Keren Camp
The origin of the name
( Home Base of the 1st Infantry Division Transport Coln RASC )
True to the long traditions of the British Army (and to a lesser extent the Royal Navy and Royal Marines) all training establishments and barracks are usually called after famous battles that either the British Army, or the Regiment/Unit had been involved in over the last two or three centuries. This tradition continued in naming the Camps throughout the Canal Zone during, before and after, the Emergency of 1951-1954. The Royal Air Force was the exception using the name of the actual place where their base was located, e.g. RAF Fayid.
The 1st Infantry Division Column RASC which consisted of 3 Coys and an HQ (7,40,42, and CRASC) was no exception to this naming rule, and during the formation of this large Transport Unit, the name 'Keren' was chosen. I served there with 40 Coy RASC from 1952 until 1954, and I hadn't the foggiest idea where the name Keren originated, and to tell the truth at the time I, and most of those who served there could not have cared less. At the time it was certainly the last thing on our minds. A number of those who served there and with whom I have recently become re-acquainted, have put to me the question: "Where did the name 'Keren' come from?"
Recently I decided to find the origin of the name 'Keren'. I started by going to the main Toronto library and consulted abook called, 'The History of the RASC/RCT', by Brigadier Sutton, MBE, but struck out in both cases. I went straight to the Google search engine that has stood me in good stead before, and started downloading British Regimental Historical Websites. It was a long search but I finally hit pay dirt. It came in the form of a book by Historian Anthony Brett-James and his 'Ball-of-Fire' Fifth Indian Division's battle with Italian crack troops involved in the defence of Asmara in the mountains of Eritrea during World War ll. The following is a very brief description of one of the book's chapters, which covers the capture of the Town of Keren.
At the beginning of February 1941 it was hoped that by advancing rapidly our troops might reach Keren before Italian re-enforcements could arrive. The allied force consisted of a full Brigade of British troops and the11th Brigade of the 4th Indian Division. It was known that the Italian Keren Garrison comprisd of one Colonial Brigade, but within a few days the enemy had re-inforced its Brigade by part of a Grenadier Division that had been brought up from Addis Ababa. The approach to the town of Keren, (which lies 4,300 feet above sea level), from any direction but the East, means an arduous passage through rugged mountainous country. A formidable barrier of hills guard the town and its approaches up the road from Adordat. Only one gap exists through this barrier, the narrow and climbing Dongola Gorge that takes both road and railway up the 'Keren Plateau.'
Listed (see Fig 2) are the names of many hills and features that became famous and bloodstained by the battles that followed. No picture can do justice to the physical effort of climbing past enormous granite domes and through prickly bush more effective than any barbed wire. All the rocks for all the cover they gave were easily dislodged, and at every step 'Spear Grass' stabbed through the toughest clothing. The exertion of men laden with equipment, rifles, and ammunition was wearing on the toughest. It was little wonder that those soldiers who did reach the top were too exhausted for further efforts. It was at this moment of sheer exhaustion and strain that the well dug in and camouflaged Italians often chose for delivering a counter-attack from their points of physical advantage.
The Italians had for many previous years built up the defences of the Keren area as a defence of Asmara and Eritrea. Their GOC was General Luigi Frucia. He had served in the Spanish Civil war and had under his direct command 3 Italian and 10 Colonial Battalions of fresh troops and the remnants of a further four Colonial Battalions. The HLI and the Cameron Highlanders suffered many casualties trying to climb up and take positions that were strongly held by well-trained platoons. All approaches were heavily mined, as well as the approaches to Keren. The Italians lying along the knife-edge ridges with almost precipitous reverse slopes rendered the Italian support and reserves, and their forward troops thinly scattered amongst the boulders and rocks were immune to our heaviest artillery fire. They were able to rain automatic fire and grenades down on our toiling Infantry and we were unable to reply effectively. This is the kind of fight that faced these British and Commonwealth troops. It got so bad in one case, a Subaltern commanded a Battalion.
It was a long hard fight that was summed up in the official History of this campaign in these words. "So Keren fell after 50 days of siege. The British suffered 4,000 casualties and the Italians 3000 dead left in Keren." Lt General Sir Reginald Savory, who commanded Eleven Brigade during this fighting stated that: "No enemy but the Italians would ever have allowed us to take the place, it was practically 'impregnable' and even with Italian defenders we suffered heavily, at times we wondered if we ever would succeed." The Italians, particularly the regular troops such as the Savoia Grenadiers, Alpini and Bersaglieri were proud of their resistance at Keren. It was one of the few occasions on which they really fought with tenacity and fervour. General Heath went on record with nothing but the highest praise for the Indian troops under his command during the capture of Keren.
Well there it is. Why was a Camp used by the RASC called after a battle that took place during WW11? Perhaps a number of RASC vehicles using the mountainous roads of Eritrea fell victim to landmines, or well placed snipers, or it could quite easily be that senior officers who had served in Eritrea during WW11 were in the Canal Zone during the early fifties and chose the Camp name. Or it could possibly be that Col. E. E. G. Lucas, CO of the Column, served at Keren. Who knows?
The map shows the exact location of the town of Keren in the Middle East, where this campaign was fought. Well there you have it Lads. (A term of endearment.) So those who did their Middle East Service in the huge 1 Div Column Camp now know where the name 'Keren' came from.
Aye,Jock Marrs.
September 2003.
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