Waterproofing station locations?

[BSA WM20]

With the help of my father's WW2 service record, I'm putting a list of locations together that I'm hoping my 10-year-old son & I can follow. 

My dad was stationed at OCTU in Wrotham where he taught officer candidates hot to ride motorcycles and drive Jeeps, Trucks, etc. During the D-Day build-up, he was convoying vehicles to various waterproofing stations and to build-up areas, but was knocked off his bike by a lorry and discharged unfit later in the year. I'm wondering if anyone could summise a possible route the convoy may have taken from Wrotham/Leigh on Sea as well as any waterproofing stations that may still remain? I think I heard a rumour about a Sherman waterproofing area near Wareham that still had some concrete structure visible? I don't know if this is true, or where it is, but any help will be gratefully received.

 

Thanks, Lee

[jenkinov]

Hi , The BBC peoples war archive has an account by a vehicle mechanic which refers to waterproofing 

 

I have put an extract below 

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Army Vehicle Mechanic Part Three - Operation Overlord Part Three

 It was then to move to Westcliffe-on-Sea where we took over an empty house on the seafront where we met up with other units and their vehicles. The whole front was lined with vehicles and we set about waterproofing them. This was to enable them to wade in 4-5 feet of water if need be. Once our own vehicles were completed it was to work on a variety of vehicles. We didn't know when they would be required but we knew something big was to happen. Then news was broken that the invasion of France was imminent and on June 6th it happened. Every available ship, piece of equipment and men from a whole series of ports along the south coast of England were on the move. It was not only British troops but American and Canadian troops with their ships and transport including tanks and armoured vehicles.

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I have a ww2 Willys Jeep and the Handbook gives instructions on waterproofing jeeps , Its Quite basic and you would be able to complete it on the side of the road if supplied with the materials ,With soft skins it was relatively straight forward ..but with Tanks and armoured vehicles the process was much more complex ..

Trust the extract helps

Jenkinov

 

[BSA WM20]

Thanks Jenkinov. I hadn't spotted that story and it's good to read such a personal account. I wonder how many waterproofing locations there were?

I found this on YouTube which shows how some of the minor vehicle seams were dealt with 

 

[MatchFuzee]

Some more information on waterproofing:-

http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/vehicle-markings-on-d-day-for-waterproofing.17416/

[BSA WM20]

Thanks MatchFuzee

[Ex-boy]

Not entirely related to the subject in hand, but my father was a REME welder in 1944 and was then based in North Devon, where a lot of waterproofing trials were undertaken. He said very little about it apart from that he was involved in fabricating metalwork items for tanks for the beach landings.

Steve.

[Pocahontas]

Lee,

In response to your question regarding “Location of Waterproofing Stations” please find attached detailed doc which concentrates on the main source of waterproofing trials for D-Day landings in WW2.

After 15years of research on this subject I am not aware of any specific stations other than those referred to in the attached doc. The REME staff from the main waterproofing trials centre in Weymouth did tour the VRD’s “Vehicle Reception Depots” to train the British Troops and Allied Troops in the procedures for waterproofing. The VRD’s were located all over the South of England as the build up for D-Day commenced, maybe it is theses VRD’s that dad was riding between? The specific locations of the VRD’s are difficult to pin down because there were as many VRD’s as there were troops, equipment and vehicles which as you know were in the 1,000’s.

 

Mike 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Pocahontas