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The collection of the prisoners and their despatch to the rear took rather a long time so the CO decided to take a risk over the remainder of the drive in order to complete the whole operation without further delay. B Company were passed through A onto the track, with orders to push right on, keeping direction from the road on their right flank. Advanced Battalion HQ would follow them up and would move along the road itself.

The risk was fully justified because the final stages turned out to be an anti-climax. There was no further opposition but, instead, a captain of the 5rd Brigade was waiting, with some impatience, at the objective. This captain conducted the CO to his Brigade HQ, which was in a large house some half a mile up the road. While they were on their way however Brigadier Poett, who was never very far behind the leading troops, came up the newly opened road in his deep and the whole party continued the journey on wheels.

This meeting of the two Brigadiers was a great event, but no time was wasted on dramatics. Each told the other the locations of his own troops and a plan for the link up was reached. The battalion was to remain where it was at the moment but was to include the dis- placed wood in its locality and thus not as a firm link between the two Brigades.

The remainder of the battalion, less C Company who were still needed in Le Bas de Ranville, was brought up and suitable positions were occupied in what was always known as the Le Mesnil position.

About this time it became painfully obvious that the original plan for the relief of the 6th Airborne Division would have to be modified and that the holding of the bridgehead would continue for much longer than had been expected. The relief division was at a disadvantage in the bocage country of Normandy and would take a certain time to get accustomed to it, but until they did the division, and with it the battalion, would remain in Normandy.

No excitement occurred in the Le Mesnil position but there was an unfortunate incident which resulted in Lieut Thomas being wounded,, by one of his own sentries, as he was returning to his area, in the dark, after receiving orders at Battalion HQ. He was hit in the arm and had to be evacuated.

No battalion ever stays long in a sector where nothing happens and on 13th June orders were received to relieve a unit of the Airlanding Brigade in the village of Herouvillette This unit had recently repulsed a sharp attack, supported by tanks, and was now due for a rest.

The defence of Herouvillette was complicated by the presence of numerous additional arms which, at first, seemed to be working to their own plans. They were duly incorporated in the defence plan but were never actually put under command.

The previous attack had been launched from the direction of Escoville and it seemed more than likely that any further attack would come from the same direction; it was by far the most suit- able from the German viewpoint.

A Company under Lieut Parrish, was kept right out of the defence scheme and retained as a striking force under the CO's hand for use when required. The locations of the battalion are belt shown on the sketch map.