National Archives catalogue reference WO 166/15629

Abbreviations

ADOS A/Craft A/Field Amn Comd Coy Div i/c O OC OR Pln POL RAOC RASC RHU Rly Sup TOS Veh

Assistant Director Ordnance Services Aircraft Airfield Ammunition Command Company Division In-Command Officer Officer Commanding Other Ranks Platoon Petrol, Oil and Lubricants Royal Army Ordnance Corps Royal Army Service Corps Reinforcement Holding Unit Railway Supply Taken on Strength Vehicle

Month and year: September 1944

Commanding Officer: Major K.B. Hare-Scott

1st September 1944

Place: Field

All vehicles and drivers attached to various units of Airborne Forces return to locations.

0915 - 10 vehs. report 63 Coy RASC conveying roller conveyor.

1130 - Major D.G. Clark RASC (S. Sup O) 1 Airborne Div visits Coy.

2nd September 1944

1215 - O.C.'s Conference of officers & Pln. Sgts. re: pending operation.

1300 - All ranks confined to camp.  32 (4 men) Despatcher Crews and 34 (2 men) Crews standing by.

3rd September 1944

Despatcher Crews standing by for Re-Supply mission.

4th September 1944

75 x 14 men Compo Packs drawn from 4 SRD Swindon and delivered to Airfields.  Despatcher Crews standing by.

5th September 1944

1200 - 62 Vehs. report 223 Coy RASC at Broadwell - split up to various Airfields conveying P.O.L. and stores for loading on to aircraft.  900 x 82 Grenades collected from Fairford G.W.R. Station.  Lt. Col. Wordsdell RAOC (ADOS Air Despatch Group) inspects Ammunition Dumps.

7th September 1944

0615 - 51 Vehs. report "Blue" Dump.  Load up with stores and lie up outside Camp.

1630 - Vehs. leave for Saltby Airfield with 50 (4 men) Despatch Crews for re-supply missions - Lieut L.V. Wiltshire & Lieut. R.S. Bryant i/c.

8th September 1944

Despatcher Crews stand-by at Airfield.

9th September 1944

Crews standing by at Saltby Airfield.

10th September 1944

Crews still standing by for Re-Supply duties.

11th September 1944

1645 - Vehicles leave Saltby Airfield for return to Coy. location.  Re-Supply Mission cancelled.  All vehicles return by 2130 hrs.  C.B. ban lifted.

12th September 1944

1000 - O.C.'s. talk to Coy. personnel.

1030 - O.C.'s Conference of officers.

2000 - Message receive all vehs. to be off-loaded and available for detail morning of 13 Sept. '44.

13th September 1944

0800 - 40 Vehs. report Amn. Dump Little Hinton, collect amn. and deliver to KEMBLE Airfield arriving 1330 hrs.

2130 - 91 Vehs. leave location for Rly. siding Nr. Cirencester.

14th September 1944

0530 - Ammunition Train off-loaded and loaded on to 91 Vehs.  24 Vehs. off load amn. at Kemble Airfield.  67 Vehs. lie up at unit location.

15th September 1944

1100 - 67 Vehs. loaded with amn. leave for Little Hinton (East Amn. Dump) and off-load.

0800 - 10 Vehs. report Fairford Transit Camp - convey stores and bedding to 1 S.A.S. Nettlebed Camp.

0815 - 18 Vehs. collect dunnage from Cirencester G.W.R. Station and convey to Dumps.

17th September 1944

0835 - 35 Air Despatcher Crews (x 2 men) and 35 Vehs. leave location under comd. of Lieut. F.E.R. Allen to units Dump load up and proceed to Harwell Airfield - remain there overnight.

18th September 1944

0600 - 33 (x 2 men) Air Despatcher Crews leave location for Dumps - load up and proceed to Harwell Airfield.

1000 - 34 (x 2 men) Despatcher Crews report unit Dumps - load up and proceed to Fairford Airfield.

1030 - 35 Despatcher Crews take-off from Harwell on re-supply mission.

1900 - Crews return from Re-Supply Mission from Harwell - 2 Crews reported missing.

19th September 1944

0800 - 58 (x 2 men) Crews report to 63 Coy RASC location for loading & then to Airfield for Re-Supply mission.

1900 - Despatcher Crews return from Re-Supply Mission - 12 Despatchers reported missing.  5 Despatchers injured through enemy action (3 O/R's. admitted Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford).

20th September 1944

0900 - 3 (x 4 men) Despatcher Crews leave for Broadwell A'field.

1100 - 34 (x 2 men) Despatcher Crews leave for Harwell A'field

1400 - 17 (x 2 men) Despatcher Crews leave for Fairford Airfield for air-despatch duties.

2000 - Crews return from Re-Supply Mission - 3 Crews reported missing.  2 O/R's injured through enemy action (1 N.C.O. admitted R.A.F. Hospital Wroughton - shrapnel wounds).

21st September 1944

1100 - 18 (x 2 men) Crews to Fairford Airfield.  23 (x 2 men) Crews to Harwell Airfield for loading up a/craft.

2000 - Crews return from Re-Supply Mission - 18 O/Rs' reported missing.  3 O/R's injured (1 Dvr. admitted R.A.F. Hospital Wroughton - shrapnel wounds).

22nd September 1944

Despatcher Crews at Fairford & Harwell Airfields standing-by.  22 O/R's. (reinforcements) taken on strength from 1 RASC Mob Centre.

23rd September 1944

1000 - 25 (x 4 men) Air Despatch Crews leave for Down Ampney Airfield for Re-Supply Mission.  Take off 1330 hrs.

1400 - Despatcher Crews take off from Fairford & Harwell Airfields.

2000 - Crews return from Down Ampney - 2 Crews reported missing.  2 men injured (1 admitted R.A.F. Hospital Wroughton, 1 admitted Station Sick Quarters Down Ampney - shrapnel wounds).

2015 - Crews return from Fairford - 1 man injured, 1 Crew reported to have crash landed - known to be safe in France.

2030 - Crews return from Harwell - 4 Crews missing - 2 Crews reported to be safe.

24th September 1944

1600 - 1 Crew returns safely from Down Ampney Airfields after having crash-landed in Holland on 23 Sept. '44.  16 O/R's. taken on strength from 41 R.H.U.  16 O/R's. taken on strength from 30 R.H.U.

25th September 1944

34 O/R's of new intake proceed on 14 days' Despatcher Crews Course at RASC Air Training Centre, Leicester.

1200 - Col. S.W. Walsh (Comd. Air Despatcher Group RASC) addressed Despatcher Crews at unit location.  7 O/R's T.O.S. from 30 R.H.U.

2100 - B.B.C. Broadcast by L/Cpl. Grantham in "War Report".

27th September 1944

3 Despatchers reported as missing return safely from Holland.  5 O/R.'s. T.O.S. from 30 R.H.U.

28th September 1944

Erection of shelters and laying of dunnage.  Commenced on new Pannier Dump.  4 O/R.'s. T.O.S. from 30 R.H.U.  63 Coy RASC Dumps taken over.

29th September 1944

1430 - 10 Vehs. report Fairford Airfield - returning containers to Dumps.

1730 - O.C.'s. Conference of officers.

30th September 1944

2330 - Lieut. Wiltshire leaves location with 31 Vehs. to South Petrol Depot Ogbourne St. George for purpose of collecting Petrol and delivering to Blakehill Farm Airfield.