Cookstown. 1 Troop, C Squadron

The third Churchill to be so named, she has an interesting history. The freighters carrying the regiment's vehicles to North Africa ran into a heavy storm. This extract from the Battle Reports is relative:

"From 5th to 19th February we were busily engaged in unloading our vehicles at Phillipville, [sic] Boujie [sic] and Algiers. Matters were further complicated by the fact that one ship in the vehicle convoy had been forced to return to England with twenty-two tanks ¹ and seventeen 3-ton lorries on board. This ship arrived in Bone in a later convoy on 21st February. On 19th February the regiment left Phillipville for Le Kef by road while our tanks were going forward by transporter and by rail. During the next few days we had tanks and vehicles scattered over a very wide area of North Africa, all on their way to, or waiting to leave for, Le Kef." ²

^1: Eighteen B Squadron, four C Squadron.
^2: To take up defensive positions against a threatened German break-through via Kasserine Pass.

Not only the vehicles, crews and support personnel were also scattered along the Mediterranean coast.. B Squadron personnel (less senior officers) and four C Squadron crews remained in Algiers, taking delivery of vehicles from FDS inventory aboard a freighter that had limped into the port. With the urgent need to get the Churchills in Algiers ready for action, little time was available for the painting on of insignia - most went into action without except for the few that had the basics painted on but not their names. The balance of regiment's personnel sailed on to Philippeville aboard HMS Queen Emma. On disembarking, it was discovered the the freighter carrying A Squadron's vehicles had also been in trouble, just making to Bougie about one hundred miles to the west.

On Tuesday, 1st March 1943, C Squadron under command of Major Welch arrived a Beja going immediately into action to capture the village of Sedjenane and the surrounding small hills.

"At 0200 hours Wednesday, 1st Commandos began to retire and reported that the Lincolns were still in Sedjenane and that they were surrounded. The Brigadier ordered the tanks to advance at first light and to drive the enemy from the village. No infantry or artillery support was possible. The tanks advanced down the road and encountered no opposition until the outskirts of the village where the point tank [Cookstown] was knocked out by a shot from a 50 mm. anti-tank gun."

The crew managed to bale out, sadly except for one, the others were killed or wounded by snipers. Thirty days later the Germans were driven out of Sedjenane, however, not before taking photographs of a "captured tank" (one of which being that shown above) for propaganda purposes.

Readers with a sharp eye may wonder why the colour surrounding the Troop sign and WD number is of a lighter shade. During the brief four weeks the Regiment had to prepare for shipment to North Africa, among the many tasks was the repainting of vehicles in "Tunisian Green." Time being of the essence, when it came to Cookstown' s turn to be repainted, it was decided to leave certain of her insignia upon the original brown. Obviously, as can be seen, there was not enough time available to add her name.

Sources:
NIH Battle Reports.
The Reich Director of Propaganda of the N.S.D.A.P. archives.

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