WO 171/304 - 8 Corps CA - July 1944

Place	Date	Hour	Summary	Reference
LANTHEUIL	1	1400	Comdt Merlin relieved Cmdt St Leger as French LO with 218 Det.
	2		Reports of damage to church at SECQUEVILLE by troops.
	2		218 Det continued to evacuate civilians to Corps Refugee Transit Area. By midnight about 800 had been evacuated during the 24 hrs. Refugees mostly from VERSON area. Food supplies and water taken to the Collecting Point.
	3		Residue Party arrived at 2315 hrs.
	4		SO1 E (Lt Col A.W.E. Crawford) visited CA 1 Corps and arranged boundary of area to be occupied by 224 Det.
	5		224 Det est HQ at CULLY and took over area from 1 Corps.
	6		SCAO visited Sous Prefet at BAYEUX to discuss removal of Mayor of LANTHEUIL who was not working satisfactorily. Mayor appointed prior to 1939 and could not be removed.
	6	1850	SO2 A (Major A.G. Puttock) discussed question of removal of cattle from fwd area with DA and QMG. Arranged that Div and Corps Cattle compounds should be est.
	7		CA Summary No 1 issued.	App ‘A’
	7		SO1 A (Lt Col R.S. Manley) visited M Flipot (Agriculture rep for BRETTEVILLE area). Arranged civilian labour for fencing of Corps Cattle Compound at SECQUEVILLE (RE providing material). 224 Det (Major Miles) reported complaints of looting by tps in CULLY and BRETTEVILLE.
	7		DDST not prepared to take milk provided by Corps Cattle Compound. Milk to be disposed of to cheese makers or to tps.
	8	1645	SCAO visited Corps Cattle Compound and Div Compounds. 305 Cattle and 16 horses in Corps Compound by nightfall.
	9	0930	M Bertrand (French Vet) spent day at Corps Compound.
	9	1000	Major Mowat (Cdn Army) reported as Fin Offr.
	9	1100	Col Lion (Senior French LO, CA 2 Army) visited Corps HQ and area.
	9	1850	Col Wood (Col Adm CA 2 Army) phoned to ask for 'Q' 8 Corps permission to put a CA Det into the cheese factory at STE CROIX GRAND TONNE to hold it in case Army wished to open a subsidiary Refugee Collecting Centre. Permission given.
	9		SO2 E (Major W.L. Brown) left for ST AUBIN-SUR-MER to establish Corps Rest Camp. Camp an Army responsibility not Civil Affairs.
	10	1020	Major Stiles (O.C. 228 Det) reported for duty at Det mentioned above. Under 8 Corps for maint.
	10	1130	SCAO 30 Corps (Col Lambert) visited HQ to discuss responsibility for area West of 224 Det area (North of CAEN - BAYEUX rd, East of RIVER SEULLES). This area not now under 30 Corps. Decision requested from Army to whom SCAO 30 Corps would speak.
	10	1530	SCAO visited SCAO 12 Corps to discuss future ops.
	10		Col Thorn-Thorn (Col Exec CA 2 Army) reported that church at NORREY marked for demolition. Investigation showed that this had been done by Army RE. Steps were taken to see that notice was removed and demolition cancelled.
	11	0900	SCAO 12 Corps visited SCAO to discuss future operations.
	11	1500	SCAO and SO1 E visited SCAO 2 Army who said that on relief of 8 Corps by 12 Corps, 217 and 218 Dets would be retained by 8 Corps. 224 Det would remain deployed and would in addition to its present area keep an eye on the area to their West up to river SEULLES. 223 Det would remain in Corps res.
	11		Cattle and sheep still being brought from fwd areas to Corps Cattle Compound.
	12		Major E.C. Turner RA reported as Corps Fin Offr in place of Major Mowat posted to 2 Cdn Corps.
	13		SCAO and SO1E visited R.T.A. at STE CROIX GRAND TONNE and settled details of registration of Todt workers and displaced persons in the Camp.
