History of the 9th Battalion
The 9th Cameronians had various duties in training and preparation for D-Day. But before an invasion of Europe could be planned, the defenses of Great Britain had to be strengthened. For a time, the 9th Cameronians assisted in this matter. But most of the time was training, usually in the northern part of England. But in 1944, they were sent farther south to be part of the buildup of forces that would soon be fighting the Germans on mainland Europe.
After having spent a few years in the UK for training and defense, the 9th Cameronians were sent into Normandy, France on 17 June 1944. From then, their active combat service began. They disembarked at the British Mulberries at Arromanches. However, the motor transport for the battalion was delayed due to a storm, and they did not land until 23 June. Once the vehicles arrived, they found the battalion prepared to go into combat. The first objective was the village of Haut Du Bosq, which was attained on 26 June.
On the 27th June, the battalion was send to occupy Grainville Sur O'Don. However, the town was in German control. By the evening of 28th June, the town had been captured.
On 30th June 1944, the 9th Cameronians were relieved. They marched to the town of Le Mesnil Patry, where they rested for nine days. On the night of the 9/10th July, the 9th Cameronians moved to an assembly area in Mouen. In the following operation, the 9th Cameronians were to push toward Eterville, and once they reached this objective they were relieved on the 11th July. They moved back to Secqueville en Bessin for several days. On 17 July, they moved to Grainville Sur O'Don where they remained until the 22nd of July.
And this was only the beginning...
Information on this page was gathered form this book:
The History of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Volume III, 1933-1946. By Brigadier C.N. Barclay, C.B.E., D.S.O.