Hi, Does anyone know if there were any British Army Units based around Truro, prior to D Day, please? I have seen that 115th and 116th US Divisions were in the vicinity. They landed at Omaha Beach. Thanks. Gordon
See Post 8 as a starting point for one formation in this 2010 thread: 70th Northamptonshire Regiment... Reading the formation may been disbanded in 1943, so was their purpose / role redundant? (added 20/3/2023 from Gordon163) Thread referring to research into other units with 70th Northants: 73rd Independent Infantry Brigade WW2 Might his help? War Graves in the UK - Cornwall Check through all pre-D-Day deaths on the CWGC website where the burial ground is in Cornwall.
"I have seen that 115th and 116th US Divisions" Just a correction: That should read "115th and 116th US Infantry Regiments". Think of them as UK infantry brigade equivalents. They were component parts of the US 29th Infantry Division.
As Cornwall was in the American zone for the build up, training and embarkation for D-Day there were very few British units in the county prior to D-Day. The few that remained were guarding key installations like the cable stations at Porthcurno or Sennen, defending the airfields or manning the AA guns, or involved in specialist training like the Commando at St Ives which was the Commando Mountain Warfare Training Centre (for beach & cliff assaults, rock-climbing, etc.) I am not aware of any based in the Truro area which was awash with Americans. Truro was the Cornwall HQ of the Royal Observer Corps but these were civilians, not a British Army unit. The following American units were in or around Truro: 375 Engineer General Service Regiment 1st Btn at Chacewater 375 Engineer General Service Regiment 2nd Btn at Grampound 3199, 3198, 3225, 3227 Quartermaster Service Companies at Grampound 1314 Engineer General Service Regiment 1st Btn at Polwhele 1314 Engineer General Service Regiment 2nd Btn at Truro 3226 Quartermaster Service Company at Truro. All of the above were black units. 1 Engineer Special Brigade HQ at Pencalenick 165 Signal Photo Company Det E at Pencalenick 4144 Quartermaster Service Company at Pencalenick 531 Engineer Shore Regiment 3rd Btn HQ at Treliske 8 Field Hospital HQ & Medical Detachment at Truro 261 Medical Btn at Truro 415 Military Police Escort Guard Company at Truro 417 Military Police Escort Guard Company at Truro 479 Ordnance Evacuation Company at Truro 570 Ambulance Company (Motorized) at Truro. Pencalenick was a large house on an estate just east of Truro and had the secure map room that held the plans for D-Day and the maps that were issued for all the units of the US29th Infantry Division that embarked from the Fal and Helford estuaries. It was operated by the Intelligence (S2) Section of 1 Eng Special Brigade with 173 officers and enlisted men "classified" until D-Day. Some sources have suggested to me the outer ring of security for Pencalenick was British but I have yet to find any documentary evidence to support this. I do have a photograph of a British officer on a motorbike at Pencalenick but he may just have been a liaison officer visiting. I hope that helps. Any reason for the original inquiry, Gordon?
A history of the 8th US Field Hospital (which was at Truro) I contributed here: 8th Field Hospital | WW2 US Medical Research Centre (med-dept.com)
