4th Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment, B Company, 6th Platoon
[Part 2 - Continued from April issue]
But for an error of judgement on the part of the Saxons on October 14th, 1066, the outcome of the Battle of Hastings and the fortunes of King Harold and, ultimately, the history of England might have been very different. The same might have been true but for the fear of the German generals of their Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, in those first critical hours following the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. The atrocious weather that had caused delay and concern at Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force [SHAEF] had in equal measure thrown the German High Command, and in particular the generals charged with defending the Western Wall from attack from the sea, into a state of confusion. The uncertainty on the part of the German military as to where the invasion, by now a certainty, would strike was heightened by the fact that the June storms had prevented any serious aerial reconnaissance by the Luftwaffe over England’s southern ports since the beginning of the month. This, coupled with the twin tactics of accurate bombing of German radar stations on the Normandy coast and an extremely complex deception plan mounted by the Allies to convince their adversaries that the Pas de Calais beaches were most favoured, left German intelligence blind as to Allied intention. Thus, when on the eve of D-Day a “Most Urgent” signal was transmitted from Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel’s headquarters [Army Group “B”] instructing troops to be stood to ready to repel invaders it was addressed not to General Friedrich Dollmann’s Seventh Army responsible for defending the coast west of the Orne but to Hans von Salmuth’s Fifteenth Army whose divisions were spread twixt the Orne and the Scheldt.
Consequently, Dollmann was not only in the dark as to this intelligence report from Army Group “B” but with most of his early warning radar stations out of action due to aerial bombing and those still in service reporting serious jamming of their sets, the Allied invasion fleet emerged from the early morning mist and onto the Normandy beaches completely undetected. Nevertheless, even allowing for this surprise, had the not inconsiderable forces under Fifteenth Army control been ordered to proceed post’ haste towards the invasion beaches the outcome may still have swung in favour of the enemy. But this did not happen; the subterfuge on the part of the Allies over the past 24-hours had convinced Hitler [and his commanders on the spot] that the Normandy landings were merely intended as a diversion and that the main assault would still fall on the Pas de Calais. And thus it was left to a stunned Friedrich Dollmann to attempt the now impossible for the ensuing delay in reversing the thinking up to the late evening of June 6th, played a significant part in sealing Germany’s fate.
It will be remembered that in my first part of Harry Neave’s story, I remarked that as June 1944, was drawing to a close, 11th Armoured Brigade were preparing to move towards the village of Noyers. Their objective was to cross the nearby Odon [which they did on the 28th having had the excellent fortune to capture one of the few remaining intact bridges] and push on towards the Orne, thus expanding the Odon salient. This movement caused much concern at Seventh Army Headquarters where it was perceived that if these armoured probes were not halted, the situation south of Caen would quickly become untenable. Counter-attacks from 2nd SS Panzer Corps were ordered but with only a limited numbers of tanks and troops available to its commander, Waffen SS General Paul Hausser, his chances of success were slim and when news reached him that his immediate superior and commander of the Seventh Army, Colonel-General Friedrich Dollman had collapsed and died, Hausser’s proposal that he fight a containing action for at least forty-eight hours while awaiting reinforcements went by the by. Elevated to command of the Seventh, Hausser threw in his forces and though the fighting was bitter he was unable to prevent a widening of the corridor through which the British were able to advance.
Here, it is appropriate to comment on the superiority of the Allied air forces for though our troops on the ground were frequently being hit hard by counter-attacks, their opponents were devoid of such luxury. To the fore in respect of the Royal Air Force contribution to the campaign were the units that constituted 2nd Tactical Air Force [2nd TAF] and in particular those squadrons equipped with the formidable Hawker Typhoon. Throughout that first crucial day as the armies consolidated their tenuous hold on the invasion shores and, gradually, expanded inland, 2nd TAF [with other commands in attendance] maintained continuous air cover with never less than 36 fighters over the British and Canadian beaches at Gold, Juno and Sword, at any one time while an equal number were made available to the Americans embroiled in the hardest fighting of the day at Utah and Omaha, the latter being easily the bloodiest place to be on this historic day.
By nightfall 2nd TAF had flown a staggering total of 1,547 fighter sorties over the beaches paralleled by a further 1,800 sorties in a myriad of other tasks. Compared to the colossal number of sorties flown, losses were negligible. From the busy Typhoon squadron a mere dozen were reported missing [three were from 183 Squadron operating from Thorney Island near Chichester], plus a handful of Spitfires and Mustangs. Such good fortune would not last but it would not be the Luftwaffe that downed the majority of 2nd TAF’s aircraft to fall but the deadly ground fire and the inevitable midair collisions that occurred in the congested skies over Normandy.
