Anyone got a copy of Richard Todd's memoirs, 'Caught in the Act'?

Thanks for that Cee, I had read that thread and forgotten about it. I also forgot that I'm supposed to email John Frearson, doh, so many threads to pull together at the moment...all whilst trying to recover my data from a crashed drive.

 

Maybe Adam could attach this thread to the Bottom of the thread CEE mentions above, to keep it all in one place as it was?

 

Opening few paragraphs of that 'From the Orne to the Rhine: A Short History of 71st Field Company RE in North Western Europe, June 1944 - May 1945', a typescript document knocked up by 71 st Fd Coy HQ section at the end of the war. Copies of this are held at IWM.

SHORT HISTORY OF 71ST FIELD COMPANY R.E.

IN NORTH WESTERN EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN

1944 - 1945

-----------------------------ooOOOoo-----------------------------​

In May 1944 71st Field Company, R.E. left its parent formation, 7 Army Troop Engineers, and was placed under command 3 (Br) Division for the initial stages of the invasion of the continent. After taking part in a full scale exercise “FABIUS” in the South of England the company proceeded to the marshalling area and was accommodated in sealed camps, whilst the troops were reviewed by H.M. King GEORGE VI and by the Supreme Commander General of the Army EISENHOWER.

The company was formed into twelve parties as under: -

(a) Officer Commanding, two Driver Operators, one Reconnaissance Lance Serjeant, one batman, in 15 cwt 4x4 Car.

(b) Officer Commanding No.1 Platoon with similar party as (a), but having two No. 19 Wireless Sets in his truck and one motor cycle strapped on.

(c) R.O. 2 with a party as for party (a)


(d) Second-in-Command and forty four other ranks

(e) Officer Commanding No. 3 Platoon and forty four other ranks

(f) Officer Commanding No. 2 Platoon and forty-two other ranks

(g) C.S.M. and forty three other ranks with


(h) R.O. 1 with thirty other ranks with eleven vehicles.

(i) C.Q.M.S. and M.T. Serjeant and nine other ranks with eleven vehicles

(j) MT Lance Serjeant and seven other ranks with seven vehicles

(k) H.Q. Corporal, No. 3 Platoon and three other ranks with two reconnaissance cars.

(l) M.T. Corporal, No. Platoon and three other ranks with two reconnaissance cars ​

Parties (a) to (g) all landed between 0945 hrs and 1030 hrs 6 June 1944 on QUEEN BEACH at OISTERHAM, Normandy having travelled in the case of parties (a) to (c) on L.C.Ts. and (d) to (g) on L.C.Is; (Parties (d) - (g) had “No vehicles, men marching with assault scale of equipment”). The landings varied from dryshod in the case of two parties to a submarine operation for some of the shorter members of one party. All parties doubled or drove off the beaches and proceeded without incident to the crossroads at BENOUVILLE which was the Company Rally Point and made contact with 6th Airborne Division who had captured the bridges intact over the CAEN Canal and River ORNE and were holding a small bridgehead on the EAST bank. The Officer Commanding No. 1 Platoon who was an ex-commando was by now exploring the village of BENOUVILLE with a view to a Company Harbour Area, his progress through the village could be followed by loud bangs, falling glass and other noises of battle. He soon returned and reported that there were a number of Boche in the village, he then threw an 82 Grenade through the adjoining house window and flushed nine Huns to add weight to his report, these were our first prisoners and they were marched back to the beach by a disgruntled sapper.

By now we were becoming quite a formidable force having been joined by three tanks and various lost gunners, machine gunners and members of other units. The village of BENOUVILLE was cleared late in the evening by the ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT and 71st Field Company, R.E. dug-in around the MARIE and a reconnaissance for projected bridges over the CAEN Canal and River ORNE was commenced.

The following day bridging equipment commenced to arrive and work commenced on the canal bridge and the company moved into a wood and orchards in the northern outskirts of BENOUVILLE. We were joined during the night 7/8th by R.O.1 and his party who were welcomed mainly due to the rations they were carrying. The canal bridge was completed 8th June and the river bridge on 10th June. On 11th June part i) joined the company. Until the 11th July the company remained in BENOUVILLE employed on bridge maintenance, road making and construction of the ESCARDE Bailey Pontoon Bridge. Despite a considerable amount of enemy activity casualties were extremely light. On 11th July the company returned to the fold of 7 Army Troop Engineers and until 21st July were employed on maintenance of Bayeux temporary bypass bivouacking at ST LOUP HORS, then followed a period of road maintenance, the company being situated as follows:

DUCY ST MARGUERITE 21st July-2nd August (by now all rear echelons had joined)

ANCTOVILLE 2nd August-9th August

MONCEAUX 9th August-16th August

 

Just occurred to me that a few years back I started a thread over on HMVF with a view to figuring out the various layouts of the White Scout Car in British use. The results can be found here. The WSC and the Morris LRC seem the have been mostly used by the RE in NWE in 1944-45.

White Scout Car in British use, NWE 1944

 

HI, my name is Robert Colquhoun and I'm endeavouring to research my late father-in-laws D-Day movements. His name was James (Jim) Carver of B Platoon 90 Co RASC attached to 27th Armoured Brigade, and he drove one of the nine vehicles that Major Cuthbertson 'came across' as he drove back to Sword Beach from Pegasus Bridge on 6th June. Major Cuthbertsons meeting with these vehicles is well documented, but the fact that the vehicles were not supposed to be there until 11th June was not explored. It may be of interest to readers as to why they were there and hopefully someone may know what happeded to them over the following days. Please read below the words spoken to me by Jim:

"MPs arrived at our camp and all truck drivers were ordered into a hut. Here, we were made to draw straws and those of us who drew the short straws were ordered to drive our loaded vehicles out of camp and follow the MPs. They drove us straight onto a waiting LCT. (apparently a tank transporter had broken down on its way to the LCT and the space had to be quickly filled). My truck was carrying ammunition and fuel.
As we approached Normandy, we were taken onto the LCT bridge were the Captain explaind exactly where he expected to drop us off. I remember a crane driver jokingly shouting out 'If anyone gets stuck in the sand, dont worry, I'll pull you out!. As our 9 truck convoy drove up the beach (with no orders or Unit to follow) we were told to 'just get off the beach!'. I remember that as we reached the top of the beach, the crane that had been on our LCT was stopped, and the driver was slumped over the wheel.
We drove down the Lanes for a while before stopping, and this is where Major Cuthbertson came across us. That night we stayed in a barn in Ranvelle and I remember being terrified as German Soldiers were talking as they walked by".