If memory is correct we had a first, then second area that we stayed in, and finally were not far from Capua. The other units of the division were near Caserta.
As we left the Pofi area a couple of Lance sergeants missed the move and were marked absent by Battery sergeant major Lloyd of 37th Bty. Well when these chaps returned they were paraded before the colonel to be punished.They said Bill Lloyd had given them permission to go to the nearby farm houses for vino and that is why they missed the order to join their unit and move out of the area.
The 37th Battery had quite a few chaps that did not like the Sgt major and thought they saw a chance to have him court-martialed. It all got fairly intense with Bill Lloyd the Sgt Major refusing the battery commander's punishment and then refusing the colonel's punishment. Bill Lloyd then requested to be paraded in front of the brigadier who would be able to handle this. What had started out to get Bill Lloyd was turning into a real embarrassing situation.
Both Major Gilchrist and Colonel Armstrong wanted it all to go away. The two real culprits were the trouble makers and I do not know if they eventually escaped punishment or not, but to get out of this situation, here is what happened. In our first rest area from Pofi it was a dry camp no booze no unauthorized vehicles leaving the area. Somehow the officers had a truck go out and buy up a lot of booze and had a great party. This annoyed the gunners and one Bdr. Fleming complained to Sgt major Pollock of 76th battery the injustice of this. Roy Pollock, great chap he was, went to the battery captain Les Hand about this. Captain Hand told Major Lagimodiere who was officer commanding 76th Bty . Major Lagimodiere did not like it being pointed out that he along with the other officers had broken the rules as set down for this area. In fact he was furious and berated Sgt Major Roy Pollock to have the affront to question what the officers did. Not many will remember this but the two Majors Gilchrist and Lagimodiere plus the Colonel Armstrong took this opportunity to get the Bill Lloyd affair settled. They transferred Roy Pollock, the father figure to all the 76th Bty Gunners, to 37th Bty, and Bill Lloyd to 76th Bty. A crapping way to end the embarrassing situation first caused by two irresponsible Lance Sgt’s, then a complaint from a bombadier who loved his booze too. Sgt Major Lloyd had a very trying time until it all so called was settled.