Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript. |
WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY |
Army Form C.2118 |
Unit: 3 Scots Guards | ||
Month and Year: September 1944 | (Erase heading not required). | Commanding Officer: |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
FRANCE | 1 | Second-in-Command inspected ‘B’ vehicles of H.Q. Squadron | ||
1 | Five 3-tonners left to carry forward 25-pounder ammunition for 3 BRITISH INFANTRY DIVISION. | |||
2 | Commanding Officer inspected ‘B’ vehicles of Right Flank. | |||
2 | Information concerning own forward troops very scarce. | |||
3 | Church Parade 1000 hours. | |||
3 | Search parties left to look for Captain & Quartermaster W.J. DORMAN, M.B.E., and Captain C.E. PRING, R.E.M.E., who had been missing since 1 September. | |||
3 | Information was brought back that they had both been killed in a motor accident. | |||
3 | Lieutenant H.E. BROWN arrived from 161 Forward Delivery Squadron R.A.C. to act as Quartermaster. | |||
3 | More 3-tonners left for Army and Corps second and third line tasks. | |||
4 | A Memorial Service for Captain DORMAN and Captain PRING was held at 1800 hours. | |||
4 | Commander, 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE was among those who attended. | |||
5 | Battalion Drill Parade. | |||
6 | Commanding Officer inspected HONEY tanks and Scout Cars of Recce Troop. | |||
7 | Battalion started to move forward towards River SEINE. | |||
7 | Tracked vehicles left at 0630 hours and staged the night at 420405. | |||
7 | Wheeled vehicles left at 2000 hours and drove through the night. | |||
8 | Wheeled vehicles arrived at R 030810 during the morning. | |||
9 | Tracked vehicles left again at 1000 hours and reached R 030810 at 1630 hours. | |||
10 | Church Service at 1000 hours. | |||
10 | Commanding Officer 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE visited Battalion. | |||
11 | Nothing to report. | |||
12 | Battalion started to move across River SEINE, in groups of 20 vehicles, starting at 0715 hours. | |||
12 | All had arrived at new location 374995 by 1730 hours. | |||
13 | Two Germans who had been hiding in the wooded country nearby were captured. | |||
14 | The band of H.M. LIFE GUARDS gave a performance in the Battalion area. | |||
14 | There was an ENSA Concert at FLEURY. | |||
14 | Recce patrols searched the surrounding woods for Germans with no success. | |||
15-16 | Nothing to report. | |||
17 | Left Flank had a dance at LES ANDELYS. | |||
18 | A young N.C.O.’s Drill Class started and lasted one week. | |||
18 | Recreational transport was run to ROUEN. | |||
19 | Captain R.C.G. PEMBER left the Battalion on attachment to TAC H.Q. SECOND ARMY as personal Liaison Officer to Army Commander. | |||
19 | Lieutenant M. LAW was attached for a week to H.Q. 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE as Staff Learner. | |||
19 | Lieutenant A.G. LAING was appointed Second-in-Command Recce Troop and Lieutenant J. WILSON attached to ‘S’ Squadron. | |||
19 | Lieutenant C.J.R. DUFFIN was appointed Intelligence Officer. | |||
20 | Nothing to report. | |||
21 | An armed party from Right Flank went to search nearby woods after a report that 20 Germans were in hiding in a cave. No signs of them were seen. | |||
21 | A French deserter from the German Army was located at RADEPONT. | |||
22 | Battalion Drill Parade under Second-in-Command. | |||
22 | The Band of H.M. LIFE GUARDS attended. | |||
22 | M54 (airburst) ammunition was tried out at a range at NOMILLY-SUR-ANDELLE. | |||
23 | Nothing to report. | |||
24 | Church of Scotland Service at 1000 hours. | |||
24 | Church of England Service 1100 hours. | |||
24 | Serjeants Mess Dance at ETRPAGNY at 2000 hours. | |||
25 | Advance Parties left to recce new areas. | |||
25 | Major the Earl CATHCART | |||
25 | Captain C.S.R. GRAHAM and | |||
25 | Captain P.E.G. BALFOUR | |||
25 | left for attachment to H.Q. 8 CORPS for 3 days. | |||
25 | ’S’ Squadron dance at LES ANDELYS at 2000 hours. | |||
26 | Preparation for move. | |||
26 | Tanks started loading onto transports. | |||
27 | Wheeled vehicles left at 0800 hours. | |||
27 | They arrived 13 km North of CAMBRAI at 1730 hours and there staged the night. | |||
27 | Transporter column left 4 hours late owing to a breakdown in a narrow road. | |||
27 | They spent the night in area DOUCHY. | |||
27 | It was made known that the destination was GELDROP in HOLLAND. | |||
28 | Wheeled vehicles left at 0900 hours and arrived at GELDROP by 2100 hours. | |||
28 | Tank transporters spent night near BRAIN LE COMTE. | |||
29 | Transporters, having gone through BRUSSELS, unloaded at the ALBERT Canal, and the tanks went on on their tracks, arriving at GELDROP at 2100 hours. | |||
30 | More tanks, whose transporters had broken down on the long journey, arrived in batches in the Battalion area. |
Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. For historical research, always check the originals.