289th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers, War Diary March 1943

1 March 1943 Penn Wood, Amersham.

06:30 hours. Reveille.

08:00 hours. Works Parade – Deception Gear. Maintenance of Bridging Equipment and Vehicle Maintenance.

08:15 hours. No. 9 Light Aid Detachment leave to attend to D.E.L. Set at HQ, 49 Division.

10:00 hours. Major D’Abo and Captain Chadwick, Officers of Deception Unit arrive. Demonstration and instruction given in erection of deception gear.

13:30 hours. Officer Commanding to Commandant Royal Engineers’ “O” Group. Points:-

(1) Army Code List to be destroyed.

(2) No posting of letters in civilian boxes.

(3) Weapon pits commenced for whole Company. Platoon locations sited by Officer Commanding and Second-in-Command.

(4) Confirmation of start of Exercise “SPARTAN”.

18:00 hours. Officer Commanding held “O” Group to pass on above points.

19:45 hours. Work on Weapon Pits ceased.

23:59 hours. Consolidated vehicle availability return and strength return to HQRE. (Copies not included in the file).

7290 Major H J B Ness, HQ, North Western District, attached to this unit for purposes of umpire on Exercise SPARTAN.

2 March 1943

07:00 hours. Stand-to for 15 minutes at Action Stations.

08:00 hours. Works Parade – continue work on weapon slits. Motor Transport maintenance. Workshops on deception gear.

12:00 hours. Umpire – Major H J B Ness arrives.

13:30 hours. Works – vehicles away for petrol – 1st Line reserve completed of one tin per vehicle.

15:45 hours. Commandant Royal Engineers arrives in Camp Area – conference with Company Commander.

17:30 hours. Work continues on Mock-up Tanks.

19:00 hours. Stand-to for 15 minutes.

23:45 hours. Company Stand-to practice – time taken for complete positions – 12 minutes.

3 March 1943

07:05 hours. Stand-to.

09:00 Company Parade.

17:00 hours. Officer Commanding Company to Haddenham for preliminary recce with Lt Arthur.

19:00 hours. Assault Boats delivered to Infantry Brigades. Stand-to for 35 minutes.

2193764. Passed trade test as Fitter at REME Command Workshops, Burscough, Lancashire. Awaiting transfer to REME.

4 March 1943

03:45 hours. Reveille.

04:50 hours. Vehicles lined up to move off.

07:15 hours. Haddenham 187277/105 – 1" Company arrives New Location. Anti-Aircraft and ground defence sited – vehicles well dispersed and camouflaged.

08:20 hours. Breakfast – work continued digging weapon slits and defence works. Wiring stores dump taken over.

16:00 hours. Officer Commanding’s “O” Group.

19:00 hours. Stand-to. All positions manned for 30 minutes.

5 March 1943

06:40 hours. Adjutant and Field Engineer 2, 49 Division Royal Engineers, arrive Company location – latest situation incorporated on Company intelligence map.

06:45 hours. Stand to.

08:00 hours. Company Parade.

11:30 hours. Officer Commanding returns from Commandant Royal Engineers’ “O” Group. Information of breakthrough of enemy in direction East of Reading. 147 Brigade sent to reinforce ? Brigade at this penetration.

19:15 hours. Stand –to.

21:10 hours. Lt R W Saunders and 1 3-ton lorry with 15 Assault Boats sent off to report to 11th DLI.

6 March 1943

02:00 hours. 1 Section S.B.G. (Steel Bridge Girder) despatched to 757 Field Company, Royal Engineers at bridge Clifton Humber (992153).

11:30 hours. S.B.G. returns from 757 Field Company, Royal Engineers.

14:00 hours. Officer Commanding to C.R.E’s “O” Group.

17:20 hours. Officer Commanding’s “O” Group. Company to move to area Waddesden Manor. Dump to be prepared for demolition and destruction. Lt Arthur to form Advance Party and move at once.

19:15 hours. Company formed up and move off. Two men left behind to form guides for 5 Equipment Lorries expected and Petrol Wagon.

20:15 hours. Arrived Harbour Area 185367. Ground defence sited. Vehicles filled with petrol – supper served.

7 March 1943 Waddesden Manor.

06:45 hours. Stand-to for ½ hour.

09:00 hours. Company Parade – troops proceed with digging in.

11:15 hours. S.B.G. (Steel Box Girder) 1 Section to 756 Field Company, Royal Engineers at THAME to enable Company to retire – existing bridge having been demolished.

12:15 hours. 12 Assault Boats despatched to 70th Infantry Brigade.

17:25 hours. Officer Commanding to C.R.E’s “O” Group.

19:15 hours. Company Stand-to for ½ hour. 14212126 admitted to Cowley Road E.M.S. Hospital.

8 March 1943

06:45 hours. Stand-to.

10:30 hours. Advance Party move off to New Location. Park House 4449.

12:00 hours. Company moves off by independent groups to new location.

14:00 hours. Park House 4449 Sheet 95 – 1”. Company arrives New Location. Ground and Anti-Aircraft protection sited.

15:15 hours. All Company employed digging weapon slits.

19:30 hours. Stand-to for ½ hour. No contact possible with HQRE.

9 March 1943

06:30 hours. Stand-to for ½ hour.

08:30 hours. Work Parade – work continues on weapon slits – drivers employed on maintenance.

