28th Infantry Division

• Division HQ
• 109th Infantry Regiment
  • HQ Regiment - Based at Margam Castle - See previous page
• 1st Battalion:
  • 1st Battalion HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company)
  • A (Able) Rifle Company
  • B (Baker) Rifle Company
  • C (Charlie) Rifle Company
  • D (Dog) Heavy Weapons Company (armed with machine guns and 81mm mortars to support the rifle companies)
    
    
• 2nd Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company) - Based at Island Farm
  • E (Easy) Rifle Company
  • F (Fox) Rifle Company - Based at Island Farm - See next page
  • G (George) Rifle Company
  • H (How) Heavy Weapons Company (armed with machine guns and 81mm mortars to support the rifle companies)
    
    
• 3rd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company)
  • I (Item) Rifle Company
  • K(King) Rifle Company
  • L(Love) Rifle Company
  • M(Mike) Heavy Weapons Company (armed with machine guns and 81mm mortars to support the rifle companies)
  
  
• Supported by:
  • 107th Field Artillery Battalion:
  • 107th Field Artillery Battalion HHC
  • Headquarters Battalion / Battery (Hq)
  • Battery A: 4 x 105mm Howitzers.
  • Battery B: 4 x 105mm Howitzers.
  • Battery C: 4 x 105mm Howitzers.
  • Service Battery: Managed the lorries, ammunition supply, and vehicle maintenance
    
    
  • 103rd Medical Battalion ABLE Company

109th - 2nd Battalion HQ Report

What we can tell from this Battalion level report:

1. The Organisation Header - "Hq Co 2nd Bn 109th Inf Regt Inf":This tells us exactly where this unit sits. It is the Headquarters Company specifically for the 2nd Battalion of the 109th.
   
   
2. The Location: Unlike the Regimental HQ at Margam Castle, this unit was stationed at Island Farm, Bridgend. This means while the "big bosses" were at the castle, the 2nd Battalion's command team was living and working right in Bridgend..
   
   
3. Officer Ranks and Strength: Look at the "Officer Strength" box on the Island Farm report. It lists 1 "Fld O & Capt" (Field Officer, likely a Major or Lt Col) and several 1st and 2nd Lieutenants. The Margam Castle report shows a full Colonel. You will almost never find a full Colonel in a Battalion HQ company; they stayed at the Regimental level.
   
   
4. Enlisted Personnel Numbers The Island Farm Report: Shows a total of 119 assigned enlisted men. The Context: This is a full-strength company of specialists (drivers, radio ops, etc.) dedicated just to helping the 2nd Battalion commander run his specific section of the regiment.

Interesting Details in the Island Farm Report

A "Dropped" Soldier: The report mentions that PFC Fritsch and others were "Dropped" or moved to "DS" (Detached Service) with the 28th Inf Div. This means they were being sent away from the battalion to work at the higher Division headquarters temporarily.

Furloughs: You can see that Sgt Sota, Tec 4 Blakley, and Pvt Brownell were granted "Fur 7 Days" (7 days leave). Since they were in Bridgend, they might have been heading off to Cardiff or London for a bit of a break.

Rations: They were preparing for 185 rations for the following Saturday. This gives an exact idea of how many mouths they were feeding at the Island Farm mess hall that day..