War Diary 757th Field Company, Royal Engineers, May 1944
1 May 1944 BECCLES.
Weather. Sunny.
All Platoons on 50 foot Double Single Bailey practice.
2 May 1944
Weather. Fine.
All Platoons on Bailey and conservancy for G.o.C’s inspection.
3 May 1944
All Platoons on conservancy and Drill for G.o.C. inspection.
4 May 1944
All Platoons on conservancy and Drill for G.o.C. inspection. All Platoons practise Bailey Bridge.
5 May 1944
All Platoons on Dress Rehearsal for G.o.C. inspection.
6 May 1944
G.o.C. inspects Company. No. 1 Platoon give P.T. demonstration. No. 2 Platoon build 70 foot Double Single. No. 3 Platoon build rope bridge.
Field Return of Other Ranks – for details see below.
7 May 1944
All Platoons on conservancy of billets and vehicles.
8 May 1944
All Platoons practise 70 foot Double Single Bailey Bridge for Inter-Company Competition.
9 May 1944
All Platoons build 70 foot Double Single Bailey Bridge in Inter-Company competition. No. 1 Platoon in 21 minutes 50 seconds, No. 2 Platoon in 23 minutes 23 seconds and No. 3 Platoon in 24 minutes 10 seconds, which are 1st, 2nd and 4th of Divisional Royal Engineers respectively.
10 May 1944
All Officers on Cloth Model Exercise at Brigade HQ in connection with Exercise SHISHAH.
11 May 1944
All Platoons on checking G1098, re-garnishing nets, test loading vehicles and general administration.
12 May 1944
All Platoons loading vehicles and briefing for Exercise SHISHAH.
13 May 1944
All Company on Exercise SHISHAH.
14 May 1944
All Company on Exercise SHISHAH.
15 May 1944
All Company on Exercise SHISHAH.
16 May 1944 BECCLES.
All Company return to unit location from Exercise SHISHAH.
17 May 1944
All Platoons unloading vehicles and doing general administration.
18 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and cleaning stores.
19 May 1944
All Platoons painting and modifying vehicles.
20 May 1944
Whole Company proceed to YARMOUTH for lecture by G.o.C.
21 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and commence waterproofing.
22 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing.
23 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing.
24 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing. All Officers have Signal Training in afternoon.
25 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing.
26 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing.
27 May 1944
All Platoons modifying vehicles and waterproofing.
28 May 1944
Commander Royal Engineers presents Inter-Company Shield for 1943-44 to Company in morning.
29 May 1944
All Platoons complete loading and waterproofing of vehicles.
30 May 1944
All Platoons on conservancy and repair of billets.
31 May 1944
All Platoons on grenade throwing and Platoon administration.
Appendices attached to the May 1944 War Diary.
Field Return of Other Ranks dated 6th May 1944.
This Return shows a complement of 248 men against the revised War Establishment of 249 men, with one soldier on strength surplus to requirements and a deficiency of two Corporals. From an earlier Return it is possible that those two vacancies were being retained for men temporarily away from the unit.
According to research by Major Thompson some photographs of the Company have been traced to Ashman's Hall, in Suffolk.
Images of Ashman's Ha;; are set out below. Major Thompson has also provided some additional names for inclusion in the Personnel List, drawn from Company specific documents - hopefully these will be able to be enhanced to make complete Personal Pages at some time in the future.
To contact the author by e-mail with any queries, or to send information - click here.
