By the same author
Wall of Steel: The History of 9th (Londonderry) HAA Regiment, RA (SR); North-West Books, Limavady, 1988
The Sons of Ulster: Ulstermen at war from the Somme to Korea; Appletree Press, Belfast, 1992
Clear the Way! A History of the 38th (Irish) Brigade, 194147; Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 1993
Irish Generals: Irish Generals in the British Army in the Second World War; Appletree Press, Belfast, 1993
Only the Enemy in Front: The Recce Corps at War, 194046; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 1994
Key to Victory: The Maiden City in the Second World War; Greystone Books, Antrim, 1995
The Williamite War in Ireland, 16881691; Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1998
A Noble Crusade: The History of Eighth Army, 19411945; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 1999
Irish Men and Women in the Second World War; Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1999
Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (with David Truesdale); Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2000
Irish Volunteers in the Second World War; Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2001
The Sound of History: El Alamein 1942; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 2002
The North Irish Horse: A Hundred Years of Service; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 2002
Normandy 1944: The Road to Victory; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 2004
Irelands Generals in the Second World War; Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2004
The Thin Green Line: A History of The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC, 19222001; Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, 2004
None Bolder: A History of 51st (Highland) Division 19391945; Spellmount Publishers, Staplehurst, 2006
The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II; Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2007
Eighth Army in Italy: The Long Hard Slog; Pen & Sword, Barnsley, 2007
The Siege of Derry 1689: The Military History; Spellmount Publishers, Stroud, 2008
Only the Enemy in Front: The Recce Corps at War, 194046 (revised p/bk edn); Spellmount Publishers, Stroud, 2008
Ubique: The Royal Artillery in the Second World War; The History Press, Stroud, 2008
Helmand Mission: With the Royal Irish Battlegroup in Afghanistan 2008, Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, 2009
In the Ranks of Death: The Irish in the Second World War, Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, 2010
The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car 194145, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2011
First published in Great Britain in 2011 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright Richard Doherty 2011
ISBN 978-1-84884-398-1
ePub ISBN: 9781844686223
The right of Richard Doherty to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Acknowledgements
When Brigadier Henry Wilson, Publishing Manager at Pen and Sword Books, first suggested that I should write this book I hesitated. Part of that hesitation was due to my believing that both Hobart and his Funnies of 79th Armoured Division had received enough attention in print in recent years but Henry persisted with his suggestion and I began doing some more research on Hobart and his famous wartime command. I knew that Hobarts mother, the remarkable Janetta Stanley, was a Tyrone woman, a fact that probably ensured that I took Henry up on his suggestion as my family background is also from that county. (I was not prepared for the discovery that Hobarts father was also Irish, thus making Hobo another of those Irish generals of the Second World War.)
As with every book of this nature, I enjoyed immensely the research aspect Ive always had a problem deciding when the research ends and the writing begins and this particular book took me into a new area of research that of genealogy as I found out more about Hobarts family background. For their assistance in this aspect of the book, I wish to thank Ronnie and Fred Trouton, Norman Hughes, Dessie Gordon and Ronnie McLean who helped me find out more about the mysterious runaway marriage of Robert Hobart and Janetta Stanley. Colin McCallum knows his way through the trails of family history and he it was who pointed me in the correct direction for a copy of the Robert Hobart/Janetta Stanley marriage certificate. Rather than being a runaway affair the marriage was conducted in Janettas parish church with one of Roberts family as the officiating clergyman. One wonders how the family myth for such it must be of the runaway marriage developed? My sincere thanks go to Colin for all his invaluable assistance and advice.
As the years pass, there are fewer and fewer veterans of the Second World War still with us and so it was difficult to find many to describe their experiences. One such is Ian Hammerton, who served in 22nd Dragoons the Dinky Doos and who is the Secretary of the Regimental Old Comrades Association. Not only that, but Ian also wrote of his wartime experiences as a flail troop commander. Thank you, Ian, for all your help.
Many veterans left written accounts of their time with 79th Armoured Division, some of which have been deposited in the Department of Documents at the Imperial War Museum in London. There I was able to read personal accounts, as well as collections of personal papers donated to the Museum. The IWM also allowed me to read books that have long been out of print and its Photograph Archive provided some of the illustrations that appear in this volume. Particular thanks are due to Mr Rod Suddaby for his unstinting help.
War diaries and other official documents were consulted at the National Archives at Kew where, in spite of the many demands made on their time and patience, the staff of the reading and search rooms are always helpful and courteous.
At Kew I had the assistance of Bob OHara and his able research team who provided information for me whenever I was unable to get to Kew. And on my visits to Kew it is always a pleasure to enjoy Bobs company and put the world to rights over cups of tea. My thanks to Bob and his team for all their help.