In the Footsteps of the 2nd Argylls: History is hiding under the floorboards...
When researching battlefield history, war diaries and tactical maps provide the structure: the dates, coordinates, and unit movements. But every so often, field research brings you face-to-face with a physical detail so raw and direct that eighty years of passing time instantly collapse.
This past March, I had the privilege of guiding the son of Sergeant Strang of the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (15th Scottish Division) on a multi-day footsteps tour across Normandy. Our goal was to retrace his father’s path from their initial immersion in the bocage through the grueling attrition of the summer campaign. We began our journey at a traditional stone farm property in Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, just west of Caen. In July 1944, Company C of the 2nd Argylls had established their Headquarters inside this precise farmstead.
An Unexpected Encounter with Local Memory
Before setting off, I cross-referenced unit war diaries with WW2 maps. The Battalion War Diary noted a specific moment during their occupation of the area: an incoming enemy shell struck the roof structure directly above Company C HQ: Sgt. Strang’s company.
As we arrived at the farm, we happened to meet the current owner, Mr. Lefranc. When the Allies liberated the sector in the summer of 1944, he was just a ten-year-old boy.
When I brought out the Battalion War Diary to explain why we were standing in his courtyard, Mr. Lefranc smiled.
"Only one single shell ever struck this main building during the fighting," he told us. "You can still see the impacts."
He led us under a an old barn and pointed up toward the exposed original timber frame beneath the old floorboards. There, preserved in the wood 82 years later, were the rough, jagged scars cut into the beam by flying shell fragments.
Standing beneath those beams with Sgt. Strang’s son was a powerful reminder of why we do footsteps research. The official military entry on paper and the physical reality of the stone and wood aligned perfectly.
From Bretteville to the Falaise Pocket
Over the next two days, we followed the 2nd Argylls across Normandy, tracing their progression through some of the fiercest engagements of the campaign:
Operation Epsom & First Combats : at the end of June, the Regiment had to cross the River Odon, marking the battalion's hard introduction to Normandy's dense terrain and fierce anti-tank defenses.
Hill 112 & Operation Greenline : in mid-July, it had to navigate the contested, artillery-swept slopes of Hill 112.
Operation Bluecoat & Hill 226 : in early August, the battalion shifted west to support the armored breakout toward Le Bény-Bocage and Hill 226, engaging armored opposition in dense hedgerow terrain.
The Caverie-Vassy Road : in August, the Argylls were stuck in a brutal, high-casualty fighting along the narrow road network near Vassy.
Bringing the Archives to Life
As we drove between sectors, we listened to recorded oral history testimonies from James Campbell, a veteran who served alongside Sgt. Strang in the 2nd Argylls. Hearing a veteran's voice describe the exact sunken lanes, weather conditions, and tactical confusion while looking out at the modern Normandy countryside gave the historical documents an irreplaceable human dimension.
We concluded our journey in the sector of the Falaise Pocket, where the Allied encirclement finally closed the trap on German forces in Normandy. Closing the tour here brought us full circle: from a quiet farmhouse attic where shell fragments first tore through wooden beams, to the battlefield where the campaign was finally decided.
I'm a certified private tour guide based in Normandy, specializing in D-Day and WWII battlefield tours. Since 2014 I've guided thousands of visitors across the landing beaches and families tracing a relative's footsteps. Along the way I've had the privilege of meeting many veterans and serving as President of the Normandy Federation of Guides. I guide because these stories matter, and because every visitor deserves to understand them properly.
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