industrial cities during the winter of 1940–41. Again, NE England escaped the worst of this, nevertheless hundreds of people died during the Newcastle Blitz and there were notable air raids on Tyneside on 9 April and Sunderland on 25 April. Throughout this period, the 63rd (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt remained in the 30th AA Brigade part of the 7th AA Division. Ceylon and India The main Blitz ended in May 1941, but occasional raids continued. Newly formed units joined AA Command, allowing experienced units to be posted away for service overseas. The regiment sent a cadre of experienced officers and other ranks to 207th Training Regiment at Devizes to provide the basis for a new 410 Bty; this was formed on 16 January 1941 and joined 124th HAA Rgt. It provided a further cadre for 443 HAA Bty formed on 12 June 1941 at 211th HAA Training Rgt, Oswestry, which joined 130th (M) HAA Rgt. 63rd (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt came under direct War Office control in December 1941 preparatory to embarking for overseas. The war establishment for an HAA regiment overseas was three batteries, so 176th (County of Durham) HAA Battery left the regiment and joined a new 146th HAA Rgt formed in the 30th AA Brigade in January 1942. (It later served in the campaign in North West Europe with that regiment.) The 63rd (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt sailed from the UK in May 1942 and travelled to Ceylon. It arrived in Colombo on 29 July 1942 with 177th, 178th and 269th HAA Btys (24 x 3.7-inch) commanded by Lt-Col C.H. Wright. Ceylon, and particularly the naval base at Trincomalee, had come under air attack in April and was still threatened by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, and the AA defences were being expanded. On 24 October the regiment came under the command of The 1st (Royal Marine) AA Brigade, then on 21 March under a new 24th AA Brigade. On 24 April 1944, the unit embarked for India, where it moved to Jubbulpore. 63rd (Northumbrian) Medium Battery However, the reduction in Japanese air power and the manpower crisis in South East Asia Command was leading to a reduction in AA units. On arrival, the regiment was placed in suspended animation and many of its gunners sent for infantry training. The remainder were reduced to battery strength and converted to become the 63rd (Northumbrian) Medium Battery in a newly formed