This is 4 field. Rgts war diary at the Alamein position. more to follow. this link takes you to a map with a few relevant positions marked. warning 3.5 mb. download. I'm still deciphering the bits marked with ??? 4th Field Regiment War Diary October 1942 1st. Lt ?????? R.A. was posted to the Rgt. Rgt. Remained in NUTS minefield position and engaged in harrassing fire. 2nd. Slight air activity. Rgt. Returned to PEPSODENT position at approx. 09.00 hrs. 3rd. 7 battery engaged in battle practise. All quiet. 4th. Lt. Col. ????? returned to the Rgt. Conference for all officers in the evening for programme for the week. All ranks under 35 will do P.T. 5th. Skeleton regimental drill order. 6th. Regiment practised VL (?) procedure. Quite a lot of difficulty was experienced seeing Vls (?) 7th. Regiment moved to concentration area ALAM EL QATA in preperation for Div. Scheme. 8th. 22 Armoured Brigade scheme – main purpose was to practise passage of a minefield. 9th. Arrived area BIR MSEILIK at approx. 07.30 hrs. In afternoon group battle practise of vl(?) again difficulty was experienced in seeing vls(?) Div commander saw all officers of Rgt. In evening. 10th. Firing practise on the ranges. Returned to ABU SHAMLA 11th. Day of rest after exercise. 12th. C.Os. Converence at 7 Armoured Div. Practise night march for whole Rgt. 13th. Rgt. Received orders to move. Orders were got out and all preperations made. Capt. ????? and Lt. ?????? arrived in Rgt. 14th. place S.E. of RAGIL. Rgt. Arrived in new area approx. 16.00 hrs. Supporting 1.R.R.s who took over from ???? at first light. 15th. Settled into new position. 16th. F troop went forward of JUNE minefields to harras the enemy. Sand storm got up about 14.30. Visibility about 20x. 17th. Sand storm still on although not quite so thick. 58th. Took over our positions 18th. Rgt. Moved to area BIR MSEILIK in preperation for night scheme. 22 Armored Brigade practised passage through minefields by night. Very bad going – many vehicles got bogged but all got through. 19th. Returned regimental area after scheme. Rested and maintained. 20th. N.T.R. 21st. Rgt. Received some ??? White Scout cars to be used as O.P. Vehicles. 22nd. A day of preperations. C.O. Adressed all troops saying that we would be attacking in the very near future with the object of destroying the nemy in North Africa once and for all. 23rd. Place: RAGIL EAST END. Rgt. Moved to concentration area two miles north of our previous positions at 09.00 hrs. Remainder of the day was spent in resting till 19.00 hrs when we moved off in column of route. Passed through our own minefields MAY JUNE and NUTS without any difficulty, the route was well marked with lamps . A vehicle was burning just WEST of NUTS but it brought no reply from the enemy. Our sappers and infantry pierced the first enemy minefield JANUARY but FEBRUARY was not cut. 24th. Place WEST of NUTS. Batteries went into action at first light. Lt. Blenkinsop was wounded while doing F.O.O. We lost some tanks mainly by mines and in the afternonn the armour was withdrawn. Rgt. Prepared a barrage to be fired at 22.00 hrs. for 131 brigade who are going to form a bridgehead through FEBRARY 25th. FEBRUARY has been pierced and Rgt. Moved two miles nearer to JANUARY at first light. Vehicles and guns are very congested and we have been subjected to some shelling and bombing, but we have only one man wounded in 7 battery. The C.R.A. Has been wounded and Lt. Col. ???? of 58th. Field 26th Slight shelling in R.H.Q. Area but none of our own people were hit. C.O. Saw the Brigadier. Apparently things are going well but slowly and we have succeeded in holding some of his armour in the SOUTH while the main attack goes in in the NORTH. 27th. 44 Division has taken over the front, so Rgt. Has moved back two miles to our previous positions WEST of NUTS. A quiet day. Roumers of a move NORTH during the night, but nothing came of it. 28th. We are at half an hours notice to move. A quiet day spent in cleaning and maintaining. The mess came up to add a bit of comfort. Several Italian so-called “butterfly bombs were foundin the area and 14/fd(?) had one man killed. 29th. Another quiet morning. In the afternoon we were 'invaded' by 3rd fd. And 3rd R.H.A. Who are taking over our positions. Moved off at 22.00 hrs. and passed back through our own minefields without incident. Arrived in the area of our old PEPSODENT positions at 22.30 hrs. and bivouacked for the night. 30th. Quiet morning with inspections in the afternoon. Route was recced to SYDNEY road in preperation for our expected move NORTH. 31st. Place: TELL EL EISA Rgt. Moved off at 07.30 hrs. with 97th. Field. A good journey was made onto the coast road via the BOMBAY road. We have taken over the positions of the 4RHA. And are under command of 1st Armoured Division. The area itself does not compare very favourably with the SOUTH . Vehicle congestion is even worse and the dust keeps visibility down to about 50x
