Hogg

Robert Geoffrey Hogg was born in Westmorland on June 15, 1925 to Ernest E Hogg and Margaret A Fothergill who had married in 1922.

He enlisted on July 15, 1943 and on April 1, 1944 was transferred to the 6th Battalion of The Border Regiment, taking part in training for D-Day with them.

He landed in Normandy at 7:30 AM on D-Day on the Jig Green sector of Gold Beach. His unit stayed in Arromanches before being moved to a holding camp in Bayeux. In August 1944, some of them were transferred to the KOSB.

1st KOSB War Diary for 1st August 1944 states:

"A draft of 3 Offrs and 100 ORs chiefly from the Border Regt. arrived."  *This will have been to reinforce the Bttn after heavy losses in Troarn 2 weeks previously.

"On the afternoon of the 1st August we received a warning to prepare for a long move. Reinforcements of three officers and one hundred other ranks appeared and the day was fully occupied in sorting them out and in preparation for another battle. The Quartermaster's Department was working at full pressure to replace clothing and equipment, both sadly depleted by the events of July".

WIG Wilson, A Short History of the 1st Bttn KOSB in North West Europe

Shortly after they joined, the Bttn made their way towards Vire in an attempt to cut the Vire/Vassey road and link up with American forces in the area.

On August 6th they successfully occupied Montisanger without opposition. However, later that day, two companies attempted another attack on positions south of a river near Pissot. They reached their first objective and pushed on but against heavy opposition, with many men killed, wounded or missing.

Wounded men from The Border Regiment:

• Pvt E Parfett - 6th August 1944

• Cpl David Scott - 6th August 1944

• Pvt Robert Stenhouse - 6th August 1944 (KIA 19/4/45)

On the 7th of August, Geoff was out on a reconnaissance mission in a platoon with Lt. Alan McQueen Don.

Lt. Don said to Geoff: "You will have to help me through this as I’ve had no infantry training." [Lt Don was in Intelligence and the Royal Armoured Corps previously]

Geoff stayed very close to him after that.

They came across a gap in the hedge and Lt Don was about to cross the gap but Geoff held him back saying there could be snipers about - but Lt Don said “I will just have a quick look."

As soon as he did a sniper shot him through the head and he fell backwards on to Geoff.

They carried his body to a shallow ditch and wanted to make a cross for him with a rifle - but being an officer he only had a sidearm which they left with him.

Lt. Don has no known grave and was never found.

*Another officer from the Border Regiment was also killed on the 7th August, 1944. Lt Stephen Heathcote Atkinson from Kendal in Cumbria now lies in the Saint Charles De Percy War Cemetery along with Corporal James William Burke

Above IWM Interview with ex Border Regiment/1st KOSB, Private Leslie Gibson, A Company, 9 Platoon, in which he gives an account his time on Gold Beach, moving through Normandy and also the death of Corporal James Mackereth who was killed on 6th August.

Also ex-Border Regiment - Cpl E Sanderson - wounded on 10th August 1944

“Once Caen was cleared, the British were able to reach Saint-Martin-des-Besaces, north of Vaudry, where German troops were safely entrenched on the Perrier Ridge facing where we now live. This chateau sits right in the gap where Operation Bluecoat took place in July and August 1944.” Nick Shacklock, present owner of the Chateau De Pont de Vaudry, 2025

After Normandy

On October 22, 1944, as a platoon of 1KOSB were checking if the enemy had withdrawn from the houses in Smakt, they were surprised by enemy machine guns concealed in the houses.

One officer and 19 other ranks were presumed killed or taken prisoner with only five being able to escape. In this period 33 men were wounded, 10 were killed and 21 were missing.

1st KOSB War Diary for 22nd October 1944 There was some shelling and mortaring during the early hours of the morning. Very little enemy movement was seen. A patrol of A Coy reported at mid-day that the enemy had withdrawn his outposts just East of the railway line to the South of the village at the level crossing. During this time five 3-inch Mortars were shooting at targets selected by C Coy on their front.

