1st Tyneside Scottish May 1944

5th May 1944

First day of Inter-Platoon competition. Each rifle platoon competed in May on a programme including; a point to point march, mine-clearing, patrols, grenade throwing, map reading etc. 15 Platoon (commanded by Lt D C Wallace) won the competition.

6th May 1944

The weekly Strength State of the Battalion was completed and a copy filed with the War Diary as Appendix A – for further details see below.

8th May 1944

The Battalion Soccer XI won the 49th Division final, beating the Hallamshire Battalion (of 146th Brigade) XI.

13th May 1944

The weekly Strength State of the Battalion was completed and a copy filed with the War Diary as Appendix B – for further details see below.

13th – 16th May 1944

Exercise “SHISHAH” took place. This was a four-day Divisional exercise to practice the Division in its role of follow-up Division by working out a drill for landing and moving to a concentration area for troops and vehicles. No detailed information appears to have been filed about this exercise – possibly for reasons of security at the time.

20th May 1944

The weekly Strength State of the Battalion was completed and a copy filed with the War Diary as Appendix C – for further details see below.

27th May 1944

The weekly Strength State of the Battalion was completed and a copy filed with the War Diary as Appendix D – for further details see below.

An address was given by the Divisional Commander, Major General E H Barker, to all ranks of the Brigade in a hangar at KNETTISHALL Airfield. He talked of the role of 49th Division in near future operations.

30th May 1944

Col De Winton in a talk he gave to all troops passed on a message from Gen Montgomery.

Appendices attached to the 1st Tyneside Scottish War Diary of May 1944.

Appendix A – Weekly Returns of Manpower as at 6th May 1944

This Return shows the following Officers being posted away from the Battalion on 6th May – the copy was difficult to read but they were probably posted to a reinforcement pool:-

Keith

Shinwell

Oglesby

Bolton

Wilson

As regards Other Ranks, the 6 May 1944 Return has reverted to excluding the 1st reinforcements from the War Establishment figures, leaving a strength of 825 against the War Establishment of 815, with 20 surplus and 10 reinforcements still required.

The Returns also regularly identify particular soldiers whose return to the Battalion is particularly requested – these seem to be Z Reservists, or may be hospital cases.

9 Other Ranks are shown on the Returns as “attached” but are listed as “reinforcements” – all from the Black Watch.

Appendix B – Weekly Returns of Manpower as at 13th May 1944

This Return shows Lt Shinwell as an “attached” Officer in the role of Officer i/c Home Details from 6th May 1944.

Appendix C – Weekly Returns of Manpower as at 20th May 1944.

No changes are shown other than those already noted.

Appendix D – Weekly Returns of Manpower as at 27th May 1944.

This Return shows an additional “CANLOAN” Officer arriving at the Battalion:–

T/Capt Gelston R J, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment of Canada) joined from 12.5.1944 on transfer from 10th DLI, to be a Duty Officer with D Coy.

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