War Dairy 229 Army Field Company R.E.

War Dairy 229 Army Field Company R.E. - May 1945

Commanding Officer: Major F.E.Ladly RE

Place Date Hour Summary of Event and Information References to Appendix

NEIJMAGEN 1 0900 Coy. left billeting area. OC went head with CRE to recce. TIN Route LINGEN map ref V713370 to LEER map ref Q803137 (excl)

1800 Coy arrived LINGEN and went on to billet in training school at HANDRUP map ref V.887416. Heavy showers throughout day. School had been looted in no uncertain manner. The building was capable of holding 700 - 800 troops easily.

HANDRUP 2 1230 Left billet at HANDRUP. Advance party found billets at DORPEN vacated at 1400 by RASC Polish Armd Div. Accommodation consists of 2 schools and one large private house from which the civilians had been ejected by the Polish Coy. The house belongs to the Doctor who approached the OC immediately on arrival and asked if rooms could be made available for him to live in. Request refused.

DORPEN 1600 Coy. arrived DORPEN

1945 Message as per Appendix H received from CRE. All Pl Offrs had already departed on recce of bridge dismantling task for afternoon 3 May i.e. dismantling brs Nos. 1087 40 ft S/S V.509750 and 1088 50 ft D/S V 559729 to enable barges to move along canal which these brs cross en route for Holland with foodstuffs. OC reported HQ RE 2100 hrs. Capt Wright brought up 2 Pls including 19 working numbers from HQ to arrive PAPENBURG 2300 hrs. Task was to dismantle 500 ft floating bailey at HALTE map ref. Q.750014. Equipment urgently required for br being built by 2 Cdn Corps Tps Engrs South of LEER at map ref. Q.831140.

2400 Dismantling started.

DORPEN 3 0700 Offshore 110 ft T/S landing bay jacked up for dismantling. Br broken and 3 rafts in process of dismantling. Vehs arrived for loading, 4 panel, 4 decking and 1 ramp lorries left site 1100 hrs. Task of dismantling Bailey Brs Nos. 1087 and 1088 completed by 25 men of No.3 Pl

1900 1 & 2 Pls arrived back from HALTE.

2100 3 Pl arrived HALTE to continue leading during night. Relieved 0800 hrs 4 May by 1 Pl.

4 1 Pl completed dismantling by 1200 hrs. Handed over loading to No. 70 Pioneer Coy. Altogether about 50 lorry loads had been sent away.

2100 Heard BBC news giving details of surrender of German forces opposite 2 Brit Army.

5 40 P.C. and 2 Can Tipper Pl reported for works. Pnr Coy will do all routine road maintenance and 229 will do major diversion and bridge maintenance. See Sitreps (Appendix J) for more detailed allocation. Authority received for day off on Sundays and organised sports on Sat afternoon in view of cessation of hostilities in this area. Rum issue authorised to mark occasion. AFWs 3008 and 3009

6. The German villagers seem apathetic and show no outward sign of dislike. They are nervous and obey orders promptly. The village cure, who speaks French, acts as interpreter.

7. Works as Sitrep. Change in weather. Bright warm sunshine. Heard BBC news that tomorrow is to be VE day in UK. Causes very little excitement in Coy. NAAFI beer will be issued to Coy free and paid for by PRI.

8 Bright sunshine continues. 1st mail arrived. There has been unusual delay since arrival in Canadian Corps Area.

9 Great change in weather. Very warm. Mid-day shade temperatures which had been of the order of 10° centigrade are today 22°. Works are sitrep. There is considerable difficulty in obtaining civilian labour regularly due to lack of officer or other organisation in the Military Government detachment.

10 Mid-day shade temperature 28° centigrade. Cpl Waring killed by R mi 43 this morning. There was a steady stream of civilians to the village church this morning for services. An Officer was sent to LEER and PAPENBURG to ensure civilian workmen being available. Due to Ascension day services the number were fewer than usual in the morning but they were collected after church services. LEER 30, PAPENBURG 45. 100 are promosed at PAPENBURG tomorrow.

11 Hot weather continues. Cpl Waring buried at CCS cemetery near MEPPEN.

12 Major Ladly left on leave. Capt Wright assumes command. Organised sports in afternoon. Weather hot. AFW 3008 and 3009

13 Day off.

14 Works proceeding normally. Demolition of bridge completed this p.m. Visit from 264 Army Field Coy RE re taking over all our commitments North of THRHOVE tomorrow 15 May. Lt. Hill returned from U.K. leave.

15. 264 Fd Coy now not taking over any of our comitments.
Bridge site V741877 now ready for piling - pile driver not yet on site. Informed by CRE that as much Bailey Equipment as possible which can be obtained from local bridge sites to be used for bridge in order to obviate hauling from Army dump.

