WO 171/2401 - 171 Company - December 1944

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1. and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Army Form C.2118
	WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY	Unit: 171 Company RASC
Month and Year: December 1944	(Erase heading not required).	Commanding Officer: Major Everingham, RASC

Place	Date	Summary	Reference
HOLLAND	1	Normal replenishment arrangements in location. 9 Petrol vehicles and 3 supply vehicles detached to 174 Coy RASC (Inf Bde) for forward maintenance replenishment point.
	2	Replenishment in location. Normal refill arrangements. AFW 3008 and 3009 rendered to GHQ 2nd Echelon.
	3	Normal replenishment and refill. One transport platoon utilised to carry coal to NIJMEGEN.
	4	Normal replenishment and refill. Coal detail to NIJMEGEN continues. 27 vehicles sent to HEUSDEN for coal pick-up for divisions. Lt. Sweeting proceeds to England on compassional leave for seven days. Sweeting
	5	Normal replenishment and refill arrangements. NIJMEGEN coal detail continues. 14 vehicles sent to collect 155 mm amn. 6 vehicles sent to pick up 88mm amn.
	6	Replenishment & refill arrangements as normal. Coal detail to NIJMEGEN continues. Transport Platoon sent to 56 FMC to collect salvage. Dutch liason officer attached to coy from Rear Div HQ. OC attends CRASC conference on coming detachment.
HOLLAND	7	Coal detail continues. “Salvage” Platoon proceeds to Army Road-Head. Bde detachment details being worked out.
	8	Normal replenishment. 3rd line detail continues. Coal detail continues. OC attends conference at 29 Armd Bde on forthcomming move.
	9	Advance Party (OC. Sup. O, two 3-ton petrol vehicles and 1x3 ton veh) leave 0800 hrs. Normal replenishment. AFW 3008 and 3009 rendered to GHQ 2nd Echelon. 20 vehicles engaged on HRH detail 10x6-ton vehs sent to collectand deliver weasels to STEIN.
	10	Normal replenishment arrangements. BRUSSELS leave party sent. 10x6-ton vehs under Capt Melville sent to town major NIJMEGEN to transport Dutch patriot troops to HORST to Inns of Court Regt. Melville, K.
HOLLAND	10	1 Transport Platoon engaged 3rd line duties between ARH and FMC.
	11	3rd line Platoon proceeds to ARH. 10 macks carry on with NIJMEGEN personnel detail. Coy operation order No1, published & circulated. DDST 8 Corps visits company and inspects billets etc.	Appendix
	12	Normal replenishment. Bde operational order No 2 received. Main party transport platoons forward. Normal refill arangements.
	13	Normal replenishment in location. Two complete platoons under Capt Gainsford and Lieut Milne leave at 2400 hrs with main RASC party under Capt Davey. Davey, A.A. Gainsford, Alan Peter Milne
	14	2 i/c attends CRASC conference, with a view to assessing 2nd line trnasport required to maintain bde residues in the event of a possible coy move to join 29 Armd Bde.
	15	OC returns from recce. With CRASC decides 2nd line requirements for Bde residues. Instructions given that coy, less two platoons, be clear of HELMOND by first light 19.
HOLLAND	16	AFW 3008 and 3009 rendered to GHQ 2nd Echelon. Capt Gainsford returns from Bde transport detail, thereby partly solving difficulty of company's own move due to lack of transport. Gainsford, Alan Peter
	17	Lieut. Milne returns from Bde transport detail. DR despatched to RASC detachment to bring back Capt Davey to take command of detachment to be left in HOLLAND. OC orders preparations made for company to move, in small parties, following day to new area BOESINGE near YPRES. Davey, A.A. Milne
	18	Lieut. Mackellar leaves 0800 hrs with first party. Remainder of company leave at short intervals throughout the day. Entire company, less 3x6 ton ADOS vehicles under Capt Gainsford, in new location by 2200 hrs. Capt Basgallop remains to collect Xmas canteens goods from BIS at GERWEN. Basgallop Gainsford, Alan Peter
BELGIUM	19	Day spent settling in new location. Loads dumped and point established 1100 hrs for Bde units. OC holds conference of all officers and sergeants to discuss Xmas arrangements. News received of German breakthrough in the ARDENNES.
	20	Bde received orders to collect tanks to meet new GERMAN threat. Coy loads 2nd line (and 1st line) requirements of Bde and mvoes from location at 1600 hrs. CSM left in charge of rear party. Coy arrives location ERINBODEGEM (MR Sheet 2 4265) at 2130 hrs.
	21	Point opens 1000 hrs. OC proceeds Bde HQ to receive instruction for forthcoming move. Coy moves, again in small parties, to WAVRE. Capt Gainsford rejoins company. Gainsford, Alan Peter
	22	Coy moves to FLEURUS. Capt Davey rejoins company from detachment. Replenishment points (a) at ORET and (b) in coy location. 86 Fd Regt RA comes under comd together with 1561 Arty Pn RASC which reports for duty same day & is accomodated at FLEURUS. Davey, A.A.
BELGIUM	23	AFW 3008 and 3009 rendered to GHQ 2nd Echelon. Replenishment and refill difficult owing to shortage of transport due to two platoons left under command 174 Coy RASC (Inf Bde) in HOLLAND. OC makes application through DAA&QMG 29 Armd Bde to CRASC 11th Armd Div for more transport.
	24	One platoon under Lieut Coates rejoins company from HOLLAND. Replenishment at ORET and company location as usual.Refill as normal. Coates
	25	Forward Amn Point established at ORET. Lt. Dickenson due to rejoin company. Dickenson
	26	Replenishment and refill as normal. Elements of 6 Airborne Division under comd 29 Armd Bde, less RASC coys, to be maintained by this coy.
	27	Complete 6 Airborne Division, in addition to 29 Armd Bde, maintained by this coy, at two seperate replenishment points. Position complicated further by the fact that one complete platoon still retained in HOLLAND.
	28	Last day for replenishment of 6 Airborne Div. Detail sent to BRUSSELS to collect coal for divisional allocation.
	29	New FMC established in area GEMBLOUX, necessitating a change of location to level up length of supply lines. Replenishment point as usual established at ORET.
	30	OC proceeds on recce for new location to be sited near Brigade A Echelon. Recce not altogether successful in that areas suitable all occupied units 6 Airborne Div. Recce proceeds until midnight without success. Replenishment in location ORET. AFW 3008 and 3009 rendered to GHQ 2nd Echelon.
	31	Recce continues, still unsuccessfully. First man for UK leave proceeds to COURTRAI. Normal replenishment, and reffill arrangements. carried out from 165 FMC GEMBLOUX.

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Source: Jeroen Koppes, TracesOfWar.com.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. Locations are calculated, so might not be in the correct place. For historical research, always check the originals.

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