Difference between revisions of "10th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, War Diary March 1941"

From 70 Brigade
Jump to: navigation, search
(Created page with " To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - [mailto:70brigade@newmp.org.uk click here].")
 
Line 1: Line 1:
 +
For a more complete picture of activity this War Diary should be read in conjunction with the 70th Infantry Brigade War Diary for the same month.
  
 +
 +
1st March 1941
 +
 +
 +
The cost of the fire damage at BORDEYRI was estimated at £30,000. 
 +
 +
The villagers depended entirely on the refrigeration plant and the Co-op Store – both of which buildings had been destroyed. 
 +
 +
 +
The cause appeared to have been the rafters in the chimney of the billet catching fire. 
 +
 +
 +
BLONDUOS had some 4 to 5 feet of snow.  Men stationed there carried a sack of coal each from the village – “like porters on an Arctic expedition” to heat their accommodation.
 +
 +
 +
4th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
A 50-man fatigue party dug out a trench linking the lake to the Power Station – working in three tiers in snow 20 feet deep.
 +
 +
 +
5th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
The Inter-Brigade relief of forces was completed.    The 10th Battalion DLI was to be relieved by 1st /5th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment once the weather conditions permitted the interchange to take place.  As a result, the 10th Battalion DLI temporarily came under the command of 147 Brigade.
 +
 +
 +
6th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
 +
The supply of electricity was restored to BLONDUOS.  Fatigue parties were still battling the weather to maintain the Camps and the flow of supplies.
 +
 +
 +
7th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
A second ENSA Concert Party arrived – left for the north on 8th March and returned to give another show on 10th March.  (A surviving Veteran Carrier Driver – based at BLONDUOS at this time – claimed that he and his colleagues never saw any of the entertainment groups during their stay in that Camp, and maintained that position even when this element of the War Diary was drawn to his attention).
 +
 +
 +
8th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
Heavy rain began falling and a thaw started.  Even Icelandic lorries were finding the roads impassable.  The use of transport was restricted inside camp due to the damage caused to roads and tracks in the prevailing weather conditions.
 +
 +
 +
19th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
 +
A Field General Court Martial tried 4453520 Pte Conlin J. for offences under the Army Act.  (The War Diary gives no detail of the alleged offences, nor the result of the Court Martial).
 +
 +
 +
20th March 1941
 +
 +
 +
A Sherry Party was given for the local inhabitants by the Battalion.  (Discussions with local Library staff in BORGANES – mounting a local photographic history exhibition – suggest that relationships between the Brigade’s troops and the local population at these locations were reasonable.  Mention has already been made of the high regard the local Icelanders had for Cpl Lowes – Section Commander at the SKAGASTROND post).
 +
 +
 +
The weather had turned cold again, with a heavy frost.
  
  
 
To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - [mailto:70brigade@newmp.org.uk click here].
 
To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - [mailto:70brigade@newmp.org.uk click here].

Revision as of 15:56, 26 September 2012

For a more complete picture of activity this War Diary should be read in conjunction with the 70th Infantry Brigade War Diary for the same month.


1st March 1941


The cost of the fire damage at BORDEYRI was estimated at £30,000.

The villagers depended entirely on the refrigeration plant and the Co-op Store – both of which buildings had been destroyed.


The cause appeared to have been the rafters in the chimney of the billet catching fire.


BLONDUOS had some 4 to 5 feet of snow. Men stationed there carried a sack of coal each from the village – “like porters on an Arctic expedition” to heat their accommodation.


4th March 1941


A 50-man fatigue party dug out a trench linking the lake to the Power Station – working in three tiers in snow 20 feet deep.


5th March 1941


The Inter-Brigade relief of forces was completed. The 10th Battalion DLI was to be relieved by 1st /5th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment once the weather conditions permitted the interchange to take place. As a result, the 10th Battalion DLI temporarily came under the command of 147 Brigade.


6th March 1941


The supply of electricity was restored to BLONDUOS. Fatigue parties were still battling the weather to maintain the Camps and the flow of supplies.


7th March 1941


A second ENSA Concert Party arrived – left for the north on 8th March and returned to give another show on 10th March. (A surviving Veteran Carrier Driver – based at BLONDUOS at this time – claimed that he and his colleagues never saw any of the entertainment groups during their stay in that Camp, and maintained that position even when this element of the War Diary was drawn to his attention).


8th March 1941


Heavy rain began falling and a thaw started. Even Icelandic lorries were finding the roads impassable. The use of transport was restricted inside camp due to the damage caused to roads and tracks in the prevailing weather conditions.


19th March 1941


A Field General Court Martial tried 4453520 Pte Conlin J. for offences under the Army Act. (The War Diary gives no detail of the alleged offences, nor the result of the Court Martial).


20th March 1941


A Sherry Party was given for the local inhabitants by the Battalion. (Discussions with local Library staff in BORGANES – mounting a local photographic history exhibition – suggest that relationships between the Brigade’s troops and the local population at these locations were reasonable. Mention has already been made of the high regard the local Icelanders had for Cpl Lowes – Section Commander at the SKAGASTROND post).


The weather had turned cold again, with a heavy frost.


To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - click here.

Retrieved from "http://70brigade.newmp.org.uk/w/index.php?title=10th_Battalion,_The_Durham_Light_Infantry,_War_Diary_March_1941&oldid=5041"