By the end of June more than a handful of airstrips had been established in the rear areas of the fighting and the co-ordination between the forward air controllers, working closely with the ground forces, and the patrolling fighters was being honed to a fine art. An excellent example of this occurred on the 29th, the day that found Harry Neave and Les Perrett temporary under the command of the 5th Battalion Devon and Cornwall Light Infantry and beating off determined German pressure near Cheux. In support of the Wehrmacht was a column of 40 tanks [possibly elements of the 21st Panzer Division ensconced around Caen] advancing through Carpiquet, west of Caen. Had these tanks been able to cover the next half dozen kilometres, the outcome of the fight near Cheux might have been different but Typhoon after Typhoon descended on the column losing off a deadly stream of rocket projectiles that quickly turned a tentative advance into rout.
Throughout the first week of July 1944, the Odon salient was strengthened and it was during the early hours of the 6th, that the 4th Battalion found themselves at Tourmauville. This was the southern most point of the salient. All that separated the “4th” from their opponents were the local fields and hedgerows. Furthermore, the position that the battalion found itself might best be described as a “pinch” for not only was the enemy immediately to their front, but also close to hand on either flank. From the moment that they arrived their position became the attention of near constant mortar and machinegun fire. Despite their perilous location, offensive patrolling was ordered immediately and this was maintained throughout what remained of the night and well into the next day. And it was while on an offensive patrol that a section had the terrible misfortune to stray into an area festooned with anti-personnel mines. Although I cannot be certain, I believe it was this awful incident that killed Privates Bozworth, Rayment and Stroud [Rayment, aged 21 was the oldest of the trio] and which left others badly wounded. Their cries for help would not go unheeded and without any regard to his personal safety, Corporal Ted Snook crawled forth and from the carnage pulled those that were still alive to safety.
As the day wore on news filtered through to say that a relief reconnaissance party from the Royal Scots would be infiltrating this exposed position and by midday on the 8th, sufficient troops were in the area to allow the 4th to pull back to le Mesnil-Patry. Designated a rest area le Mesnil-Patry was well within range of German artillery but on this occasion their 48-hours of respite did not witness a repeat of their previous rest when shelling killed two of their number on the 3rd.
Whilst recuperating orders arrived for the 4th Battalion to be ready to move by midnight on the 9th and by 0115 on the 9th the entire battalion had congregated at Tourville, a village on the road leading out of Caen [still firmly held by the Germans] towards Villers-Bocage. For an agonising twelve hours or more the men were held at readiness to advance and it was not until 1530 hours that the company commanders ordered a quick last check of weapons and equipment before setting out in the perilous direction of enemy held Eterville. The fight on the 7th which had cost the battalion three deaths would soon be dwarfed by the viciousness of the next eight hours, eight of the worst in the battalion’s history.
Postscript. Up to 0620 hours on June 10th, 1944, 4th Battalion, The Dorsetshire Regiment had suffered the following fatalities:
| 14519051 | Pte FOUNTAIN | George | 1-07-44 | St. Manvieu War Cemetery Cheux |
| 5726737 | Pte LOOSMORE | Maurice William Frank | 3-07-44 | St. Manvieu War Cemetery Cheux |
| 5727041 | Pte VATER | William Jessev | 3-07-44 | St. Manvieu War Cemetery Cheux |
| 14600478 | Pte BOZWORTH | Kenneth James | 7-07-44 | Bayeux Memorial |
| 14203806 | Pte RAYMENT | Arthur William | 7-07-44 | Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery |
| 14380111 | Pte STROUD | Joseph Arthur | 7-07-44 | Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery |
I believe Privates Loosmore and Vater were pre-war territorials, serving with the 4th Battalion; William Vater hailed from Whitchurch, a village in Dorset’s Marshwood Vale while Maurice Loosmore’s widow lived in Somerset at South Chard. She may, however, have moved across the border after the war and prior to publication by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission of their St. Manvieu register. Privates Fountain, Bozworth, Rayment and Stroud, I suggest, were war enlistments drafted to the 4th to make up numbers. None were from Dorset. It will be noted that Kenneth Bozworth is commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial thus indicating that when the battlefield around Tourmauville was cleared his remains could not be identified.
