Seeking War Diaries for 13/18 Hussars. Staffs Yeomanry and East Riding Yeomanry for April-May 44

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by Old Git, Oct 5, 2012.

  1. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    As per the subject line I'm seeking copies of the diaries of of these three units for the period April- May 1944. They are all 27th Armoured brigade!

    Rgds

    Pete
     
  2. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    Pete, these are the references for the three war diaries at Kew:

    WO 171/845, 13/18 Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) (1944 Jan.- Dec.)
    WO 171/862, East Riding Yeomanry (1944 Jan.- Dec.)
    WO 171/863, Staffordshire Yeomanry (1944 Jan.- Dec.)

    If you need help getting copies of them then give me a shout.

    Lee
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I've got two of the three histories above. I'll post the pages later if you want?
     
  4. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Thanks for the replies guys.

    Andy,

    I'd be happy to pay you for them relevant pages mate, which ones have you got already? As I say I only want April/May for these units so don't need the full diary.

    I'm also looking for the diary for 107th RAC for June/July if you happen to have it?

    Rgds

    Pete
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I have the 13/18 Hussars and East Riding Histories. I'll photograph and post the pages later.
     
  6. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Andy,

    you're an absolute star mate...I shall remember you in my memoirs:)
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I'd wait to you see them first, they may not be any good ;) There's only a couple of pages in each so you may still be better off getting Lee to copy the months for you.
     
  8. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Thanks for the heads up Andy but I'm not looking for too much from them to be honest, just a hint or a nudge in the right direction. I shall let you know if they've been useful or not.
     
  9. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is the war diary for the 13th/18th Hussars for April and May 1944 (Logs only I'm afraid).
     

    Attached Files:

  10. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    I also have the following history and can scan the desired pages if no one else does:

    Mace, Paul. Forrard: The Story of the East Riding Yeomanry. Barnsley, Yorkshire: Leo Cooper, 2001.
     
  11. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is a brief summary of the period desired for the Staffordshire Yeomanry from my notes:


    27th Armoured Brigade – 14 February 1944 to 29 July 1944
    The Staffordshire Yeomanry came under command of 27th Armoured Brigade the on February 14th at a camp at Gordonstown near Elgin. The final Shermans were issued in March 1944 at Haywards Heath and the regiment was up to a full establishment of Shermans with AA Crusaders in the AA Troop and Stuarts in the Recce Troop. The brigade then concentrated in the Lossiemouth area and began to train with the 3rd Infantry Division. The Staffordshire Yeomanry was assigned to support the 185th Infantry Brigade with ‘A’ Squadron under the 1st Royal Norfolks, ‘B’ Squadron under the 2nd Warwicks and ‘C’ Squadron under the 2nd KSLI. After the exercises with the division, the brigade moved to Haywards Heath, Sussex.The regiment sailed on June 5th, 1944 and landed in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. It fought at Caen, Lebisey Woods and Bieuhart on the River Orne. After these actions it concentrated in the area of Colombes, where the brigade was broken up. When the 27th Armoured Brigade was broken up the regiment handed in all remaining tanks on July 26th, 1944 at Colombes.
     
  12. dryan67

    dryan67 Senior Member

    Here is another brief summary of the 107th RAC covering the June-July period you specified:


    34th Tank Brigade – 30 December 1943 to 1 February 1945
    On December 30th, 1943 the 151st Regiment, RAC was retitled 107th Armoured Regiment, RAC on disbandment of the 107th Training Regiment (King’s Own), RAC. It was equipped with Churchill tanks along with Stuarts in the Reconnaissance Troop. In May, waterproofing of the vehicles was carried out in preparation for their movement to France but it was not until 20th June that the vehicles were moved into marshalling areas to go across the Channel. The regiment left the United Kingdom for North-West Europe on July 2nd, 1944. It landed in France the following day. The 107th was involved in the Battle of Caen, at Hill 112 near Esquay, south west of the city and following heavy fighting at Grimbosq and Brieux on the 7th and 8th of August crossed the River Orne and concentrated to the west of Falaise for reorganisation. The regiment absorbed 153rd Armoured Regiment RAC on August 24th, 1944 as ‘C’ Squadron. The new 107th RAC served at Le Havre and in the Nijmegen corridor. In October 1944 in attacked St. Leonard under command of 49th Infantry Division and was located in the Rhine area in December 1944 under the 15th (Scottish) and 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Divisions.
     
  13. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  16. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  17. Old Git

    Old Git Harmless Curmudgeon

    Thanks a lot chaps, (Dryan, Andy, et al) all splendid information, I shall print it off and read my leisure!!!

    Andy I presume these pages are from a history of the 27th Armd Brigade? Can you let me know the name and Author?
     
  18. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    They are the Regimental Histories-I only have them because they were part of the BEF ;)
     
  19. Albowie

    Albowie Junior Member

    Hi Drew, many thanks for the goldmine of information you regularly provide in these forums, can I please trouble you for the titles of the books scanned above?

    Regards
    Al
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    My money is on the following:

    History of the 13/18 Royal Hussars by C H Miller

    Forrard: The Story of the East Riding Yeomanry by Paul Mace
     

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