Please Does Anyone Remember Hayhill Army Camp?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Canadian No. 1 C.E.A.U. [Canadian Equipment Assembly Unit] was apparently run by the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps [which in 1944 split and the facility was then run by the Royal Canadian Mechanical and Electrical Engineers] at Camp Bordon in Hampshire. The British 3rd Infantry Brigade had garrisoned Bordon originally, but on leaving for France as part of the B.E.F., the camp was vacant and the Canadian Army moved in to take their place.

Dr Gregg quotes 1,976 assembled at Bordon in 1943 and 6,641 in 1944.

[servicepub (RIP)]

At Archives this afternoon placing an order for all of the War Diaries mentioned in this thread. While there I punched in "Assembly" and RG "24" in the Archivia search engine and came up with the war diary for that unit. It is also on order.
I take Fridays off work all summer so should have an answer in a couple of days.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by servicepub
At Archives this afternoon placing an order for all of the War Diaries mentioned in this thread. While there I punched in "Assembly" and RG "24" in the Archivia search engine and came up with the war diary for that unit. It is also on order.
I take Fridays off work all summer so should have an answer in a couple of days.

That's great Clive, can't wait to hear what you find 'buried within', hopefully the answers to the various questions raised in this thread, and for David's sake, the actual War Diaries for No.'s 1 and 2 (Overseas) Detachment, R.C.O.C.

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by servicepub
At Archives this afternoon placing an order for all of the War Diaries mentioned in this thread. While there I punched in "Assembly" and RG "24" in the Archivia search engine and came up with the war diary for that unit. It is also on order.
I take Fridays off work all summer so should have an answer in a couple of days.

Clive;

Do you have a unit Serial Number for No. 1 C.E.A.U. [Canadian Equipment Assembly Unit]?

Cheers

[servicepub (RIP)]

Reference: RG24 , National Defence , Series C-3 , Volume 16184
Serial : 5920 , Access code: 90
File Title: No. 1 Canadian Equipment Assembly Unit, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
Outside Dates: 1943/10-1944/05
Finding Aid number: 24-60

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by servicepub
Reference: RG24 , National Defence , Series C-3 , Volume 16184
Serial : 5920 , Access code: 90
File Title: No. 1 Canadian Equipment Assembly Unit, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
Outside Dates: 1943/10-1944/05
Finding Aid number: 24-60

Thanks Clive.

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Unit Serial No. 5920 - strange number - the unit serial numbers stopped being allotted somewhere in the 3000 to 3999 block during 1944. There were none allotted to units authorized after, about mid-44. A mystery I guess, hmmm.......:

[servicepub (RIP)]

I have recorded Unit Serials in the 4000 to 4100 range (almost every number used) primarily for units created under GO 319 of 1945 (mostly 2nd and 3rd Battalions, Batteries etc.. as well as some CAOF (Occupation Force)). I also have a few in the 5000 range as well as about 30 in the 8000 range.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by servicepub
I have recorded Unit Serials in the 4000 to 4100 range (almost every number used) primarily for units created under GO 319 of 1945 (mostly 2nd and 3rd Battalions, Batteries etc.. as well as some CAOF (Occupation Force)). I also have a few in the 5000 range as well as about 30 in the 8000 range.

Hi Clive;

Strange?, I have Part "A" General Orders 1945, Nos. 316-322, 17th September, 1945 - and starting on page 4 (thru 9) - GO 319/45 dated 17 Sep 45, effective dates: 16 Jun; 4 Jun; 16 May; 19 Feb; 23 Apr; 24 May; 15 Apr; and 27 May 1945, in front of me and there are no unit serial numbers opposite the units listed, all of which are more or less, C.A.O.F.

Even GO 241/45 (Part "B" GO's 1945) dealing with the 6th Canadian Infantry Division, C.A.P.F. has no unit serial numbers opposite the units listed.

Don't ya just love Canadian Military History, they just love to bury details........


