Over Nijmegen Bridge

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC October 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 3rd       Place NIJMEGEN

‘Today has been quiet.  “A” Squadron have returned from 69 Infantry brigade and reverted to Regimental control.

Tonight a warning order from Division arrived.  The Regiment moves NORTH of NIJMEGEN tomorrow.’

 

Eric Brewer wrote: “We were relieved to go for baths – first one since Bayeux…Saw a dog fight…Gerry is after the bridge but he got shot down and we saw the parachute.”

On October 4^th, while still at Nijmegen he wrote: “as I write this this the sound of mortar shells, air craft and machine gun fire can be heard.” (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 

 

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC October 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 4th       Place NIJMEGEN  ‘The Island’

‘The Waal was crossed at 1400 hrs and the Regiment moved to the area 6968 just SOUTH of ELST.  We are in Divisional reserve though tactically disposed in Squadron ‘blobs’ centred on the BEMMEL* area.’

*a village south east of Elst

 

Reg Harper from 61^st Recce RHQ (Regimental Headquarters) recalled ‘the Island’ in the newsletter of the Old Comrades Association:   

“The damp, dreary and dismal ‘ISLAND’, that notorious place between Nijmegen and Arnhem we got to know so well during that October/November ’44…North it was again over Nijmegen bridge where, as Colonel Brownrigg wrote the heart sank every time you did it, and in my memory the throttle foot also went down hard on many occasions.”   (From ‘Beaten Paths are Safest’ by Roy Howard, Brewin Books 2004)

 

Dick and the rest of 61^st Recce had all moved to ‘the Island’,

near Elst (between the Waal and Lower Rhine rivers)

south of Arnhem, which was still held by the Germans.

 

 

 

WAR DIARY of 61 Recce Regt RAC October 1944

– Lt Col P.H.A. Brownrigg

Date 5th       Place ELST area

‘Today has been quiet. “B” & “C” Squadron’s location remaining unchanged.  “A” Squadron moved from Regimental reserve and came under command of 151 Brigade* relieving 6 Durham Light Infantry from the area immediately NORTH EAST of NIJMEGEN bridge.  “A” are not seriously committed.  They have only a narrow sector to hold, and that, one which is unlikely to be the enemy’s ‘Schwerpunkt’** should an attack develop.  Five officer reinforcements ex 34 RHU***

*part of 50^th Division.

** a German word meaning literally ‘hard point’, the schw­er­punkt is the unmov­ing tar­get of a strat­egy - the one objective every­one is work­ing toward.

**Replacement Holding Unit or something to do with the Royal Hussars (part of 7^th Armoured Brigade)?