I am looking to find out more about this unit. I know that they were with the Guards Armoured Division during Op. Market Garden. I scrolled down and I saw that no one has posted anything on them before. Or didn't I go back far enough?
Using the Google search on the portal page of this site I find 23 mentions. May not be what you are looking for but some are about Market Garden. Mike
John, I don't think there is a war diary for this unit at Kew. I've come across a couple of signals from them to Gds Armd Div HQRE at beginning of Market Garden which might help: Source: WO171/381 War Diary HQRE Guards Armoured Division – Jan – Sep 44 September 1944 Appx J7 Message Form: C2136 From: 615 Date/Time of Origin: 16 1900B To: REHQ Intrep 48. Sqn Locn 356931. Sqn employed as follows:- 1 Troop. Practice on dry land with Assault Boat A/Tk gun raft. Maint’ce of MT + Equipt. 2 Troop + 3 Troop. Maint’ce of MT + Equipt. 3 Troop completed clearance of CL HECHTEL to Br 354961 of wrecked vehicles. 4 carpenters, 2 from each of 1 and 2 Troops began work on Operations Room Vehcile for G1. Appx J10 Message Form: C2136 From: 615 Date/Time of Origin: 17 1915A To: REHQ Intrep 49. Sqn Locn 356931. 1 Tp 391912. Sqn prepared loaded and ready to join in 32 Bde Gp coln. 1 Troop with 1 CL 5 raft unit and 2 Assault Boat Units + 3 tippers, joined 1 WG this morning. 1 Armd D.7. at Sqn loc’n ready to be picked up by 1 Troop when passing Sqn en route to S.P. 1 Recce Party with leading Sqn 2 W.G. Message Form: C2136 From: 615 Date/Time of Origin: 17 1900A To: REHQ Sitrep 51. A, B, C, D, NIL. E. Sqn, + 2 and 3 Tps 356931, 1 Tp deployed with 1 W.G. at 391912. F. 1 Armd D.7. H514; 1 D4 (148), both with Sqn, (but the D.7. will join 1 Tp in morning). 3 Tippers (1 with Armco, 2 with hardcore), all with 1 Tp. G. Mk 3. 20 (incl from 148), Mk 4. 1. H, J. NIL. K. 1 Cl 5 raft, 2 Assault Boat units, both with 1 Tp, 1 Sec Bailey, 1 Cl 9 Assault Raft complete with Sqn [?]. I hope that is of interest. PM me for more information on Guards Armd Div RE's. Cheers Tom
Cantlay 14 Field Sqn RE, mentions the officer from sister squadron 615 Field Sqn, Ronald Hutton, who received MC for his actions at JOE's Bridge on 10th Sept 44. William Gordon CANTLAY, 14 Field Squadron, RE, attached GAD also in the War Diary for 2 Armd IG http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/17385-joes-bridge-or-someone-elses/?p=200097
So they hid the 615 Sqn diary as the 615 Coy diary - that was very sneaky of them. I'm hoping to go next Saturday, so I'm very happy that I might one of the missing diaries from Guards Armd Div. Now, if you could find the war diary of 61 Recce Regt (50 Inf Div) I would be even happier... :biggrin: Regards Tom
I think Kew named the file wrong when doing the catalogue. I'm 99.95 sure that is the one. Ref the 61 Recce file I think this has been discussed before on here. Wasn't the unit renamed after it joined 50 Div or something similiar? I suspect there may be a clue in the end of this file: WO 166/14314 61 Recce Regiment Jan-Mar 1944 Cheers Andy Ps you sure you don't want me to copy them for you
i have 615 Field Squadron RE arriving in Moltke Barracks Schleswig in April 1946 under command Commander Engineers Guards Division. Could be therefore they were a Sapper asset with the Guards throughout their entire existence.
As Drew will know the requirement for units to produce detailed daily war diaries ceased in early Summer 1946. They were replaced by Quarterly Historical Records in a more simple format, some of the BAOR based ones are to be found in the WO 257 Series at Kew.
Field Company or Field Squadron. 615 Field Company and 615 Field Squadron were one and the same. In the beginning there were only Field Companies and those with Infantry Divisions, Armoured Divisions, Corps, Armies, GHQ were the same and interchangeable. In the mid war years the Field Company of an armoured division acquired some special engineer vehicles based on the AEC 4 X 4 Armoured Command Vehicles. By 1944 just about the only difference between the Field Company in an Infantry Division and an Armoured Division was that the former had 4 X 2 15cwts and the latter had armoured 4 X 4 15cwts. The War Establishment table covered all types of Field Company with amendments where necessary. The term Field Squadron seems to have started as an unofficial term and while the Squadrons themselves used the term other documents still referred to Field Companies. Eventually of course the term 'squadron' stuck but all companies/squadrons are numbered in the same series. I have probably made that even less clear now. Mike
Mike, You've made it very clear for me! I will be getting the 615 Sqn diary this weekend, after a few years thinking that it didn't exist. Many thanks to you and Andy. Cheers Tom
For the 615th I have Tim Neale as OC and Lt. Ron Hutton leading on of the troops. For the 14th I have John Thomas as OC and Lt. Jones and Lt. W.C. Cantley leading two of the troops.
Transcript of Cantlay's IWM interview on this link William Gordon CANTLAY, 14 Field Squadron, RE, attached GAD
Later this year the children of Ron Hutton are planning a visit and I am guiding them along the corridor in Belgium/Holland. I have a lot of information on the actions around Joe's Bridge and for the GAD but would really like to have a day to day account for the 615 field sq. Anyone willing to share the War Diary on this unit?
Indeed not much but thanks a lot. It helps to get things sorted. All the best from the Netherlands, Ray