6 June 1944 - 25 July 1944
The Order of Battle of P & SS on D-day was as follows:
BRITISH
1..GHQ Printing Press
1..Mobile Printing Section
2.. Mobile Duplicating Sections
2.. Publications Depots
1.. Stationery Depot
2.. Advanced Stationery Depots
CANADIAN
1.. Mobile Printing Section
1.. Advanced Stationery Depot
One mobile duplicating section was allotted to HQ 21 Army Group and one to HQ Second Army.
The two BRITISH advanced stationery depots served Second Army and L of C while the CANADIAN advanced stationery depot served First Canadian Army and CANADIAN units on L of C. The remaining units worked as GHQ installations except for the CANADIAN mobile printing section which accompanied HQ First Canadian Army.
Demands for P & SS stores, the first of which emanated from the theatre on 11 June, were met by express coaster consignments until the advanced stationery depot for Second Army began to function on 7 July.
By 16 July the depot was functioning to capacity but the unprecedented rate of consumption of certain items especially those used in the production of fire plans necessitated the shipment of a considerable quantity of stores by express coaster after that date.
On 20 July the depot which was to serve L of C arrived but the CANADIAN advanced stationery depot was delayed some weeks.
Considering the size and nature of the operation, the number of typewriters lost or damaged beyond repair during the assault, or by subsequent enemy action, was surprisingly small.
The only printing unit in the theatre during the period under review was the mobile duplicating section attached to HQ Second Army.
It arrived on 2 July and started functioning at VAUX-SUR-SEULLES on 6 July when it produced the first issue of “Second Army Troops News” which was produced daily thereafter.
All other printing required by the force was produced in UK and all military publications, including the weekly 21 Army Group General Routine Orders, C-in-C’s messages of 6 and 10 June and 11 July etc., were distributed from UK.
26 July-26 September
Throughout this period the two BRITISH advanced stationery depots served Second Army and L of C respectively while the CANADIAN depot, whose arrival had been delayed, started to serve First Canadian Army and CANADIAN units on the L of C during the early part of August.
In order to keep pace with the advance of Second Army a mobile detachment of the advanced stationery depot was formed which moved forward to each of the corps areas in turn.
A timetable was arranged so that units could collect from the mobile detachment at an agreed point in the corps area and as this system effected a considerable saving of unit transport it was continued until Second Army crossed the SEINE. Second Army depot was established in BRUSSELS and limited issues were started on 15 September.
The CANADIAN depot moved forward to ANTWERP about the same time.
On 26 August the Base Stationery Depot was called forward and took over the reserve stocks of the Second Army depot and L of C depot in the RMA.
10 Special Heavy Mobile Printing Section and a mobile detachment of 2 GHQ Printing Press arrived in the theatre on 6 August and were set up at Rear HQ. 21 Army Group where they started to print such matter as GROs, C-in-C’s messages and propaganda leaflets.
An undamaged printing works was discovered in CAEN on 18 August and the main body of 2 GHQ Printing Press was brought out on 6 September to operate it, The unit started to produce work on 7 September but within three weeks moved to BRUSSELS where it took over a plant on 24 September.
Publications produced in the theatre were distributed by 12 Publications Depot to all formations and units while those produced in UK, such as General Staff publications were distributed by 6 Publications Depot until it moved overseas on 17 August.
Thereafter all publications were distributed in the theatre.
27 September 1944—14 January 1945
At the beginning of this phase the advanced stationery depot serving Second Army was in BRUSSELS, the CANADIAN depot was in ANTWERP and the other BRITISH advanced depot was serving L of C from the RMA.
It was found necessary to move the latter forward however, and on 8 December it moved to BRUSSELS where it started to function on 1 January 1945. In order to provide a depot for L of C during the move the Base Depot was split in two; one part moved forward to BRUSSELS to act as an advanced depot for L of C in northern FRANCE and BELGIUM, while the other remained in the RMA to look after the loading of bulk stores for transfer to ANTWERP where premises had been earmarked for the base depot.
This accommodation was damaged by a flying bomb and seven hundred tons of stores which were already on the rail from the RMA had to be switched to BRUSSELS where premises were acquired at short notice. These premises were inadequate and as the depot grew it became necessary to expand into other buildings.
There was a steady increase in demands for printed matter and it became apparent that the static plant taken over by 2 GHQ Printing Press in BRUSSELS, plus the mobile press which worked alongside it, could not handle the volume of work. Therefore two further plants were taken over, one at the end of October and the other in December, and both were operated with civilian assistance. The use of civilian labour by the printing press and in all stationery depots enabled these units to double their normal capacity.
A considerable amount of printing work as well as repairs to office machinery and the manufacture of rubber stamps was placed with local contractors under the Mutual Aid procedure. It was necessary to supply paper and sometimes other materials to the contractors from imported military or captured enemy stocks, and sometimes it was difficult to provide the contractors with the necessary electric power.
Publications were distributed from BRUSSELS from 30 September onwards. The number of publications distributed rose to an average of approximately 100,000 per week during the period and the total weight distributed by the publications depots was approximately eleven tons weekly.
15 January 1945 - 8 May 1945
Throughout this phase the consumption of PSS stores generally increased, the average weekly intake of PSS stores into the theatre eventually reaching approximately two hundred tons.
To cope with the additional work a new WE for a Base Stationery Depot was approved on 21 March increasing the total personnel from forty-six to sixty-eight. Additional depots were requested from Central Mediterranean Forces under GOLDFLAKE and these arrived at the end of April. Meanwhile the three advanced stationery depots,with the help of civilians, served First Canadian Army, Second Army and L of C respectively. Second Army units had been collecting their stationery from BRUSSELS but in order to save unit transport a forward detachment of the advanced stationery depot was established at HELMOND on 5 April and another at VERDEN as the army moved forward.
Supply to L of C was on a sub area basis and in the case of sub areas situated some distance from BRUSSELS, stores were sent to a central point from which units collected.
The shortage of electricity in BELGIUM hampered printing during January and February but this difficulty was solved at first by PSS printing presses working at night only and later by the installation of WD generators at the three presses operating in BRUSSELS.
Civilian contractors who had power feeders which were independent of the general supply were used mainly for overflow work.
PSS arranged the supply of paper and other materials as well as the contract for the printing of the army newspaper “Soldier”, the first edition of which appeared on 19 March.
Distribution of publications, especially those on the widest scale, continued to increase. In mid-April a distribution of postal voting forms had to be made at short notice direct to all units on the scale of one to every officer and man in the force.
“ECLIPSE” establishments were considered during this phase and as a result PSS was represented by a DADPSS at HQ Second Army and by a staff captain at each corps district HQ.