“LEAPYEAR”

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Exercise “LEAPYEAR”

From the 27th March to 1st April 1944, both Sections of No. 1 R.A.F. Beach Unit participated in Exercise “LEAPYEAR” held in the Burghead area. No.101 R.A.F. Beach Section was with No. 5 Beach Group and No.102 R.A.F. Beach Section was with No. 6 Beach Group.

“Although the troops were not informed, the lay-out of the exercise was as similar to that adopted for “Overlord” as the ground allowed, and for the first time the division landed with one brigade up, the second brigade coming ashore as intermediate brigade two hours later. This involved No. 6 Beach Group in playing for the first time the role it was intended to play in the operation”

[http://www.lightbobs.com/1943-1944-1bucks-preparing-for-d…]

F/Lt Glen McBride, Landing Officer of No. 101 RAF Beach Section wrote:

We spent a cold and miserable 48 hours on shore during the exercise…….The cold was so intense that it was impossible to sleep at night, and though we kept on the move during the day to give the wind a chance to dry our clothes, we never got properly dry after our thorough wetting coming ashore.

D-Day on Queen’s Beach Red: An Australian’s War from the Burma Road Retreat to the Normandy Beaches’ by Glen McBride, Published in Australia by Prof. G McBride, 1994

This was the last exercise in the Burghead area for the 3rd Division force. As soon as the exercise had finished the move to the South of England began.

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