61st Recce earned their Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Philip H. K. Brownrigg, the Distinguished Service Order for their role in the advance of XXX Corps through Belgium (which led to the capture of Brussels and Antwerp). The citation also refers to the 'conspicuous and very gallant part' played by the Regiment watching the line of the Douai to Lille Canal in the Wavrin and Haubourdin area (south-west of Lille).
“There followed some easy liberation with flags and kisses, and only an occasional stray enemy. Then a convoy drive to about twenty miles short of Lille; from there we were sent off again on our own route, which was so difficult that it might have been chosen for a map-reading exercise. The advance had outrun the supply of maps from England, and all we had were a few half-inch maps, which scarcely marked the side roads we were supposed to use. However, we managed to borrow a German map, with which we guided ourselves to Houplin, a village short of Lille. Here, with his mind possibly more on map reading than on the enemy, the leading troop commander advanced confidently on the bridge. When he was about a hundred yards from it an anti-tank shell broke off his aerial. The one map showed the vestige of a bridge on the right; the leading troop, made at once for this, found it passable, and were over it and infiltrating into the village in a matter of minutes. But the opposition was stronger and more determined than we had thought. ‘A’ Squadron were occupied here for three days, and eventually a battalion and some tanks were needed to clear the village."(From ‘A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ by Lieutenant-Colonel P.H.A.Brownrigg D.S.O.)
On the night of 3rd/4th September at Houplin half of Lieutenant Griffiths' ‘A’ Squadron troop were killed or wounded when attacked during the night. He and the remainder of his troop held their position and in the morning drove the enemy off the bridge. Trooper John Traynor received the Military Medal for his role in ‘A’ Squadron’s capture of Houplin on 4th September.
Acting Sergeant Robert Smeaton was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star for “great and continuous devotion to duty” both in Normandy and on the advance through France when he volunteered to rescue wounded from his troop under fire, successfully recovering two and the body of a third. (See Croix de Guerre citations for Lt C.R. Griffiths, Trooper J. Traynor and Corporal, Acting Sergeant R. Smeaton in 61st Recce battle honours.)
Colonel Brownrigg continues:
"Meanwhile, ‘B’ Squadron bypassed this trouble, ran into some more and did great execution, and then went off the air. That night a faint but cheerful voice came up on the radio to say that they had crossed into Belgium. Only later did they reveal the details of their reception.” (From ‘A Reconnaissance Regiment in the B.L.A.’ by Lieutenant-Colonel P.H.A.Brownrigg D.S.O.)
‘B’ Squadron had crossed the frontier some 30 miles ahead of the rest of the Regiment and the Division despite constant enemy resistance. (From Major Frank Harding’s Military Cross citation - see 61st Recce battle honours.)
Don Aiken continues his account of 61st Recce’s ‘B’ Squadron:
“Now the advance was in full flow. Our Regiment was put in as the spear-head of the advance which we did at rate of 60 miles in one day, and passing through towns whose names had been made familiar to me from stories of the First World War, which took place here thirty years earlier. Amiens, the Somme, Cambrai, Arras, Lille and Armentieres. Places which had been fought over for months, even years. We passed them by in a few days.
Often the advance was slowed by the enthusiasm of the local populace of the small towns and villages as we passed through. They were overjoyed to see Allied troops after years of oppression. Sometimes we were temporarily halted by the French Resistance who had cornered German troops in woods etc., and were asking our assistance. We had to refer them to our follow-up troops as speed of advance was paramount.
The Germans tried to slow down our progress in any number of ways, such as mines across the roads, or even sods strewn on the roads to simulate mines.
On one occasion when my Armoured Car was leading the advance along a narrow road lined with trees, I suddenly noticed a thin wire which had been tied across the road at head height between two trees. We managed to stop in time to investigate it and found that one end was fastened to the trigger of a Panzerfaust aimed at the centre of the wire and loaded with a rocket grenade.
We were the first troops to cross the border into Belgium and at that point we were relieved by the Guards Armoured Division who passed through us and took up the spear-head.
We were then used to protect the Northern flank of the narrow corridor which was being made through Belgium, and to prevent the escape of the remnants of the 9th. German Army which had been cut off between the corridor and the Northern coast.”
(Extract republished from 'From the Breakout to the Rhine'by kind permission of Don Aiken)
On 3rd September 1944 the Guards Armoured Division pushed forward covering 70 miles through enemy-occupied territory and liberated Brussels.
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