At 1400 hrs a platoon of A Coy tried to penetrate over the level crossing to the village, but were held up by Schu mines at the crossing. B Coy sent out 12 platoon under command of Capt TJ Young, who were to find out if the enemy had withdrawn from the houses in SMAKT. They penetrated into SMAKT without first clearing the houses, and were surprised by enemy MGs well concealed in the houses. Three men only managed to escape, and two more came back an hour or two later. The remainder (1 officer and 19 ORS) are presumed killed or prisoners. This confirmed that the enemy had not withdrawn.

No patrols were carried out by us during the night. We were prepared to give the enemy a very bloody nose if he attempted a patrol.

On November 14, 1944 they moved back into positions west of the railway line in the area of Smakt. The take over began before first light when they took over exposed forward positions and standing patrols thought to be under enemy observation.

The take over was completed, but Corporal John McGregor Drummond was killed by a sniper.

Geoff was in a slit trench with Cpl Drummond whom he had known for some time before this incident.

Cpl Drummond told Geoff to bail out the water in the trench while he got some straw from a nearby barn to put in the bottom of their trench, making it more comfortable. He thought he would be OK as there had been no reports of enemy activity in the area.

He saw Cpl Drummond leave the barn laden with straw under both arms – then fall after hearing rifle shots.

Geoff knew there was a sniper about and immediately ran for help zig zagging any snipers that may be out there as he had been trained to do, then dived into bramble bushes cutting himself all over.

Smoke was sent into the area where Drummond had fallen but when the stretcher bearers went in, the sniper (who they never found) started firing through the smoke at them without success.

Medics looked after Geoff and gave him some brandy.

He asked how Drummond was and was told not to worry about him and that he was OK.

1st KOSB War Diary for 14th November, 1944

The take over began before first light when we took over exposed fwd posns and standing patrols thought to be under enemy observation.

HQ opened at 783323 at 1100 hrs.

The take over was completed by 1415 hrs.

Cpl Drummond of C Coy was killed by a sniper in the Farm at 794328. The patrols were similar to those done by 2 Lincs the night before, that is D Coy standing patrol, by day and night at 797316 and C Coy Recce patrol to area of Steel Factory. Patrols reported enemy in Farm at 794328.

*It was only in 2014 when Geoff’s son did some research on the history of the KOSB that he found that Cpl Drummond had died that day and is buried in Overloon Cemetery.

Geoff was seriously injured in January 1945, when he was hit by a mortar bomb and suffered severe shrapnel wounds to his leg, arm and body.

He was taken to a hospital in Brussels where doctors spent the next three months attempting to remove all the pieces of clothing from his wounds while he learned to walk again.

*(Later on, While talking to a section of German prisoners of war, he told the story about being blown up by a Moaning Minnie at the farmhouse near Venray. A POW spoke up and said to him: "That was me - we were testing a new version and I was told to fire a round off!”

Geoff couldn't believe it!)

IWM Image (above) German Nebelwerfer, nicknamed 'Moaning Minnies' by the British.

Geoff was discharged from hospital on April 30 but then spent some time in various Reinforcement Holding Units and Transit Camps, still in North West Europe.

He heard that they needed cooks in the Army Catering Corps so he took a cook’s course after the war ended.

Geoff worked in camps at Ostend and Leuven, ending up at Oldenburg in Germany where he remained until he returned to England in 1947, having been promoted to Acting Corporal in April that year. After he was demobbed he took up work transporting army vehicles around England from an operation based at Quernmore Park.

Geoff received the Legion D'Honneur in 2015 and celebrated his 100th birthday (with ex-KOSB and a piper) in 2025.

Many thanks to Geoff's son, and grandson, and to the Overloon War Collection who also have a special page on Geoff https://www.overloonwarchronicles.nl/en/hogg-geoff