10th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry, War Diary October 1942

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 October 1942

The Battalion 7-a-side Rugby Team beat 187 Field Ambulance and the Royal Artillery teams in the Brigade Inter-Unit Competition.

3rd October 1942

The Battalion Soccer Team drew 1 – 1 with the Hallamshires at a match in LEOMINSTER.

4th October 1942

Lieut. A Robertson took over the duties of Battalion Transport Officer (Battalion Orders 1091 of 4/10/1942).

5th October 1942

Winter training started with Cadre Courses, Battle Drill and Weapon Training.

7th October 1942

A Lecture was given in the Hood Camp NAAFI by Mr Butler for Officers and Sergeants in the Brigade. (In the Battalion War Diary the subject matter of the talk is deleted but it is known from the Brigade HQ Diary that the topic was evading capture by the enemy and that Mr Butler was probably from M.I.9).

8th October 1942

The Battalion held a 3 ½ mile Cross-Country Run.

10th October 1942

The Battalion Rugby team lost 22 – 12 to Felsted College at ROSS-ON-WYE.

11th October 1942

The Battalion Soccer team lost to the 11th Battalion Team by one goal to nil on the KINGTON PARK football ground.

15th October 1942

The G.O.C. inspected the general conditions of the Camp.

The Battalion held a longer Cross-Country Run – this time of five miles.

17th October 1942

A Conference for Intelligence Officers and Sergeants from the Division was held at WHITNEY COURT.

20th October 1942

A new Draft of 35 men received from the Brancepeth Infantry Training Centre.

Training films were shown at the KINGTON Cinema.

21st October 1942

The Officers played the Cooks at Soccer and lost three goals to two.

There was a Dance held for all Ranks at Burton Hall, KINGTON.

22nd October 1942

Major R.W. Wilkinson left the Battalion to take up the post of Regimental Major within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers at MILL HILL near London.

The Battalion held another Cross-Country Run of 3 ½ miles.

26th October 1942

A Concert was given in the NAAFI by the Norton Follies.

27th October 1942

There was a repeat performance by the Norton Follies.

28th October 1942

The following Soccer matches took place with the results as follows:-

10th DLI 4 – Royal Artillery units 3

Officers NIL – Corporals 1

Sergeants 2 – Cooks 2.

31st October 1942

The Intelligence Officers and Sergeants from the 49th Division attended a conference at Divisional HQ.

The Advance Party left for the new Brigade location.

The following members of 10th Battalion, DLI, played in the Brigade Rugby Team which lost to 146th Infantry Brigade at HEREFORD:-

Major T.G. Wilkinson

Captain P. Dickinson

Lieut. A.E. Carroll

Sgt Loyn

Acting Sgt Macdonald

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