Tuesday 30 June 2009
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Location of 14AOD
I came across this forum, headed "Kangaroo AWD site near Bayeux, France"
http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2162
Although the thread is not primarily concerned with the AODs, they are mentioned in several places in descriptions of the area. The posts of July 5th, 2004 at 09:34 and 10:05 include thumbnails of maps - click on them to see the full sized image. These clearly show the position of 14AOD.
This is another interesting-looking site
http://www.movcon.org.uk/History/Documents/DID/D-MCHS%200514.htm
It includes the entire text of "MCHS 0514 - Administrative History of 21 Army Group - 6 June 1944 - 8 May 1945". There are mentions of 14 AOD. Nothing specific about the band, but under the sections headed "Welfare" there are references to "Stars in Battledress" and other live entertainment.
This may also be of interest. It gives a complete picture of the 21st Army Group that landed in Normandy on D-Day. 14 AOD is not listed here - they did not arrive until a few months later when Caen had been taken - but 15, 16 and 17 AODs are mentioned.
http://truxmodels.co.uk/page2.html
http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2162
Although the thread is not primarily concerned with the AODs, they are mentioned in several places in descriptions of the area. The posts of July 5th, 2004 at 09:34 and 10:05 include thumbnails of maps - click on them to see the full sized image. These clearly show the position of 14AOD.
This is another interesting-looking site
http://www.movcon.org.uk/History/Documents/DID/D-MCHS%200514.htm
It includes the entire text of "MCHS 0514 - Administrative History of 21 Army Group - 6 June 1944 - 8 May 1945". There are mentions of 14 AOD. Nothing specific about the band, but under the sections headed "Welfare" there are references to "Stars in Battledress" and other live entertainment.
This may also be of interest. It gives a complete picture of the 21st Army Group that landed in Normandy on D-Day. 14 AOD is not listed here - they did not arrive until a few months later when Caen had been taken - but 15, 16 and 17 AODs are mentioned.
http://truxmodels.co.uk/page2.html
Monday 16 February 2009
Monsiuer Claude Guillotin
Whilst looking for information about 14 AOD I encountered this entry from the RAF Museum site:
http://navigator.rafmuseum.org/results.do;jsessionid=EF9039DE3689E9F89F8537E80C667805?view=detail&db=object&id=176609
It tells of Monsieur Claude Guillotin's personal experiences as a 15 year old during June 1944-May 1945 including the liberation of his village and his work for the 14/16 Advanced Ordnance Depot.
This looked too good to miss and I visited the museum in December to view the item. It does not say anything specific about the band, but provides some interesting background information. Here are some notes I made.
Chapter XXXVIII - Organisation and Geographical Situation of the Sub-Depots 14-16 AOD
There were three sub depots, each commanded by a major. The majors reported to a colonel stationed at Audrieu. They were visited periodically by a brigadier general stationed in Bayeux who was responsible for another AOD in Vaux sur Mer. Each sub depot was divided into two groups.
S.D.N. 1, comprising Groups 1 & 2 extended into the fields to the south of the Ducy Sainte Marguerite road and along the Caen-Cherbourg railway line. It was responsible for all machinery including spare parts for tank engines.
S.D.N. 2 was along the north side of the Chouain road. Group 3 stored cloth & denim uniforms, shoes & boots, anti-gas clothing, small personal equipment (knives, forks, mess tins, combs etc.), badges, stripes for sleeves, white marker tapes. Group 4 held camping equipment, tents, tables, benches, blankets, cooking equipment, paraffin stoves.
S.D.N. 3 was beyond S.D.N. 2 in fields south of the Chouain road. It looked after anything valuable or confidential: measuring equipment, telecomms equipment, chronometers etc. Here, French personnel worked mainly in the offices. Because of the confidential nature of the equipment, the warehouse was entrusted almost exclusively to English army personnel.
An STSD (I believe this stands for stores transit sub depot) was situated on the northern edge of the Ducy Sainte Marguerite road. It wa a parking area for transport vehicles including English, Canadian and American semi-trailers from 1 1/2 to 10 tons.