Cheers

Originally posted by DaveCox
All my Wife's family come from the Slough/Maidenhead area, and none of the 'oldies' can remember an army camp called 'Hayhill'

Hi Dave,

So none of the oldies (drat) remember Hayhill Camp ? : but at least you people are doing your best, and I appreciate that

I have to get back to Mark on something

But honestly that flaming Camp did exist,at least in 1946

Oh well, as to the info that David sent, Im so pleased, of course I know it wont be there now , and I doubt I can walk where it once was, but hey, you just never know, and this girl wont give
up, that I can promise you all
So to you all

Hilary

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Well, Hilary, the camp did exist by August 1940...see 'drawing'/photo above..this was made by the Air Ministry to prove that the RAOC depot south of the A4 road, plus High-Duty Alloys Limited were vulnerable to air attack. I am going to see what I can find out. The camp was clearly of Nissan Huts at the time, but could have been in a park or is now under houses.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by David_Hayward
Well, Hilary, the camp did exist by August 1940...see 'drawing'/photo above..this was made by the Air Ministry to prove that the RAOC depot south of the A4 road, plus High-Duty Alloys Limited were vulnerable to air attack. I am going to see what I can find out. The camp was clearly of Nissan Huts at the time, but could have been in a park or is now under houses.

David;

I have quite a bit of information on ADGB (Air Defence Great Britain), I'll take a look and see if Hayhill pops up, never thought of it until I read your post.

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Well, I've figured out that Slough was within the AOR of the 1st A.A. Div, so thats a start. I'll go through the component A.A. Bde's of the Div and see what info can be found from there.

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

The photo was possibly taken by the RAF, probably by Cotton's PRU Flight at Heston [near where my grandparents and dad lived at the time] and was intended to show the location visible from the air of the RAOC vehicle park. This was in the former Greyhound track and on nearby land. The directors of High-Duty Alloys Limited compalined to the Air Ministry that because their factory was an essential producer of aircraft alloys, they were likely to be hit by the Luftwaffe when going for the up to 800 vehicles stored nearby. There was discussion in the Archives file about the vehices being obvious to enemy agents as well as German aircraft. The matter went up as far as Churchill but the answer was that the vehicles turned over all the time...in the end it was a fait accomplii and no special efforts were taken to disperse vehicles.

The photo ended up in the Slough Estates archives, and I had a hi-res copy made to CD-Rom.

[Mark W. Tonner]

David;

See Clive's reply reference what he has found within the various War Diaries that we have discussed in this thread pertaining to No.'s 1 and 2 Detachments, R.C.O.C.; No.'s 1 and 2 (Overseas) Detachments, R.C.O.C. and No. 1 Canadian Vehicle Assemby Unit. Clive's reply is located here: CMP Assembly

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

..Mark as I would not have picked it up immediately.

David and Mark,

I cant thank you two guys enough, really appreciate all your help on whereabouts of Hayhill Army Camp,
Slough..
I know that I must try to get my Dads service records and Mums too, you see I hope to see where they did meet, Hayhill is on their Wedding Certificate as you know: but cant really be sure, but I am going to ask my Mums sister, why not before?
she has not been in the best of health and the memory is now not so good, but I must ask...

Wouldnt it be great to have friends in high places apart from your good selves

Hilary.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Hilary, where was the ceremony held, and in what Registration District? This might give me some clues. What was your father's surname?

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by David_Hayward
Hilary, where was the ceremony held, and in what Registration District? This might give me some clues. What was your father's surname?

David;

Some info on Hilary's father I was able to obtain:

Service Number: B 17080
Rank: Sapper
Surname: Gallant
Given Name(s): Arthur
Branch: Canadian Army (Active) - Royal Canadian Engineers

Hope this helps.

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

The marriage certificate came through! Private Gallant was 38, a Painter, son of John Harold Gallant, also a Painter. Dorothy Coulthard was 24 and living at 18 Prince Edward Road, South Shields [Tyneside], daughter of a Police Officer John Robert Coulthard. The wedding was at St Gregory's RC Church 6 July 1946.

However, where we have been going slightly awry was in looking for 'Hayhill Camp', as the handwiting is not clear. It is in fact 'HAYMILL CAMP', and that is where I broke through!

