As May 1940 approaches I thought it would be interesting to start to include some of the entries from the Unit Diary of the 157th HAA Battery. From November 1939 to today the diary has just noted the number of guns in action, usually 8.

PIP was the code name for the three gun Batteries of the 157th HAA Battery. The gun batteries for 158th HAA and 159th HAA (forming the 53rd HAA Regiment) were codenamed Squeak and Wilfred respectively. These names were taken from the popular newspaper strip cartoon "Pip, Speak and Wilfred", about a dog, a penguin and a rabitt. The Regimental HQ was codenamed Pixo.

20 April 1940
Considerable enemy activity during night 19-20/4/40. Leaflets dropped at PIP I and PIP II. Considerable fire from French A.A. Batteries. Indicator rounds fired by PIP I and PIP II at approx. 0635 hours. Further leaflets dropped by unseen enemy plane flying very high - approx. 1100 hours.
0800 hrs - Eight guns ready for action. Field works and hut building continued on all stations.