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France

Note: all dates refer to 1944 unless otherwise stated.

LocationImagesNotes

Dept: Somme
The Regiment passed through here on 31 Aug.

Dept: Somme

The City

Rue St. Fuscien

23H Story Page 127.

Boulevard d'Alsace Lorraine

23H Story Page 127.

Le Pont de Beauville

23H Story Page 127.

The Regiment arrived here on 31 Aug.

Dept: Orne

1944

The Regiment arrived here on 21 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 17 Aug.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment passed through here on 1 Sep.

Dept: Orne

Monument to the 11th Armoured Division

Monument to the 'Black Bull'

On the outskirts of Aubusson.
The Regiment arrived here on 17 Aug.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment passed through here on 3 Sep.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment arrived and harboured near here on 20 Aug.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment crossed the border into Belgium here on 3 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

"A", "B" and "HQ" Squadrons began to withdraw here on 6 Aug. "C" Squadron joined them the following day. The Regiment remained here until 12 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 02 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Square

1 Aug 1944

Press articles

Modern Photos

  • The 'John Sear' photo, [Re-created 2011]. L-R: Leone Marie - John Sear jnr - Madeleine Touyon. The original photo can be seen in the background.
  • The 'Old Post Office' [View in 2011]
  • View west, the 'Old Post Office' is in the centre background. The 'John Sear' photo was taken in front of the shops on the right. [View in 2014]
The Regiment arrived here on 01 Aug. The 'fighting echelon' left the next day. A1 Echelon remained in the village for several days.

Dept: Calvados
Mentioned in the 23H Story (Page 46), but not in the War Diary.

Dept: Orne

23H tanks pass through the village

Not mentioned in either the War Diary or the 23H Story. Film footage from the IWM website, however, shows 23H tanks passing through the village.

The Regiment passed through here on 21 Aug.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment passed through here on 3 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

 

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 17 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

A Squadron arrived here on 15 Aug.

Dept: Somme
The Regiment harboured here on the night of 30 Aug. They left the next day.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment harboured here on the night of 2 Sep. They left the next day.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment assembled here on 29 Jul at the start of Operation BLUECOAT.

The Town 1 and Town 2 photos were taken from roughly the same place, though years apart. Note the single-storey building with the large display window on the left in both photos.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 16 Aug.

Dept: Calvados
B Squadron entered the village, briefly, on 2 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

1944 - damaged buildings

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 27 Jun.

See also photos in the 23H Story Page 47 and Page 49.

Dept: Calvados
The Regiment passed through here on 27 Jun.

Dept: Somme
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment concentrated here from Jun 16-25 and prepared for their first battle.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The 'Advance Party' came ashore here on Jun 13. The main body of the Regiment followed on 15 and 16 Jun.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 19 Aug.

Dept: Oise
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Oise
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Oise

Hospital

The Regiment came across the Chateau de Cuy which the Germans had converted into a military hospital. Over 200 enemy staff and wounded soldiers were taken prisoner.
23H Story, Page 115 and Page 116.

  • [Photo 1] 1944, hospital entrance.
  • [Photo 2] 1944, two 23H men oversee the searching of German prisoners.
  • [Photo 3] the Chateau, pre-war.
  • [Photo 4] the Chateau, modern view.
In addition, two 23H men, Sergeant Harris and Trooper White, who had both been wounded and captured the previous night, were freed.
The Regiment arrived here on 20 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment withdrew here on 30 Jun after Operation EPSOM. They returned on 15 Jul prior to Operation GOODWOOD.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment passed through here on 3 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed by here on 18 Jul. They returned to harbour here on 20 Jul and remained until 22 Jul.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 02 Aug.

Dept: Somme
"B" Squadron passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 29 Aug.

Dept: Orne

Aerial Views

The Regiment passed through here on 21 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 31 Jul.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 20 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 31 Jul.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment attacked the village on 18 Jul resulting in many casualties.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

Mentioned in the 23H Story (Page 60 and Page 61), but not in the War Diary.

Dept: Ardennes

The Bridge

The Regiment had been ordered to defend the bridge at Givet "to the last man".

The Regiment arrived here on 21 Dec and left on Christmas Day.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment underwent training on the guns of the newly-arrived Comet tank on the ranges here during January/February 1945.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed the village on 18 Jul resulting in several casualties.

Dept: Calvados

The Area

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived and were subsequently withdrawn on 28 Jun.

