National Archive Reference: WO 171/921
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Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 0600 | Bty non-operational from 0900 to 1100 hrs to enable troops to have baths. | |
Church service at 1130 hrs. BC, 2 i/c, and Trp Cmdrs on recce during afternoon for gun posns. Bty being in Div Reserve may have to do one of | |||
three tasks - (1) protect field gun area (2) support 131 (Q) Bde lending depth to their posns (3) defend L of C on Veghel - Uden - Mistelrode road. | |||
Bty lay-out was sited on ground roughly in area of Rukven 4345 and 4344. Weather:- some rain but mainly fine. | |||
2nd | 0600 | Further recce by BC and Trp Cdrs in morning to co-ordinate Trp gun posns. | |
Still in Div Reserve. Posns will not be taken up unless enemy counter-attack imminent. Weather:- Fine, cold. | |||
3rd | 0600 | "K" Trp, u/c 257 Bty, ordered to be part of a Task force to take ever from | |
U.S. Paratroops in area of Heeswijk 4341. Trp posns recced and Trp moved into leaguer area in afternoon. BC recced possible enemy OPs on our front | |||
to be destroyed but none were found within range. Weather:- Fine, cold. | |||
4th | 0600 | Lt. FW Brown took over "L" Trp, Capt PD Balfour reverting to BHQ. BC accompanied CRA, CO and BC 257 Bty on inspection of A.tk layout of the | |
area which included 257, 260 Btys and 1/6 and 1/7 Queens gun posns. Weather:- Fine, cold. | |||
5th | 0600 | "L" Trp had a shoot for GRA. Moved out of Bty area night 4/5th and moved | |
to gun area - 422445 - at 0530 hrs. Target was Church at Doornhoek (386446) Range tried between 3600 yds and 3800 yds. The extreme range made accurate | |||
hitting difficult. A fire was started in front of the Church preventing its use for the day as an OP and some damage done to steeple. | |||
Weather: Fine, cold. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
---|---|---|---|
6th | 0600 | BC and CO visited gun layout of A.B.C. posns. 2 i/c visited "K" Trp | |
in Heeswijk area and inspected gun posns. BC took "J" Trp out on Trp training in afternoon. Weather:- Fine. | |||
7th | 0600 | "J" and "L" Trps on trp training. Lt. Brown recced in front of FDLs to see | |
if further firing at shorter range was possible on Doornhoek Church but found enemy too near to reasonably bring guns any nearer than the 3800 yds | |||
in the FDLs. Report presented to CO in afternoon. | |||
8th | 0600 | "L" Trp had shoot against Church & Steeple OP at Doornhoek (386446). This was a diversion to distract attention from 8 Hussars raid on Middlerode (4043) | |
"L" Trp opened fire at 1345 hrs for half-an-hour claiming 90% hits at 3800 yds Enemy retaliated with mortar fire towards end of shoot. Weather:- Fine. | |||
9th | 0600 | Lecture by Education Officer to Bty in morning. BC attend CO's conference | |
at 1700 hrs. "K" Trp relieved by "J" Trp at last light. "K" Trp returned to Bty concentration area. Weather:- Fine. | |||
10th | 0600 | BG visited in "J" Trp in new posns at Dinther. BG took "L" Trp on Trp exercise | |
at 0830 hrs. CO gave lecture to Officers and NCOs of "K" & "L" Trps on new drill and deployment for SP A.tk when supporting infantry. | |||
Weather:- Heavy rain all day. | |||
11th | 0600 | Trp exercise for "L" Trp at 0830 hrs. Many useful lessons learned. "K" Trp on maintenance. Weather:- Fine, rain at night. | |
12th | 0600 | Div.Catering Adviser visited Bty. "K" Trp on maintenance. "L" Trp on Trp Scheme. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
---|---|---|---|
13th | 0600 | "K" Trp on exercise from 0800 to 1200 hrs, object of exercise to train Nos.1 | |
in cross country movement and deployment. At 1700 hrs one gun of "J" Trp fired on house at Heeswijk (423409) which had been reported as an enemy | |||
amn dump, gun was fired from 425413. Results not entirely satisfactory as only the roof was visible, the walls being hidden by treas and canal | |||
embankment. 15 rds AP hit the house but the HE appeared to burst amongst the apple trees owing to the sensitive nature of the fuse. Whilst returning | |||
from this shoot Capt JA Hill, 2 i/c Bty. was accidentally killed. | |||
