WO 171/1258 - 3 Scots Guards - September 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 3 Scots Guards
Month and Year: September 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer:

Place	Date	Summary
FRANCE	1	Second-in-Command inspected ‘B’ vehicles of H.Q. Squadron
	1	Five 3-tonners left to carry forward 25-pounder ammunition for 3 BRITISH INFANTRY DIVISION.
	2	Commanding Officer inspected ‘B’ vehicles of Right Flank.
	2	Information concerning own forward troops very scarce.
	3	Church Parade 1000 hours.
	3	Search parties left to look for Captain & Quartermaster W.J. DORMAN, M.B.E., and Captain C.E. PRING, R.E.M.E., who had been missing since 1 September.
	3	Information was brought back that they had both been killed in a motor accident.
	3	Lieutenant H.E. BROWN arrived from 161 Forward Delivery Squadron R.A.C. to act as Quartermaster.
	3	More 3-tonners left for Army and Corps second and third line tasks.
	4	A Memorial Service for Captain DORMAN and Captain PRING was held at 1800 hours.
	4	Commander, 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE was among those who attended.
	5	Battalion Drill Parade.
	6	Commanding Officer inspected HONEY tanks and Scout Cars of Recce Troop.
	7	Battalion started to move forward towards River SEINE.
	7	Tracked vehicles left at 0630 hours and staged the night at 420405.
	7	Wheeled vehicles left at 2000 hours and drove through the night.
	8	Wheeled vehicles arrived at R 030810 during the morning.
	9	Tracked vehicles left again at 1000 hours and reached R 030810 at 1630 hours.
	10	Church Service at 1000 hours.
	10	Commanding Officer 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE visited Battalion.
	11	Nothing to report.
	12	Battalion started to move across River SEINE, in groups of 20 vehicles, starting at 0715 hours.
	12	All had arrived at new location 374995 by 1730 hours.
	13	Two Germans who had been hiding in the wooded country nearby were captured.
	14	The band of H.M. LIFE GUARDS gave a performance in the Battalion area.
	14	There was an ENSA Concert at FLEURY.
	14	Recce patrols searched the surrounding woods for Germans with no success.
	15-16	Nothing to report.
	17	Left Flank had a dance at LES ANDELYS.
	18	A young N.C.O.’s Drill Class started and lasted one week.
	18	Recreational transport was run to ROUEN.
	19	Captain R.C.G. PEMBER left the Battalion on attachment to TAC H.Q. SECOND ARMY as personal Liaison Officer to Army Commander.
	19	Lieutenant M. LAW was attached for a week to H.Q. 6 GUARDS TANK BRIGADE as Staff Learner.
	19	Lieutenant A.G. LAING was appointed Second-in-Command Recce Troop and Lieutenant J. WILSON attached to ‘S’ Squadron.
	19	Lieutenant C.J.R. DUFFIN was appointed Intelligence Officer.
	20	Nothing to report.
	21	An armed party from Right Flank went to search nearby woods after a report that 20 Germans were in hiding in a cave. No signs of them were seen.
	21	A French deserter from the German Army was located at RADEPONT.
	22	Battalion Drill Parade under Second-in-Command.
	22	The Band of H.M. LIFE GUARDS attended.
	22	M54 (airburst) ammunition was tried out at a range at NOMILLY-SUR-ANDELLE.
	23	Nothing to report.
	24	Church of Scotland Service at 1000 hours.
	24	Church of England Service 1100 hours.
	24	Serjeants Mess Dance at ETRPAGNY at 2000 hours.
	25	Advance Parties left to recce new areas.
	25	Major the Earl CATHCART
	25	Captain C.S.R. GRAHAM and
	25	Captain P.E.G. BALFOUR
	25	left for attachment to H.Q. 8 CORPS for 3 days.
	25	’S’ Squadron dance at LES ANDELYS at 2000 hours.
	26	Preparation for move.
	26	Tanks started loading onto transports.
	27	Wheeled vehicles left at 0800 hours.
	27	They arrived 13 km North of CAMBRAI at 1730 hours and there staged the night.
	27	Transporter column left 4 hours late owing to a breakdown in a narrow road.
	27	They spent the night in area DOUCHY.
	27	It was made known that the destination was GELDROP in HOLLAND.
	28	Wheeled vehicles left at 0900 hours and arrived at GELDROP by 2100 hours.
	28	Tank transporters spent night near BRAIN LE COMTE.
	29	Transporters, having gone through BRUSSELS, unloaded at the ALBERT Canal, and the tanks went on on their tracks, arriving at GELDROP at 2100 hours.
	30	More tanks, whose transporters had broken down on the long journey, arrived in batches in the Battalion area.

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Source: WW2Talk.com.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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