13:40 hours. Lt Arthur and Lt Saunders return from recce of area with a view to local materials. This information passed on to HQRE.

18:00 hours. Officer Commanding and Major Grimsdell report to 757 Field Company to co-ordinate action in view of apparently grave position – no information of location of HQRE.

21:00 hours. Officer Commanding returns from conference. Major Fraser assumes Acting Commandant Royal Engineers and all orders now come direct through II Corps. This Company ordered to collect 4,000 mines from POTTON Dump.

22:45 hours. Second-in-Command and Loading Party leave for POTTON to collect mines.

10 March 1943

07:15 hours. Anti-Tank Mines (4,000) arrive at Company HQ.

10:00 hours. Location of Divisional HQ now established at Battlesden 408488.

13:25 hours. Divisional instruction for Anti-Tank Mines received.

19:00 hours. RASC deliver and offload 6 explosives lorries at Park House.

2114925. Posted to this unit from “Y” List.

1884992. Completed Course at School of Military Engineering, Chatham and passed trade test as Plumber and Pipefitter Class B II.

2017738. Completed Course as Welder at No. 22 (North West London) Technical Training Group and passed trade test as Welder (Acetylene) Class B III.

11 March 1943

00:30 hours. Officer Commanding returns from “O” Group. Company to move to Battlesden Park and form forward Forward Defence Lines on Watling Street – North West of Hockliffe.

03:00 hours. Company moves off in convoy to new location – Officer Commanding on ahead to recce area of site defensive positions.

03:45 hours. Company arrives Battlesden Park 401484.

06:30 hours. Temporary positions manned.

06:00 hours. Work commenced digging in.

08:30 hours. Message received from C.R.E. – despatch 1 set S.B.G. for Guards Armoured Brigade – location in St Albans area. Lt Saunders leaves in command of this equipment, after confirmation has been received at 11:10 hours.

09:30 hours. C.R.E. visits Company – also contacts 93 Field Company in order to blow Hockliffe Bridge.

10:35 hours. Company attacked by six Spitfires – defensive action taken.

11:10 hours. Information received 294 Field Company RE in contact with forward elements of enemy.

12:30 hours. Fighters attack Company location.

15:00 hours. 289 Field Park Company R.E. now under command of 146 Brigade and to be withdrawn into reserve area Hundreds Farm 3752. Hallamshire Regiment to take over Company positions.

16:05 hours. Officer Commanding returns from “O” Group 146 Brigade. Infantry Company now to move to area Stocks Grove 3649. Lt Arthur despatched to recce this new harbour area.

19:00 hours. Battleden Park. Lt Saunders returns to Company location having contacted 33 Guards Brigade at St Albans. Company equipment not required.

19:15 hours. Company moves to new location.

19:45 hours. Stocks Grove 369489/95 – 1”. Company arrive new location – defensive positions sited – Bridging Platoon occupying forward positions left front. Workshops and Field Stores occupying high ground right of road forward. Company HQ and HQ Platoon right of road 200 yards in rear – reserve platoon. All positions manned, one man per position being always on guard.

12 March 1943

06:30 hours. Stand-to for ½ hour.

08:40 hours. Officer Commanding reports to his Commanding Officer at Force HQ.

08:58 hours. Officer Commanding returns with information – enemy reported 1 ½ miles from Company HQ. All ranks Stand-to. Road blocks across road. Lt Saunders sent forward to recce forward localities astride Fox Corner.

09:30 hours. Lieutenant Colonel de B??, Lincolnshire Battalion Commander, Force Command, reports personally to Company HQ “Cease Fire”.

12:10 hours. Stocks Grove. G.O.C. 49 Division visits unit and congratulates Company on part it played in exercise.

13:20 hours. Second-in-Command leaves to visit all areas occupied by Company to check any damages. Troops rested in afternoon, all trenches filled and harbour area cleaned up.

13 March 1943

09:00 hours. Company Parade, inspection, drivers dismissed to vehicles, sappers to equipment maintenance.

09:10 hours. Captain W O Davies returns to Stourbridge as Advance Party to make administrative arrangements for return of Company.

10:30 hours. Orders for disposal of F.B.E. (Folding Boat Equipment) to Witham received.

14:15 hours. Company out on Route March.

14 March 1943

07:30 hours. Reveille. Morning devoted to conservancy and talk to troops about exercise.

12:45 hours. Divisional R.E. assembly area Woburn Park preparatory to return to Stourbridge.

15:00 hours. Company moves to new location.

15:25 hours. Woburn Park 417528/95 – 1 “. Company arrives new location.

15 March 1943

05:45 hours. Reveille.

08:18 hours. Convoy moves off for move back to home station.

17:05 hours. Company arrives back at Stourbridge.

16 March 1943 Stourbridge.

All vehicles maintained, equipment off-loaded and maintenance carried out.

17 March 1943

Lt Arthur granted 10 days’ leave.

2121349. Posted to this unit from “Y” List.

Company employed – normal duties.

22 March 1943

Range Practice Kingsbury for 49 Division RE Inter-Company Challenge Cup.

25 March 1943

Rifle Meeting between Companies in Divisional R.E. held. This unit’s results poor.

29 March 1943

2121135. Passed trade test for Clerk Group III b.

31 March 1943

Lt R W Saunders granted 13 days’ leave.

Company training limited to one route march and one four-mile cross-country run per week.

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