Cyril Burton

3rd Royal Tank Regiment War Diary June 1944:
1/6 to 9/6/1944 At Aldershot waiting for orders to move to Marshalling Area. On the 7th the Officers had been given information on the General Situation in France.
10/6/1944: 17:30 hrs: Adv Party moved to the marshalling Ares under command of Major h L Upcott-Gill
11/6/1944: 08:15 hrs Main Party moved under Comd Major Burr to Marshalling Area.
C.O. and Adjt went ahead to RCRP.
11:30 hrs Main Party divided into Craft Loads and allotted to Camps by Mov Control (movement control)
18:00 hrs C.O. visited camps A2 and A13 where remainder of Main Pty were located. Most drivers and Comds reported with badly inflamed eyes due to dusty conditions of road.
12/6/1944: Stowage of veh (vehicles) and general preparation of embarkation and Stage II waterproofing carried out.
13/6/1944: 12:00 hrs C. O. and I. O. (intelligence officer) went to Emb Area H Q.
14/6/1944: Gosport: 17:00 hrs C.O. and Adjt visited Emb Area H Q . C.O. informed Unit Serials in Camp. All would move in two to three hours.
20:30 hrs: RHQ (regimental H Q) moved from camp A1 to embarkation area.
22:30 hrs: Arrived Emb Area. Stage III waterproofing practically completed.
15/6/1944: Stokes Bay: 08:00 hrs RHQ moved from Emb Area to "Hards" for embarkation.
08:30 hrs: RHQ embarked on LCT (landing craft). Total lead 4 Dhermans V's, and 1 Sherman ' bulldoze'
09:00 hrs LCT anchored. sea calm. sun shining.
19:00 hrs LCT left anchored and joined convoy Remainder of Main Party from Portsmouth area during the day.
16/6/1944: Juno Beach: 09:00 hrs: RHQ disembarked
12:00 hrs RHQ arrived in Div Con Area. Recce Tp (troop)and AA Tp (troop) and 5 tanks of A Sqn, Lt Party and Adv Party had already arrived. Bn in open leaguer (camp) around edge hedges and orchards. F Ech (echealon) veh cookong A1 & A Ech cookhouse A1. Ech 400x SW,
A Ech 1000x Sw. Maintenance and rest.
15:00 hrs: C.O. reported tp Bde HQ and saw brigadier.
17/6/1944 to 23/6/1944: maintenance and sqn training whilst officers attended confrences.
on the 18th (Sunday) there was a church service at village church and in unit lines.

24/6/1944: 16:45 hrs: Orders for 8 Corps, operation Epsom. Intention- 8 Corps to break out of beachhead perometer. 29 armd bde seizing crossing R. Orne. Maintenance and sqn training.

25/6/1944: 08:00 hrs: 3 R. Tanks O.O. No.1 (operation orders) issued
16:00 hrs C.O. addresses all Tk (tank)Cmnds and senior NCOs from Echs Maintenance and prepartions for move on 26th June.
26/6/1944: 13:00 hrs: moved out
13:30 hrs Halted ods shells (ordnance)
14:00 hrs: moved on again.
14:30 hrs arrived in assembly area.
15:15 hrs: Received orders to move south of Le Mesnil Patry (LMP)
15:30 hrs: Started move to LMP
16:15 hrs: Halted 'A' sqn engaged 3 or 4 mark VI tanks.
23:30 hrs: (910682) leagured

27/6/1944: 10:00 hrs moved to take up posn at Mouen.
12:30 hrs: (934666) 'C' sqn leading. Ran into small A/Tk and Tk screen- engaged them. General line of screen (944670-940663-930661). approx strength 3-6 A/Tk guns, 6-9 tks.
18:00 hrs Attacks by rocket planes on aerodrome buildings (9667).
19:50 hrs: orders received to move area (9361) in support of 23 H. to be releived in present posn by sqn of 4 Armd Bde
21:00 hrs 3 CLY (3rd County of London Yeomanry) arrived to take over.
22:30 hrs orders received to leagurer in area of Colleville.

28/6/1944: (922651) 02:00 hrs: leaguered
04:30 hrs: broke leaguer and advanced from Colleville by road to area (933622). Reponsible when in this area for protection W & SW.
06:30 hrs arrived area 933622. A & C sqns engaged with enemy A/Tk guns and Tks numbers unknown G Coy sent out a patrol and had 1 officer killed and 12 OR's wounded.
12:30 hrs: Relieved by 2 S&F Yeo (Sherwood Foresters Yeomanry) and orderedto proceed to high ground at 9562 and come up on left of 23 H. (23rd Hussars)
12:40 hrs 1 'A' sqn tank runs over pile of mines in Barron village and block main road.Rest of unit then cross country.
13:30 hrs: posn of observation in area 9562.
15:00 hrs moved up 956626 to relieve 23 H.
21:00 hrs: posn shelled intermittently for 15 mins
21:30 hrs: very long KG (machine gun) fire and some medium A. P. (armoured piercing)
22:30 hrs firing ceases.

On the 28th the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment lost 11 men including Cyril.

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