An RSD (repari stores depot) was set up on the Tilly road, after the chateau. It did not cover a large area. It employed French personnel, mostly female, who worked on repairs and maintenance.
M. Guillotin himself workind in Group 3, mostly making stencils from cardboard.
Chapter XL - The Canteen
This was set up in Group 4.
Chapter XXXXII - The Universe of Mud
It started to rain in September. In October and November it rained almost every day. (This accords with Major Lee-Richardson's account.)
Chapter IXL - The Concerts
(This heading looked promising. Alas, there was no mention of the band of 14AOD. However, it looks as if M. Guillotin is specifically describing the first concert.)
The situation of 14 AOD at Audrieu with its hangars arrangedin a half-cylindrical way set down on the brown, devastated earth drowned with rain was very gloomy. The military authorities sometimes arranged concerts.
There was no orchestra, but amateur artist performed songs or sketches. (I have a note saying "beer, gin, whiskey & cigarettes"; presumably these were all on offer at the concerts.) The French were admitted and could take part in the performance. Trucks were provided to take home people who lived in Caen, Bayeux and Camont. Several boys and girls from Le Fresne and Secqueville were at the first concert.
When everybody was seated, somebody came on stage, bid us welcome and announced the programme. There followed snatches of British folk songs, classical and modern songs and monologues. A conjuror who produced cigarettes from four parts of his person encouraged people in the hall to take part in card tricks. A stockily built baritone with a powerful voice who clung on to the microphone with both hands won the loudest applause. A Frenchman from Group 4 whose sharp profile astonishingly brought to mind the character he was miming (Pinocchio, in fact) was successful because he was so comical.
The concert finished at about midnight. The following day was a Sunday.
Chapter IIL - TheSkirmishes
At the Group 3 the canvas which covered the hangars was gradually replaced by corrugated iron... In the interim the ground was partially concreted . Access paths were cambered, roadways tarmacked and covered with Sommerfeldt trelllis.
M. Guillotin mentions some names here: Mr Kelly, Sergeant Buswell, Captain Bullock and a soldier known only as Eddy.
Chapter L - The End Approaches
We were now in April and there was less activity.
M. Guillotin also mentions a Lieutenant Read.
Another category of AFE (Aid to Allied Forces) who served alongside us in 14 AOD. I don't know their origin nor their exact denomination. They were young Frenchmen, about 20 years old and strangers to the area, who used to march in step, singing, while they went back to camp in the evening. They wore olive green battle dress and because of that the English called them the Green Bags.
14/16 AOD became emptied of its English and French population and the atmosphere was sad.
Chapter LI - The Armistice
In the morning of May 9th (i.e. the day after VE Day)... the A.O.D. 14 was practically deserted.
Sergeant Buswell and a friend were pleased that the war would continue in the Far East, to defeat Japan.
The English prepared for their departure to Holland where their support base for the army occupying the north west of Germany would be. They would embark from the port of Caen. I would have the chance to go on board a cargo boat.
(Major Lee-Richardson's book and the evidence of the band tells us that 14 AOD went to Glinde, near Hamburg, to handle returned ordnance. But the following paragraph tells us that M. Guillotin had been working for the RASC, rather than RAOC. Maybe that unit was going to Holland.)
One day I asked Lieutenant Read if I could possibly follow the 14 AOD to its new destination. The reply was given regretfully but of course it was negative. My contract with the Royal Army Service Corps was to finish on May 22nd, 1945.
(It is interesting to note that M. Guillotin's contract was with the RASC, rather than the RAOC. The former was responsible for transport and domestic stores, while ammunition, technical and military equipment came under the jurisdiction of the latter. Claude worked in Group 3, which looked after domestic items.)
