London Irish - 'Summer Holiday' in Italy

Major the Viscount Stopford, Battalion Second in Command, 1st Battalion The London Irish Rifles

Three weeks after the initial landings in Italy on 3 September 1943, the 2nd Battalion The London Irish Rifles (2 LIR), as part of 38 (Irish) Brigade in General Montgomery's Eighth Army, crossed from Messina, Sicily and landed at Taranto in southern Italy on 24 September 1943.

One week later the 1st Battalion The London Irish Rifles (1 LIR) arrived at Messina in the pouring rain. The Battalion was told by Army Movements to stop at Messina until shipping became available and a staff-sergeant in the Movements office pointed to a mud-flat, already awash and without the slightest sign even of a tent. Major Stopford, the Battalion Second in Command, ordered the men into nearby school buildings and retained one or two trucks to hold cooking equipment - despite Army Movement's orders to the contrary. The trucks were scheduled for crossing that night and Stopford was told that 'the Navy never alters its convoy arrangements', so he went to see the Naval Officer-in-Command. There he experienced an entirely different reception and was told to retain his trucks! Stopford was responsible at that time for moving other 168 Brigade units in addition to 1 LIR, a total of some 2,000.

Several days later he was informed by Army Movements that six Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were available but they could hold only two hundred men each. When the flotilla Commander confirmed that the 2,000 could not be squeezed into the six LCIs, the Naval Officer-in-Command issued orders for Malta to be signalled so that more could be obtained. When the additional LCIs arrived 1 LIR and the brigade personnel embarked. Outside Messina Harbour the flotilla Commander asked Major Stopford: 'Now, where do you want to go?' They suddenly realised that neither had received orders detailing their destination. Based on their understanding of the advance of the Allies to date, and possible location of the Brigade command group, they decided to sail for Naples, making a slight deviation to see Stromboli in partial eruption! As they approached Salerno the following morning, the convoy signalled 'Ten L.C.I.s carrying 168 Brigade; request berthing instructions'. 'What have you come for?' was the reply. That was too much and the response was - A summer holiday!

The Battalion, finally landing on the mainland of Italy, marched to a bivouac camp near Salerno where 168 Brigade received orders to move to an area round Caserta, just south of the Volturno. There, the Brigade rejoined the 56th Division commanded by Major-General G W R Templer, formerly of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The Division was part of General Mark Clark's Fifth (US) Army; there was therefore one London Irish battalion in each of the Allied armies advancing northwards in Italy.