615 Field Squadron, RE

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by JohnS, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    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?
     
  2. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    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
     
  3. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Thanks. I have never used the portal page before...if I don't come back...send in some hot babes.
     
  4. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    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
     
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  5. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    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
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    There is, it's WO 171/1660 615 Coy 1944 Jan-Dec
     
  7. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    So they hid the 615 Sqn diary as the 615 Coy diary - that was very sneaky of them. :mad:

    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
     
  8. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Thanks guys!
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    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 :lol:
     
  10. Bluebell Minor

    Bluebell Minor Junior Member

    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.
     
  11. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    There's four diaries in total. Starting in Jan 1943 and finishing in June 1946
     
  12. Bluebell Minor

    Bluebell Minor Junior Member

    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.
     
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  13. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    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
     
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  14. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    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
     
  15. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    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.
     
  16. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

  17. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

  18. XRayX

    XRayX Aalst-Waalre

    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?
     
  19. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Hi,

    It's a bit sparse I'm afraid.
    615 Sqn Sep 44 - 1.JPG

    615 Sqn Sep 44 - 2.JPG

    Regards

    Tom
     
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  20. XRayX

    XRayX Aalst-Waalre

    Indeed not much but thanks a lot.
    It helps to get things sorted.

    All the best from the Netherlands,

    Ray
     

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