On this day 16th June
1815 - 43rd - left England to join Wellington's Army in Belgium.
1815 – 52nd – With Sir Henry Clintons Division marched on Soignies, halted for night at Brain-le-Conte at midnight in torrential rain.
1918 – 2nd Bn OXF & BUCKS LI – LEFT FRONT BATTALION.
Without Incident.
1918 –1/1stBuckinghamshire Battalion – MONTE LEMERLE.
4.30AM - Counter Attack by 8th WORCESTERS.
Enemy withdrawing.
7AM - OXFORD line completely restored.
8AM - Whole line restored.
Rest of day spent cleaning up area.
Large numbers of prisoners taken: many machine Guns taken.
Bn HQ moved back to the ruins of previous HQ during the Morning.
Several parties out clearing fallen trees from roads etc.
All Wounded evacuated.
Funeral of 8 Men Killed in Action took place at 5pm.
Situation Normal again.
Ration Strength: 24 Officers 654 OR. Casualties: 8 OR.
16th JUNE 1918 – 1/4th Bn Oxf & Bucks LI – M. LEMERLE.
3.0AM - “Stand To” ordered. Very Lights appeared to be fired further away.
Heavy M.G. firing heard at about H.405.320.
4.30AM - Waiting for communications, but no news of WORCESTERS.
4.40AM - Report received that WORCESTERS had been seen going forward. Orders given to T.M's to open barrage – once Platoons of 1/4 R. BERKS moved forward, the right posts of the OXFORDS conforming to the line. The line extended in a rough semi-circle from H.432.330 – H.451.340 – H.469.331. One Platoon R. BERKS moved forward in support.
No opposition was met with and few of the enemy were encountered, but these did not put up any fight & were secured. One or two ran away & were subsequently rounded up in “No Man's Land”
5.45AM - Original front line re-occupied. Patrols sent out towards Hill 1002 to gain touch with the enemy, whom they met in superior numbers, & came back for assistance.
6.0AM - One Coy. of 1/8 WORCESTERS followed R. BERKS & occupied part of the line, the others were not seen again.
O.R. Casualties amounted to 42 Killed, 92 Wounded and 3+ missing. Officers, 5 Killed. 3 Wounded (one subsequently died of wounds).
The Bn. was relieved by 1/8 WORCESTERS, commencing at 2.30 pm., and moved to CARRIOLA.
Notes. Communications with front line Coy's were destroyed in the first 5 minutes and the lines to Bde. HQ. were out of action at 3.45 am.
Subsequently visual communications was established between Bn. HQ's and Bde. HQ's.
The ammunition supply was adequate and supplies came up promptly when called for.
SOS. rockets were not satisfactory, those used by Bn. HQ. failing to burst until below level of tree tops and those of one left front Coy failing to burst at all.
Liaison with flank Bn's. broke down altogether. Scout patrols did not succeed in gaining touch and the situation on the flanks was very obscure throughout the whole of the day, the only information being by means of Battalion in LEMERLE SWITCH.
The situation being completely restored, several parties were organised to collect wounded, our own men & the enemy, and also to bring in our dead. Prisoners were fully used for this purpose and appeared anxious to help. A quantity of spoil was recovered including M.G., Flamenweffer, Telephone sets & listening sets.
1944 - 2nd (Airborne) Bn, Oxf & Bucks LI – ST COME.
Much quieter day - patrols working well forward now, mortar & shell fire much less frequent now.
1944 – 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion:- NORMANDY
On the 16th June, while Queen beach was being shelled heavily, six out of seven landing craft, tank, beached at the time were hit. A petrol coaster carrying 500 tons of spirit and beached between these landing craft was not touched.
At 2000 hrs on this day a Spitfire crashed in the petrol dump, setting petrol alight. Miraculously the pilot was saved before being burnt, and the fire put out.
Things were now going so well that we were told that it was intended to replace the labour provided by the Battalion with pioneers and move the Battalion to Ouistreham so that it could protect the locks.
As a result of the speed with which the 6th Airborne Division had attacked on D Day these locks at the entrance to the Caen Canal had been captured undamaged, and as it was planned to use the docks of Caen as a principal supply port as soon as the town was captured, it was vital that these locks should be preserved intact.
In spite of the foothold won by the 6th Airborne Division on the east bank of the River Orne it had not been possible to drive the Germans from Franceville Plage at the mouth of the Orne. The 6th Airborne Division, in fact, was hard put to it to maintain the ground which it had won, and great battles were raging at Ranville and Herouvillette. In consequence the enemy were stationed only 3,000 yards from the docks, with no intervening troops, and it was considered probable that they would make a raid to demolish the gates and pumping machinery. The fact that they had not already made the attempt will always remain a mystery.
On the 16th June C Company was withdrawn from the ammunition dump and moved to defensive positions on the strip of ground between the locks and the entrance to the Orne.
On the same day an enemy aircraft attempting to bomb the locks was shot down.
