Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence
Summaries are contained in F.S. Regs., Vol. 1.
and the Staff Manual respectively Title pages
will be prepared in manuscript.

 WAR DIARY
or
INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY		 Army Form C.2118
Unit: 1st Bn The Herefordshire Regt.
Month and Year: July 1944 (Erase heading not required). Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. G.R. Turner Cain.
Place Date Hour Summary Reference
1 1200 B Coy supported by Sqn of Churchill tks carried out offensive sweep on high ground ref.939620. to clear it of enemy who might have remainded from previous night's attack and to deny him O.Ps. sweep entirely successful. One or two M.G. posts mopped up.
Tourmaville 1 1700 Mortar Bomb fell on C coy H.Q. "O" group. 3 Ofrs wounded, 1 O.R killed. In future all H.Qs will have sufficient trenches to accomodate "O" gps, visitors etc.
1/2 2300 Enemy movement heard from ESQUAY.DF task fired. Patrols sent out after barrage reported enemy withdrawing in confusion and screaming.
3   Coys wiring in posns.
3/4   Patrol from C coy patrolled to pt 113 ref 931604. Enemy working parties reported between EVRECY and ESQUAY, probably mining.Number of corpses seen.
4   Mines laid fwd of B?C, and D coys.
5 1500 Minefields completed.Adv party from 4 DORSETS, 130 Inf Bde, arrived.
6 0200 Bn relieved by 4 DORSETS and withdrawn to rest area FRESNAY LE CROTTEUR Ref 893785 sheet 7F/1. Route (Bottle) TOURMAVILLE, CHEUX, LE MESNIL PATRY, COULOMBS.
FRESNAY LE CROTTEUR 7 1215 All ranks adressed by new Bde Comd, Brig.J.B.Churcher.
8   Div Comd Maj Gen G.C.Roberts D.S.O. visited the Bn
12 1400 Demonstration by Pionneer Pl and D Coy of new drill for clearing mines from rds and verges.
13   TEWT for Offrs and senior N.C.Os. Consolidation.
14 1400 Recce grp carried out provisional recce of LE HAUT du BOSQ area for possible pivot ref 9066.
15 1800 C.O. attended conferance at Bde H.Q.
16 1130 Recce party left for conc area, ref 1/25000 map 40/16 NW.1174
16 2015 Bn move to conc area RANVILLE, ref 7F/2 108787. Route -BRETTEVILLE - BRAY - HEROUVILLE - BENOUVILLE - LONDON BRIDGE.
Ranville 17 0400 Bn in psn RANVILLE area. Recce made for attack S.E.CAEN.Orders recieved for operation GOODWOOD.
18 0715 Bn moved up to FUP, high ground 107727 (7F/2)
18 0811 First phase. D Coy and one sqn Northants Yeo put in attack on high ground E. of CUVERVILLE 112690 to obtain base for next phase. Attack Successful.
18 0830 2nd. Phase. Reminder of Bn moved up behind D Coy,A,right C, left, B in reserve, and passed through to capture wooded area E. of DEMOUVILLE. Attack successful and Bn consolidated area 110687.Considerable numbers of prisonners captured by C Coy.
DEMOUVILLE 18 2020 Bn Ordered to occupy high ground taken by armour -GRENTHEVILLE area. Pivot taken up 095657.
18 2130 Bn in posn.
19   Area subjected to shelling throughout day, evidently all wooded area, landmarks etc. registered enemy D.F.tasks.
19 1615 29 Armd Bde attacked and captured BRAS.061632 and HUBERT-FOLIE 066622. 159 Inf Bde followed up attack to take over from the armour, and mop up. Objectives - Mons, BRAS -4KSLI. HUBBERT-FOLIE -1 Hfds. reverse slope at 067632Order of March, 3 Mons, 4 KSLI, 1 Hfds. Bn attained objective at last light but their was insufficient time to co-ordinate defences of pivot posn before dark. It was very difficult ground on which to read a map, consisting of large open wheat-fields with few landmarks, and no fences. It was impossible to find one's way round the Bn posns after dark, even Coy Comd lost themselves in their Coy areas. During the advance a certain amount of trouble was experienced from LMGs on the left flank from the area of SOLIERS 0862.SOLIERS was reported in our hands and wether the Bn was fired on by the occupants of SOLIERS or by enemy still in its vicinity was never determined. Fwd posns were in hedged fields and copses marked on map, and consequently came in for considerable enemy D.F.fire. In this matter we were lucky being 500 yds down the reverse slope and were little troubled by mortars.
20 1200 Two fwd Bns were relieved by Cdn Inf and whole Bde withdrawn to take up pivot posn at 105665 7F/2.
22 1530 Bn movend to BITOT for rest and refit. Part of route was over tracks prepared by Bulldozers. Track was consequently not marked on map and owing to dark night it was difficult to distinguish the track from the soft ground on eitheir side, owing to vehicles getting off track and becoming bogged, Bn had ultimately to halt and await daylight, before proceeding.
BITOT 23 0730 Bn arrived at BITOT, ref 003713 7F/1. (21 miles in 17 hours) Lloyd carriers insufficiently powerful to drag guns through thick mud and had to be assisted by Carriers Universal.
BITOT 24-28   Bn rested and refited after taking part in the thrust East of Caen. 3713 Sheet 7F/1
29 0300 Bn left Bitot to conc W of Caumont for the operation that was to result in the Allied Break-out of the Normandy Br Hd.
29 0845 Bn arrived in new conc area Ref. 6664 Sheet 6F/2 west of Caumont.
30 0300 Bn left conc area and marched fwd to attack in the area 6859-6858. During the night. R.Es. cleared a lane through a mine-field laid by the Allies but it was not done properly, and at very commencement of the attack a carrier was blown up. The attack was carried out with the co-operaton of tks and a way was found round the mine-field. The Bn quickly gained the 1st obj, Orchard, Ref 680588 where it had to wait 2 ½ hrs whilst air bombardment of successive objs. took place. Coys took up posns preparatory to advancing to line of rd Caumont 7059 and Torigny 5654. The orchard area was one of the enemies D.F.tasks and was covered by M.G.s. the latterbeing eliminated by degrees. Many cas. were recieved in theses posns both to Offrs and men probably 100 in all (K: - Offrs 1 - ORs 21; W: - Offrs 2 - ORs 104)Enemy mines were encountered on leaving the orchard but by 1500 hrs the rd was gained.The tks adv south of the rd firing into the hedgerows with the ing in close sup for some 1,000 yds, and we the were through the enemy posns.The 4 KSLI then passed through and first Herefordshires then followed conc area for the night at La asslliere by 2100 hrs.The cas. by the Bn in the operation were, Wounded 2 Offres, 102 O.R.s Killed 1 Offrs. 19 O.R.s.
31 0430 Bn adv on foot unopposed.
31 0830 Arr. at la Fouquerie Ref. 6653. Sheet 6F/4.
31 1100 Bn cont adv on foot and took up posn for the night at X rds 6540.Contact was made with the americans on our right flank for the first time.
31   Turner Cain Lt. Col.Commanding Officer.1st Bn. The Herefordshire Regiment.

Disclaimer: This War Diary is based on its original, but typos might be corrected. For historical research, always check the originals.