480 MILITARY GEOLOGY Figure Monthly 1000 ton (1020 tonne) quantities of stone produced or distributed by the Quarry Group, Royal Engineers, from June 1944 to June 1945, in total (full line) and progressively from sources in France, Belgium, and finally Germany Redrawn, with permission from Blackwell Publishing Ltd., from Rose EPF and Pareyn C (1995) Geology and the liberation of Normandy Geology Today 11: 58 63 suitability for the emplacement of shallow wells: suitable (overprinted with crossed diagonal lines), unsuitable (no overprint), and only partly suitable (with unidirectional diagonal line overprint) (Figure 6) In the British army, ‘Bill’ King was deployed once more to France as a hydrogeologist to serve with the British Expeditionary Force, from 1939 until its evacuation in 1940 Dowsers rather than geologists were initially used to guide well drilling in North Africa and the Middle East, but with little success There was a marked improvement in 1941 when ‘Fred’ Shotton was deployed as a military hydrogeologist, with support from 42nd Geological Section of the South African Engineer Corps, whose members were experienced in the use of electrical resistivity and other geophysical techniques employed in the exploration for groundwater in arid zones From 1943, first King and then Shotton were tasked with geological preparations for the liberation of Normandy, which included the complication of water supply maps, amongst others (principally for beach landings, and airfield construction) Following the D-Day landings, well drilling in Normandy to develop groundwater, largely by borings through Middle Jurassic limestones, was carried out primarily under military geological supervision Postwar, the British army has retained a well drilling capability on a near-permanent basis Part-time reserve army geologists have been used to guide its operation Figure Military quarrying of Middle Jurassic limestone near Caen, Normandy, August 1944 ß The Imperial War Museum, London: photograph CL811