508th Field Park Company, Royal Engineers, War Diary March 1940

1 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company Parade. Training continues. Working Parties to Gosforth Park 9th RNF. 14:00 hours Pay Parade. 17:00 hours. 25% of Company on weekend leave.

2 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company Parade. Interior economy. 11:00 hours. Route March under Sgt Crombie. 14:00 hours. Company dismissed until 23:00 hours.

3 March 1940

09:30 hours. Church Parade under 2/Lt Bligh. 508th Field Park Company take over Crown Works, Pallion, Sunderland. Bridging section under Sgt Jenkins transferred to Sunderland. Officer i/c 2/Lt Wood. 16:00 hours. Pioneer Course for other units, 4 weeks duration. Personnel arrive at Sunderland.

4 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company Parade. Training continued. Working Party to Gosforth Park 9th RNF.

5 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company Parade, Training continues.

6 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company Parade, Training continues. 14:00 hours. Bath parade.

7 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Working party to Park Lane Goods Station, Gateshead to unload 17 ½ tons of F.B.E. equipment, Reccy boats etc and transport same to Drill Hall with unit lorries.

8 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Remainder of stores collected at Gateshead Goods Station. 11:00 hours. Pay parade, Sunderland for Bridging Section. 14:00 hours. Pay parade, Jarrow, for Pool personnel. 15:30 hours. Pay parade, Drill Hall.

9 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Information received from Headquarters of imminent move south. Engineer services now cease and company prepares to move. One third of personnel here and at Jarrow given 7 days embarkation leave.

10 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade for checking purposes. No Church Parade. Personnel other than duty men dismissed until 23:00 hours. Office staff very busy checking accounts etc.

11 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Quartermaster’s stores being checked by personnel not on leave.

12 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Working party to Gateshead Goods Station to collect 2 E.and L. sets and accessories. Quartermaster stores checking continued.

13 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Owing to the number of men on leave all personnel remaining absorbed into routine duties at Drill Hall. 2/Lt Reid from OCTU Shorncliffe, reported to CRE for duty and attached to HQ for a few days.

14 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. 2/Lt Scott, M.T. Sgt Brown, 1 L/Cpl M.T. and 9 drivers i/c proceeded to Ordnance, Catterick to inspect and collect 10 W.D. cars intended for this unit. Owing to the bad conditions of the vehicles 2/Lt Scott decided they were unroadworthy and returned without them. F.B.E. stores collected from Pallion, Sunderland and delivered to this Drill Hall.

15 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Routine duties with personnel available continued. 15:00 hours. Pay Parade.

16 March 1940

08:30 hours. Company parade. Routine duties with personnel available continued. 14:00 hours. Company dismissed until 23:00 hours. 13:30 hours. Military funeral of Sgt Bruce, 506th Company R.E. at Jarrow attended by senior NCO’s of 508th Company and 2/Lt Scott, with Militia intake at Jarrow, very good show. Service performed by Captain Pritchard.

17 March 1940

09:30 hours. Church Parade under 2/Lt Bligh. 11:00 hours. Company dismissed until 23:00 hours.

18 March 1940