1 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0530<\/strong> Battalion HQ HQ Company and Support Company on route march approx 10 miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remainder of Companies on Company Training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1430<\/strong> General Montgomery lectures all officers of the Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1730<\/strong> Captain Robb lectures to the whole Battalion on Prisoners of War<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Company Training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise \u201cTryout\u201d commenced. Troops taking part 38 Brigade. 38 Brigade Sp Group as enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise \u201cTryout\u201d ended at 0700 hrs. Battalion returned to Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lt-Col Scott gave farewell lecture to the Battalion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brigadier Scott left to take up new command Major APK O\u2019Connor assumed command of Battalion. 12 officers and 8 Senior NCOs attend special lecture by Captain Robb on \u201cEscapes as Prisoner of War. Brigadier TPD Scott (RIrF) posted to 12 Infantry Brigade. W\/Lieutenant DGF Kirkham (RUR) posted to Number 1 I RTD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Divisional exercise \u201cMarathon\u201d commenced. Battalion march approx 20 miles to Staging Area (Grombalia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise \u201cMarathon\u201d continues. Battalion did attack during the morning rested during the heat of the afternoon and marched approx 25 miles back to camp during the hours of darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0530<\/strong> Battalion returned to camp from Exercise \u201cMarathon\u201d Standing Orders for Sousse received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Special Order of the Day by Lieutenant General CW Allfrey DSO MS on 78 Division being transferred to 8th<\/sup> Army. Preparations for move to new Area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Battalion moves to Sousse. Battalion HQ established 414511 (sheet 56 I\/50000 Tunisia). News received of invasion of Sicily by American, British and Canadian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n E Company, 16 and 18 Platoon of the Battalion specially commended by the Brigadier on their performance during Exercise \u201cMarathon\u201d they marched 53 miles in just under 36 hours without a single casualty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Company Training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lieutenant-Colonel H Rogers (1 RIrF) assumes command of the Battalion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n T\/Major H Rogers (1 RIrF) joined the Battalion, and assumes command wef same date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Battalion Signal Exercise under direction of Intelligence Officer to practice officers and Warrant Officers in Signal procedure. Officers attend demonstration of night shoot for guiding purposes by 25 pounders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Company training and Field Firing as per programme of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brigadier N Russell MC commander 38 (Irish) Infantry Brigade lectured Battalion on Sicily and events to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Company training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 18 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1730 <\/strong>Battalion moves to new area nearer the coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2000<\/strong> Battalion HQ established at 632478 (Sheet 57 Tunisia I\/50000)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Battalion Training Programme issued. Company training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Company training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise \u201cBlister\u201d commenced. Battalion marched during the night to concentration area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Exercise \u201cBlister\u201d Battalion attacked during the early hours of the morning and returned back to camp by transport during the remainder of the morning and evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2300<\/strong> Battalion returns to camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Battalion standing by for move to Sicily<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Embarkation Serials sorted out in the Battalion IO and Intelligence Sergeant report to Brigade. Brigade Recce Group embark on LST at 1800 hrs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 25 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0800 <\/strong>Brigade Recce Group sailed for Sicily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 26 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1800<\/strong> Battalion left camp and marched to docks at Sousse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2000<\/strong> Battalion embarked on LST and LSIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2100<\/strong> Convoy formed up off shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 27 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0400<\/strong> Convoy sailed for Sicily and started a very rough passage to Ochrina Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 28 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1100 <\/strong>Battalion landed at Bay of Ochrina \u2013 about 10 miles South of Syracuse and marched from beach to Divisional concentration areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1630<\/strong> Battalion left by transport via Floridia, Palazzolo, Buccheri, Vizzini and Mineo. Battalion bivouaced for night 2 miles north of Mineo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 29 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0800 <\/strong>Battalion continued by transport to Albospino, west of Raddusa, lie up in assembly area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1000 <\/strong>\u201cO\u201d Group recce forward areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2300<\/strong> \u201cS\u201d Company arrived in assembly area from Ochrina Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Commanding Officer and Intelligence Officer recce forward areas. Battalion warned to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2000 <\/strong>Battalion moves into hills and bivouacked in area 5 \u00bd miles North of Albospino<\/p>\n\n\n\n 31 July<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 0900<\/strong> 6 MEs flew over Battalion area and dropped bombs near Brigade. Probably looking for tanks which were in the area yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1800<\/strong> Battalion moves on through hills to Misterbianco, overlooking Catenanuova which was captured yesterday by 3rd<\/sup> Canadian Brigade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 July 0530 Battalion HQ HQ Company and Support Company on route march approx 10 miles Remainder of Companies on Company Training. 1430 General Montgomery lectures all officers of the Division. 1730 Captain Robb lectures to the whole Battalion on Prisoners of War 2 July Company Training. 3 July Exercise \u201cTryout\u201d commenced. Troops taking part 38 Brigade. 38 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":13610,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13634","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13635,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13634\/revisions\/13635"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonirishrifles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"