On 23 October 1944, the unit moved to
Depot O-629. Depot O-616 was officially closed on 1 November 1944 per
General Order #25, Headquarters United Kingdom Base. Shop operations were
started immediately at Depot O-629. The biggest percentage of maintenance
work here was second echelon, processing vehicles ready for issue. This work
consisted of general tune-up, greasing, winterizing, painting, stenciling
and suppression. During our 75-day stay here a total of 15,000
vehicles were serviced, 2,000 of these were 4th echelon, an
average of 26 per day.
The troops were billeted in stables,
which at one time or another probably quartered some famous racehorses.
Depot O-629 is located on the Aintree Race Track, one of the largest in
England, and the track where the Grand National is held in peacetime.
Assignment of Officers at Depot O-629
was as follows: Captain Irving P. Nelson, Depot Maintenance Officer, 1st
Lieutenant John H.P. Jones, Shop Officer, 1st Lieutenant John S.
Weaver, Service and Supply Platoon, 1st Lt. Alexander H. Smith,
First and Second Automotive Platoons. WO (jg) Raymond F. Bushing, Armament
Machinist, Personnel Officer, Company Supply and Mess. 2nd Lt.
Clyde W. Cloninger, Detachment Commander. 1st Lt. Melvin M. Specter
was on detached service with the 84th Infantry Division, APO 448,
from 23 October 1944 to 27 November 1944. His duties there were Liaison
Officer.
On 19 December 1944, 1st
Lt. Alexander H. Smith was relieved of assignment with the unit, and was
attached unassigned to the 10th Replacement Depot.
Lt. Cloninger was relieved as Detachment Commander and
took over the 1st and 2nd Automotive Platoons.
On 19 November 1944 2nd Lt.
Clyde W. Cloninger and 17 men went on Detached Service to Depot O-627 for a
period of 19 days. Their duties were troubleshooting on vehicles from the
dockside to Depot O-627.
On 25 November, 1944, 1st
Lt. John S. Weaver was married to Miss Mira C. Ross of Cardiff, South Wales.
This makes our second Officer to marry over here in the United
Kingdom. At the present time we have four enlisted men married over
here, and numerous others are contemplating marriage.
Sometime in the middle of December
1944, we ceased doing 2nd echelon work, and switched to 4th
echelon work only.
On 4 January 1945, 10 enlisted men
left on Detached Service to Northern Ireland, to do maintenance work with an
Air Depot.
On 8 January 1945 we moved to Depot
O-629 to Depot O-631 and started 4th echelon work here
immediately. Our shops here are in a large factory building. The best
shops we have had since our arrival in the United Kingdom. The
quarters here are huts and are scattered all over the camp area, but living
conditions are pretty good. Assignment of officers are as follows:
Captain Irving P. Nelson, Depot Commander; 1st Lt. John H.P.
Jones, Depot Executive Officer and Shop Officer; 1st Lt. Melvin
M. Specter, Depot and Shop Supply Officer; 1st Lt. John S.
Weaver, Depot Security Officer and Company Service and Supply Platoons; WO (jg)
Raymond P. Bushing, Depot Exchange, Company Mess and Personnel Officer.
As this account closes, it looks like
there is quite a lot of 4th echelon work to be done at this depot.