In a post script, M. Guillotin states that he began writing shorly after the end of hostilities. He cannot guarantee exact chronology for events between June 6 and September 1, 1944. He also mentions that his parents ran the village cafe at Le Fresne Camilly.
http://navigator.rafmuseum.org/results.do;jsessionid=EF9039DE3689E9F89F8537E80C667805?view=detail&db=object&id=176609
It tells of Monsieur Claude Guillotin's personal experiences as a 15 year old during June 1944-May 1945 including the liberation of his village and his work for the 14/16 Advanced Ordnance Depot.
This looked too good to miss and I visited the museum in December to view the item. It does not say anything specific about the band, but provides some interesting background information. Here are some notes I made.
Chapter XXXVIII - Organisation and Geographical Situation of the Sub-Depots 14-16 AOD
There were three sub depots, each commanded by a major. The majors reported to a colonel stationed at Audrieu. They were visited periodically by a brigadier general stationed in Bayeux who was responsible for another AOD in Vaux sur Mer. Each sub depot was divided into two groups.
S.D.N. 1, comprising Groups 1 & 2 extended into the fields to the south of the Ducy Sainte Marguerite road and along the Caen-Cherbourg railway line. It was responsible for all machinery including spare parts for tank engines.
S.D.N. 2 was along the north side of the Chouain road. Group 3 stored cloth & denim uniforms, shoes & boots, anti-gas clothing, small personal equipment (knives, forks, mess tins, combs etc.), badges, stripes for sleeves, white marker tapes. Group 4 held camping equipment, tents, tables, benches, blankets, cooking equipment, paraffin stoves.
S.D.N. 3 was beyond S.D.N. 2 in fields south of the Chouain road. It looked after anything valuable or confidential: measuring equipment, telecomms equipment, chronometers etc. Here, French personnel worked mainly in the offices. Because of the confidential nature of the equipment, the warehouse was entrusted almost exclusively to English army personnel.
An STSD (I believe this stands for stores transit sub depot) was situated on the northern edge of the Ducy Sainte Marguerite road. It wa a parking area for transport vehicles including English, Canadian and American semi-trailers from 1 1/2 to 10 tons.
An RSD (repari stores depot) was set up on the Tilly road, after the chateau. It did not cover a large area. It employed French personnel, mostly female, who worked on repairs and maintenance.
M. Guillotin himself workind in Group 3, mostly making stencils from cardboard.
Chapter XL - The Canteen
This was set up in Group 4.
Chapter XXXXII - The Universe of Mud
It started to rain in September. In October and November it rained almost every day. (This accords with Major Lee-Richardson's account.)
Chapter IXL - The Concerts
(This heading looked promising. Alas, there was no mention of the band of 14AOD. However, it looks as if M. Guillotin is specifically describing the first concert.)
The situation of 14 AOD at Audrieu with its hangars arrangedin a half-cylindrical way set down on the brown, devastated earth drowned with rain was very gloomy. The military authorities sometimes arranged concerts.
There was no orchestra, but amateur artist performed songs or sketches. (I have a note saying "beer, gin, whiskey & cigarettes"; presumably these were all on offer at the concerts.) The French were admitted and could take part in the performance. Trucks were provided to take home people who lived in Caen, Bayeux and Camont. Several boys and girls from Le Fresne and Secqueville were at the first concert.
When everybody was seated, somebody came on stage, bid us welcome and announced the programme. There followed snatches of British folk songs, classical and modern songs and monologues. A conjuror who produced cigarettes from four parts of his person encouraged people in the hall to take part in card tricks. A stockily built baritone with a powerful voice who clung on to the microphone with both hands won the loudest applause. A Frenchman from Group 4 whose sharp profile astonishingly brought to mind the character he was miming (Pinocchio, in fact) was successful because he was so comical.
The concert finished at about midnight. The following day was a Sunday.
Chapter IIL - TheSkirmishes
At the Group 3 the canvas which covered the hangars was gradually replaced by corrugated iron... In the interim the ground was partially concreted . Access paths were cambered, roadways tarmacked and covered with Sommerfeldt trelllis.
M. Guillotin mentions some names here: Mr Kelly, Sergeant Buswell, Captain Bullock and a soldier known only as Eddy.
Chapter L - The End Approaches
We were now in April and there was less activity.
