Travels of the American 348th Engineer Combat Battalion 

Travels from Nov. 2, 1943 to June 5, 1944 

 Select passages from the Regimental History, Pack up and move: a pictorial history of the 348th Engineer Combat Battalion By: Keith Bryan, 348th ECB, 1-1-1946 

Below are passages from the unit history that have place names given for campsites and other activities.  I have added a few questions in brackets [ ].  Clinton Jenson was in Company A, and besides being a combat engineer he was also in his company’s heavy weapons group and operated a .50 cal. machine gun. 

 The Mauretania lay at the dock in Halifax until November 2nd.    

On Monday, the 8th of November, the Mauretania turned into the choppy waters of the Firth of Clyde. The cliffs of the coast of Ireland could be seen from the starboard rail; and the hills of Scotland were to be seen from the opposite side. The eyes that watched these terrestrial panoramas slide by in the distance were eyes that had, for days, been hungry for the sight of land. The Isle of Man was passed at about 11 o'clock. It was necessary because of the deep draft of the ship to wait for the high tide of the early hours of the morning of the 9th to move into the Liverpool docks. 

 Disembarkation on was commenced at nightfall that night.  A train was boarded after a long hike through the crowded, yet silent, streets to the Liverpool station. After the train started the winding journey southward across the English countryside, many of the men chose to watch from the windows rather than to sleep. 

At 3 o'clock in the morning, transfer was made at Swansea, South Wales from the train to a fleet of double-deck buses. The buses carried the unit six miles to a small resort village with a quaint name Mumbles. The Companies were scattered at different locations around this village; Headquarters and a portion of "B" Company at Summerland, "A" Company at Newton, other elements of "B" at Singleton Park, and "C" Company at Caswell Bay Hotel. Nissen huts [?] became the abode of the majority of the Battalion.  

 During the first week of December, the entire Battalion moved to a new camp on the outskirts of Swansea Camp Manselton. 

  . . . Swansea nightly in connection with pass privileges. The "Pier" [Mumbles], no doubt, became the favorite night spot.  

 On the 2nd of March the Battalion moved to a camp [Oxwich Bay] on the Gower Peninsula west of Swansea. 

 The line Companies marched the 18 miles to the new camp. The camp was known locally as Scurlage Castle. 

 The final maneuver was started at Oxwich Bay on April 4th; 

 Early in the morning of the 24th the Battalion boarded a tram at the Swansea station and traveled 7 hours to Dorchester, England. The majority of the unit was dispatched to Camp D-11; but there were elements at D8, D-6, and at other small stations in the vicinity. The overstrength and components of Force '-'B" were left behind in Wales. They moved first to Mynydd Llew, and from there to marshalling camps [where?] as these camps were vacated by units of Force "0". 

 The (exercise) problem was held on Slapton Sands Beach on the south coast of England 

 On the 28th of May, Force "0" was moved to its final marshalling camps; and on the 30th the Battalion began loading