War Diary 756th Field Company, Royal Engineers, January 1944
1 – 31 January 1944 GALSTON.
Training as per Appendices 50 – 54. See Appendices attached to the War Diary. Not all the Appendices were photographed during the research visit to Kew, or were missing from the War Diary file. See details below.
1 January 1944
Field Returns of Officers and Other Ranks completed and attached to the War Diary. For details see below.
1 – 5 January 1944
1 Platoon stationed at ROTHESAY under command 6th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment for Combined Operations Training at KILBRIDE etc.
2 Platoon at TIGHNABRUICH repairing defences at KILBRIDE, BLINDMANS BAY and MILLHOUSE.
3 Platoon at DUNBLANE under command 7th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment for training at 49 Division Assault School.
6 – 25 January 1944
1 Platoon at TIGHNABRUICH repairing defences.
6 – 11 January 1944
50% of 2 Platoon at DUNBLANE under command 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers. 50% on leave.
6 – 13 January 1944
3 Platoon at ROTHESAY under command 7th Duke of Wellington’s Regiment for Battalion Group Combined Operations Training.
16 January 1944
Company less 1 Platoon move by road with 147 Infantry Brigade on Exercise ASTONIA, staging at CARLISLE, DONCASTER and LUTTERWORTH. Arrived at new location on 19th January 1944.
24 – 31 January 1944 TAVERHAM CAMP.
Each Platoon provided Instructors and ran a series of two-day courses in Mines, Booby Traps, Bangalores etc for its affiliated Battalion.
2 – 24 January 1944
Lieutenant Brown attended Second-in-Command Course at School of Military Engineering, Ripon.
17 – 23 January 1944
Major Grimsdell attended Commanding Officers’ Mines Course at School of Military Engineering, Ripon.
Appendices attached to the January 1944 War Diary of 756th Field Company, Royal Engineers.
Field Return of Officers, dated 1 January 1944.
This Return showed a full complement of Company Officers of 7 against the War Establishment of 7 (One Major, one Captain and five Lieutenants). During the preceding week Lieutenant Gander had been posted to 19 C.R.E. Works on 26 December 1943, while Lieutenant G G Drew had been posted to the Company from C.R.E. 49 Division (though the date of posting was shown as 28 October 1943 – this may be because the Division had only just adopted the requirement to complete these manpower returns).
The second page of the Return listed the Officers as follows:-
Temporary Major James Roland Grimsdell 94442.
Temporary Captain Tom Swain Pryce 151510.
Lieutenant David Oglesby 232108.
Lieutenant John Mower Alexander Paterson 222690.
Lieutenant Roy Brown 177362.
Lieutenant Geoffrey Hatfield Harris 265431.
Lieutenant Gordon George Drew 277774.
Field Return of Other Ranks dated 1 January 1944.
This return showed a complement of 246 men against the War Establishment of 249, leaving a shortfall of two Corporals and one Sapper. Three men were on Home Details but not included in the strength total.
No other Appendices were photographed at Kew, or had been omitted from the original War Diary file.
To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - click here.
