1st September 1944 – Eisenhower takes command of all Allied troops in North-West Europe while Montgomery reverts to command of 21st Army Group (the British and Canadians), instead of all land forces, but is promoted to Field Marshal in recognition of his achievements in Operation Overlord and the Battle for Normandy. Montgomery’s tactical headquarters and caravan were in the park of the Château de Dangu, east of Gisors (halfway between Vernon and Beauvais).
The Canadian 2nd Division liberate Dieppe two years after their failed invasion attempt here and Patton’s US Third Army take Verdun, near the north-west border of France and scene of the famous WW1 battle and memorials.
British forces cross the River Somme in France.
50th Division were still centred south-west of Beauvais on 1st September but 61st Reconnaissance appears to have advanced to Amiens and beyond with the Guards. The Regimental HQ was established west of Amiens.
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 (south-east of Arras), Arras, Lille and Armentières (on the Belgium border north-west of Lille). 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." (Extract republished from 'From the Breakout to the Rhine'by kind permission of Don Aiken)
Eric Brewer’s diary for 1st September reads: “Pushed on to near Amiens. Went out on Recce, came across a camp with chaps captured in 1940 - they had been their Guards prisoners - and also a few more Gerry, must be about 200. Funny chaps as they salute us and stand to attention. Also bags of Gerry kit here and lorries. Also officer quarters - they had left plenty of kit.”
Eric Postles writes: "1 September 1944: We passed around Arras” (between Amiens and Lille) “and Amiens, although the crowd did their best to get us to go into the town centres. Many of the locals took photographs of us. The only one I had was some of the troop when we liberated Ailly” (5km north-west of Amiens on the Somme). “A young girl named Joselyn who we met there posted it to me later. We came across a crashed RAF bomber, which was reasonably intact, in a wood but there was no sign of the crew.
Near Amiens a most interesting event occurred when a civilian came down the road and threw a smart salute to Lieutenant Soul” (Eric’s Troop Commander) “and said he had been hiding in France since 1940 when he was serving in the Guards with the BEF*. He said he had valuable information and was rushed on the back of our despatch rider’s bike to RHQ. There was a great feeling of euphoria during these days as we crossed Northern France and the feeling grew that the war would soon be over.” *the British Expeditionary Force were the British Army in Western Europe from September 1939 to the French surrender and their evacuation in June 1940.
61st Recce's 'B' Squadron 10 Troop at Ailly-sur-Somme - Eric is missing from this photo. (Extract from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
It wasn't all plain sailing however: on 1st September 1944, near Conty, south-west of Amiens Lieutenant Christian Ronald Griffiths of 61st Recce was sent to an isolated patch to guard the left flank of the advance to Amiens. He held his position “and inflicted casualties on the considerable enemy force”. (From the Croix de Guerre Silver Star citation for Lt. Griffiths in 61st Recce battle honours.)
61st Recce Roll of Honour includes the following who died on 1st September 1944:
Corporal Arthur Richard Barnett (age 26) of Moston, Manchester
who is laid to rest in the London cemetery and extension, Longueval north-west of Amiens.
(See 61st Recce Roll of Honour, courtesy of Recce Mitch.)
We will remember them.
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