Haymill Camp was probably located on the Burnham Road, near to Haymill Secondary School in what is now Haymill Nature Reserve..in Haymill Road if it existed then or it could be that the road was post-war. Looking at the street map I can see that it is in fact the camp in the photo and just may have been built originally for REs and POWs in 1918 as the camp for the workforce involved in the Depot. So, that's your answer! 1925 saw the last ex-Great War vehicle reurb'd and sold by the way.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi David;

Interesting, HAYMILL not HAYHILL. I'll have to go back to the R.C.E. history, I may have misread it also, when referring to the camp in Slough.

Cheers

Dear David,

Thanks a million trillion times, so its Haymill ?, well I never, as I saw the details in your message, it was wonderful, but was my Dad only 31yrs old? on the certificate it says 38yrs, sorry Dad but I guess if they made a mistake with Haymill
why not with my Dads real age

Thanks again and to Mark to, you have helped so very much and seem to really care

Thangoodness MLU is up and running again ,

Love, why not? I feel soooo Happy

Hilary

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by Hilary
Thanks again and to Mark to, you have helped so very much and seem to really care

What did I do now?....Karman told me to behave before she left and I've been behaving ........ I think :

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Sorry..eyesight problems again! It was indeed 38 on the Certificate..I do apologise.

Yes, it is definitely confusing as to whether the word is 'HAYHILL', 'HAYNILL' or 'HAYMILL'. I have been looking at hand-written certificates for 30 years now and studies those from 1837 onwards. Also old records back to the 1700s and I think I can now have a good crack at handwriting deciphering. However this one took me a half-hour to study the letter and work out what it was and I proved that it was not an 'h'. In the end a guess at HayMill proved correct as a search engine search proved my suggestion correct.

Interesting that the marriage was post-war. May I enquire whether the happy couple moved to Canada or stayed in the UK??

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hilary/David;

There was definitely a camp in Slough (aside from the R.C.O.C. Depot)(as per David's illustration of earlier), the R.C.E. history refers to work being done on it, off and on during the War years, starting in 1940 (upkeep/repairs/additions), but it only refers to it has the "camp at Slough", this work being carried out by various detachments of the Construction Companies, R.C.E. (later Artizan Works Companies, R.C.E.).

Also, the R.C.E. history does refer to a camp at 'Hayhill', but now I know that 'Hayhill' camp is the one that David referred to in one of his posts that were lost on 30 June.

So the camp's name was HAYMILL. It would only stand to reason that the Canadian Army would take over a former British Army camp, given the shortage of accommodation and infrastructure that existed with the coming and build up of the Canadian Army to the United Kingdom, in late 1939 - early 1940.

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

The original site was called Cipenham Court Farm, and was acquired by the War Office in 1918. Accomodation for 200 Royal Engineers and 2,500 prisoners of war was completed by the time of the Armistice, although that for 1,000 workers was not. I suspect that the Camp was the original Royal Engineers Camp, and was possibly empty until war broke out.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hilary/David;

A method you may want to try in regards to gaining information on Haymill Camp. This is a link to a website entitled "SERVICE PALS", it is in partnership with the Royal British Legion (Link). I would think that it works along the same lines has the Canadian Legion's "Lost Trails". It may be worth a try.

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hilary;

The following link is for the Bucks Free Press, you may what to try their Archives to see if they have anything regarding Canadian troops in Slough (and area), Buckinghamshire, from say, 1940 to 1946. The link to their website is located here: Link. All their contact information is along the left hand column which comes up on the screen.

The paper has been in operation since 18?? something, so they may have something in their archives.

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Here is some information regarding Slough that was lost on 30 June, from this thread:

"There are a number of reasons for the phenomenal growth of the town, perhaps, the most important originated from the ending of the First World War, and the Depression which followed. At the end of that war, Slough was chosen, by the Government, to be the location for the storage of the huge quantity of motor vehicles and machinery brought back from France. As a result, these unwanted stores, were used as a basis for developing light industry on 600 acres of land in the area. Within a quarter of a century the 'Dump' became an important Trading Estate, bringing many workers from all parts of the country, consequently the small country town became a Borough and acquired the right to have its own Member of Parliament."

Sorry, I've misplaced the source/reference for this.

Cheers

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

There was a lake adjacent to the west end of the Depot when built in 1919-20, and this lake fed Haymill. I assume that the name came therefor from a water mill? Anyhow, Haymill was definitely the Canadian camp in the picture...which is a DRAWING not a photo, albeit based on a photo.