16 Pile driver arrived on Bridge Site the a.m. Class 30 floating raft being constructed to carry the piledriver. 5 Bailey Lorries for bridge arrived 2000 hrs.

17 Class 30 raft being raised to Class 40 as pile driver proved heavier than anticipated - it is about class 38. OC 40 Coy Pioneer Corps called to ask for more plant and transport. He was was supplied with 6 x 3 Ton G.S. Lorries from this Unit and CRE was asked if he could provide more rollers and tar sprayers. Very heavy thunderstorm from 1400 - 1800 hrs.

18 Piledriver unable to work today owing to mechanical trouble.
CRE's "O" Group at 1000 hrs re works and UK leave. UK leave to be increased by 2 days w.e.f. 18 May. Very warm indeed all day.

19 Pile driver started work this morning, drove 2 piles and then raft fouled an underwater obstruction. Pile driver offloaded immediately and only just in time. This was caused by the water level dropping 2' 6" without warning. Work in afternoon owing to dangerous state of road in certain parts. Visited O.C. 40 Coy Pioneer Corps and arranged for 3 sections 40 P.C. Coyto [sic] work day tomorrow, Sunday. A.F.W.3008 and 3009

20 It was decided to remove Floating Bailey Ser No. 1112 and replace with a 110' T/S Cl. 40. Work on 110' T/S commenced this a.m. (1 Pl). 2 Pl engaged on repairing link road S of LEER Map ref Q 804132 to Q 828129. 3 Pl engage on urgent potholing work with 3 Secs of Pnr Coy.

21 Work on 110' T/S completed but it was not possible to open new route owing to state of new diversion. Very heavy rain all day. Continuous streams of traffic on road. Inspection of works by CRE and CAGRE today. Floating Bailey Ser No 1112 partly dismantled. Divers were unable to remove underwater obstruction as the bed of the canal proved to consist of running sand and mud for first 5' 0".

23 Very little tarmacing possible today owing to heavy rain
3 piles driven on bridge site - driving dolly then cracked. It is estimated that it will take 6 hrs to repair. 3 Secs 190 Pnr Coy arrived in PAPPENBURG today and come under command w.e.f. 240800 B. Committments [sic] from IHROVE - AHLEN. Commitments of 40 Pnr Coy AHLEN - LINGEN w.e.f. 24 0800 B.

24 Pile driver still under repair. Estimated complete tonight. CRE's "O" Group 1400 hrs. Commitments re-allocated as under:
IHRHOVE-PAPPENBURG 2 Pl 229. PAPPENBURG-LEHE crossroads Map ref V734901 5 secs 190 Coy Pioneer Corps. LEHE crossroads - KUSTEN CANAL (Map RefV741877) 1 and 2 Pls 229. KUSTEN CANAL - MEPPEN 40 Coy Pioneer Coy. No work required MEPPEN- LINGEN at present. 1 piledriving team of 10 men to be formed from 1 Pl. Showers all day.

25 Design of piles changed in view of fact that bridge will have to last for 10 years. Piles now 16-18 inches instead of 10". 6 G.S. trucks to report to Det 40 Coy Pioneer Corps at MEPPEN today for semi-permanent attachment. Road works proceeding well. CRE was asked if he could provide more tar boilers and road rollers. Present method of heating bitumen in drums by the roadside is proving rather slow and the lack of rollers is being felt keenly.

26 7 new piles arrive on the site. work proceeding normally all day.

27 Further 9 piles on site making 15 in all. Expect to start driving tomorrow with trained pile-driving team of 10 Sprs. Day off to-day. Victory service at 0900 hrs - attendance fairly good.

28 Pile driving commenced to-day. 6 piles driven. Owing to heavy rain last night there is a lot of water lying on the road and several gangs of civilian labourers ahve had to be diverted to remove this water Auto-patrol arrived and started work this morning - it's task to scarify certain portions of the road which are too far gone to repair and to make the particular stretch into a gravel road.

29 Pile driving proceeded well. 1 x 15 pile bent completed. 3 Pl withdrawn from road in order to work on LINGEN Br diversion which is breaking up rapidly owing to passage of tanks. Major FE Ladly RE re-assumes command of Coy on return from leave. "O" Group C.R.E's HQ 2030 hrs.

30 No piles driven to-day. Piling raft being dismantled and re-erected on other side of wrecked civilian bridge. Road works proceeding normally - more tar boilers and rollers promised.

31 All commitments North of LEHE X rds map ref V734901 handed to 230 Army Fd Coy RE w.e.f. 0730 hrs to-day. 3 pl on road works LEHE X rds to KUSTEN Canal. 1 & 2 Pls on bridging of KUSTEN Canal. 8 piles on second bent driven tod-day.

