T H E C O V E N A N T E R
2nd Bn Cameronians in Sicily
1:150,000 road map of Italy. Trying my
Return to the River Simeto
former Corps, The School of Military
Survey forwarded my request to Historic
I had always known that my father’s Maps, who kindly sent a 1:50,000 map of
wounds had been sustained by a German
the area (1941 issue) in black and white -
mortar bomb in a wadi close to the River
now I could start relating the map to the
Simeto in Sicily, cutting short his military
ground. More importantly the GRs in use
career. On 19th July 1943, at the age of
today are the same as those used in 1943.
23 years, CSM(WO2) C. (Lofty) Allardyce
The Regimental history goes on to record
of B Coy 2nd Bn Cameronians started for
that “a shell pitched in B Coy HQ killing a
home, to join his wife and son in Crieff.
rifleman and a German prisoner, severely
The years passed and in due course I was
wounding Capt H.J. McDonald and CSM
commissioned into the Royal Engineers,
Allardyce. Major Paul and his orderly were
much to the delight of my father. He often
blown clear”. My father related that when
spoke of his time in the Battalion and in
the cry went up for stretcher bearers, Major
particular of the battle in Sicily, before his
Paul, who had landed in the river and
death in 1974.
had broken both his legs shouted “get the
With my retirement looming, I
Sergeant Major first.” It would be then
wondered if my wife and I could fit in a
reasonable to deduce, that the dried up
tour of the battlefield in Sicily? What did I
water hole was possibly a maximum of 20
have and what did I need to navigate my
metres from the actual river.
way around the area?
Hotel accommodation was booked in
As a starting point I had a copy of The
Taormina, a town some 30 miles north
History of the Cameronians (SR) Vol 3
of Catania and the River Simeto. Travel
1933-46 which gives a good description of
arrangements were not so simple. Every
mode of transport was used apart from
the ground and the relative positions of
donkey but we eventually arrived via
the Rifle Coys. The left bank of the Simeto
London, Naples and Messina. Using a hired
at this point was about twenty feet high
car proved challenging. Wrong side of the
and composed of sand, on which dense
road, wrong side of the car, and driving in
bushes and reeds clustered. Beyond this a
Italy, need I say more! By a stroke of luck
sunken track, shielded from the front by a
the owner of the car hire garage proved
smaller, similar bank, ran for two or three
to be a another find. Guido was a local
hundred yards parallel to the river. B Coy
historian with a keen interest in Sicily’s
were disposed as follows: No 12 Platoon,
part in WW2, whose help was greatly
commanded by Lt F.D. Bull, were forward
appreciated.
among the roots, Nos 10 and 11 Platoons
Our first visit was to the War Graves
along the sunken track, and Coy HQ was in
close to Catania airport. Although frequent
a round dried up water hole on the river’s
signposts were observed, the final piece
edge. Could I pinpoint the exact spot on
of the jigsaw which would lead us to the
the ground?
cemetery was always missing! More by
Are there any surviving officers or soldiers luck, we eventually found our way there.
who could assist me in my research I asked The plaque at the entrance speaks of the
myself? With an ageing population, asking heavy fighting in the battle for the Simeto
someone to recall features on the ground river bridgehead in which the Bn were
some sixty years ago was a daunting task. involved. A stroll amongst the headstones
So my next port of call was The Public proved very moving, as the Bn graves
Records Office in London, and an exciting were identified. The Italian staff keep the
source of information it proved to be The
cemetery immaculately and kept a watchful
Bn War Diary of the summer of 1943 was
eye on our car - the word “criminales”
neatly typed containing dates, times,
was often mentioned. As we were leaving
names of personnel and places and most
a small group of children entered the
importantly Grid References. Contrast
cemetery. One could only wonder what it
this with those of May 1940, the Dunkirk
meant to them. Did they know what these
phases, which contained much less
officers and soldiers had done for them?
information, were written in longhand and
The Plain of Catania is flat and covered
no doubt in haste!
with citrus trees. Through it meanders the
Finding GRs at first appeared a bonus,
Simeto river crossed by a few bridges and
but I needed to relate them to a map.
fords. Where no doubt during the War
Shopping around, the best I could find was
the groves were open plan, now high wire
fences and locked gates barr the way to
discourage the “criminales”. Even enlisting
39
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