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| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmarket | Jan 1 | 0900 | Newly joined officers are posted to Btys as follows :- |
| 2/Lieut V.T. BOTHERWAY - 107 Bty 2/Lieut J.H. GRUNDY - 99 Bty 2/Lieut T.F. VANDERPUMP - 289 Bty | |||
| 2 | 1730 | Adjutant attends a meeting at Newmarket Golf Links. The club are giving 80 of our men a smoking concert on Saturday 8th January. | |
| 3 | 0730 | C.O. (Lieut.Col. A.K. Matthews) proceeds to School of Artillery, Larkhill to, obtain the latest information about A.TK. practise in England. CO.2 | |
| (Major D.J. COWEN) Assumes command of the regiment. | |||
| 1000 | Adjutant (Capt C.S. SPENCE, R.A. ) attends a conference at H.Q.R.A. | ||
| 50 (Northumbrian) Division on "Tactical Signs to be employed in the Div. Artillery" In fact, this only concerned the Field Arty. except for the | |||
| size of the squares on which the signs will be placed. | |||
| 2300 | A gunner, 785754 Gnr JACKSON, T. is fataly injured on the main road | ||
| outside R.H.Q. | |||
| 4 | 0100 | Mobilization Date. We are complete except for a few items of G. 1098 equipment :- first line ammunition and camouflage apparatus, and 65 | |
| tradesmen. Most of this large deficiency is caused by a sudden jump in the number of Driver Mechanics held on W.E. - 79. | |||
| 5 | 1000 | C.O. 2 (Major D.J. COWEN) attends a discussion at Divisional H.Q. - Subject | |
| "Co-operation between tanks and Infantry". | |||
| 1400 | A representative from the Records Department visits the unit to discuss any | ||
| points which have arisen during mobilization. | |||
| 1430 | Major G.R. BALFOUR, M.C. and Lieut (Q.M.) R.F. HUTCHINSON, R.A. meet the | ||
| Deputy Director of Mobilization at Cambridge, together with representatives of the other Artillery units in the Division. Deficiencies of personnel | |||
| and equipment are discussed but no sort of action would appear to be ensuing. |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmarket | Jan 6 | 1100 | S.A.Q.C. (Lieut Col. F.N. Drake-Digby, T.D., D.L.) visits the regiment to discuss accommodation. We got an additional hut for the DULLINGHAM (M. 0877) |
| and the chance of some accommodation for the L.A.D. at STETCHWORTH (M. 0978) | |||
| 7 | 1000 | 13 Bren Carriers arrive by rail. We have had no tracked vehicles before and some trouble is experienced driving them from the station. | |
| 8. | 1730 | 2/Lieut R.E. TONGUE R.A. and 2/Lieut G.W. DETMAUR R.A. report having been posted from 125 O.C.T.U. | |
| 1800 | Newmarket Golf Club give a smoking concert in the Golf House to 80 men of the regiment. This is a great success and much appreciated. | ||
| 9 | 0900 | 2/Lieut R.E. TONGUE posted to 99 Battery. 2/Lieut G.W. DETMAUR posted to 288 Battery. | |
| 1100 | 4 bren carriers arrive by rail . This completes our establishment of | ||
| Recce vehicles. Major D.J. COWEN leaves to attend a Security Course at the School of Military Intelligence | |||
| 10 | Capt G.W. DUNKERLEY, M.C. and Capt. J.C. GAYE are detailed to attend an Anti-Tank Course at the School of Artillery LARKHILL. | ||
| 1800 | Notification received that the visit of the M.G.R.A., 21 Army Group, which | ||
| was to take place tomorrow, will not know take place. | |||
| 11 | 1000 | Major R.G.. Browne-Swinburne as acting C.O. attends a lecture at FELIXSTONE given by the B.R.A. Eastern Command on "Post War Planning of the R.A. | |
| Benevolent Fund". | |||
| 1800 | Information received from H.Q.R.A. 50 (Northumbrian) Division that the | ||
| Carden Lloyd tracked Gun towers will be despatched to the regiment on 13 Jan These are for 6-prs. |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEWMARKET | Jan 12 | All 6-prs are inspected by a Warrant Officer from Eastern Command Workshops. A modification is necessary on all carriages. | |
| 13 | 1900 | Major D.J. COVEN returns from Security Course and re-assumes command. | |
| 14 | 1000 | Major R.A. BARNETT, (O.C. 107 Battery) attends a TEWT with 9 D.L.I. Subject "Co-operation of Tanks with Infantry" | |
| 1400 | Posting orders are received for 4 officers to join the unit from 125 O.C.T.U. | ||
| 15 | 0900 | Lieut W.S. BRAMELD R.A. goes to the anti-tank ranges at HARLECH to inspect and report. This is the range we shall use on our 3-monthly practise which | |
| takes place in March. During the day Batteries make thorough tests to ascertain the capabilities | |||