Folder also contains:

Report on Move. New Location Billets at Dorpen.

Source: National Archives WO 171/5509

Place	Date	Hour	Summary of Event and Information	References to Appendix
NEIJMAGEN	1	0900	Coy. left billeting area. OC went head with CRE to recce. TIN Route LINGEN map ref V713370 to LEER map ref Q803137 (excl)
		1800	Coy arrived LINGEN and went on to billet in training school at HANDRUP map ref V.887416. Heavy showers throughout day. School had been looted in no uncertain manner. The building was capable of holding 700 - 800 troops easily.
HANDRUP	2	1230	Left billet at HANDRUP. Advance party found billets at DORPEN vacated at 1400 by RASC Polish Armd Div. Accommodation consists of 2 schools and one large private house from which the civilians had been ejected by the Polish Coy. The house belongs to the Doctor who approached the OC immediately on arrival and asked if rooms could be made available for him to live in. Request refused.
DORPEN		1600	Coy. arrived DORPEN
		1945	Message as per Appendix H received from CRE. All Pl Offrs had already departed on recce of bridge dismantling task for afternoon 3 May i.e. dismantling brs Nos. 1087 40 ft S/S V.509750 and 1088 50 ft D/S V 559729 to enable barges to move along canal which these brs cross en route for Holland with foodstuffs. OC reported HQ RE 2100 hrs. Capt Wright brought up 2 Pls including 19 working numbers from HQ to arrive PAPENBURG 2300 hrs. Task was to dismantle 500 ft floating bailey at HALTE map ref. Q.750014. Equipment urgently required for br being built by 2 Cdn Corps Tps Engrs South of LEER at map ref. Q.831140.
		2400	Dismantling started.
DORPEN	3	0700	Offshore 110 ft T/S landing bay jacked up for dismantling. Br broken and 3 rafts in process of dismantling. Vehs arrived for loading, 4 panel, 4 decking and 1 ramp lorries left site 1100 hrs. Task of dismantling Bailey Brs Nos. 1087 and 1088 completed by 25 men of No.3 Pl
		1900	1 & 2 Pls arrived back from HALTE.
		2100	3 Pl arrived HALTE to continue leading during night. Relieved 0800 hrs 4 May by 1 Pl.
	4		1 Pl completed dismantling by 1200 hrs. Handed over loading to No. 70 Pioneer Coy. Altogether about 50 lorry loads had been sent away.
		2100	Heard BBC news giving details of surrender of German forces opposite 2 Brit Army.
	5		40 P.C. and 2 Can Tipper Pl reported for works. Pnr Coy will do all routine road maintenance and 229 will do major diversion and bridge maintenance. See Sitreps (Appendix J) for more detailed allocation. Authority received for day off on Sundays and organised sports on Sat afternoon in view of cessation of hostilities in this area. Rum issue authorised to mark occasion.	AFWs 3008 and 3009
	6.		The German villagers seem apathetic and show no outward sign of dislike. They are nervous and obey orders promptly. The village cure, who speaks French, acts as interpreter.
	7.		Works as Sitrep. Change in weather. Bright warm sunshine. Heard BBC news that tomorrow is to be VE day in UK. Causes very little excitement in Coy. NAAFI beer will be issued to Coy free and paid for by PRI.
	8		Bright sunshine continues. 1st mail arrived. There has been unusual delay since arrival in Canadian Corps Area.
	9		Great change in weather. Very warm. Mid-day shade temperatures which had been of the order of 10° centigrade are today 22°. Works are sitrep. There is considerable difficulty in obtaining civilian labour regularly due to lack of officer or other organisation in the Military Government detachment.
	10		Mid-day shade temperature 28° centigrade. Cpl Waring killed by R mi 43 this morning. There was a steady stream of civilians to the village church this morning for services. An Officer was sent to LEER and PAPENBURG to ensure civilian workmen being available. Due to Ascension day services the number were fewer than usual in the morning but they were collected after church services. LEER 30, PAPENBURG 45. 100 are promosed at PAPENBURG tomorrow.
	11		Hot weather continues. Cpl Waring buried at CCS cemetery near MEPPEN.
	12		Major Ladly left on leave. Capt Wright assumes command. Organised sports in afternoon. Weather hot.	AFW 3008 and 3009
	13		Day off.
	14		Works proceeding normally. Demolition of bridge completed this p.m. Visit from 264 Army Field Coy RE re taking over all our commitments North of THRHOVE tomorrow 15 May. Lt. Hill returned from U.K. leave.
	15.		264 Fd Coy now not taking over any of our comitments. Bridge site V741877 now ready for piling - pile driver not yet on site. Informed by CRE that as much Bailey Equipment as possible which can be obtained from local bridge sites to be used for bridge in order to obviate hauling from Army dump.
