There’s a saying that you’re twice the man when serving in the Grenadier Guards. A reference to their dual role as ceremonial and fighting soldiers, not to mention, a degree of elitism. While researching the soldiers’ experiences of entertainment in Italy at the National Archive, I came across the wonderful treasure trove that is the 5th Battalion Grenadier Guards war diary. In this article, I explain what makes it distinct from other contemporary war diaries, why it was written, and what it reveals about this illustrious regiment.
Units and formations kept war diaries to document locations and activities during the Second World War. They are valuable primary sources, but they do not always provide the full picture. For example, they may necessarily omit highly classified material, or they might seek to present a unit’s actions in a positive light for higher authorities. These documents can be sterile, matter-of-fact, and dull. Occasionally, they reveal more and richly portray the characters, spirit, and culture of the troops. The war diary of the 5 Bn Grenadier Guards from January to December 1944 is a case in point.[1] To set some context, first, a note on how British infantry battalions (Bn) were organised during the Second World War. They consisted of approximately 800 men, divided into a headquarters company and four rifle companies. Each company (Coy) consisted of three platoons, and each platoon had three sections. The 5 Bn Grenadier Guards was part of the 24th Guards Brigade, along with the 1 Bn Irish Guards and the 1 Bn Scots Guards, in early 1944. This Brigade was, in turn, part of the British 1st Division whilst fighting at Anzio. As commanding officer of the battalion, Lt Colonel G.C. Gordon Lennox signed off on all war diaries for his unit.
What is remarkable about these particular war diaries is the detail and enthusiasm with which the diarist noted down his unit’s activities. For example, looking at January 1944 alone, the 5 Battalion’s war diary comprised 99 pages (not including maps, photos, and patrol reports). By comparison, the 8th (1st City of London) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (TNA WO 170/1390) consists of eight pages to describe January. And it wasn’t that the Royal Fusiliers were sitting around; they were crossing the Garigliano! The diarist of the Grenadier Guards loved his job and provided wonderful pen portraits of characters, as well as snippets of conversations, to illustrate his points. He captured the sang-froid and humour of the Guards in the face of some of their most challenging days during the war, when they captured and defended The Factory at Anzio.
January 1944 began with the 5th Battalion close to Pompeii, training and preparing for Operation Shingle. On 18 January, the Battalion Concert Party and cinema showing was arranged at Castellamare di Stabia the diarist writes:
“The performers were a string Symphony Orchestra which changed at the end to the ‘Seaweed Club Seranaders”, and a baritone, a soprano and a dancer from the San Carlo Opera House at Naples. It was probably for the majority their first introduction to Italian Opera, and the two singers, both top class, made a considerable impression. The ordinary guardsman is almost infallible in spotting what is good, even if he has no prior acquaintance. The dancer was not quite such a success, perhaps, as Walt Disney’s ‘Bambi’, a coloured piece of charming foolery which pleased the audience considerably.”[2]
Of course a guardsman would appreciate good quality Opera, even if they had never experienced it before! The men were in good spirits when they landed at Anzio three days later, largely unopposed.
The war diary notes, “Certainly the most sanguine Staff Officer could hardly have expected a landing which could almost be described, a l’Americaine, as a ‘peacetime mission’. Perhaps this was an ironic nod to the fact they were operating under the American VI Corp at the time. But familiar faces were not far away on their first day in the beachhead and the war diary notes, “Whilst the LSTs were still disgorging parts of the Bn a welcome visitor to Bn HQ was the GOC-in-C General Alexander, who was clearly delighted with such an auspicious start.”[3]
As the 5 Bn pushed northward, they met more resistance and caught sight of their objective, The Factory, on 24 January 1944. The war diary included the following aerial photograph of the complex:
The photograph clearly shows the open nature of the surrounding land, and the Guards soon came under German shellfire. A company of Guards in armoured carriers, spotting enemy infantry and a self-propelled gun moving across the fields to the east of The Factory, knew they were outgunned and coolly reported back,
“Things are a little too hot – am moving out as I have nothing to fight them with.”. “OK”, said Brigade, and the force was collected and retired in good order down the road.”[4]
The diarist wryly notes, “However admirable a vehicle a Jeep may be one feels particularly naked in one when being shelled.” He goes on to write, “It is worth noting that the modern slit trench does not enable a NCO to see which of his section requires bolstering unlike the oldfashioned fire-trench.” Facing stiff opposition, the Guards managed to take their objective, but in addition to physical casualties, men also suffered psychologically.
“In addition a round dozen men from 3 Coy (admittedly rather shaken the previous day) went ‘bomb happy’ and found their way back to the RAP [Regimental Aid Post] where they exhibited all the symptoms of what in the last war was known as ‘shell shock’. Whatever may be the modern medical equivalent, (‘N.Y.D. (N)) serving from the refusal to diagnose the complaint immediately), the cause remains as shellfire or the threat of it, and the effect remains as the vacant expression, shaking limbs and almost complete inability to comprehend anything.”[5]
The medical abbreviation the diarist refers to was Not Yet Diagnosed (Nervous). His references to the First World War and the ‘oldfashioned fire-trench’ suggests the writer was a veteran. He certainly seemed the unflappable type.
By 28 January, the battalion had lost 130 casualties in six days, but worse was to come. [6] Major Miller received orders that they were to move from The Factory and take up a position to the left of the Scots Guards. He instructed his four company commanders and senior officers to meet him at the Scots Guards HQ to discuss the order. Eight officers, together with three other ranks, jumped into three jeeps and sped off, but tragically took the wrong turning. They drove into a German outpost. The diarist presents the options available to the officers at the time:
“There were three courses open: (a) to surrender; (b) to stay and fight it out; (c) to run for it. The first unthinkable. The second was unprofitable. The third, in view of the fact that the group contained eight officers, was the only course.”[7]
Unfortunately, four of the officers were killed (Lt Luttrell, Maj Ford, Lt Harding, and Lt Gurney). More officers would have been killed if it wasn’t for the incompetence of the enemy gunner, notes the war diary:
“the machine gunner failed to the obvious – fire in front of the leading officer and let all run into the burst. Had he done so, the disaster must have been even greater. As it was, he fired long bursts at different people in turn.”[8]
Helpful advice from the diarist there! With such a loss of senior officers, the Guards Brigade had no option but to stay put and not to take part in the planned move order. Later in February, the war diary captured a wireless conversation between the Commanding Officer of the Irish Guards and the Brigade Commander. When asked to send another sub-unit to support the North Staffs, the CO pointed out “there are 50 very unpleasant gentlemen down this road somewhere.”[9]
So why did the 5 Bn Grenadier Guards diarist adopt such a florid and descriptive writing style? He obviously enjoyed writing and had a gift for making insightful observations. The ‘twice the man’ saying about the regiment was another important factor; he was writing for a historic and prestigious regiment. He must have known that his words would be read long into the future and would be used to characterise the regiment by generations to come. Whatever the reason, I’m glad he made the effort. The war diary is so rich, it feels like you could almost speak directly to the guardsman writing these pages 81 years ago.
[1] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, The War Office, n.d., The National Archive, WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards 1944.
[2] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 1, p.9.
[3] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 1, p.14.
[4] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fols 1, p22.
[5] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 1, p.26.
[6] James Holland, Cassino ’44: Five Months of Hell in Italy (Bantam, 2024), p. 195.
[7] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 1, p.81.
[8] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 1, p.88.
[9] ‘WO 170/1350 5 Grenadier Guards’, fol. 2, p.3.