	13		224 Det arranged with Maire of CAINET, CAMILLY and FRESNE-CAMILLY for houses which French wished to be demolished, to be marked with an 18" diameter black blob. Material could then be used for road making. Suggestion put up to CE for eventual use in whole Corps area.
	13	2100	Capt Jenkins (in charge of registration of Todt workers and displaced persons) visited HQ and explained exact requirements.
	13	2215	DAAG called with ref to proposed site for Corps Cemetery (918682 - 918685 - 923685 - 922682) Sous Prefet's permission required.
	14	0945	SCAO phoned 2 Army about the radius of movement which should be allowed to civilians (6 or 10 Kms?). Told 21 A Gp laying down policy.
	14	1500	218 Det relieved by 215 Det (12 Corps) and returned to Corps res at LANTHEUIL.
	14	1615	SO1E visited Sous Prefecture at BAYEUX and obtained permission for work to go ahead on Corps Cemetery.
	14		Order given to 223 Det to relieve 224 Det at CULLY and take over in addition area up to R SEULLENS. 223 Det to come under L of C.
	15		SCAO visited 2 Army and discussed question of est of 8 Corps RTA. No RTA to be opened yet but 205 Det would be held in readiness.
	16		SCAO visited all Dets.
	16		Orders issued for 218 Det to report to 7 Armd Div, and 224 to Gds Armd Div for op Goodwood Meeting.
	16	1800	SCAO and SO1E visited SCAO 2 Army to discuss future ops.
BENY-SUR-MER	17		HQ moved to BENY-SUR-MER.
	18	1100	SO1E visited SO1E 2 Cdn Corps to discuss possibilities of evacuation of civilian refugees to CAEN when op sit permitted. 2 Cdn Corps to inform 8 Corps when this becomes possible.
	18		SO1E visited all Dets.
	20		SCAO and SO1E visited Dets.
	21		SCAO visited 2 Cdn Corps and 2 Army, and arranged for 218 Det to come under op comd SCAO 2 Cdn Corps, to remain under 8 Corps for maint.
	23		SO1E 2 Cdn Corps rang to ask whether 224 Det could come under comd for ops 2 Cdn Corps, as Gds Armd Div under their comd. Agreed.
	23		SCAO visited various farms with O.C. Corps Sigs (Lt Col Tulloch) to obtain German horses to be used for line laying in wet weather. Four horses obtained.
	24	1000	Conference of Det Comds to discuss Dets operating with Armd Divs.
	25	1100	Orders issued to 217 Det (with 11 Armd Div) to come under op comd SCAO 12 Corps.
	26		SO1A and SO2E (Major R.C. Peltzer) visited CA 1 Corps and CA 11 L of C to try and find out which Det was responsible for CA in BENY-SUR-MER area. No success question to be decided by 2 Army and 1 Cdn Army.
	27		SCOA, SO2A (Major D.J. Mitchell) and Lt Col. Goodman (CREME Corps Tps) visited farms to obtain German tpt horses for recovery work. Seven horses found in ST LEGER – ST GABRIEL area.
	29		CA Staff moved to site at BENY-SUR-MER previously occupied by rest of Main Corps HQ as part of a deception plan whilst rest of Corps HQ moved.
	29		SO1E left to brief 218 Det (to op with 15 (S) Div) for op “Bluecoat” and to visit Main HQ 8 Corps and CA 30 Corps. Arranged with latter for 218 Det to take over area from 222 Det. Area includes BELLEROY and CAUMONT.
	29	1000	SCAO attended conference for SCAOs at Second Army.
NORON LA POTERIE	30	1430	CA Staff moved to NORON LA POTERIE 7373 to rejoin area of Main HQ. SCAO visited 218 Det.
	30	2225	Refugee evacuation route laid down and orders issued. To use 30 Corps RTA.
FOULOGNES	31	1200	Moved to 703645 (FOULOGNES).
	31	1300	SCAO and SO1E visited 218 Det and arranged for return of Maire and Gendarme to CAUMONT.
	31	1430	SCAO 30 Corps visited HQ.

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