M. Guillotin also mentions a Lieutenant Read.
Another category of AFE (Aid to Allied Forces) who served alongside us in 14 AOD. I don't know their origin nor their exact denomination. They were young Frenchmen, about 20 years old and strangers to the area, who used to march in step, singing, while they went back to camp in the evening. They wore olive green battle dress and because of that the English called them the Green Bags.
14/16 AOD became emptied of its English and French population and the atmosphere was sad.
Chapter LI - The Armistice
In the morning of May 9th (i.e. the day after VE Day)... the A.O.D. 14 was practically deserted.
Sergeant Buswell and a friend were pleased that the war would continue in the Far East, to defeat Japan.
The English prepared for their departure to Holland where their support base for the army occupying the north west of Germany would be. They would embark from the port of Caen. I would have the chance to go on board a cargo boat.
(Major Lee-Richardson's book and the evidence of the band tells us that 14 AOD went to Glinde, near Hamburg, to handle returned ordnance. But the following paragraph tells us that M. Guillotin had been working for the RASC, rather than RAOC. Maybe that unit was going to Holland.)
One day I asked Lieutenant Read if I could possibly follow the 14 AOD to its new destination. The reply was given regretfully but of course it was negative. My contract with the Royal Army Service Corps was to finish on May 22nd, 1945.
(It is interesting to note that M. Guillotin's contract was with the RASC, rather than the RAOC. The former was responsible for transport and domestic stores, while ammunition, technical and military equipment came under the jurisdiction of the latter. Claude worked in Group 3, which looked after domestic items.)
In a post script, M. Guillotin states that he began writing shorly after the end of hostilities. He cannot guarantee exact chronology for events between June 6 and September 1, 1944. He also mentions that his parents ran the village cafe at Le Fresne Camilly.
Thursday 2 October 2008
Don's subsequent musical career
Some of the other members of the band of 14AOD went on to perform regularly after the war. But as far as I remember, Don played mainly for his own amusement. I would guess this photo was taken at an office party or similar. The recorders and abundance of percussion instruments shows that this was not a serious musical ensemble. It looks like the guy with glasses to the left at the back is playing a tea chest bass. Interestingly, Don's guitar is seen fitted with a pick-up and that looks like a lead trailing down from where the neck joins the body, so perhaps he was playing electric. This pick-up used to sit in his guitar case, but I do not remember it ever being used. I still have it, but I understand it is not in working order.
The only time I remember Don playing a proper gig was in the early 1960s when we had a visit out of the blue from his cousin Bernard Saward. (Dad's side of the family was not particularly close-knit. We lived in Abbey Wood and Bernard in Eltham, but I only met him twice.) Bernard was a drummer and amongst other things he had played with Humphrey Lyttelton in the early 1950s. He persuaded Don to sit in with him for a session - I think it was at a pub called the Royal Oak - but that was only a one-off. Incidentally, Don and Bernard recorded some acetates in 1938. I shall say more abou them later.
Wednesday 1 October 2008
Don & Frank plus one
Frank Simpson is seated and Don Mackie is to his right. Again, medal ribbons indicate that the picture was taken after V.E. Day. I do not know who the gentleman on the left is.
The picture surfaced in the "Crown Lane" archive, so possibly it was included in a letter home from Don to his mother. For more about Crown Lane and Don's family, see my family history blog http://mackiegenealogy.blogspot.com/
Royal Observer Corps lapel badge
This is not strictly relevant to the history of the band of 14AOD, but it does complement the previous post showing the ROC medal.
Don's Gongs
Left to right we have the 1939-1945 Star, France & Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and Royal Observer Corps Medal & bar. The first four were earned during WWII. The ROC medal came much later. Don was a part-time member of the ROC. He did not claim his war medals until the 1960s when he was selected to represent the ROC at the Festival of Remembrance. We also see here the check list that accompanied the medals. For more information on WWII medals, I would recommend http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/wwii_medals.htm
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