That's very good of you, I am doing my own visit on 28/29th June, so I'll just miss you but thanks anyway, do you know of any good sources for research that covers that time? About X Squadron?
I will be up on Snakeshead Ridge on the afternoon of 29 Jun 17 if that helps. I am guiding for a Regiment of Artillery on 28 Jun-2 Jul 17. email me at the address on www.cassinobattlefields.co.uk and I will send you more info and some mapping. I am sure that they will not mind you tagging along at the back. Regards Frank
For X Sqn, you need to get the War Diaries for that period from drew 5233. He is at the National Archives all the time and only charges £0.10 per page. Very efficient. Frank
It looks like X Sqn were deployed under command of 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers who must have been short of manpower. 2 LF were the unit up on Snakeshead Ridge during Apr 44 before they handed over to 3 Polish Carpathian Division. Frank
Frank, quite correct. 56 Recce war diary 8 April 1100 hrs. 2 I/C Regiment to Division where verbal orders were received to relieve 1 Coy 2 L.F. by equivalent of 1 Coy i.e. 100 men area G839218. [41.498939,13.807093] 9 April Recce by OC A Sqn & 2 I/C A Sqn of position to be occupied by composite force, force consists of A Sqn HQ, 1 Trp A/T Battery, Ass Trps of A & C Sqns, the whole to be known as X Sqn. 12 April 1700 hrs. X Sqn move up to 11 Bde area & operate under command 2 L.F. (area G839218). [Position from Daily situation report rG904232 = 41.511650,13.884953] 13 April [Position from Daily situation report rG843223 = 41.503450,13.811873] 14 April 2300 hrs. X Sqn take up forward positions with 2 L.F. area (G839218). [Position from Daily situation report rG839217 = 41.498038,13.807096] 17 April Move order to X Sqn. “X Sqn vehicles will move to ‘B’ Echelon, 2 L.F. (978155) under Cpl Bainbridge of A Sqn at 1730 hrs. This party will be in rations with 2 L.F. wef 19 April”. 19 April Infantry operation report by X Sqn. 20 April X Sqn relieved for 48 hrs. Concentrate in area S. Pietro (G975155) and place under command 11 Bde. 22 April CO visits X Sqn S Pietro whilst in rest area. One OR wounded X Sqn area. 24 April Night of 23/24 X Sqn relieved C Coy of 2 L.F. in the forward area. Relief completed without incident. One OR killed. One OR wounded X Sqn. [Position from Daily situation report rG975155 = 41.442339,13.970071] 25 April Four ORs wounded. Eight ORs missing whilst acting as stretcher party X Sqn area. [Position from Daily situation report rG8222 = 41.500701,13.784322] 27 April Night 26/27 X Sqn relieved by Poles of 3rd Carp Div. Relief completed by 0100 hrs. 0730hrs X Sqn concentrate S Michele 0830 hrs X Sqn moved to S Pietro. 1000 hrs X Sqn move to Regtl area Caiazzo.
Yes I'll try and find you, I'm spending a couple of weeks further north staying around lake Trasimeno, but coming south for one night staying at Forum Palace Hotel in Cassino, hope to see you then
Interesting, Ron. Looking at the 16th, did you ever set foot in San Michele yourself? (that you recall -- I'm not sure what I had for breakfast this morning...)
Charley As far as I can recall I was stuck in my bivvie most of the time apart a time when I was at Speedy Express and was told by the MPs to move like hell during a break in the shelling. Being a Wireless Operator I was lucky enough to be "excused" smoke laying and stretcher bearing that the rest of the Bty were involved but life was very miserable as long as we were under the gaze of the Monastry I have nothing but horrible memories of Cassino and still wonder 70 plus years later how we survived Ron
From all I've read, your appraisal of the situation is far from unusual, Ron. I've just been looking at what I think is a list of volunteers from 11 Field Regiment R.A. to act as porters and resupply 1/9th Gurkha Rifles on Hangman's Hill towards the end of March. The Rajputana Rifles MG battalion and others were engaged on similar work. All but one made it back, but this was a highly risky task. How likely were they to be 'volunteers' (in inverted commas)? You sometimes bump into seemingly fearless or indomitably lucky characters in life, but one wonders how much waiting around in miserable weather might cause plain old Buggins to stick his hand in the air to try to get something done? Certainly 1/4th Essex were thoroughly fed up with being shelled in the rain for weeks. They were said to be keen for the battle to finally kick off so that they could get it over with--until they heard the plan of attack, at least.
Ron, thank you for posting your mob's diary. 280 Bty detailed to produce a party of 20 men to bury the mules in the Fwd area. 17.00 hrs. Returned 20.00 hrs due to bad weather. Did you ever have any dealings with these tremendous animals? I'v read that they had a bad smell, when they let one go. Stu.
Apparently more of a problem when they'd gone themselves. They often sent out parties to bayonet dead mules to ensure a slow deflation of stomach and intestines when they decay began to advance.
if I may go on to a subject that some might find distasteful ? Bodies, whether human or animal, when in decay, smell the same and one of my abiding memories of battlefields in Sicily and Italy is approaching an area and smelling something ahead and not knowing what nastiness one was about to face. Ron
Just in case you misted that Charley, I meant when they farted. That procedure was done in the first world War. Horses that being. It does say bury them. I'm not saying it was not done in the second. Ron, how can one smell what you have experienced? I've just asked about the mules. Did have much dealings with them? Your reply would be appreciated. Regards Stu.
Stu Mules ? As I said, my role as a wireless op spared me tasks such as Mule Handling for which I was/am most grateful Ron
Ron At some point, you must have put your wireless pack on the saddle of a mule.Some one had to be muleteer. Poor chaps that they where. Regards Stu . No Smilies of a mule.
Scroll down here for some interesting photographs (most can be expanded to extra large sizes). Battle of Monte Cassino Several unseen by me--including an ox bound to a Stug...