14th | 0600 | Capt JA Hill was buried in Dinther Church Yard in morning. No activity of any sort. "L" Trp relieved "J" Trp at 1800 hrs. | |
Weather:- Fine, warm. | |||
15th | 0600 | No activity of any sort. M.10s radiators filled with Anti-freeze mixture. | |
16th | 0600 | No activity of any sort. | |
17th | 0600 | During night 16/17 1/5 Queens staged a series of harrassing shoots with | |
all types of weapons, in which 3 RHA joined, to test enemy reaction. This was slight after 90 minutes. Enemy DF fire came down in area of Heeswijk. | |||
18th | 0600 | 1/6 Queens relieved 1/7 Queens. 258 Bty came under cmd 131 Bde and one trp | |
of this Bty relieved "L" Trp at last light. | |||
19th | 0600 | Nothing to report. | |
20th | 0600 | Nothing to report. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
---|---|---|---|
21st | 0600 | Preparations made for 131 Bde attack to aline 2 miles short of 'S Hertogenbosch | |
Bty remains in Div. Reserve. 1 sec "J" Trp moved at 1600 hrs to house at 427447 to move to firing posn at first light on 22nd to engage Doornhook | |||
Church Tower to prevent it being used as an OP. Attack in 3 phases - Phase I. 1/7 Queens attack onto Middelrode area at 0630 hrs. on completion | |||
of phase I 1/5 Queens attack to Doornhoek area 3844 - Phase III 1/5 and 1/6 Queens onto final objective Berlikum Sanatorium de Loofert 365472 | |||
22nd | 0600 | Zero hour for attack was 0630 hrs. counter-battery fire having been fired | |
from 0200 hrs by Div. Arty. It was soon evident that enemy arty was not very strong although 1/7 Queens were fairly heavily shelled in area | |||
Middelrode. Sec. of "J" Trp opened fire in very bad visibility on Doornhoek at 0745 hrs. A number of hits were scored and subsequently a fire was | |||
started and the smoke obscured the tgt. Firing ceased and was not started again until 1500 hrs when 5 RHA reported the tower being used as an OP. | |||
More hits were scored and another fire started. At 1515 hrs firing was again stopped as own tps were approaching Doornhoek. | |||
23rd | 0600 | See "J" Trp returned to Bty, | |
24th | 0600 | Preperations made for the forthcoming battle. "K" Trp left Bty at 1230 hrs | |
to join "G" Bty 5 RHA. Major JH Boag MC., RA was called away to attend a FGCM and Maj. JJ Barclay MC - 2 i/c took cmd of Bty. Battery | |||
less "K" Trp moved to area 453367 for the night. Lt.R. Knowles and 3 ORs posted to Bty. | |||
25th | 0600 | "J" Trp came u/c 8 Hussars. "L" Trg in reserve with RTR group. A very unexciting day. BHQ tac established for night at 344395. |
Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events and Information |
---|---|---|---|
26th | 0600 | "L" Trp moved up to area 328371. BHQ Tac moved to Helvoirt (267415) and | |
"L" Trp moved with them. For the purpose of guarding Helvoirt during the night "L" Trp came under command 1/7 Queens, reverting to Bty cmd next | |||
morning. | |||
27th | 0600 | Tac and "L" Trp moved up to Udenhout (198383) where "L" Trp took up posns round Tac Bde. BHQ Tac established for night at 202380. | |
28th | 0600 | "J" Trp left 8 Hussars and came under cmd 1/6 Queens. "K" Troop had a shoot | |
at Church tower at 156398 which was a suspected OP. Shoot was very successful, 36 hits being scored out of 37 shots. "J" Trp again came under | |||
cmd 8 Hussars at 1145 hrs. "K" Trp came under Bty cmd at 1630 hrs. BHQ Tac "K" and "L" Trps moved to Heikant (165354) and spent night there. | |||
29th | 0600 | "J" Trp deployed in area 144383 and given tasks to the West and | |
South. "K" and "E" Trps moved to area 132353 for the night. | |||
30th | 0600 | "L" Trp joined 1/7 Queens at first light. BHQ Tac moved to area 071419 | |
where night was spent with "K" Troop. "L" Troop, with 1/7 Queens, were in area 035423 and "J" Troop at Dongen 067396. Major JH Boag, MC RA returned | |||
to Bty and took over cmd of Bty at 1630 hrs. 2 i/c returned to Heikant to reserve billets for Bty. | |||
31st | 0600 | "J" and "L" Trps came under cmd Bty at 0800 hrs. Bty moved to Heikant | |
(168357) arriving at 1000 hrs and settled into billets. |