1815 - 43rd - left England to join Wellington's Army in Belgium.
1815 – 52nd – With Sir Henry Clintons Division marched on Soignies, halted for night at Brain-le-Conte at midnight in torrential rain.
1918 – 2nd Bn OXF & BUCKS LI – LEFT FRONT BATTALION.
Without Incident.
1918 –1/1stBuckinghamshire Battalion – MONTE LEMERLE.
4.30AM - Counter Attack by 8th WORCESTERS.
Enemy withdrawing.
7AM - OXFORD line completely restored.
8AM - Whole line restored.
Rest of day spent cleaning up area.
Large numbers of prisoners taken: many machine Guns taken.
Bn HQ moved back to the ruins of previous HQ during the Morning.
Several parties out clearing fallen trees from roads etc.
All Wounded evacuated.
Funeral of 8 Men Killed in Action took place at 5pm.
Situation Normal again.
Ration Strength: 24 Officers 654 OR. Casualties: 8 OR.
16th JUNE 1918 – 1/4th Bn Oxf & Bucks LI – M. LEMERLE.
3.0AM - “Stand To” ordered. Very Lights appeared to be fired further away.
Heavy M.G. firing heard at about H.405.320.
4.30AM - Waiting for communications, but no news of WORCESTERS.
4.40AM - Report received that WORCESTERS had been seen going forward. Orders given to T.M's to open barrage – once Platoons of 1/4 R. BERKS moved forward, the right posts of the OXFORDS conforming to the line. The line extended in a rough semi-circle from H.432.330 – H.451.340 – H.469.331. One Platoon R. BERKS moved forward in support.
No opposition was met with and few of the enemy were encountered, but these did not put up any fight & were secured. One or two ran away & were subsequently rounded up in “No Man's Land”
5.45AM - Original front line re-occupied. Patrols sent out towards Hill 1002 to gain touch with the enemy, whom they met in superior numbers, & came back for assistance.
6.0AM - One Coy. of 1/8 WORCESTERS followed R. BERKS & occupied part of the line, the others were not seen again.
O.R. Casualties amounted to 42 Killed, 92 Wounded and 3+ missing. Officers, 5 Killed. 3 Wounded (one subsequently died of wounds).
The Bn. was relieved by 1/8 WORCESTERS, commencing at 2.30 pm., and moved to CARRIOLA.
Notes. Communications with front line Coy's were destroyed in the first 5 minutes and the lines to Bde. HQ. were out of action at 3.45 am.
Subsequently visual communications was established between Bn. HQ's and Bde. HQ's.
The ammunition supply was adequate and supplies came up promptly when called for.
SOS. rockets were not satisfactory, those used by Bn. HQ. failing to burst until below level of tree tops and those of one left front Coy failing to burst at all.
Liaison with flank Bn's. broke down altogether. Scout patrols did not succeed in gaining touch and the situation on the flanks was very obscure throughout the whole of the day, the only information being by means of Battalion in LEMERLE SWITCH.
The situation being completely restored, several parties were organised to collect wounded, our own men & the enemy, and also to bring in our dead. Prisoners were fully used for this purpose and appeared anxious to help. A quantity of spoil was recovered including M.G., Flamenweffer, Telephone sets & listening sets.
1944 - 2nd (Airborne) Bn, Oxf & Bucks LI – ST COME.
Much quieter day - patrols working well forward now, mortar & shell fire much less frequent now.
1944 – 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion:- NORMANDY
On the 16th June, while Queen beach was being shelled heavily, six out of seven landing craft, tank, beached at the time were hit. A petrol coaster carrying 500 tons of spirit and beached between these landing craft was not touched.
At 2000 hrs on this day a Spitfire crashed in the petrol dump, setting petrol alight. Miraculously the pilot was saved before being burnt, and the fire put out.
Things were now going so well that we were told that it was intended to replace the labour provided by the Battalion with pioneers and move the Battalion to Ouistreham so that it could protect the locks.
As a result of the speed with which the 6th Airborne Division had attacked on D Day these locks at the entrance to the Caen Canal had been captured undamaged, and as it was planned to use the docks of Caen as a principal supply port as soon as the town was captured, it was vital that these locks should be preserved intact.
In spite of the foothold won by the 6th Airborne Division on the east bank of the River Orne it had not been possible to drive the Germans from Franceville Plage at the mouth of the Orne. The 6th Airborne Division, in fact, was hard put to it to maintain the ground which it had won, and great battles were raging at Ranville and Herouvillette. In consequence the enemy were stationed only 3,000 yards from the docks, with no intervening troops, and it was considered probable that they would make a raid to demolish the gates and pumping machinery. The fact that they had not already made the attempt will always remain a mystery.
On the 16th June C Company was withdrawn from the ammunition dump and moved to defensive positions on the strip of ground between the locks and the entrance to the Orne.
On the same day an enemy aircraft attempting to bomb the locks was shot down.
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