59 Medium (4th West Lancashire) Regiment: 235 Battery 236 Battery- 4.5inch 5.5inch

Unit.No.76

 

22 September 1944: Regiment moved from Belgium to Eindhoven.               

                 

26 September 1944: Regiment moved to another area near Eindhoven.                      

 

29 September 1944: Regiment moved to area Son, The glider position near Best occupied only by RHQ and 235 as the order for 236 to set up for the whole Regiment to forget it and somewhere else arrive at about the same time.                                                             

 

8 October 1944: Regiment moved to area near Elst, RHQ in view of enemy, guns only just not. We also get our first Brussels leave vacancies.                                                   

 

18 October 1944: Regiment move to Dinther (Brabant) OPs once more in tanks, Operation "Pheasant", starts with a programme of abour 75rpg.                                                        

 

24 October 1944: Regiment moved to area near Schijndel (Brabant).Only one night there, during which a few Germans are taken prisoner in A.Echelon.                                 

 

25 October 1944: Regiment move to position just East of Boxtel (Brabant). Captain Okell tank hets shot up South of Vught, but the crew escapes with a mere wetting. Memorable for that frightful night when vast expenditure was called for without notice and we only kept any guns firing by transferring shells direct from ammo lorry to breach, fuzing them on the way.

 

27 October 1944: RHQ moved to Lunatic Asylum, East of Tilburg.                              

 

29 October 1944: Regiment moved to Loon op Zand (Brabant).                                     

 

31 October 1944: Regiment moved to Kaatsheuvel. (Brabant).                                

 

1 November 1944: Regiment moved to Udenhout (Brabant). Visit Tilburg for baths, cinemas and shopping, also spent some time fitting some new barrels and calibrating with 21 Army Group Standard Gun.  

 

16 November 1944: Regiment moved to area near Leveroy (Brabant).     

  

30 November 1944: Regiment moved to area near Maasbree (Limburg). Here we received our first intimation about BLA leave to the UK. Unpleasant place in mined area. 235 get shelled considerably, 236 lose a roving gun.   

 

9 December 1944: Regiment moved Heythuizen (Limburg). Introduction to the German jet plane, about 10 bombs.

 

21 December 1944: Regiment moved to Belgium.   

 

14 January 1945: Regiment moved from Belgium, to a position near Sittard, in support of Operation "Blackcock".

 

18 January 1945: One Gun C.Troop out of action with buckled trail leggs.

 

19 January 1945: Regiment moved to Germany.

 

9 February 1945: Regiment moved to area Boxmeer (Brabant). We are very near the enemy. only the Maas seperate us. We have to collect our own ammunition,and during out stay here we collect more than 7.000 rounds.

 

20 February 1945: Regiment moved to Groeningen, last day in action for the Regiment in Holland.

From D.Day to VE-Day Regiment fired 137.030 rounds.