113_0345

Page 1 48th Highlanders of Canada

Montalto, Italy; 1 March 45; Appx 5 - Sec Instr No 1

Weather - Sunny Brig J. D. B. Smith, CBE, COE, DSO, Comd1 Can Inf Bde, carried out a general tour of inspection to-day in the battalion area. During the course of it he congratualted Capt W.G.Angus, Lt J. E. Pickering, Sgt J. T Church all of whom were the recipients of awards for gallantry announce yesterday. C5868 Pte Bray J. A (dec'd) was awarded the D.C.M posthumously.

This evening a cocktail party was held at 'A' Mess now set up together with Officers' Quarters in the house of the Comtessa SOCCONI. Lts H.W.D Kilgour and D. G. Watson came down for a drink followed by dinner at 1930 hours.

Montalto, Italy; 2 March 45; Appx 2 - Part 11 Order 20/45; Appx 6 - Route card of move by road

Weather - Sunny For several days the coys have been enthusiastically preparing for a foot and arms drill competition which was held this morning. Each coy 'fieldedl 3 pls of 30 men each with a proper complement of Officers and NCO's. Each coy was won the competition. Contestants were given 30 minutes each and were marked for drill, deportment and dress.

Dinner at 'A' mess was a half hour later than usual to permit the officers to see 'Bing Crosby' in 'Going My Way' at the Montalto Cinema which is a reproduction in miniture of an Opera House.

This morning recce parties consisting of 1 x 15cwt from each coy, coy 21/c, and 3 Ors per coy, as well as a jeep and HUP for the 21/c and the party for BHQ & HQ Coy left for a staging area in Foligno. Prior to leaving all marks of identirication were removed both from personnel and vehs.

Page II 48th Highlandersor Canada

Montalto, Italy; 2 March 45

Coy Comds had lunch to-day at 'A' Mess followed by a meeting to tie up the move scheduled to take place to-morrow.

Foigno, Italy; 3 March 45; Appx 3 - Field Return Officer AFW 3008; Appx 4 - Field Return ORs AFW 3009

Weather - Raining The bn moved off this morning from Montalto at 0450 hours in a drizzling rain which cleared with the dawn and proceeded without incident a distance of 117 miles to Foligno where the bn is now quartered for the night in a large Roman Catholic School. Very few student are here but a few priests are still lingering about. One very attractive feature is the excellence of the school showers and the abundance of hot water. The Commanding Officer held a briefing conference at 1600 hours to finalize arrangements for the move to-morrow morning. Everyone is confined to this area for security reasons.

Pontasieve, Italy; 4 March 45; Appx 7 - Pers Message from Commander-in-Chief

Weather - Sunny. At 0600 hours the bn moved off once more driving West through Perogia, where No 14 Canadian General Hospital is established, and on through Arezzo to Pontasieve arriving here at 1630 hours. This is a tented camp with ample accomodation for the whole bn. All vehicles are concentrated in a park. Theft of vehs and veh parts has become so common that all drivers sleep in their respective vehs and the park is guarded by a picquet of nine men.

Page III; 48 Highlanders of Canada

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 5 March 45

Weather - Sunny and cool. The bn left Pontasieve this morning by packets at 20 minute intervals commencing at 1000 hours - this to avoid any unnecessary traffic difficulties passing through Florence en route to the concentration area near Leghorn, where the bn was complete by 1430 hours. This also is a tented camp. Cook Houses and latrine arrangements are already installed and the camp itself is administered and maintained by a group of officers and OR's taken for this specific purpose from and English L.A.A. Regt.

Shortly after our arrival the Bde Comd, Brig J.D.B Smith, announced to the bn on parade that the Bde was about to proceed to France to join the First Canadian Army and that the Bde would embark at Leghorn within a few days.

