Thread: Inland Water Transport

Welcome to the forum.

The PPCLI did not land Normandy on D-Day. They were still fighting in Italy and weren't transferred to NW Europe until 1945.

The Canadians landed at Juno, and these are the one that did so:

Juno Beach - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One of the tasks of teh IWT after D-Day was to supplement the navy's small boats in offloading and transferring material on the Mulberry Harbour.

Do you have any more details from which we can work from. Company number, dates and possible places that he served etc

He said they landed at Corseilles behind the Princess Pat regiment. We returned there a few years ago and he spoke to a French guy about it. He said there was a church that was under fire and that all the women and children were huddled underneath. This french guy was one of the children so he helped confirm a lot of what my father said. My father is always talking about the mulberry harbours and i think he was involved with that. We also did a river cruise which took us to a bridge that my father helped build. The bridge had been renewed a few years previously but it had lasted a long time. I'll try and get some more info when i see him later tonight. I know he was stationed at Hull and Southampton. So do you think he prob went in AFTER the landings?

His army number was 4209527 and the bridge was at nijmegan.

Nijmegen was reached in September 1944, and was one of the bridges that was captured during Operation Market Garden. You may know the operation because of Arnhem (and the film A Bridge Too Far).

Operation Market Garden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bridges would have been repaired and used after the town had been cleared.

Have you contacted the Royal Engineers' Museum, who may hold the diaries for his unit?

Royal Engineers Museum and Library official web site - Welcome (Index and Home) page

Originally Posted by joanjacksarah

We also did a river cruise which took us to a bridge that my father helped build. The bridge had been renewed a few years previously but it had lasted a long time.

Was this the bridge?

I don't think you will find he built that bridge. He may have helped build the pontoon bridge further down stream, approximately where the newish rail bridge is. The Canadian engineers rescued 152nd brigade (51st Highland Division) from the "Island" in storm boats when it was flooded in December 1944. They were taken off in boats because Nijmegen bridge was still under fire at the time.

It was a few years back but yes, i think that's the bridge. Yes, i think it was a repair. I've sent for his service records and hoped to take it from there. I'll try the museum tho. Thank you. My father says he can't remember lots about it although he tells me about people he served with and what happened to them.

Movements

SECTION 7 - Inland Water Transport

In the early stages, the work of I.W.T. was confined to lighterage at "Mulberry" or on the beaches, and manning various craft in ports and canals before the rightful owners were reinstated. As a result, the organization was purely on a Transportation Service footing, and this arrangement continued into the early stages of the advance into Belgium. There were three I.W.T. operating groups, in Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels, controlled by Transportation, 21 Army Group from their H.Q. at Brussels.

At the same time as the port of Antwerp opened, canal traffic from Antwerp to the depots in the advanced base was started. In addition, certain classes of U.S. traffic could be handled through to their depot areas.

It was expected that the Albert Canal would be cleared by British and American troops during December, so that coal traffic could begin from Limburg mines towards Antwerp. In actual practice difficulties were encountered by both British and American engineers and the Albert Canal was not finally opened until 22nd December, initially it was only for 600-ton barges, although this was increased to 2,000-ton barges at a considerably later date. The Antwerp-Turnhout Canal was opened on 20th January, giving I.W.T. communication from the advanced base into the Canadian roadhead.

Traffic, particularly of bulk petrol, from Antwerp and the Ghent area to Brussels was steadily increasing. Belgian barge organization, after certain initial troubles, was beginning to settle down.

South Beveland Canal was opened on 19th February so that when Western Holland was liberated, traffic could be passed by barge from Antwerp up into the Dutch network.

At the end of December 1944 it was decided that Q(M) I.W.T. should take over in Belgium from Tn., I.W.T. as soon as the Belgians had re-established their own civil organization, which consisted of a central freight office with branches at every port, where all barge owners reported and were allocated cargoes. In the Continental system of working, 90 per cent, of all craft are owned and operated by the individual bargemen; they are by nature an independent race and are not amenable to much dragooning. Dragooned, however, they were, and disciplined they became.

The Meuse-Escault Canal was opened by the end of February, and the Zuid Willems Vaart Canal by the end of March; the Maas-Waal was nearly clear by the end of March. This meant that the major network in Belgium and Holland up to the Waal was reasonably clear.

On 1st March 1945 Q(M) I.W.T. began its operations; from this day onward the tonnage of military cargo carried in Belgium began to rise steeply. This was not by any means due to any inspired genius on the part of Q(M); rather was it the return to a previously tried system whereby a hampered industry was released from its shackles. The entire Q(M) I.W.T. organization did not exceed 200 officers and men. They were in continuous contact with the Services; among the heaviest tonnages were R.E. stores from Antwerp to Brussels, supplies and ammunition from Antwerp and Ghent to Brussels, stone from Lessines and coal from Hasselt and Stein to every part of Belgium. Larger detachments were positioned at Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent, smaller ones at Ostend, Bruges, Lessines, Stein, Hasselt and Lille, with later on a liaison detachment with U.S. I.W.T. at Charleroi. Control reporting units were maintained on the principal junctions of canals and rivers, and subsequently on the Beveland Canal to progress Belgian/Dutch traffic; all these points were in touch with each other, and all sent daily reports to the Brussels H.Q. Here extensive records were kept, with a visual barge movement chart on the wall; thus it was possible for a Service to be told at short notice just how much of an order had been executed, and if necessary the position of every barge carrying their cargo. At one time the daily position of 75 per cent, of all the craft in Belgium could be plotted; in fact H.Q. Q(M) I.W.T. at Brussels resembled any busy shipbroker's office in the City.

Regular I.W.T. conferences were held in Brussels which all heads of I.W.T. detachments attended, and where problems were discussed and views interchanged. As time went on I.W.T. took a bigger and bigger share off the overburdened railway system. Detachments were given considerable freedom to take cargo on their own authority by local arrangement. Pilferage was a problem, and was never wholly overcome. The difficulties of getting a correct loading and discharging tally made discrepancies hard to prove; the sealing of hatches and provision of guards helped to check this evil. The Belgians themselves formed one I.W.T. group, and they did good work in manning certain craft which had been ruthlessly seized for proven pilferage.

In Belgium there were none of the commercial and financial difficulties in arranging conditions and rates of freight such as existed in many other theatres; here, all these questions were settled by the Belgians on the basis of reverse lease-lend.

On the cessation of hostilities movement of stores by I.W.T. in Belgium and Holland continued; this was principally port clearance from Antwerp. The overall tonnages carried dropped slightly owing to the decrease in military requirements.