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!)
Introduction I recently posted on my social media channels about how fantastic it was to meet Catherine Bowen and be able to copy and photograph pics and other items retained by her grandfather 2737719 L/Cpl Gerwyn Jones. It was a privilege to have been able to scan his photographs which contain so many interesting details … Continue reading Squad Photos: Unlocking People & Their Stories
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
Camouflaged Fist 