Recollections of a campaign

June 1944 to May 1945

The 3^rd Survey Regiment RA fought with the BEF in France in 1939-1940. Because of the exceptionally fluid nature of the campaign the Regiment was little employed. After it returned to the UK, It was questioned whether there was a role for Survey Regiments in modern warfare.

A few demonstration squads were gathered on Salisbury Plain in the period 1940-1941 to show what they could do. These squads proved the worth of the Survey arm to the RA, and on the strength of these results a decision was taken to retain the Survey Regiment and to give the go ahead to the formation of the 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, but to have each organised into two composite batteries, each comprising the three disciplines of sound-ranging, flash-spotting and survey.

The 7^th Survey Regiment RA was formed in Sutton Veny in 1941 under Lt.Col Mackay Lewis. The CO sported a Handsome moustache and was known to his fellow officers by the sobriquet "Squirrel" and by the lower orders, they being of more imaginative turn of mind as "handlebar Hank". The Regiment moved several times – to Trowbridge, Goudhurst, and other locations, over the next two years. It was stationed at Hawkhurst in 1943 when Lt Col. Hilary Clegg took command. It was by the a constituent member of 12 Corps whose emblem was a shoulder flash of "Three Trees, these representing the three trees of Kent, the Oak, the Ash and the thorn. 7^th Survey Regiment was attached to Corps HQ, and although the structure of the Corps changed during the ensuing campaign according to the needs of the battle with various Armoured Divisions being seconded to its ranks, usually 43^rd Div, 49 Div and 59 Div remained under its command. In 1944 the Regiment which, it should be explained, comprised 53and 54 Batteries, moved to Wateringbury in Kent and was there on D Day.

The Stay at Hawkhurst was notable for the visit of King George VI to an exhibition of the Regiment’s role in war. When the sound-rangers demonstrated there skills at locating hostile batteries, the King asked a question about the origin of the idea. The battery commander, a phlegmatic character, had no inhibition in explaining that the idea came to a certain Major Tucker in World War 1 as he sat on an officers’ latrine and noticed that when an enemy gun fired it sent a draught of wind up through the seat. He put his inventive mind to work and thought about the draught change the resistance in a current-carrying grid. Before, however, he had got as the Major’s intellectual wheeze, the King had disappeared along the line, leaving the Major to ponder whether he had been guilty of lese-majesty or his Royal guest had a weak stomach.

About the end 0f 1943 the Regiment became involved in a most secret operation involving the sound-rangers which is now worth recording. At that time the Army under took to provide a means alternative to RAF radar of locating V2 launching sites when bombardment of them began. The ‘Air Defence Research and Development Establishment’ considered that this could best be achieved by deploying sound ranging microphones in a squared lattice formation, and C and D troops of the 7^th Survey Regiment were used for this purpose with Y troop surveying in the microphones. The base was King’s School Canterbury and the microphones were laid down in the Kent countryside. The people concerned will remember the stringent secrecy that surrounded the operation Y troop was also employed in surveying AA gun sites in London, a commission that was enjoyed as a respite from normal training routines.

In the Spring of 1944 the 11^th Survey took over the 7^th’s role, and their flash spotters also came into the scheme. After Antwerp fell, V2’s were directed at the city with great accuracy and in greater numbers. Accordingly, the entire detection system was set up on the continent with the microphone lattice being spread along the Maas front in Holland and down through Eindhoven.

Back to Wateringbury. D-Day saw us huddled around are radio sets listening to what ever news the BBC could release. In the evening six days latter, we all watched with considerable fascination (and apprehension) the first pilotless planes (VI) pass over our billets, and wondered what they delivered at the end of their journeys.

A few days earlier Capt. Buchanan-Dunlop had left as head of Regimental Advance party to prepare the regimental hide, which he located at Nonant to the South – East of Bayeux. His party had suffered from riding out the three day storm of 18/21 June in an LCT tossing beside a battleship which ceaselessly let of broadsides in the direction of Caen. He bravely has made no mention of the condition of his stomach on making land, nor that of his crew. His reconnaissance duty done, he made friends with the local farmer, and deservedly received gifts of Calvados and Camembert as the fruits of his liberation ( if Camembert can be counted as a fruit). For the more staple part of their diet the party had to dig potatoes from the fields, the storm having upset the delivery of rations.

The remainder of the regiment left Wateringbury on the night of the 15^th June, arriving at Wanstead Flats, the marshalling area, the following morning. Waterproofing the vehicles went on throughout the following day, and we embarked on the "Empire Pitt", an American liberty ship, in the West India Dock, at 1915hrs on the 18^th June.

A private diary written at the time records "June 17^th Hung around camp being issued with things – Mae West’s, vomit bags, 48 hrs rations, field post cards etc…. More flying bombs. Trucks moved to docks to load… June 18^th … After tea the buses came for us – went down to the docks. Boarded the Empire Pitt, the trucks already stowed … On F. compo rations, spam, corned beef, Xmas pudding, salmon, biscuits and tea…. June 24^th We sailed on all day with a small fighter escort and a number of MTB’s and sloops …. At 1800hrs we saw through the haze the coast of France and the hundreds of boats lying of shore".

It would be unfair not to say something about the waterproofing of vehicles and the splendid part that our fitters played in making a thoroughly good job of it. The fitters were well aware that a vehicle stranded in the shallows was not only useless to its troop, but also an impediment to all that followed it. Imense care was therefore called for, and the competence of those whose duty it was to undertake the job was evidenced by an almost 100% successful landing rate. Our fears that the Fordsons might not survive proved to be unfounded. The D Troop ‘Box’ truck that contained all the sound ranging technical equipment, which in the UK trials had persistently refused to be effectively waterproofed, swished through with a jaunty air – and then came to a halt on the beach, a behavioural pattern that prompted Bdr. Thomas to the profane comment "Contrary bastard".

Another correspondent wrote contemporaneously "The Empire Pitt" sailed to the Thames estuary and dropped anchor off Southend, where it stayed while the storm raged along the invasion beaches. During this lull the troops were introduced to ‘Compo Rations’ - a carton of which was intended to last 14 days – and found them to their liking. The ship weighed anchor at 1930 hours on the 23^rd of June and sailed for Normandy, dropping anchor off Courselles-Sur-Mer at 2100 hours on 24^th. Some unloading onto the LCTs took place that evening but to little purpose, since the Beach Master would not allow the craft in". One amusing incident relates to this. A certain LCT commanded by a young US Navy Lieutenant of a somewhat casual disposition was approaching the shore when the cultured but authoritarian voice of the Beach Master came over the hailer ‘Turn abaft’, an instruction to which the US skipper paid no heed. The order was repeated and again ignored. Wishing to make his instruction a little clearer the beach-master followed up with (somewhat more roughly) ‘Bugger Off!’ This was a naval order within the young Lieutenants competence and he instantly replied with ‘OK OK’ and effected a smart about turn before anchoring on the Leeward side of HMS Rodney. Unloading took place throughout the following day and was completed by 1400 hours on the 26^th June.

The Regiments allotted landing beach was Juno, and after all were safely ashore, the vehicles were driven to a temporary hide at Rocqueville where the were de-waterproofed (ironically in the rain). The following day (27^th June) all moved, via St Leger on the main Bayeux – Caen road, to the prepared hide at Nonant.