| Citation: | France,Belgium. Citation for the Belgian Order of Leopold II with Palm and Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm. Major (then Capt) Stirling landed in Normandy on D + 3 in command of 16 Coy CMP (TC). He was responsible for much of the early organisation of the very heavy TC in the Second Army railhead area round BAYEUX. Working with the minimum of police he was very successful in producing better order out of the terrific congestion resultant on the early operational phase. As the battle moved on, his area of responsibility and the police under his command increased until he was controlling traffic over 2,400 sq miles of Normandy, including the vital roots of the L of C tree. Though his work was mainly TC, much Provost work, anti-looting etc, also came his way and was most faithfully perfomed, both then and later in Belgium. At the end of 1944 Capt Stirling was transferred to TOURNAI in Belgium, and he remained there for four months, controlling L of C traffic and the incoming Divisions from Italy in a large area of Belgium. From there he went th GHENT for a month on the same type of work. In both cases a great deal of organising and putting existing improvisations onto a permenant footing was required, and this was achieved with marked success. During the ten months he worked in France and Belgium, Capt Stirling's work was not spectacular but was very heavy and of great value; always performed and carried out with perseverance and devotion to duty, and crowned with real success.LIEUT Col DMP 1 Corps District. Lt Gen G I Thomas Comd 1 Corps District. Nationa Archive 373/111/2 Bundle 1. |
