WW2 Territorial Group to Curran 7th Battalion Kings Liverpool Regiment (40th Royal Tank Reg)

A very interesting WW2 group mounted as worn and comprising of the 39/45 star. Africa star, Italy Star, Defence medal, 1939/45 war medal and the Territorial Efficiency Medal with 2nd award bar correctly named to 3764814 Private J Curran 7th Kings Regiment. He was also entitled to the 8th Army bar for the Africa star, this is now missing, but there are signs that it was sewn onto the ribbon.
J. Curran, Possibly Joseph Curran from Bootle Lancashire born 1912. Served in the 7th Territorial Battalion the Kings Liverpool regiment, known as “Monty's Foxhounds” which became the 40th Royal Tank Regiment at the start of WW2. Private Curran had obviously been serving with the Territorials for some time as he received his Efficiency medal in 1937 and the second award bar in 1944, both totalling eighteen years’ service. His second award bar was issued to him serving with the Royal Tank Regiment attached to Army Catering Corps.
The 40th (the Kings) Royal Tank Regiment saw considerable action during the war, forming part of the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Equipped with Vickers Valentine and later Sherman tanks, the regiment served in North Africa under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J.L. Finigan and fought at El Alamein, this is where it acquired the nickname "Monty's Foxhounds" during the long pursuit of the Afrika Korps and the Italian Army across Egypt and Libya and into Tunisia. It later served in the Italian Campaign, part of the regiment taking a place in the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943. The 40th Royal Tank Regiment participated in the initial landings at Salerno during Operation Avalanche, part of the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943.
In March 1944 the Regiment still with the 23rd Armoured brigade was transferred to the British V Corps which had a holding role on the eastern side of the Gustav Line by the Adriatic Sea, then in late May 1944, the brigade was withdrawn from Italy and returned to Egypt. In August 1944, the brigade was renamed Force 140, later Arkforce after its commander, Brigadier Arkwight and was dismounted from its tanks. The 40th and 50th Royal Tank Regiment were retrained as infantry and in early October 1944, Arkforce arrived at Piraeus as part of the British occupying force in Greece when the Germans withdrew. It participated in the repression of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) during the Greek Civil War (the Dekemvriana). Arkforce was disbanded on 8 January 1945 and the 23rd Armoured Brigade regained its name and had its tanks restored by the end of January. It remained in Greece beyond VE Day until the end of the Second World War.
The medals are in very good used condition and are mounted as worn, it comes with a few pages of research and various badges and personal items etc.

Code: 29601