Help - 1st batt leicester regiment

I am trying to find out more about James Clarence Doughty killed in action on 21st Oct 1944 in NW Europe campaign. Buried in Belgium -Geel. Any personal info or campaign info appreciated.

 

My father was the 1st Leicester's doctor that day and he passed down his copy of the battalion diary. This is NOT from Delaforce's book on the Polar Bear Divisio, but from a printed-out copy of the diary, which I'm not sure was every published.

As I have no other way of contacting you, I'll type out the full entry for the 21st Oct. It is a long one:

"147 Brigade was in reserve to exploit success after the break out also was CLARKFORCE under Brigadier CLARKE, a force of two armoured regiments with "D" Company (Major UPCHER) under command, riding on the tanks. CLARKFORCE were used first and on 20 October cut the main ANTWERP-BREDA Road at STONEBRIDGE just north of WUSTWEZEL, "D" company with overwhelming tank support against minor and very surprised opposition actually capturing the bridge.
Handing over defence of the bridge to the divisional reconnaissance Regiment, CLARKEFORCE moved on and captured ESSCHEN.
Early on 21 October, the battalion (less "D" Company) took over the defence of STONEBRIDGE with orders to block the ANTWERP-BREDA road and protect the main divisional axis in its new direction against the enemy. The battalion was disposed with "A" company (Major ROUSSELL) right forward astride the main road, "B" Company (Major POLLARD) left forward and "C" Company (Major SPENCE) in reserve.

It was a fine day and there was an air of peace and quiet over the surrounding countryside as the battalion started to dig in. At 1030 hrs it was reported by the forward companies that the enemy appeared to be forming up in the woods due north of the battalion, and later reports confirmed the presence of enemy armour.

Just before 1100 hrs "A" Company and the left hand platoon of "C" Comany were attacked by enemy infantry. Two of the battalions anti-tank guns in the company area, which were still digging in when the attack started, were put out of action without firing a shot. The attack was supported by tanks and heavy artillery fire, and before long "A" Company were being fired on at almost point-blank range, the enemy having advanced under cover of smoke. However, very fine shjooting by the artillery forward observation officer with this company has so far prevented the enemy from closing with our position.

Meanwhile two troops of our tanks which had been ordered forward from WUSTWEZEL by brigade headquarters were delayed due to the fact that the main road was being shelled and the German tanks were intermittently firing straight down it.

By 1400 hrs still no reinforcements had arrived and five of the battalions six anti-tank guns had been overrun or knocked out. There was an uneasy lull over the battlefield whilst the enemy prepared for what was to have been his final thrust. The leading platoons of "A" and "B" Companies had suffered heavy casualties and had been slowly overrun, and although a certain number of men got away, most of them were killed, wounded or captured. The enemy, too, had been hard hit and the attack, although still persistent had lost some of its bite.

During the action four German tanks, heavily camouflaged with branches, had advanced to within a few yards of the bridge and remained in the trees lining the road, where they were indistinguisable. At about 1545 hrs these tanks emerged and dashed down the road at full speed firing as they came and passed within two hundred yards of battalion headquarters, where everyone waited with bated breath for their turrets to turn and make short work of them, Great was the relief when the guns continued pointing down the road.
One tank was knocked out by a battalion six pounder, which was itself knocked out by the following tank. A further two enemy tanks were dealt with by the two troops of tanks which were now in position, and the fourth, which by now had decided to run for home, was hit by a PIAT manned by Sgt CROSS, the Provest Sergeant, who had been hastily dispatched to a house overlooking the road to prevent other tanks coming down. It was not stopped but withdrew smoking.

During the afternoon the fighting gradually became less intense and by early evening the enemy withdrew over the border into HOLLAND to lick his wounds. He had undoubtedly suffered heavy casualties in men and equipment. Thirteen knocked out tanks and self propelled guns were left behind, seven of which had been accounted for by the battalion's anti-tank platoon. The battalion had not, however been without its casualties for the losses in dead, wounded and missing were four officers and one hundred and seven men. Had the battalion not stopped the enemy, their counter attack would most certainly have cut the divisional axis and probably have caused the Division's advance to be halted. On 23 October, "D" Company rejoined the battalion."

 

Very interesting - thanks for posting.

I wonder how it compares to the official war diary held at Kew? This this seems a much fuller account than you usually get. Many battalions produced their own histories at the end of the war but can't remember if 1 Leicester did.

 

The account I have is 15 pages long. I remember my father's copy was typed out on very thin paper – and the version I have now is a photocopy. Perhaps he got it at some regimental reunion? I have no idea who the author is, but it's certainly written with more than a hint of formal army jargon. The Stonebridge action takes up nearly two pages of it.

The header on it reads "Chapter XVIII First Battalion. England and N.W. Europe 1942-1947. Only half of the first page deals with events prior to April/June 1944, so it concentrates almost exclusively with the battalion's Normandy involvement and beyond. The battalion received virtually no advanced warning that it had been called up as a replacement battalion following heavy Normandy losses in 49th Division.

The last page of the account is missing, as it ends in mid-sentence and refers to a command replacement on 24 May 1945. But the fighting was well over by then.

 

Aha - it may be a draft of the regimental history as it's almost identical, though it's Chapter XVI in the book.