissioned in the Middlesex Regiment. He then joined the 7th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment, which was based in Portrush and Portstewart, Northern Ireland, before being posted to the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion of the Durtham Light Infantry in 1941
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For a left side enlargement click here
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For a right side enlargement click here
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16 DLI HOME
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