| of the New Morris 4 X 4 tower of the 17-prs. General impression is that they are better than Field Artillery "Quads" but suffer from having no Winch gear | |||
| 16 | 0900 | Lieut K.L. GENTLEMAN joins a Gas Course at the Army Gas School, WINTERBOURNE GUNNERS. | |
| Lieut P.G. O'NEILL, R.A. joins an M.T. Course at the R.A.M.T. School RHYL. | |||
| 17 | 0900 | 12 Drivers proceed to 22 A.TK. Tng Regt., R.A., SHOEBURYNESS to attend a course on Lloyd Carriers. | |
| 21 Lloyd Carriers arrive by rail. | |||
| C.O. (Lieut Col. A .K. MATTHEWS ,RA) rejoins the regiment and assumes command. | |||
| 18 | Capt J.C. GAYE and Capt G.W. DUNKERLEY M.C. leave to attend an anti-tank Course at the School of Artillery, LARKHILL. |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEWMARKET | Jan 20 | 1800 | A special D.R. from H.Q. 30 Corps arrives with a new W.E. for A. Tk. Btys |
| Comments are required by HQRA 30 Corps on the proposed establishment which will give one troop 6-prs and 2 troops 17 prs. The establishment of vehicles | |||
| is better than our present W.E. but the introduction of another troop of 17-prs at the expense of 6-prs is not approved of. | |||
| 21 | 1000 | Capt J.K. - BOAG attends a T.E.W.T. with 8 D.L.I. Subject :- | |
| (a) "Composition of the advance Guard" (b) "First Contact with the enemy | |||
| 22 | 1400 | We receive a War Office Urgent Memorandum. The 4 Btys of the regt are de-mobilized and will mobilize at a latter date on a new W.E. and a new G. 1098. | |
| 23 | 1000 | C.O. (Lieut Col. A.K. MATTHEWS R.A.) leaves to attend a short course at the C.T.C. LARGS, Ayrshire. | |
| 24 | Divisional I.G. visits the regt. In the absence of the C.O. few technical questions are put. | ||
| 26 | Acting C.O. (Major D.J. COWEN) visits the two Batteries (99 and 107 Btys) who are stationed at DULLINGHAM (0876) | ||
| 27 | 1000 | CRA 50 (Northumbrian) Division (Brig, C.H. NORTON, O.B.E., D.S.O.) | |
| telephones the acting C.O.. We are to despatch 1 officer and 4 Senior NCO's on a course to study the M.10, which is a self-propelled anti-tank gun. | |||
| Further details cannot be passed over the telephone. |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEWMARKET | Jan 28 | 1000 | Major J.N. BARDSLEY, R.A. attends an umpires conference at H.Q. 50 (N) Div He is senior R.A. umpire on Divisional Signal Exercise taking place on |
| 3 Feb 44. The regiment is not involved. | |||
| 1045 | An urgent message from H.Q.R.A. Acting C.O. to visit C.R.A. immediately. | ||
| 1500 | Acting C.O. returns. Our new W.E. is to be 4 Btys each of 2 troops 6-pr | ||
| guns and 1 troop M.10 S.P. guns. The neighbouring Division (49 Div) have their anti-tank regiment mobilized | |||
| on this establishment and they will give assistance in training drivers to to drive tracked S.P. mountings. | |||
| 1700 | Captain J.C. GAYE and Capt G.W. DUNKERLEY, M.C. return from School of Arty. Many new ideas. | ||
| 29 | 0900 | Acting C.O. and C.R.A. visit 49 Division to obtain information about the new W.E. | |
| 1 Officer and 4 N.C.O's join Lloyd Carrier Course at R.A.M.T. School RHYL. | |||
| 1 Officer and 4 N.C.O's Join M.10 course at R.A.M.T. School RHYL. Major G.R. BALFOUR, M.C. (O.C. 288 Bty) joins B.C.s M.T. course at R.A.M.T. | |||
| School RHYL. | |||
| 1045 | Adjutant (Capt C.S. SPENCE, R.A.) attends an Adjutants conference at | ||
| H.Q. 50 (Northumbrian) Division. 21 Army Group of which this Division forms a part, are visiting all units | |||
| and all O.R's are to be tested by a selection committee. The object of this test is to enable accurate documentation to be made at GHQ 2nd Echelon, | |||
| 21 Army Group of-mens' capabilities, in order that, when they leave their units or are re-classified medically, suitable employment may be found. | |||
| 30 | 1000 | New Officers are posted to Batteries as follows :- 2/Lieut W.H. ASHWORTH, - 99 Bty 2/Lieut R. MASKEW - 107 Bty | |
| 2/Lieut C. PACKHAM, - 288 Bty Lieut 2/Lieut R.H. GARNER - 289 Bty |
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEWMARKET | Jan 30 | 1030 | BCs conference at R.H.Q. Subject :- (i) "The impending visit of Col. H. SIDNEY, D.S.O. and the |
| arrangements to be made" (ii) "The new W.E. " | |||
| 31 | 1600 | Major KENYON, Instructor of Gunnery (Anti-tank),2nd Army. arrives. He is attached to this unit for one week. |
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