7010709 Rifleman John McCafferty, Royal Ulster Rifles & 1 Battalion Irish Guards

Anyone have the war diary of the 1st Battalion in North Africa?

 

Hi conor

I moved this post to its own thread - you might have better success if it stands out a bit!

 

Conor -
Don't have the diary of Irish Guards but they were in the 24th Guards Bde of the 1st Div in Nth Africa - then at Anzio where they took a very bad mauling losing nearly half of the battalion - came home and never fought again - the survivors being split into other battalions.
Cheers

 

Thanks folks. I have the book 'A history of the Irish Guards in the Second World War' and the father of my uncle (by marriage) gets a mention. I was wondering if maybe he was mentioned in the war diary also.

At 1 a.m. on 30th March No. 2 Company filed down the track
past the Doll 's House and through No . 3 Company. It had not rained
all day, and it was a clear, cold night lit only by the stars . A sharp
wind blew across the valley from the ridge . No. 11 Platoon went by
led by Lieutenant Colin Lesslie ; then came Major Bucknill with
C.S .M. Ferguson ( "the Skipper "), Lance-Corporal Fildes, carrying
the Company's wireless, and Captain Bethell, R .A., with his signallers
; after them came No . 10 and No. 12 Platoons. Lieutenant
Tony Rochford, commanding No . 12 Platoon, brought up the rear ;
he waved cheerfully as he disappeared into the dark . Half an hour
later Captain Kennedy reported that No . 2 Company was all across
the Beja road and that there was not a sound to be heard.
About five o'clock Colonel Scott, with field-glasses the size of
hock bottles, and the Brigadier went up to the observation post
under the Hurricane . The Adjutant and the Signal Officer were there
already with the control set . They could say that the Company was
all right so far, because Corporal Fildes had been sending a regular
tuning call—a faint whisper—"Paddy two, Paddy two ." At half-past
five Corporal Fildes spoke at last, "Sunray for Sunray, " and Colonel
Scott snatched the spare headphones from Lieutenant Synge am
Bucknill's voice was conversational . "No trouble so far. We dodged
wo patrols on the way over. We are more than half-way up the slope
and have been for some time . It is much steeper from now on.
Colin will start climbing again in a few minutes . Have the guns got
one up the spout ? So long . Over." "All set here . Good luck,
Sam. Off. " Fifteen minutes ticked slowly by on the watch propped
up in front of the O .P. The irregular harassing fire continued monotonously
like maroons as it had done for the past hour—bang bang !
pause, bang ! pause, bang, bang, bang ! pause . A thin crackle
drifted across the valley . "Listen . " It came again, louder and
longer. "My God ! M.Gs." "And grenades. Listen." "And
mortars. Look." Short flashes burst on the hillside and faint white
pillars of smoke appeared against the dark background . Suddenly
Major Bucknill came up on the air . " I want support on the eastern
edge, now." The F.O.O . must also have been calling to his guns at
the same time, for a troop behind the farm immediately shot a short
concentration. The noise of the shell bursts rolled away, but the
crackle of small arms continued . It was just beginning to get light,
and then with a violent crash the barrage came down on Recce
Ridge.
After ten minutes there was a break in the gunfire while the
barrage lifted to the rear of the ridge . Through their glasses the
observers could see dots moving on the crest of the ridge ; there
were very few of them, and they soon disappeared . The wirelesses
were quite dead, and nobody could see the flicker of a lamp or a
Very light . For an hour the guns fired their set tasks . The unnatural
silence which followed was cut by the short tapping of Brens
and the long, hysterical whir-r of Spandaus There was still no call
for artillery support, no signal for smoke . In the O .P . the Brigadier
was tugging his moustache while Colonel Scott never took his eyes
from his glasses . "What can be happening, Andrew ?" As if in
answer Colonel Scott shouted "Here they come . Oh, thank God !
Well done !Small groups of men came over the top, joined each
other and split apart again as mortar bursts puffed up between them.
They trickled down the slope, halted and turned back . The firing
increased, and now the Spandaus drowned the Brens . More groups
came round the side of the hill and disappeared into the dark undergrowth.
There was firing on the top and bottom of the ridge, but
the middle was dead . Colonel Scott called for smoke and the guns
started again, raining canisters on the ridge . The fall of smoke
brought a wild outburst of firing, but it died away as the wind
dispersed the cloud into wisps . All along the line of its position the
Battalion watched and listened . The firing on the ridge became
shots irregular . There was no sound of Brens now, only isolated rifle
m".achinIe-pitstols'sanswered by the faint rattle of Schmeisser
all over now, one way or the other," said Colonel Scott . "Keep up
Rawlinson'sthe smoke as long as possible . " He ordered Captain
little force back from M'Dakrene and sent Lieutenant McInerney
and two detachments of mortars out on the left to help the men of
No. 2 Company on their return journey . "They will be coming back
by sections, if at all . " It was half-past eight.
Five wounded men came back on the left—Sergeant Deazley,
Sergeant Mears, Guardsman McCafferty and two gunners, and were
picked up by Lieutenant McInerney . Two unwounded men came
in later on that night, Guardsmen Mills and Cox . That was all out
of 103 officers and men.

