9 Graduation

pp. 160-61 WO 175/157, 46 Div WD, Mar 1943; WO 171/181, 1 Par Bde WD, March 1943.

p. 161 Major, in More Sherwood Forester Memories, p. 62. Major was with the battalion for just over a week, being wounded at Tamera

pp. 162-63 The friendly fire incident is described by Hirst, ‘A Sherwood Forester’s Story’, p. 25, also in More Sherwood Forester Memories p. 82; Dixon, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 75; Stokes, ibid, p. 31. Stan Knight, in More Sherwood Forester Memories, p. 86, says there were seven killed by the friendly fire.

p. 163 Timings are from 5th SF WD, WO 175/0552, 3rd Para Bn WD (WO 175/0527), 1 Para Bde WD (WO 175/0181). 139 Brigade WD, (WO 175/0225), has the attack at 06.00am which is clearly incorrect.

There are significant discrepancies in different war diaries of the strength of the defence, some saying one company (1 Parachute Brigade WD), some two (16th DLI WD), and some a whole Battalion (5th SF WD). I/69th PGR probably had a strength of at least 200–300 men on the Djebel – enough to hold a strong defensive position against a battalion attack.

pp. 162-63 As well as the war diaries, descriptions of the attack on Djebel Bel March are from Hirst, 'A Sherwood Forester’s Story', p. 25; Dixon, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 75, Stokes, ibid, p. 31; Stan Knight, in More Sherwood Forester Memories, p. 86; also Peter Stainforth, Wings of the Wind, pp. 117–18.

p. 164 I am especially grateful to Mary Jackson, Wilfred Jackson’s daughter-in-law, for information about his family. Aside from essential details in the Army Lists and the CWGC records, there is a brief description of Jackson in Hirst, A Sherwood Forester’s Story, p. 24. Jackson and the other missing from March 1943 are commemorated on the Medjez-El-Bab Memorial.

p. 164 Corby, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 86.

p. 164 As for Sedjenane, these casualties are derived from the WO 417 series. Also as for Sedjenane, the number of wounded is believed to be understated, for example Bennett does not appear. It is possible that some casualties were recorded against men’s original unit rather than the Foresters – there are certainly some cases where men reported missing were originally listed under the Norfolks or the Buffs and then corrected to be 5th Foresters. The original casualty estimate, two days after the battle, was 1 officer and 35 other ranks wounded, 3 officers and 69 other ranks missing (WO 175/0181, 1 Para Bde WD). According to the records of 185 Field Ambulance (WO 177/0783), 77 men of the 5th Foresters were admitted in the four weeks up to 16th March from a total of 907 battle casualties, but only 46 (excluding wounded POWs) are identified as wounded or died of wounds during this period in WO 417.

p. 165 The Hefford boxer story is from Binch, Memories of Sedjenane, p. 47.

p. 165 Hirst, ‘A Sherwood Forester’s Story’, p. 25.

pp. 165-166 Dispositions for Tamera action from WO 175/0181, 1 Para Bde WD, 1 Para Bde Intelligence Summary No. 15, 15 Mar 1943.

pp. 167-68 Corby, in Memories of Sedjenane p. 86; Hirst, 'A Sherwood Forester’s Story', p. 27, also in More Foresters Memories p. 84–85.

p. 168 Joe Barnes, in Memories of Sedjenane p. 89.

p. 169 MM citation for George Stokes in TNA WO 372/2, MC citation for Philip Claude Palmer in TNA WO 372/2. The awards were gazetted on 23 September 1943, (London Gazette p. 4217 and p. 4220).  Other descriptions are from Loach, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 59. Hutt, ibid, p. 63, Corby, ibid, p. 87; Markham IWM Tape #13561, Reels 9–10.

p. 169 The Stuka attack is from Knight, in On Active Service, p. 45.

p. 169 Lawrence Stringer, The History of the Sixteenth Battalion Durham Light Infantry (1946) pp.20–22 has a slightly different version of the DLI’s contribution, but confirms that the planned counterattack did not take place, the DLI instead acting as a rearguard for the Forester’s withdrawal.

pp. 169-70 The withdrawal from Tamara is described in Markham, in On Active Service, pp. 39–40; Stokes in Memories of Sedjenane p. 32; and Corby, ibid, p. 87

p. 170 Disbanding of the A30 battalion from WO 175/0181,1 Para Bde WD, 1 Para Bde Intelligence Summary No. 17, 26 Mar 1943.

pp. 170-71 Final operations of 46th Division around Sedjenane from The Story of the 46th Infantry Division pp. 27–29; WO 175/157, 46 Div WD, Mar-Apr 1943; WO 175/0181,1 Para Bde WD, Apr 1943

p. 171 Deficiencies in British tactics from TNA WO 175/0157, 46th Division WD, April 1943, Major-General Harold Freeman Attwood, ‘Div Comd’s Personal Memoranda No. 28, Lessons From Operations’. Tank co-operation training is mentioned by Stan Knight in More Sherwood Forester Memories, p. 87.

p. 172 Rebuilding of medical staff from Corby, On Active Service, p. 48. Captain McKerrigan was later mentioned in dispatches for his work in North Africa.

p. 172 WO 175/0552 5th SF WD, April 1943 says the 68th and 86th PGR, but the first of these must be a typing error as there was no 68th Regiment.

pp. 172-73 The timing of the artillery barrage varies between sources. 03.30am is the time given by the 5th Foresters WD, the Leicesters’ WD says 03.00am, and that of the 16th DLI 03.40am.  But WO 175/0159, 46th Division Commander Royal Artillery (CRA) WD, April, which ought to be definitive, says that the fire plan for 128 Brigade started from 03.20am and that for 138 Brigade at 05.00am – three hours behind schedule.  Morral, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 94, says there were 500 field guns, but based upon the number of batteries in WO 175/0159, 46th Division CRA, April, this is an overestimate.

p. 173 The Foresters’ IO that night was Captain C.F. Knighton, who was on attachment from the Leicesters. Captain Lawrence of the Foresters had been posted to 139 Brigade HQ earlier that week.

pp. 173-74 The description of the action at Djebel Bessioud is based upon the War Diaries of the 5th Foresters, 2/5th Leicesters, 139 Brigade, 46th Division, and the 46th Division CRA (WO 175/0159). The bean story is related by Dixon in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 75.

p. 176 Eric Morral, in Memories of Sedjenane, p. 94.