A collection of articles written by Gareth Scanlon with a primary focus on the Italian Campaign 1943-45 and all things related to the 3rd Battalion Welsh Guards | 1st Guards Brigade | 6th Armoured Division (amongst much else!)
A Pilgrimage To Arezzo Those who follow my social media accounts (see bottom of article) will likely be aware that my family and I visited Arezzo in July 2024. The purpose of the visit was to return to the exact location of the photograph featuring my great grandfather Glyn Spowart wearing the camouflage smock, 80 … Continue reading 2733359 Sjt. Cliff Evans: Putting A Face To A Name
Happy New Year ! 2024 was quite a year and I'm very much looking forward to 2025. As Camouflaged Fist was nearing completion, I had already resigned myself to documenting a full account of the Welsh Guards in Italy. To that end I have been working on my forthcoming title that will also be available … Continue reading 2738461 L/Cpl Dewi West: A Story of Sacrifice and Discovery
My family and I recently visited Arezzo primarily to enable me to visit the exact site of a photograph of my one of my great-grandfather taken in the field taken along Route 71, L’Olmo, Arezzo on 16 July 1944. I have so much to post over the coming weeks about our visit, but in the … Continue reading 2nd Lothians & Border Horse, ‘Drawing Fire’, i Ponti, Arezzo, 7 July 1944: Visting the site of the action
Introduction The British 6th Armoured Division was raised in September 1940 by Maj Gen John Crocker. For its divisional sign it chose a clenched mailed gauntlet in white on a square black background - a symbol that was to earn it the name of the 'Mailed Fist Division'. Armoured Divisions were uncommon formations in the … Continue reading 6th Armoured Division ‘Mailed Fist’ Formation Signs: A Collecting Resource
Followers of this blog will likely be aware of the story of the photograph that features on the cover of Camouflaged Fist (if not click here!) containing one of my great grandfathers, Glyn Spowart of 3rd Battalion (Bn) Welsh Guards. I am extremely fortunate to own another fantastic photograph of him in the field that … Continue reading Forensic Analysis of Photographs – a Hunch Solved: My Great Grandfather, 3rd Battalion Welsh Guards, Ferretto, Italy 1944
My family and I recently visited Arezzo, Tuscany, between the 15-20 July to walk in the footsteps of my great grandfathers who fought to liberate the town. I have a much to write about regarding that special visit over the coming weeks and months ahead so please do subscribe to this blog to read more. … Continue reading Honouring the D-Day Dodgers: Paying Respects to Alan Shutler, ‘2 Gren Coy’, 3Bn Welsh Guards, Arezzo CWGC, 17 July 2024
My first post, and as such I just wanted to say hello and tell you a little about me. I'm Gareth, a lay historian, with a strong interest in the Italian Campaign of 1943-45, particularly the 6th Armoured Division, 1st Guards Brigade and 3rd Battalion Welsh Guards. This principally comes from the fact that I … Continue reading First Post ! Unraveling History: The Untold Story of Camouflage Smocks in the Italian Campaign
Camouflaged Fist 