128 Company RASC (Br)

I am assuming that this was a Bridge Company and I am looking for the War Diary of its Assault Platoon for Sept. 1944.

 

Its at the national archives - I plan to go up there soon.

 

Yes.

 

Please excuse my dimness, but why would the RASC need a bridge company or an assault platoon?

 

Hi Charpoy,

Bridge Companies carried bridging and water assault equipment for engineers or infantry to
use. Pontoons and folding boats needed special vehicles but increasingly bridging
equipment was carried in 3ton GS lorries.

If you search 'Bridge Company RASC' on this site you will find more information on RASC bridging companies.

Regards

Bruneval

 

Thanks for that; my main interest is the war against Japan where, if I recall correctly, bridging companies were all engineers, so I've never heard of such a thing as a service corps bridging company. Live and learn.

 

Hello all
My father ‘pte Alfred picker’ served as a driver with 128 bridge company r.a.s.c and have received his war record from Glasgow. Problem is it only gives his disembarkation date to N/W/E and his repatriation in 1947 after an injury ended his army career. He was like so many pretty quiet about his time over there other than telling us he remembers driving off a landing ship and into a staff car, the reception they had in Brussels, having to move over to the side of the road whilst Churchill and monty drove past and standing listening to the fighting at Arnhem and not being able to go any further. Id like to visit the Normandy beaches in the near future and follow his route but would love to know if anyone knows which beach my dad would have landed on or any more info to help me piece together his route. If anyone has any kind of info I’d be eternally grateful.

 

Would those GS lorries have been Bedfords?

 

Would anyone know what D-Day 'beach' 128th Bridge Coy would have been assigned to?

 

I have the 1944 Company diary and it doesn't state a beach. It also contains Platoon diaries and it looks like the unit didn't start arriving until July, around the 13th.

 

My father (Leslie Bates, driver) arrived on Gold beach in july 1944 with 128 Bridging Company if that is any help.

 

Have you got the 128 coy diary digitised.....?

 

Thank you for that info bornslippy. There could have been a good chance our fathers knew each other. Did your father ever give you any information regarding routes, places ect whilst they were there after landing at gold beach.

 

My Grandfather, Ronald Edwards, was in the 128th Bridge Coy and embarked to France on 6 June 1944. I'm interested in knowing what 'Beach' he was assigned to, also.

 

hi gametech
The royal army service corps branch of 128 bridge coy landed at gold beach but not until around the 13th. They then made their way to bayeux before joining up with 30 corps .

 

The landings were staggered - the final remnants didn't arrive until July. Some landed on Jig (gold beach), later units on Juno. 1631 to 1640 platoons arrived later.

 

Lentonred, thanks for that little nugget, they all help with the picture! At this stage I am still trying to find out what platoon my Grandfather was in. Do you have any images of the info you can post?

 

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Gametech.
I have read 128 bridge company's diaries and the company largely went from bayeux moved through the area of arras onto Brussels, borg leapold , eindhoven, nijmegen ( part of xxxcorps) and took part in operation plunder ( the rhine crossing) . Some of the platoons were assigned to different tasks ie antwerp, achen ect . I've had trouble pinning down my own father's platoon which is a shame but know he was around these areas because of the few things he said whilst he was alive