Dept: Oise
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

Mentioned in the 23H Story, Page 78, but not in the War Diary.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment arrived on 22 Aug and left on 27 Aug.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment and 8RB attempted to take the village on 18 Aug but withdrew due to heavy opposition.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment passed through here on 2 Sep.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment harboured here on the night of 1 Sep. They left the following morning.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment passed through here on 2 Sep.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment arrived on 29 Aug and left the following day.

Dept: Oise
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 18 Aug.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment passed through here on 1 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived here on 27 Jun.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment harboured here on 12 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

A troop from "A" Squadron was sent here on 27 Jun; only one tank returned.

Dept: Orne
"A" Squadron arrived here on 17 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment arrived here on 20 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

On Jul 17 the Regiment crossed via two newly-constructed Bailey Bridges, codenamed LONDON. These were situated about 6/700 metres south of Pegasus Bridge (codenamed EUSTON) and were the first Bailey Bridges to be built during the campaign in Europe. London Bridge 1 was completed 2 days after D Day by 17 Field Company Royal Engineers.

Dept: Calvados

The Area

Le Bas Perrier

Aerial Photos

23H tanks wait to ascend the ridge (Note: all main guns are traversed towards the east, where German armour was known to be lurking.)
The Regiment arrived on 2 Aug. C Squadron were the last to leave the ridge on 7 Aug.

Dept: Orne

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 16 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

Marked on the Reference Map as "221". Mentioned in the 23H Story (Page 91) - but not the War Diary - this is the crossroads where Monkey Blacker had a close encounter with a German Panther.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 2 Aug on the way to the Perrier Ridge. Different Squadrons departed by the same route on 6 / 7 Aug.

Dept: Somme
The Regiment passed through here on 2 Sep.

Dept: Orne

The Bridge

1944

The Regiment arrived here and crossed the bridge over the Orne on 19 Aug.

On the photograph August 1944 2, note (a) the Red Cross on the roof of the building in the left background, serving as a temporary hospital and (b) the Sherman tank lying on its side in the river near the far bank.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment harboured here from 1-7 Jul

Dept: Somme
The Regiment passed through here on 1 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived on 17 Jul, having crossed the River Orne at 23:00 hours that night. Here, in the 'concentration area', they joined the other units awaiting the start of Operation GOODWOOD.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived on 8 Jul. They remained here until Jul 14.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment arrived and harboured to the south on 19 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived here on 30 Jul.

Dept: Pas de Calais
The Regiment passed through were on 1 Sep.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed by here on 18 Jul.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

Modern Views

The Regiment crossed here on 31 Jul where they spent the night.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 22 Aug.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 28 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 18 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 22 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 16 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

After Operation GOODWOOD the Regiment moved here on 22 Jul and remained until 28 Jul.

Dept: Orne
"A" and "B" Squadrons forded the River Rille here on 22 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 30 Jul.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment arrived on 26 Jun at the start of Operation EPSOM.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

'Crossroads' photo

The following photo appears in several sources covering the events of the time. Taken on 31 Jul 1944, it shows a Sherman tank (T147851) standing guard at a crossroads in St Martin as vehicles of the 8th Bn The Rifle Brigade head towards the newly-taken bridge over the Souleuvre River. The building immediately behind the tank is the Hotel des Voyageurs, photos of which are shown below. The photo appears in the 23H Story Page 117. Inexplicably, however, the scene is described as "the Falaise - Argentan road", which is clearly wrong.

The Regiment passed through here on 31 Jul.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 16 Aug.

Dept: Orne
The Regiment passed through here on 17 Aug.

Dept: Oise
The Regiment passed through here on 30 Aug.

Dept: Somme
The Regiment passed through here on 1 Sep.

Dept: Eure
The Regiment passed through here on 29 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

The Regiment passed through here on 2 Aug.

Dept: Eure
Having crossed the River Seine, the Regiment harboured south of Tilly on 28 Aug. They resumed their journey the following day.

Dept: Calvados

The Bridge

Aerial Photos

"C" and "B" Squadrons crossed the bridge on 27 Jun and harboured there overnight.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

 

Dept: Calvados
 

Dept: Eure

Original bridges

Allied replacement bridges

('David' and 'Goliath')

The Regiment crossed the Seine here on 28 Aug.

Dept: Calvados

Aerial Photos

Mentioned in the 23H Story (Page 83) and Bishop (Page 62), but not in the War Diary.

Dept: Nord
The Regiment passed through here on 3 Sep.