It was the first day of school and the teacher was asking the little boy about his family. “What does your daddy do?” “He’s a magician.” “That must be exciting. What tricks can he do?” “He can saw people in half.” “That’s clever. And tell me, do you have any brothers or sisters?” “Yes, one half brother and two half sisters.”
When I left home my mum said, “Don’t forget to write.” I thought to myself that’s unlikely - it’s a basic skill, isn’t it?
Everyone is entitled to my opinion.
I tried to get money out of a cash machine at the bank today, but the display screen said, ‘Insufficient Funds’. Did it mean me, or them?
A bottle of brown sauce and a bottle of red sauce have a race. The starter fires the starting pistol and the bottle of brown sauce gets a flyer but the bottle of red sauce stumbles and the bottle of brown sauce wins easily. After the race, the bottle of brown sauce asks the bottle of red sauce, “What happened?” The bottle of red sauce says, “I just couldn’t ketchup.”
There’s Sunshine in a Smile
Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,
laughter and pleasure,
teardrops and pain.
All days can’t be bright,
but certainly true
there was never a cloud
the sun didn’t shine through.
So, just keep on smiling
whatever betide you,
secure in the knowledge
where always beside you,
and you’ll find when you smile
your day will be brighter
and all of your burdens
will seem so much lighter.
For each time you smile
you will find it is true,
somebody, somewhere
will smile back at you.
And nothing on earth
can make life more worthwhile
than the sunshine
and warmth of a beautiful smile.
If you can laugh at it, You can live with it
My wife came into the room and asked, “What’s on the TV?”. I replied, “Dust.”
If you can’t convince them, then try to confuse them
Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me, Just be my friend.
So come, sit with me, You’re my friend.
Bought an edible chess set the other day. I took it back and told the guy, “It’s stale, mate.” He said it wasn’t, so I passed it to him and said, “Check mate.”
What do you do if you see two snails fighting? Leave them to slug it out!
Trouble is a Stepping Stone to Growth
Trouble is something no-one can escape;
Everyone has it in some form or shape.
Some people hide it way down deep inside,
Some people bear it with gallant-like pride.
Some people worry and complain of their lot,
Some people covet what they haven’t got,
While others rebel and become bitter and old
With hopes that are dead and hearts that are cold.
But the wise man accepts whatever God sends,
Willing to yield, like a storm-tossed tree bends,
Knowing that God never makes a mistake,
So whatever he sends they are willing to take.
For trouble is part and parcel of life
And no man can grow without trouble and strife.
And the steep hills ahead and high mountain peaks
Afford man at last the peace that he seeks.
So blest are the people who learn to accept
The trouble men try to escape and reject.
For in our acceptance we’re given great grace
And courage and faith and the strength to face
The daily troubles that come to us all
So we may learn to stand “straight and tall”.
For the grandeur of life is born of defeat,
For in overcoming, we make life complete.
How Woodcuts must have changed over the years, the very name itself suggests that a radical alteration has occurred from what the area was like only a few hundred years ago. Woodcutts is a shortening of the term ‘the woodland cottages’, or ‘the cottages in the wood’, and bearing in mind that Woodcutts stretches from just north of Chase Crescent, southwards down to the main Salisbury to Blandford road, along the ridge of higher land, it must have meant that in the not too distant past, what is now arable farmland was afforested.
This forest land would have in the more recent past, consisted of beech woods on the lighter chalk soil, with oak growing on the heavier, deeper more fertile soils. Previous to this the small leafed limes would have predominated. It is the more recent species that we are interested in here. As is very obvious when walking in a beech wood, the trees when in leaf, create such a shade that little grows beneath them. In fact the species has a leaf area index of 85%, that is only 15% of the sunlight shining on it can actually reach the soil level; far too little to support vegetative growth, except early in the season when species such as bluebells and wild garlic manage a frugal lifestyle.
The oak tree is much more amenable to sharing its environment with other species with only a leaf area index of 65%, which allows far more light to reach the woodland floor. Most oak woodland will have a flourishing underwood, particularly of hazel, hawthorn, holly and elder; with hazel predominating, as this was encouraged by landlords for coppicing purposes, which as late as the early twentieth century was a thriving business producing hurdles, thatching spars, pea and bean sticks, clothes props, fruit tree props, walking sticks and bavins or faggots (depending on where you come from) of fire wood, used in bakers ovens and as kindling for domestic fires or by the charcoal burners.
