By the 15th June 50th Division had moved south of Bayeux and was centred on two bases; one near Ellon and the other nearer the River Aure (from Frontline map in Library of Congress). For the 61st Recce things could seem pretty disorganised in those first weeks in Normandy:
Anthony Rampling:
“I always remember a particularly outspoken Sergeant - Sergeant Wells. He stood up in his armoured car one day and he said this in front of officers and everybody:
“Never in the field of human conflict have so many been f…ed around by so few in such a short time.” (Paraphrases Churchill’s famous speech ‘The Few’ praising the fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain.)
‘Chalky’ (Charlie) Wells was the particularly outspoken Sergeant who Tony remembers. Roy Howard’s book (Beaten Paths are Safest) has an account from the Newsletter of the Old Comrades Association of how, on 15th June, ‘Chalky’ and Trooper Sam Benson of ‘B’ Squadron were on forward Recce, crawling through grass on their stomachs, when they came face to face with two Germans doing the same. Hurrying back to warn the advancing infantry of the German presence Sam was shot. Charlie carried him to safety and they met up again at a reunion dinner 26 years later. (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)
Sgt Wells was awarded the Croix de Guerre Bronze Star (given for mention in despatches at regiment or brigade level) for his “conspicuous” defence of the vital high ground of Point 103 during the period 9th to 12th June, his rescue of a wounded comrade on 15th June and his troop command in August 1944 after his Lieutenant was wounded. (See 61st Recce battle honours.)
Don Aiken was involved in the incident:
“We continued to probe along the byways making contact with the enemy and reporting to base. On the morning of 15th June, when my car had been leading the patrol along a particularly nasty stretch of road for a long stretch of time, it was decided to pass the job over to a Bren-Carrier Troop. We pulled in to the side of the road to let them pass through us. The leading Carrier had gone less than a hundred yards when, as I understood at the time, it blew up on a land-mine.
Now, 60 years after the event, I am informed by our Troop Sergeant Charlie Wells (see above) that in fact the explosion was due to a string of our own mines, being carried in the Carrier, exploding accidentally when a German prisoner lost his balance and fell onto them. All the crew and the prisoner were killed.
We then diverted onto another road which led up to a cross roads near Lingevres*, where there had been a tank battle during the previous day. As we moved cautiously along this narrow country road, sensing danger, we came across a knocked out tank which was blocking our path. Charlie Wells decided to scout on foot along the ditch, with the commander of my car Corporal Sam Benson. They had crept along for a hundred yards or so when they ran into a machine-gun ambush hidden behind the hedgerow. After a short exchange of fire Sam Benson was badly wounded, his stomach having been ripped open by a stream of machine gun bullets. We decided to pull back out of the situation, and I gave covering fire from my Bren gun while Sam was brought out and carried back to safety on the front of a Bren carrier." * a village just west of Tilly-sur-Seulles
(Extract republished See Don Aiken’s account of Corporal Black’s death from the BBC People's War website by kind permission of Don Aiken)
Eric Postles recalls the same incidents, attributing the carrier explosion to road mines:
“10 Troop were told to recce a village (since identified as Crauville*) in the Tilly area and in the morning we moved through the infantry positions. My carrier was in the lead and we went some distance before being fired on and were then told to turn off into the village but otherwise it was silent and deserted.
We returned to the carriers and after removing the road obstacles proceeded to drive through the village. Sgt Griffiths’ carrier reached the first building where there was debris on the road when there was a huge explosion and the carrier was blown several feet into the air and crashed down. Burning and exploding ammunition and fuel made it impossible to get near to it. We found one body, Trooper Webb, who was very badly injured. We gave him morphine but he died. Sgt Griffiths, Joe Collier and Jack McHugh all died. The latter two were called up with me at Carlisle. They are buried at Hottot Cemetery. Joe Collier was on Bolton Wanderers books and goalkeeper for the regiment’s football team. It taught us a bitter lesson about mined roads and to take care if there was foliage or unusual debris on the road. Another lesson we learned was to recognise by the smell whether Germans had occupied a building and to then be aware of booby traps.”
17th June (sic): “We had to recce the same area with 12 Troop armoured cars but this time met up with the enemy. Corporal Benson (12 Troop) was hit by a maching gun bullet and badly wounded in his stomach while on foot recce with Sargeant Charlie Wells. We recovered him and took him back to the Queens Brigade medics. It was a “Blighty” wound (one which needed treating in England) but thankfully he recovered and later returned to the Regiment.
The village proved costly to the Regiment as a heavy and light armoured car of A Squadron were also destroyed with loss of life. Later we heard that the village was heavily mined and booby trapped. We entered some of the buildings on our foot patrols so we had perhaps been fortunate not to sustain more casualties.” (Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
*Crauville lies between Hottot-les-Bagues and Caumont-l'Éventé.
Two of the three carrier crews in Eric's troop had now been lost.
Eric Brewer's diary for 15th June reads:
“Moved to 103. Came across Gerry Bikes abandoned (with) everything on them. Found 1 mortar.”
61st Recce Roll of Honour includes the following who died on this day:
Trooper Joseph Collier (age 22) of Bolton, Lancashire
Trooper William Griffiths (age 26) of Londonderry
Trooper Ronald McHugh (age 26) of Shaw, Lancashire
Trooper John Webb (age 25) of Handsworth, Birmingham
All are laid to rest in the Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery, south of Tilly-sur-Seulles
(See 61st Roll of Honour courtesy of Recce Mitch. Their gravestones are shown in Roy Howard’s book.)
We will remember them.
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