	16		Pile driver arrived on Bridge Site the a.m. Class 30 floating raft being constructed to carry the piledriver. 5 Bailey Lorries for bridge arrived 2000 hrs.
	17		Class 30 raft being raised to Class 40 as pile driver proved heavier than anticipated - it is about class 38. OC 40 Coy Pioneer Corps called to ask for more plant and transport. He was was supplied with 6 x 3 Ton G.S. Lorries from this Unit and CRE was asked if he could provide more rollers and tar sprayers. Very heavy thunderstorm from 1400 - 1800 hrs.
	18		Piledriver unable to work today owing to mechanical trouble. CRE's "O" Group at 1000 hrs re works and UK leave. UK leave to be increased by 2 days w.e.f. 18 May. Very warm indeed all day.
	19		Pile driver started work this morning, drove 2 piles and then raft fouled an underwater obstruction. Pile driver offloaded immediately and only just in time. This was caused by the water level dropping 2' 6" without warning. Work in afternoon owing to dangerous state of road in certain parts. Visited O.C. 40 Coy Pioneer Corps and arranged for 3 sections 40 P.C. Coyto [sic] work day tomorrow, Sunday.	A.F.W.3008 and 3009
	20		It was decided to remove Floating Bailey Ser No. 1112 and replace with a 110' T/S Cl. 40. Work on 110' T/S commenced this a.m. (1 Pl). 2 Pl engaged on repairing link road S of LEER Map ref Q 804132 to Q 828129. 3 Pl engage on urgent potholing work with 3 Secs of Pnr Coy.
	21		Work on 110' T/S completed but it was not possible to open new route owing to state of new diversion. Very heavy rain all day. Continuous streams of traffic on road. Inspection of works by CRE and CAGRE today. Floating Bailey Ser No 1112 partly dismantled. Divers were unable to remove underwater obstruction as the bed of the canal proved to consist of running sand and mud for first 5' 0".
	23		Very little tarmacing possible today owing to heavy rain 3 piles driven on bridge site - driving dolly then cracked. It is estimated that it will take 6 hrs to repair. 3 Secs 190 Pnr Coy arrived in PAPPENBURG today and come under command w.e.f. 240800 B. Committments [sic] from IHROVE - AHLEN. Commitments of 40 Pnr Coy AHLEN - LINGEN w.e.f. 24 0800 B.
	24		Pile driver still under repair. Estimated complete tonight. CRE's "O" Group 1400 hrs. Commitments re-allocated as under: IHRHOVE-PAPPENBURG 2 Pl 229. PAPPENBURG-LEHE crossroads Map ref V734901 5 secs 190 Coy Pioneer Corps. LEHE crossroads - KUSTEN CANAL (Map RefV741877) 1 and 2 Pls 229. KUSTEN CANAL - MEPPEN 40 Coy Pioneer Coy. No work required MEPPEN- LINGEN at present. 1 piledriving team of 10 men to be formed from 1 Pl. Showers all day.
	25		Design of piles changed in view of fact that bridge will have to last for 10 years. Piles now 16-18 inches instead of 10". 6 G.S. trucks to report to Det 40 Coy Pioneer Corps at MEPPEN today for semi-permanent attachment. Road works proceeding well. CRE was asked if he could provide more tar boilers and road rollers. Present method of heating bitumen in drums by the roadside is proving rather slow and the lack of rollers is being felt keenly.
	26		7 new piles arrive on the site. work proceeding normally all day.
	27		Further 9 piles on site making 15 in all. Expect to start driving tomorrow with trained pile-driving team of 10 Sprs. Day off to-day. Victory service at 0900 hrs - attendance fairly good.
	28		Pile driving commenced to-day. 6 piles driven. Owing to heavy rain last night there is a lot of water lying on the road and several gangs of civilian labourers ahve had to be diverted to remove this water Auto-patrol arrived and started work this morning - it's task to scarify certain portions of the road which are too far gone to repair and to make the particular stretch into a gravel road.
	29		Pile driving proceeded well. 1 x 15 pile bent completed. 3 Pl withdrawn from road in order to work on LINGEN Br diversion which is breaking up rapidly owing to passage of tanks. Major FE Ladly RE re-assumes command of Coy on return from leave. "O" Group C.R.E's HQ 2030 hrs.
	30		No piles driven to-day. Piling raft being dismantled and re-erected on other side of wrecked civilian bridge. Road works proceeding normally - more tar boilers and rollers promised.
	31		All commitments North of LEHE X rds map ref V734901 handed to 230 Army Fd Coy RE w.e.f. 0730 hrs to-day. 3 pl on road works LEHE X rds to KUSTEN Canal. 1 & 2 Pls on bridging of KUSTEN Canal. 8 piles on second bent driven tod-day.