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 6 March 45; Appx 2 - Part 11 Order No 20A/45; Appx 8 - Embarkation Instr 1

Weather - Sunny and Cool Conducted tours to Pisa comprising one offr and 15 OR's are going each morning and afternoon during our stay. Except for this excursion no on is allowed outside the camp area. This tour is not too popular because an excellent view of the Cathedral and Tower at Pisa can be had from our own camp and beyond this the town has nothing to offer by way of interest or amusement.

More EFI beer made it's appearance to-day. and there are three canteens in the area, one of them serving tea and hamburgers.

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 7 March 45

Weather - Sunny and cool. Bath parades, clothing exchange, trips to Pisa together with general coy preperations for the voyage to France kept the bn quite busy. 8 officers were occupied with F.G.C.Ms.

Page IV; 48th Highlanders of Canada

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 7 March 45

The G.O.C, Major-General Foster, arrived in the area this morning and was received by Lt-Col Mackenzie and shown the bn lines.

Feverish activities commenced at 1700 hours when the Adjt returned from a briefing conference with the infomation that all bn vehicles would be loaded aboard ship to-morrow morning at an early hour. Two N. T. ships have been allotted for our 98 wheeled vehicles, 13 M/C, & 7 trailers. All drivers will accompany thier vehs. On one ship are 11 vehicles, the part being under command of Lt R.W. Johnson; the party on the other ship comprised the balance of vehs and includes 108 personnel (nearly all dvrs) commanded by Major G. E. B. Renison.

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 8 March 45

Weather - Sunny. Loading of the bn's vehicles was not concluded until a late hour to-night. In the afternoon the Padre, Capt A. Rapson, held a short service to commemorate those of the bn who have fallen in the battles in this country during the past year and a half.

There is nothing in this area to remind one of the actual battles - or so we thought until 3 teller-mines were found in the midst of the audience just at the beginning of a moving picture this evening. Someone to make his seat more comfortable, began kicking a small mound of loose earth. This led to the discovery of the first one, which was found to be booby trapped.

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 9 March 45; Appx 2 - Part 11 Order No 20B/45

Weather - Sunny. Everyone's attention is focussed on the business of moving from the area. Unfortunately the voyage has been somewhat delayed owing to stormy weather in the

Page V; 48th Highlanders of Canada

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 9 March 45

in the vicinity of Marseilles, our destination, and prompt return of the MT Ships & LST's LST's that are running a sort of ferry service has been delayed.

Harrod's Camp, Italy; 10 March 45; Appx 3 - Field Return Officers AFW 3008, Appx 4 - Field Return Ord AFW 3009

Weather - Sunny. Each day in the early afternoon a briefing conference is held at Harrod's HQ ( the name of this camp) and the details for loading personnel and vehicles the following day are given out. Yesterday it was announced that 164 personnel from 48 Highrs would leave to-day if the LST concerned had reached port. About mid-afternoon the LST reached Leghord and at 2000 hours 'A' Coy and personnel from HQ Coy and BHQ embussed and moved down to the embarkation point under command Capt G. W Beal, who is O.C. Tps on board.

Leghorn, Italy; 11 March 45

Weather - Fair & warm. This morning there remained 571 all ranks who had not yet embarked, and they were allotted by movement control (Br) to 4 LSTs which lay in the harbour at Leghorn eigh miles distant. American tpt was despatched to the Transit Camp during the afternoon. Well before last light all tps were aboard. On LST 117 the O.C. Tps is Major G.J.W. Proctor commanding 202 Highlanders as well as about 200 personnel from other units. On LST 188 Sp Coy less the mortar P1 was embarked and were under the command of Major J.R.O Counsell. Lst 119 took 220 Highlanders incl BHQ under the command of Major D. B. Deeks, who also was O.C. Tps on board. Major L.G. Smith, O.C. D Coy, travelled on LST 120 with the remaining 58 Highlanders. Accn is very limited; only a small proportion have bunks, the majority sleeping on the decks and in the vehs with which the top deck and hold are loaded - some 70 vehicles in all including 12 Sherman tanks.