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8/15/44 Journal Entry From Lopscomb Corner Camp to Marshaling Field CP-16

August 15th 1944

Leaving Lopscomb Corner Camp-0620

Reveille 0430  Men falling in foxholes (Gross)-

Route-Stockbridge, Ramsey

Marshaling area C-16

Tents-burning waste-Colored Troops

Tent theater-"Winter Time" for third time

Day Room-issuing free rations, ammunition




Notes on this entry:
 I can't find any info on Lopscomb Corner camp. Lipscomb is a real name, Lopscomb is not.

When he says 'Men falling in foxholes', See the excerpt from Cliff Hopes' book below. It seems there were foxholes dug in areas of the camp and that in the dark of the blackout men were falling into them. The word Gross in parenthesis probably refers to a fellow soldier, last name Gross who must have been one of the men who fell in a foxhole.....

Stockbridge is south of the area mentioned in the previous post and is south, on the way to Southhampton docks.

His impressions of the marshaling area-? They were billeted in tents, there was a pall of smoke from burning waste, and he saw some all colored troops, perhaps for the first time?

He went to a movie in a tent theater and saw 'Winter Time' for the third time
See- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036540/

Interesting that he describes the rations and ammo as 'free'. Sounds like they were getting them stocked up for their departure.


From Lu's memoirs: 

News of success by allied forces expanding the bridgehead in France, and finally the breakthrough at St. Lo, left little doubt that there would soon be room for us to enter the action. Strangely, there was not that much excitement or dread. We had been exposed to so much 'hurry up and wait' that the future didn't always seem real. .

From Cliff Hope's memoir book, "Growing Up in the Wartime Army'

Our outfit moved to Marshaling area CP-16 near Romsey, a suburb of Southampton, early on the morning or 15 August. I was on KP that last morning, scrubbing pots and pans in the dark, while others were stumbling into foxholes on their way to chow.

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