Rifleman 7010709 John McCafferty - Royal Ulster Rifles
Enlisted 15th February 1926 - Discharged 21st May 1928

2nd December 1929 enlisted into the Irish Guards

 

John McCafferty was born in Derry City, Ireland on the 2nd of December 1911.

On the 15th February 1928 he enlisted into the Royal Ulster Rifles giving his age as 18 years and 75 days.He was now Rifleman 7010709 John McCafferty - RUR. The title 'Rifleman' is ironic in that he was not a man but only a boy! He had actually only just turned 16. Rifleman McCafferty served until his true age was discovered and was discharged on the 21st May 1928 having served 97 days with the Colours. Character on discharge was described as 'Good'.

On the 2nd December 1929 John presented himself at the recruiting office in Derry and was enlisted into the Irish Guards for 3 years with the Colours. It was the day of his 18th Birthday. As he had previous service with the Royal Ulster Rifles he kept his original army number of 7010709. But he was now a Guardsman! He was sent to the Depot where he would remain until joining the Battalion in Aldershot on the 3rd June 1930. Guardsman McCafferty served his 3 years with the Colours and was transfered to the Reserve on the 1st December 1932. His military conduct on discharge 'Good'.

On the 3rd September 1939 John was mobilized and sent to the Training Battalion. He remained here until the 21st of February when he was posted to the Holding Battalion. It was not until the 24th October 1941 that he again found himself in the 1st Battalion. On the 29th January 1942 John suffered injuries to the neck following a training accident with a grenade. It was with the 1st battalion that he would sail for North Africa on the 28th February 1943.

Guardsman McCafferty's service records indicate that he was wounded in action on the 30th March 1943 whilst serving with 2 Company. The wound was a serious mortar one to the shoulder. The Following is the record of his Company from the day he was wounded:

At 1 a.m. on 30th March No. 2 Company filed down the track
past the Doll 's House and through No . 3 Company. It had not rained
all day, and it was a clear, cold night lit only by the stars . A sharp
wind blew across the valley from the ridge . No. 11 Platoon went by
led by Lieutenant Colin Lesslie ; then came Major Bucknill with
C.S .M. Ferguson ( "the Skipper "), Lance-Corporal Fildes, carrying
the Company's wireless, and Captain Bethell, R .A., with his signallers
; after them came No . 10 and No. 12 Platoons. Lieutenant
Tony Rochford, commanding No . 12 Platoon, brought up the rear ;
he waved cheerfully as he disappeared into the dark . Half an hour
later Captain Kennedy reported that No . 2 Company was all across
the Beja road and that there was not a sound to be heard.
About five o'clock Colonel Scott, with field-glasses the size of
hock bottles, and the Brigadier went up to the observation post
under the Hurricane . The Adjutant and the Signal Officer were there
already with the control set . They could say that the Company was
all right so far, because Corporal Fildes had been sending a regular
tuning call—a faint whisper—"Paddy two, Paddy two ." At half-past
five Corporal Fildes spoke at last, "Sunray for Sunray, " and Colonel
Scott snatched the spare headphones from Lieutenant Synge am
Bucknill's voice was conversational . "No trouble so far. We dodged
wo patrols on the way over. We are more than half-way up the slope
and have been for some time . It is much steeper from now on.
Colin will start climbing again in a few minutes . Have the guns got
one up the spout ? So long . Over." "All set here . Good luck,
Sam. Off. " Fifteen minutes ticked slowly by on the watch propped
up in front of the O .P. The irregular harassing fire continued monotonously
like maroons as it had done for the past hour—bang bang !
pause, bang ! pause, bang, bang, bang ! pause . A thin crackle
drifted across the valley . "Listen . " It came again, louder and
longer. "My God ! M.Gs." "And grenades. Listen." "And
mortars. Look." Short flashes burst on the hillside and faint white
pillars of smoke appeared against the dark background . Suddenly
Major Bucknill came up on the air . " I want support on the eastern
edge, now." The F.O.O . must also have been calling to his guns at
the same time, for a troop behind the farm immediately shot a short
concentration. The noise of the shell bursts rolled away, but the
crackle of small arms continued . It was just beginning to get light,
and then with a violent crash the barrage came down on Recce
Ridge.

After ten minutes there was a break in the gunfire while the
barrage lifted to the rear of the ridge . Through their glasses the
observers could see dots moving on the crest of the ridge ; there
were very few of them, and they soon disappeared . The wirelesses
were quite dead, and nobody could see the flicker of a lamp or a
Very light . For an hour the guns fired their set tasks . The unnatural
silence which followed was cut by the short tapping of Brens
and the long, hysterical whir-r of Spandaus There was still no call
for artillery support, no signal for smoke . In the O .P . the Brigadier
was tugging his moustache while Colonel Scott never took his eyes
from his glasses . "What can be happening, Andrew ?" As if in
answer Colonel Scott shouted "Here they come . Oh, thank God !
Well done !
Small groups of men came over the top, joined each
other and split apart again as mortar bursts puffed up between them.
They trickled down the slope, halted and turned back . The firing
increased, and now the Spandaus drowned the Brens . More groups
came round the side of the hill and disappeared into the dark undergrowth.
There was firing on the top and bottom of the ridge, but
the middle was dead . Colonel Scott called for smoke and the guns
started again, raining canisters on the ridge . The fall of smoke
brought a wild outburst of firing, but it died away as the wind
dispersed the cloud into wisps . All along the line of its position the
Battalion watched and listened . The firing on the ridge became
shots irregular . There was no sound of Brens now, only isolated rifle
m".achinIe-pitstols'sanswered by the faint rattle of Schmeisser
all over now, one way or the other," said Colonel Scott . "Keep up
Rawlinson'sthe smoke as long as possible . " He ordered Captain
little force back from M'Dakrene and sent Lieutenant McInerney
and two detachments of mortars out on the left to help the men of
No. 2 Company on their return journey . "They will be coming back
by sections, if at all . " It was half-past eight.
Five wounded men came back on the left—Sergeant Deazley,
Sergeant Mears, Guardsman McCafferty and two gunners, and were
picked up by Lieutenant McInerney . Two unwounded men came
in later on that night, Guardsmen Mills and Cox . That was all out
of 103 officers and men.

Of the 103 men who went into the attack that day Guardsman McCafferty was only one of 7 men to return. His injuries would keep him in hospitals across Africa and Italy until the 1st June 1944 when he returned to England and rejoined the 1st Battalion. Maybe it was due to his injury but during the period with the Battalion he trained as a cook.

On the 29th June 1945 Guardsman McCafferty transfered to HQ Squadron - Guards Division who were now in North West Europe. Who would say with the Squadron as a cook until the 9th October 1945 when he returned to England and posted to the Y list. On the 26th December 1945 he was finally transfered to the reserve.

Guardsman 7010709 John McCafferty passed away on the 23rd December 1992 aged 81. RIP

He is my Aunties Father in Law.