Memories of Frank Yates Chapter 29

Memories of Frank Yates CHAPTER 29

Before telling you of my life at 53rd Welsh Div HQ it is necessary to mention the composition of the three brigades which made up the fighting strength.
71 Infantry Brigade (England and Scotland)
1st Batt, The East Lancs Regt. (Replaced by 4th RWF on Aug 3rd 1944)
1st Batt, (43rd) The Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
1st Batt, The Highland Light Infantry

158 (Royal Welsh) Infantry Brigade (North Wales)
4th Batt, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Replaced by 1/5 Welsh on Aug 3rd 1944)
6th Batt, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Replaced by 1 E Lancs on Aug 3rd 1944)
7th Batt, The Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Replaced by 2nd S.Wales Borderers, on 3rd Aug 1944)

160 (South Wales) Infantry Brigade (South Wales)
4th Batt, The Welsh Regiment.
1st/5th Batt, The Welsh Regiment. (Replaced by 6 Batt, RWF on 3rd Aug 1944)
2nd. Batt, The Monmouthshire Regiment.

Because of very heavy casualties in July, there was concern that the large concentration of RWF in 158 Brigade, could result, in the case of more heavy losses, in the decimation of a small area of N. Wales. This was the reason for the redistribution on August 3rd 1944.
During this period, because of the heavy casualty rate, the reserves had come to an end and to bring infantry units to something like full strength, 59 Infantry Div (Staffordshire) was disbanded and its manpower redistributed. They followed us into Normandy, in June. Last in, first out?
In addition to the nine infantry battalions;-
Divisional Machine Gun Battalion.
1st Batt, The Manchester Regiment (equipped with Vickers machine guns and 4.2 mortars)

Royal Armoured Corps, 53 Reconnaissance Regiment
(Humber Mk 1V Armoured cars, with 37mm guns, and Daimler Scout cars, together with a support group , in carriers, equipped with 3” mortars and 6 pounder anti tank guns.

The “Ops” room at Div HQ was always the first tent to be erected. It was dominated by a huge map of the area, completely covered by a huge sheet of “talc”(a tough transparent substance, particularly suitable for chinagraph pencils) I might mention that I was issued with a personal map case, in a canvas cover, with pockets for chinagraphs and a shoulder strap.
The map in the Ops room was always kept up to date, situation reports being submitted twice a day by the brigades (SITREPS). Our positions in red and the German positions in blue were shown on the map. The blue German positions and dispositions were kept up to date by Donald Phelps, the G3 (Int), who was briefed by the Intelligence service. To me, there was an air of menace about the labels such as “1st. SS Panzer Div, Panzer Lehr, II SS Panzer Corps” etc.
The D Day strategy required Caen to be taken on the first day but it was still in German hands more than a month later. It was suggested that Montgomery, under pressure from Churchill, asked for massive air support. Fortified villages north of Caen were shelled by nine field regiments, two army group heavy artillery regiments, the battleship Rodney, the monitor Roberts, and the cruisers Belfast and Emerald. The battleship Rodney started the attack, firing 29 rounds from its 16 inch guns, This massive bombardment was followed, at dusk, by 467 Lancasters, Halifaxes and Mosquitoes which dropped 2,273 tons of bombs on the Northern outskirts of Caen. We knew of the attack and had taken up viewing positions on a grassy hillock. I suppose it seems a bit bloodthirsty to seek such macabre entertainment, but it was one of those, once in a lifetime, experiences that were not to be missed. One of the bombers was shot down, in flames, by German flak, but otherwise the raid was unopposed. Although the Town fell in the next two days, no German casualties were found and the great piles of stone rubble made passage through very difficult for the Canadians.
I was sent to get the situation of the Canadian Div. on our left flank. Taking a driver, so that I could read the map, we passed through a dark wood, a scary place, because the road was covered with twigs, showing that it was unused and possibly mined. Going round a corner, among the dark trees, we ran over the arm of a dead German, black with decay. On looking back, I saw that we had separated a hand and lower arm. I was very glad get out of the wood, believe me!
I found the Canadians eating their lunch in the courtyard of the Caen convent. The general was very happy to tell me about their situation, and even got someone to mark my map with their positions. Going back through the rubble, dodging drunken Canadians wandering about in the mountains of stone, we took a different route back home!
A lot of my time was spent, on duty, in the Command Vehicle (CV). It was a three ton truck, the forward part containing the wireless sets for the Divisional Command net and the Corps net together with a Royal Signals NCO. There was a generator for charging the batteries. A partition across the vehicle separated the front and rear sections, the rear half having a table across the width and a hatch opening to the front part. Other tables and chairs made up the furniture. A head set and microphone was provided for communication. During daytime, there was usually a G3 and an LO on duty, but at night, when the traffic was low, there was just an LO on duty, necessitating getting someone up, if anything out of the ordinary cropped up. On my second night at Div HQ, on night duty with “Tich” Williams he got a signal from one of the brigades, requesting extra artillery support for a forthcoming attack. He gave me the signal and told me to wake up the G1. I found his ridge tent, undid the flap and gently shook the sleeping Ap Rhys Price. There was a flurry of activity and I found myself looking down the barrel of a large revolver.” Always sleep with your gun under the pillow, son” he advised me!
When on night duty, alone, I had an unexpected job to do. The chief clerk would, at about 10 pm, deliver a large parcel of mail, written by all the OR’s, with the envelopes unsealed. It was my duty to read the letters and censor them, reseal them and stamp the envelope with a rubber stamp “Passed by Official Censor”. This duty helped to pass on the boredom of the night duty. The contents of the letters were, of course, completely confidential and the writer could say what he liked, provided that there was no information useful to the enemy. Over the two years of censoring mail, there were few occasions for the black out crayon, or the scissors, but there were lots of tedious religious outpourings, and a number of very explicit sexual suggestions to girlfriends and wives. I must confess that I had never even heard about some of the things that the writers got up to. Censorable, perhaps, but not by a military censor!

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