Major Sutton recce’d forward to see what could be done to effect a crossing. Next to the Engineers bridge he found that the water depth was around seven feet – excessive for the standard wading depth of the Sherman, but the river bed seemed solid and made up of shingle. Leaving his 2i/c, Peter MacColl, in command, Sutton went back to a REME unit to see what could be done to waterproof the tanks to the required depth. Using discarded oil drums, flexible hoses and sheet metal they were able to make up a rudimentary exhaust stack. A mixture of tar, clay and sand was used to make any obvious holes water-tight. This Heath-Robinson solution proved successful and the Squadron made the crossing on 13th October.
