War Diary: 65th Norfolk Yeomanry Regiment

Month and year: November 1944

The 65th Norfolk Yeomanry Anti Tank Regiment November 1944 war diary covers the units time around Tilburg, Netherlands and Bree, Belgium

National Archive Reference: WO 171/921

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Page 1 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	1	Regt is in conc in locations as follows:- RHQ 202352
		257 198343 258 203339
		259 203355 260 168354
		The area is a few miles NE of TILBURG. Maint, cleaning up and trg are laid on.

	2	Maint, cleaning and painting of vehs etc are the order of the day. Weather fine but cold.

	3	CO inspected A and B Echs of 259, 257, 258, RHQ and LAD in that order
		between 1030 and 1500 hrs. The Burgomaster of TILBURG gave a reception to some of the population of the city and invited 60 offrs of the Div. Maj
		JJ BARCLAY, MC, RA (2 IC) and JE JACKSON RA (OC 258) attended.

	4	CO inspected A and B Echs of 260 Bty from 1030 hrs.

	5	CO held a conference for BCs at 1145 hrs at which a questionnaire on the improvement of A tk Eqpts was discussed. The Questionnaire (received from
		Higher Authority) is the first of its kind to come our way and great interest is thus centred on it. Answers from each BC were amalgamated and consolidated.

	6	The Education Offr from Div HQ is devoting a great deal of time to the Regt
		during the week commencing today by giving lectures to the troops on subjects selected by us. Trg classes have been started on various subjects connected
		with A tk work and cinemas and shows with a dance now and again provide off-duty recreation. We have managed to acquire band instruments and now have a
		Regimental Dance Band.

Page 2 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	7	Weather very windy, accompanied shortly after breakfast by a violent hail storm.
		The CRA visited the Regt, arriving just before Lunch, and spending some time afterwards walking round to see the men and look at the normal work in progress.

	8	Regimental Hockey Team played Div Sigs this afternoon and won 3 - 0.
		Topsecret orders received for a move probably on 11 and recce parties from 4 CDN Armd Div, arrived in our present area to recce for their occupation
		of it.

	9	260 Bty ordered to move in the afternoon to the area at present occupied by the remainder of the Regt. The move was completed by dark. At 2130 hrs
		mov order received from HQRA for the moves of 15 LAA Regt and ourselves who are moving as Regt Gps. Regt Mov Order is attached to this Diary.

	10	Regt moved at 1300 hrs in accordance with Regt Mov Order. WT silence made
		control very difficult, and the last stages of the move were carried out in darkness on minor rds with many bends and turns. Most of the Regt was in the
		new area at 2200 hrs and missing vehs continued to arrive during the night. Locations :- Ref Map BELGIUM and NE FRANCE Series Sheet 4 - MAESEYCK)
		BREE Area. RHQ 513856 257 560846
		258 520873 259 550846
		260 533846
		RHQ billet in a margarine factory, and a flour mill. All personnel are under cover and the electric light is working.
		Capt DG PAGE RA, Tech Adjt returned from hospital.

Page 3 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	11	WT Silence continues. Lines were laid to all Btys. 259 Bty is to come under comd 131 Bde, and moved during the afternoon to 649867. One Tp of this
		Bty is to relieve the A tk guns belonging to 53 (w) Div A tk Regt RA. The other two Tps are also occupying posns.

	12	An OO was received today and gives the Army plan in great detail and covers
		the future ops of several Corps. BCs were each shown the order, but infm is not to be passed at present.

	13	OO covering the part to be played by this Div received. So far as we
		are concerned, 3 Tps of 257 Bty and 1 Tp (3" SP) from 258 Bty will be engaged from H + 30 to H + 90 indirect fire in sp 131 Bde. The object of this op
		is to capture the lock gates at PANHEEL 699875 intact, so as to prevent the
		enemy blowing thom and so draining the canal. Floating brs further NORTH are an integral part of the big plan, and these would be rendered useless if the canal were dried out.

	14	CO held an orders gp at 259 HQ at 0930 hrs. All BCs and the Adjt were in attendance. H Hour is timed for 1615 hrs today, WT silence having broken at
		1400 hrs. The 3 Tps of 257 and 1 Tp of 258 occupied their posns for their shoot during the morning. The op started according to plan and at 1650 hrs,
		the code word WADI, meaning the lock gates have been captured intact was passed. RHQ remains present locn, and CO is establishing a TAC HQ consisting
		of himself only in a Jeep, at 259 Bty HQ.

