War Diary: 2nd Battalion The Cheshire Regiment

Month and year: May 1944

The 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiments May 1944 war diary covers the units time in the UK based at Hursley, Winchester taking part in exercise Fabius

National Archive Reference: WO 171/1276

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Page 1 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices

			Original War Diary of the 2nd Bn The Cheshire Regt
			for the month of May 1944.

			During the whole of this period the Bn was under
			command of Lt. Col. S. V. Keeling D.S.O.

			Under operational command of (50th Northumbrian)
			Division

Page 2 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley	1st	0630	Reveille.
Winchester		1045	Capt. Winney returns to the Bn and is attached but surplus to W.E.
			He has been doing the job of Camp Commandant at Advance H.Q. 50th (N)
			division at Weymouth.
		1100	Major Mellor O.C. "B" Company leaves to take part in Exercise "Fabius".
			All Coys on Exercise "Fabius".
	2nd.	0630	Reveille. N.T.R. Quiet Day. All companies on Exercise "Fabius".
	3rd,	0630	Reveille. N.T.R. Quiet Day. " " " " "
	4th.	0630	Reveille.
		1400	Adjt and L.O. to Divisional H.Q. re Exercise "Fabius".
		1630	" " " return.
			N.T.R. Quiet Day. All Coys on Exercise "Fabius".
	5th	0630	Reveille, N.T.R. Quiet Day. All Coys on Exercise "Fabius".
	6th	0630	Reveille. " " " " " " " "
	7th	0630	Reveille. " " " " " " " "

Page 3 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	8th.	0630	Reveille.
Winchester.		0930	Adjt and L.O. to 56 Bde re Planning.
		1130	" " " return
		1200	C.O. and 2/i/c recce Field Firing areas.
		1300	" " " return.
			Adjutant proceeded on leave.
	9th.	0630	Reveille,
		1000	I.O. to Divisional H.Q. to see D.A.A.G.
		1300	I.O. returns.
		1430	Training Conference. C.O. 2/i/c and all Coy Comdrs attend.
		1600	Conference ends.
	10th.	0630	Reveille,
		0945	C.O. and 2 /i/c proceed to Cranborne to Recce Cranboren Field Firing Area
			for proposed Company Exercise.
		1300	C.O. and 2/i/c return.

Page 4 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	11th	0630	Reveille,
Winchester		0945	C.O. and 2/i/c proceed to Small Arms School at Netheravon re Mortar
			Firing and Training. Then proceed to recce Cranborne Field Firing Area.
		1400	C.O. and 2/i/c return.
		1945	Lecture by Captain Godfrey Buxton on "H.M. The King's Call to The Bible"
			Officers from all Coys attend.
		2010	Lecture ends.
			Bn M.T. personnel very busy waterproofing vehicles under the supervision
			of the M.T.O. and Lieut Walkinshaw. The Technical Adjutant.
	12th	0630	Reveille.
		1000	Conference of O.C. Coys re Training and the War Establishment.
			Subject of replacement of Deficiencies is brought up. It seems absolutely
			impossible to replace the specialist personnel required to bring the Coys
			up to strength. Rangetakers - Dvr Ops - Dvr Mechs seem to be the trouble.
		1300	Conference ends.

Page 5 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	13th	0630	Reveille.
Winchester,		1000	2/i/c leaves for London to find 21st Army Group Headquarters re subject
			of replacements. Things are really in desparate straits.
		1030	C.O. to recce area for Wireless Exercise tomorrow.
		1300	C.O. returns, having found a suitable area.
			Bn still very busy waterproofing and practising loading of vehicles.
			The 'I' Truck seems to be grossly overloaded as usually.
	14th.	0630	Reveille.
		0915	Tac H.Q, leaves to take part in the Wireless Exercise which all Coys are
			attending,
		1310	Exercise finishes.
			The Exercise was a complete success so far as the wireless communication
			part was concerned perfect hearing and receiving was recorded the whole
			time .
	15th	0630	Reveille.

Page 6 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information	References to Appendices
Hursley.	15th	0930	Company Commanders Conference re the Permanent File, deficiencies of
Winchester			personnel etc. 2/i/c obtained the promise of 5 Drvr Ops from 2nd Echelon.
		1130	Conference ends.
			Quiet Day. Nothing of Special interest to report. The Bn M.T. staff are
			still working all hours of the day and night waterproofing their vehicles.
	16th	0630	Reveille.
		0930	L.O. to Divisional H.Q. re Planning for OVERLORD.
		1130	L.O. returns.
			Quiet Day. N.T.R.
	17th.	0630	Reveille,
			Quiet Day. L.O. and Adjt are now engaged solely on Planning for Exercise
			Overlord. The Adjutant's job has now descended on the shoulders of the I.O.
	18th	0630	Reveille.
		1000	Company Commanders Conference re Administration for Exercise OVERLORD.
			Admin Order No.1 is issued to all Comapny Commanders.	Copy attached.

