Dad's medals

The 6th Armoured Division was a Second World War, British Army formation, created on 12 September 1940 The unit was initially supplied with the Matilda Tank and Valentine Tank, which were replaced by Crusader Tanks and then finally issued with the M4 Sherman Tank. [1]. It participated in the Operation Torch assault landings in Algeria and Morocco in November 1942 and saw its first action as part of the British V Corps of the British First Army in Tunisia. After Tunisia it participated in the Italian Campaign as part of the British Eighth Army, and ended the war in Austria, under the command of British V Corps.
26th Armoured Brigade (1940-45)
•16th/5th Lancers
•17th/21st Lancers
•2nd Lothian and Border Horse
•10th The Rifle Brigade
The 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1922 to 1993.
On the outbreak of war, the regiment immediately transferred back to the UK, acting under 1st Motor Machine Gun Brigade in the summer of 1940, and then under 26th Armoured Brigade in 6th Armoured Division later in the year. A group of personnel from the regiment were detached in December to form the cadre of the 24th Lancers.
In November 1942, the division was deployed to Tunisia after Operation Torch. Now equipped with Valentine tanks, the regiment saw action for some time, including taking heavy losses defending Thala in the Battle of the Kasserine Pass in February 1943 - all but twelve tanks were put out of action. After this the regiment was withdrawn, and equipped with M4 Sherman tanks. In April, an attempt to take the Fondouk Pass again put most of the regiment out of action.
The 6th Armoured Division deployed to Italy in March 1944, and fought to breach the Gustav Line. The regiment advanced to the Gothic Line, and spent the winter there - at points, serving as infantry rather than as an armoured unit, due to the static nature of the trench warfare there. After the final breakthrough in 1945, the regiment ended the war in Austria.