THE COVENANTER
their knowledgeable and helpful staff after the War. Tea was an important
pointed us in the right directions. We commodity and was dried and re-used on
looked at the Regimental Diaries - and maps several occasions. - Something which I tend
but were slightly unsure where the battle to do, in so much as I will use my herbal tea
took place - further investigation was bags twice!
needed. To my surprise I saw Dad’s name in On 5th August 1944 at Au Cornu the
one of the training exercises in May 1944 as Cameronians were joined by the 2nd
Lance Corporal Archer signaller. Dad was Gordon Highlanders and 2nd Glasgow
very proud that he could send Morse at the Highlanders, the night being spent at Au
maximum words per minute required and Cornu, which is opposite to Chapple Le
of the fact that he was an assistant radio Cornu. Today, Chapple Le Cornu is
operator. farmland, with Au Cornu being partially
In the meantime a lady had seen my plea wooded with the odd farm.
for help for information on the Devon On 6 August a pre-Battle service was
Regiment and gave me some useful conducted I understand by either Padre Sam
background information about the Devon Cook [Cameronians] or Padre Alexander
Regiment and kindly offered to take a photo Dunlop [Gordon’s]. One of the things that I
of Dad to the Regimental Reunion. always remember Dad saying was that the
A gentleman from Edinburgh had seen a Padre spoke of forgiveness and ‘love thy
request for help via the web on the BBC neighbour’, but had a shovel and gun slung
People’s War page and offered to do some over his shoulder. According to my research
research for me in the libraries in Edinburgh Padre Cook had previously been a Curate at
- up until now I thought the area Dad had Porlingland and Surlington, was
been injured near Estry, but I was slightly in subsequently wounded, received the
the wrong place. Copies of the Cameronian Military Cross, and became Rector of
Regimental histories and other supporting Pleasley, Derby. He died in the late 1950’s.
information were sent to me, which gave Rev Dunlop received an Emergency
the exact location. Commission as a Padre, and after the war
We were having difficulty in correlating served with the Territorial Army, where he
the army battle maps with present day was awarded the Territorial Decoration. He
maps. However, through a French internet had previously been mentioned in
site, a French historian sent us maps of the despatches.
local area produced in 1944, which enabled At about 9.30a.m., the men ran over the
us to define the area on present day maps. hill of Bois des Monts, a distance of some
A telephone call from a Major (the one and a half miles from Au Cornu. The
Editor) in the Cameronians one afternoon Waffen SS were laying wait for them on
confirmed that Bois des Monts [literally high ground opposite. Bois des Monts; there
translated meaning High Woods], at Point is a meadow which is surrounded by trees
Saffery as shown on the Regimental Diary and high woodland above. This runs to a
maps was indeed the battle site. valley at Pont Saffrey, opposite is a steep
Dad landed somewhere in Normandy on wooded hill described as the Grouney
29 July 1944 after a very rough crossing in a feature. At the crest of this feature the
flat bottomed boat. On board the troops Germans waited. Around Pont Saffrey many
were gambling the little French currency men were killed and injured in a short time
they had been given. Dad went through around midday on the 6th of August. They
Bayeux and Caen, but exact information is stood no chance of getting out unscathed as
somewhat non-existent, except that is for Mortars would have rained down on them
an entry in Dad’s paybook showing a striking and exploding in the trees above,
posting to the 9th Cameronians on the 3rd and heavy machine gun fire from the sides.
August 1944. From the Cameronians Dad said there was only one shovel between
history I know that on the 5th August the 3 men, and he very quickly dug a fox hole.
regiment moved to Au Cornu in When Dad was injured he had a tobacco
preparation for a battle the following day. I tin in his breast pocket covering his heart
am going to try and research this further, containing a pair of scissors, which in the
although I have my doubts that there is force of the explosion bent in half. A Mortar
much more information. Dad told me that bomb, referred to by Dad as a Moaning
the troops were so hungry that they raided Minnie had landed in his fox hole and
the farms for cheese which stank and severely injured Dad’s left lower leg. Dad
apples. Dad never did like French cheese also had shrapnel embedded all over his
11
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