Page 7 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	18th	1230	Conference ends.
Winchester.		1715	The Commanding Officer leaves for Divisional H.Q. to attend a conference
			by the Acting Divisional Commander on Discipline, turnout and alertness.
		2015	C.O. returns.
	19th.	0630	Reveille.
		1100	Adjutant and L.O. to Divisional H.Q. re Planning and waterproofing of Bn
			Vehicles.
		1300	Adjt and L.O. return.
			Special team of R.E.M.E. personnel arrived this afternoon to assist the
			Bn M.T. staff in the welding on of brackets for the metal shields on the
			sides of the carriers. Team works throughout the day and night to get
			the work done in time.
	20th	0630	Reveille.
		0830	C.O leaves for Conference at 231 Bde H.Q,
		1300	C.O. returns.

Page 8 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	20th.		All residue personnel move off to various camps according to the day
Winchester			on which they are due to leave for the invasion. D + 6 personnel to
			Toothill D + 11 and others to Bustard Camp, Larkhill. Only one or two
			essential personnel are left at Hursley Camp, Winchester i.e. Tac H.Q.
			composed of the C.O. I.O. and 8 O.R's plus the Adjutant L.O. S.O. and
			Orderly Room Sgt.
	21st	0700	Reveille.
		0900	C.O. and I.O. visit 231 Bde H.Q. at Cadland House for the purpose of
			going through the various phases and detail of planning for the forthcoming
			invasion. Map and model room in the Bde H.Q. is very well organised
			and set up enabling one to see the entire countryside of the area on which
			the landing is taking place.
		1330	C.O. and I.O. leave 231 Bde H.Q. and proceed to Main 50 (N) Div H.Q.
		1500	C.O. and I.O. return to Tac H.Q.

Page 9 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	22nd	0630	Reveille.
Winchester		0930	L.O. to 56 Bde H.Q and then on to Div H.Q. re Landing Tables for 56 Bde
			and Tac H.Q. 2 Cheshire.
		1230	L.O. returns.
			Quiet Day. N.T.R. I.O. very busy marking Bogus maps for briefing purposes.
	23rd	0630	Reveille,
		1400	Coy Comdrs Conference re absentees, planing for OVERLORD and general
			subjects including the inevitable one of replacement of casualties.
			The replacement of these casualties is still very bad it is absolutely
			impossible to get replacements for tradesman such as Rangetakers, Dvr Ops
			Dvr Mechs and even M.G. Sgts. The situation is rapidly becoming serious.
		1500	Conference ends.
			Quiet Day.
	24th	0630	Reveille,
		1300	C.O. leaves for a conference at Divisional H.Q. re absenteeism, which is

Page 10 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	24th (cont)		becoming more prevalent just now. The majority of absenteeism is only of
Winchester			2 or 3 days duration, most of the men taking a last opportunity to see
			their wives and families.
		1700	C.O. returns.
	25th	0630	Reveille.
		2100	Notice received from Camp Staff that all surplus personnel must be clear
			of the camp by 0001 hrs tonight as the Camp is going to be sealed.
			A hurried frenzy of packing immediately starts.
		2230	Surplus personnel leave for Toothill. Only Tac H.Q. now remains at Hursley.
	26th	0630	Reveille.
			Camp is now sealed owing to the majority of the personnel being briefed.
			Quiet day Nothing of interest to report.
	27th	0630	Reveille,
		1000	Briefing of D.Coy Pln Cmdr and Counter Mortar Officer takes place.
		1100	Coy Comdrs conference re absentees - planning - reinforcements etc.

Page 11 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	28th	0630	Reveille,
Winchester		0915	C.O. and Major Martin O.C. "A" Company attend 8th Armd Bde Briefing
		0420	Conference at this Camp.
		1230	Conference ends.
			Quiet Day N.T.R. Final packing taking place. Check of Tac H.Q. Loading
			list takes place.
	29th.	0630	Reveille.
		0900	C.O. visits all coys to give a talk on the Divisional Comdrs conference.
		1330	C.O. returns.
		2030	Briefing Conference at Tac H.Q. for members of Tac H.Q. and 13 Pln "D" Coy
			which has now moved into Hursley Camp as its final concentration area.
		2130	Briefing Conference ends.
			Tac H.Q. packed and ready to move tomorrow morning at 0740 hrs.
			Proceeding from Concentration Area to Marshalling Area.

Page 12 of 12

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Events and Information
Hursley.	30th	0500	Reveille.
Winchester.		0740	Tac H.Q. passed Start Point.
		0820	Tac H.Q. arrives at Camp C-15, Broadlands.
			Tac H.Q. 15 cwt is rather heavily loaded considerable adjustment of kit is
			necessary. Remainder of day spent in settling in in the new Camp, we are
			likely to be here for 3 - 4 days.
	31st	0630	Reveille,
			Quiet Day. N.T.R. Tac HQ is now awaiting the word go.

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War Diary: 2nd Battalion The Cheshire Regiment

Month and year: May 1944

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