Monday 4 February 2013

16th January, 1947 - Ron is out on Cross Country manouvres


Thursday, 16th January, 1947
Fine again today.
Sergeants Palfreman & Blanchard away on a case in Jerusalem.  To occupy the two squads we were sent out on a manouver.  At 8.15am we were briefed in camp.  Six of the forty six were sent on to hide in a prearranged cave, unknown to the rest of us, at about five miles distant to the camp on the Horsha to Shafa Amr track.  I remembered this cave from our trip on Sunday.  We were split into three squads under squad commanders nominated by ourselves.  Simkiss[1] was ours.  We single filed from the camp at 09.30 and after a fairly stiff cross country march we arrived on the hill above the cave at 1300 hrs.  Our squad & another were good but the third squad commander lost command of his squad & arrived in the rear of his squad.  We then went onto another ruin where the commanders were hiking up.  Quarry blasting mistaken for advance signal so it fell through.  20 miles.  Am on guard tonight, first guard 8 – 10pm.


[1]3557   8829  William Ernest Simkiss   B/C Born 15.9.1928  service commenced 3.12.1946   A&T Shafr - Bethlehem  12.3.1948

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