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.
1919 –1st Bn, OXF & BUCKS LI – NORTH RUSSIA.
SELTSO
1400 - Column H.Q. absorbed Forward Area H.Q. which ceased to exist.
0300 - Patrol from B Coy. NIJNI KITSA strength 2 Offrs. (Lt. W.L. Dibben & Lt. J.E.W. Rance M.C.) & 16 O.R. reached advance defences of KITSA.
Sentry was observed in the trenches and the patrol decided to rush him but was held up by strong belt of barbed wire. Bolos came out of their blockhouses and ran away.
Patrol opened fire at about 30 yards range and knocked over eight bolos, who appeared to be dead.
Our casualties Nil.
Patrol got back at 0430 hrs.
1919 –2nd Bn, OXF & BUCKS LI – Oxford.
Cadre of the Regiment, less a skeleton left to deal with administration, began 28 days' leave.
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.
1919 –1st Bn, OXF & BUCKS LI – NORTH RUSSIA.
SELTSO
1400 - Column H.Q. absorbed Forward Area H.Q. which ceased to exist.
0300 - Patrol from B Coy. NIJNI KITSA strength 2 Offrs. (Lt. W.L. Dibben & Lt. J.E.W. Rance M.C.) & 16 O.R. reached advance defences of KITSA.
Sentry was observed in the trenches and the patrol decided to rush him but was held up by strong belt of barbed wire. Bolos came out of their blockhouses and ran away.
Patrol opened fire at about 30 yards range and knocked over eight bolos, who appeared to be dead.
Our casualties Nil.
Patrol got back at 0430 hrs.
1919 –2nd Bn, OXF & BUCKS LI – Oxford.
Cadre of the Regiment, less a skeleton left to deal with administration, began 28 days' leave.
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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