August 1944

 

August 1944

Unit: 703 Art Wks Coy RE

Commanding Officer: C. I. Pennington Major RE

Landing Craft Infantry (Large): LCI(L)  dailysignal.com

 

Place	Date	Hour	Summary
West Wickham	1		All bomb-damage works discontinued. Company employed on packing of QM stores, loading up vehicles, personal packing and cleaning up of billets.
“	2		Road convoy – Lt. Ashton & 27 ORs with all unit vehicles depart 0700 hours for marshalling area. Marching party i.e. remainder of company.  5 Officers & 219 ORs, Major Pennington in charge. Entrain at Hayes at 1030 hrs – arriving Newhaven 1400 hours
Newhaven	3		Company at Denton Camp Newhaven – under canvas. Recreational training & exchange of clothing carried out.
“	4		Recreational Training.
“	5		Marshalling stores drawn in morning. Coy embarked at Newhaven 1400 hours in two L.C.I.s[i]. Major Pennington & Capt Hawey appointed O.C.Troops. Put to sea at 1900 hrs. Smooth crossing in ideal calm weather – no incident. A.F.s.W.3008 & W.3009A(RE) attached.
Arromanches	6		Disembarked at Arromanches 0800 hours. Remain at No 60 Base. Transit Camp all day. Move out in TCVs[ii]. (eight number) at 2130 hours. Arrive in orchard at Abbaye Mondaye at 0015 hours & bivouac. Feeding on 24 hour pack.
Abbaye Mondaye	7		Company engaged on settling in. Construction of two man bivouacs – improvisation of section cookhouses.
“	8		do.                                   do.
“	9		Lt. Ashton and transport arrive intact at 1000 hrs. Offloading of vehicles & improvisation of store tents & [?] of camouflage put in hand. Major Pennington visits HQ. 5 LofC and HQ. 4 LofC Tps Engrs.
“	10		Major Pennington attends Coy Cdrs. Conference at Bernières Chateau. Arrangements made for starting road work. Section Officers out on road recce.
“	11		Nos 2,3&4 Sections start work on Jérusalem - La Senaudière[iii] road. No 1 Section engaged in collection of stone & delivery to site. Working hours 0730-1230 and 1600-2100, (10 hrs daily).
“	12		Works continue. No tools or plant or materials other than Coy G.1098 [?] & local resources available. Therefore progress very slow and work unsatisfactory – such repairs mainly pot holing as are carried out can only be regarded as a temporary expedient. Army Forms W.3008 and W.3009A(RE) attached.
“	13		Sunday. Normal works. Working hours amended – 0730 to 1730 hours.
“	14		Coy. on roadwork.
“	15		Coy. on roadwork. Arrangements made to hand over length of road from La Senaudière to Folliot tp 804 Road Construction Coy.
“	16		Coy. on roadwork from Jérusalem to Folliot[iv]. Heavy rain at 2100 hrs. Half the coy. bivouacs washed out – men accommodated in barns and stables for the night.
“	17		Coy. on roadwork. Grey limestone from La Masse quarry found unsuitable for roadstone after heavy rain. Major Pennington recce’s quarries at Les Gunes[?], Fronquaye[?] and Esquay sur Seulles.
“	18		Coy. on roadworks. Warning received from Adjt.RE. 4LofC that Coy will move to a new location at or near 4 E.B.W.
“	19		Coy. on works. Major Pennington visits Major McKissack R.E. O.C. 4 EB.W. at Nonant to discuss works and accommodation.
“	20		Sunday. Coy. on Works. No 25 Area Commondant Capt Farmer has no knowledge of suitable accommodation near Nonant – orchard at M.R. 820760[v] selected as temporary location & reported by Major Pennington to HQ 4 LofC Tps. Engrs. Army forms W.3008 & W.3009A. attached.
“	21		Heavy rain all day. Work continues on pitching and ditching. Authority given by 5 LofC for rum issue to men working or accommodated in exposed conditions.
“	22		Coy. on works. Movement instructions received at CRE’s conference 1930 hrs.
“	23		Coy. move in unit transport to orchard Nonant MR. 820760. Major Pennington reports to Lt. Col. Phipps. ADES[vi] Mech Equip & Spares for works instructions.
Nonant	24		Nos. 1&2 Sections start work at 0800 hrs at Plant Park of 882 Mech Equip Park Coy. 5 ESBD[vii]
“	25		No 4 Section starts work at 4 E.B.W. Lt. Westerman & No 3 Section move in unit transport to 180 Wkshop & Park Coy. at Bayeux
“	26		All Sections on works. Major Pennington proposes lighting scheme for officers and stores huts at Mech Equip Spares Park. 5 ESBD. Army forms W.3008 & W.3009A.(RE) attached.
“	27		Sunday. Company on works.
“	28		Coy. on works. Notification sent from HQ 5 LofC that Coy. comes under command of CRE 5 LofC Tps Engrs.
“	29		Coy. on works. Capt Hawey appointed unit PAD again since Lt. Westerman now on detachment.
“	30		Coy. on works. Visit by Lt. Col. D.J.Edwards RE CRE 5 LofC Tps Engrs.
“	31		Coy. on works. First issue of tents 160 lbs G.S. received on scale[?] of 20 per A.W. Coy. Distributed 4 tents per section.

 

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[i] Landing Craft Infantry

[ii] Troop Cargo Vehicle

[iii] Two places 5 km apart, c. 10 km S. of Bayeux. Road now the D33.

[iv] Between Jérusalem and La Senaudière

[v] 300 m SW of the Chateau de Damigny https://www.chateaudamigny.fr/en/

[vi] Assistant Director of Engineer Services[?]

[vii] Engineer Stores Base Depot

Appendix 2