This underwood would have been supplemented by brambles and honeysuckle, which was ideal for nesting game birds, with honeysuckle producing those wonderful spiral walking sticks, when it has wound itself around straight hazel stammers. Beneath these shrubby trees, nettles, dog’s mercury, ransoms (wild garlic), bluebells, primroses, wood anemones, milkmaids and many other flowering plants including rosebay willow herb would have predominated. This ground level, plant population, plus the underwood species mentioned, made the oak woodland almost impenetrable, so much so, that even the locals when trying to cross the woodland without keeping to the path became lost.
This factor alone, was responsible for the name that the local people were given, by those around them, namely the ‘Wherethehellarewe’ Tribe. This was because whenever they were lost, they yelled at the top of their voices, “Where the hell are we?” and awaited for help to arrive to lead them to safety; growing wilder and wilder as time went on, hence the title of this article ‘Wildlife at Woodcutts’. Unfortunately as the woodland was felled to make way for agriculture the Wherethehellarewe Tribe moved northwards and gradually died out. With the advent of arable farming on the cleared land, the growing of cereal crops became prevalent. The wheat grown before the twentieth century was of a much longer straw length than that grown today, in fact it was at least twice the height of the modern crop. The arable farmers, who moved into the area, were extremely short and had great difficulty in seeing over the top of their growing crops. In fact they had to jump up in the air to see any distance at all and to be able to see where they were going. They, as I have mentioned on a previous occasion were known as the ‘Wheretheheckarewe’ Tribe, as they also shouted as they jumped in the air, but this time it was ‘Where the heck are we?’.
How different it is today, the farmers and farm workers ride in tractors which have elevated driving positions from which even the shortest drivers can see for miles. The crops are sown, fertilised, sprayed and harvested, with hardly seeing anyone working in the fields; it is done in so organised and efficient manner. This year’s crops appear to have great potential, the barley is already in ear and the tillering of all the cereal crops seems to have been very good, leaving very thick crops of potentially high yields. The oil seed rape seemed to come into that golden, yellow blossom very quickly and evenly, by the beginning of May, but the wind and rain in the second week of May means that flowering is quickly over. We must hope for the farmers’ sake that the honey bees had plenty of time to work their magic of pollination, hence ensuring a worthwhile crop
If the bees have been plentiful, butterflies haven’t been. There were very few brimstones about to welcome in the later part of spring as we have a right to expect, as they are the harbingers of the longer days. In fact in April there were almost as many small whites as brimstones, and until the 13th. April when my neighbour Paul pointed out an orange tip, there was nothing to get excited about butterfly wise. Since that time I have seen more orange tips than any other species. Apart from these I have seen one peacock and one woodman, a very depressing scenario.
Another disappointment is that I haven’t heard the cuckoo yet (15th. May), but other species have been seen in the garden. Two evenings ago I saw 15 species in an hour and a half in the front garden around the feeding area. These included a pied wagtail which was passing through, three yellow hammers, which are rare garden visitors, a jackdaw, who with his mate has a nest in the chimney, a single rook, blackbirds, a wood pigeon, green finches, chaffinches, hedge sparrows, (dunnocks) house sparrows, a robin, a collared dove, a greater spotted woodpecker, several great tits and blue tits.
They all look resplendent in their courting colours, but they would look so much better if only they could be viewed in the sunshine, perhaps that will be the case in the coming days in the second half of May.
The long term weather forecast is good for the summer and the oak trees were in leaf long before the ash; in fact there are many ash trees still to open their buds fully in the middle of May. Apart from this there has been a wonderful wild flower year. It started with possibly the best snowdrop year I can remember, followed by a wonderful show of daffodils. White violets here at Woodcutts were also at their best this year, while celandines seemed to go on for ever in great profusion. The primrose were somewhat lacking this year, but their close relative the cowslip seems to be better than ever, especially on the roadsides. Coming back from mid Wales down to Hereford in late April, the sides of the roads were carpeted with them, creating a magical sight. While the bluebells seemed to pick a wonderfully sunny period to flower and were in great profusion, and since they came at the same time as the dark red campions, which were again in greater numbers than usual, we had a wonderful display coming into the month of May. The one flower which has not put in its usual display in the churchyard is the oxeye daisy, which is almost completely absent there this year, but in great profusion on the bank outside Wheelwright’s Close. We live in a very unpredictable, natural world, but perhaps that is what makes it so exciting.