	15	During the shoot yesterday, 257 experienced the alarming number of 48 misfires out of a total of 332 rds 17 pr fired. This morning the Amn Examiner from Div
		HQ visited the Regt to inspect the dud amn, and the EME inspected the guns. It is thought that the cause is the amn since firing mechanisms were changed as
		many as three times during the shoot and also because the primers had in most cases been struck fairly, setting the cap off, but failing to ignite the gun powder.

Page 4 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	15	At 1800 hrs CO visited the CRA to discuss an SP A tk questionnire recently
		forwarded to the Regt. Each BC has submitted his answer which the CO has consolidated.

	16	The IOO from Corps visited the Regt to examine the misfired amn. As yet,
		no conclusions are fully reached, but the cause may possibly be weak firing springs.

	17	Weather wet and cold. Nothing of interest to report today.

	18	Regt played Div Sigs at football today and won 3 - 0.
		Two men of the Regt were this afternoon apprehended in BREE in a dirty condition and not properly dressed. Unfortunately, it was the Div Comd who
		picked them up, and he sent them to HQRA for personal inspection by the CRA. It turned out that both these men had been reported in their Bty as absent
		without leave from mid-day today. However, the CRA addressed all Offrs, WOs and NCOs of the Regt at 1830 hrs and made an extremely cutting and very severe
		talk. He has placed a one week restriction on the Regt to prevent anyone leaving his billet except on duty.

	19	2 IC addressed RHQ personnel on the CRA's visit last night and the RSM then
		took them on redrilling with particular attention to saluting.

	20,	At 1430 hrs the Div Education talked to RHQ Min HQ on "Pre-vocational Education in the Army, after the cessation of active operations." The talk
		was of considerable interest as was evidenced by the vdume of questions asked. At 1800 hrs, a debate in RHQ was held - "Strikes are permissable in Wartime"
		A number of speakers contributed to a very instructive and entertaining 1 1/4 hrs but the motion was defeated by a large majority.
		2 3/44 G.H.Q.P.P. 160M

Page 5 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	21	Weather wet and very cold as it has been for some days. Nothing of interest for record today.

	22	A WO II from the AEC gave RHQ a lecture during the afternoon on "The
		new Educational Bill." At 1800 hrs RHQ had a discussion on "Should co-education be introduced in a new Education Bill." (It was decided that it should).

	23	Still raining. Nothing to report.

	24	RHQ had a lecture by the Div Education Offr on "How Britain is governed."
		Weather still most unpleasant.

	25	Improvement in weather conditions, greeted by large numbers of our aircraft
		flying over. and bright.

	26	Weather again crisp and bright. The ban imposed on the Regt by the CRA on 18 is lifted as from Reveille today.

	27	New GOC Div addressed offrs at 1000 hrs. 50% of the Regt attended.
		257 and 259 Btys today tested all their 17-prs in view of the large number of misfires experienced on 15 Nov. Each gun fired 3 rds HE and 3 rds AP.
		A few misfires were still experienced.

	28	258 and 260 Btys today fired their 17-prs for testing purposes as did 257 and 159 yesterday.
		At 1530 hrs the CO held a conference on impending move of the Div. At 1100 hrs, the C-in-C 21 Army Gp - Fd Marshal MONTGOMERY presented
		ribbons to offrs and ORs of the Regt who had received awards in this theatre of operations. Maj JJ BARCLAY, MC, RA and LT A AYLING MC RA both received
		the ribbon of the MC. The Regt supplied a squad of 3 Offrs and 20 ORs to parade for the occasion.

Page 6 of 6

Place	Date	Summary of Events and Information
Field	29	Tactical recce parties from each Bty went to recce the new area to which
		the Regt will move to relieve the Gds Armd Div in GERMANY. At 1000 hrs the GOC Div (Gen LYNE) addressed the remaining 50% of the
		offrs from the Regt (vide entry in the Diary for 27 Nov).

	30	Capt DA HUGGONS (Adjt) Maj RA WOLLEY (OC 259) and Lt J CRICK left for 48 hrs leave in BRUSSELS. CRA visited the Regt, spending the day touring Btys.
		Orders were received from HQRA that 259 Bty would move tomorrow to a posn about 5 miles SW of their present one to a leaguer area.
		Lt SMITH (LO 259 Bty) was wounded in the Ieg while on a visit to 131 Bde Main. The HQ was shelled slightly, in consequence of which the Bde moved
		back a mile or so. Cfn WHITE, DR of LAD was buried at 24 CCS. He died as the result of a rd
		accident the day previous. Capt PD BALFOUR RA returned from a 2-day trip from REIMS with 115
		bottles of champagne.

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War Diary: 65th Norfolk Yeomanry Regiment

Month and year: November 1944

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