大象传媒

9. This regiment, which was also known as The Lord Admiral鈥檚 Regiment, eventually became the Royal Marines -Britain鈥檚 sea soldiers -a Corps of soldiers, trained in amphibious
warfare, which was to provide the captains and admirals of the fleet with a capacity to project some force ashore, enable snipers to shoot enemy officers and gunners in close fought,
ship-to-ship engagements and -if the need arose, as it sometimes did, suppress mutiny among the sailors. The Marines were stationed amidships, to prevent mutiny, or as they used to say, 鈥榯o stop the sailors and their officers eating each other鈥�.
When the Great War ended in 1918, the Corps stood at 55,000 men, divided into two
branches, the Royal Marine Artillery and the Royal Marine Light Infantry. Thisforce was swiftly reduced by demobilisation to around 15,000 men, and in 1923 the two arms were
amalgamated into a single Corps, the Royal Marines. The functions of this Corps were then defined by the admiralty as 鈥榯o provide detachments for HM Ships which, while capable of manning their share of the main armament, are also trained to provide a striking force for
amphibious operations such as raids on the enemy coastline, or for the seizure and defence of bases for the use of our own fleet鈥�.
The Royal Naval Prayer was also brought to our attention.

鈥�0 eternal Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens and rulest the raging sea, who hast compassed the waters with bounds until day and night come to an end, we beseech Thee to receive into thy Almighty and most gracious protection all those who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their鈥� business in great waters; preserve them both in body and soul, prosper their labours with good success, in all time of danger be their defence, and bring them to the haven where they would be鈥�.

10.
Our recruit training had as its prime objective, the teaching of discipline by responding immediately to any word of command without question, and to achieve this we spent hours foot drilling under the watchful eye of our drill instructor on the Barrack Square.
We acquired a high degree of fitness by spending much time in the gymnasium and also in the swimming pool, and I began to feel that I could cope with service life, always bearing in mind the maxim, 鈥業f it moves, salute it; ifit doesn鈥檛, then paint it鈥�.
Our training then continued under canvas in Cornwall, being taught military skills, the handling of weapons, field craft and going on long route marches covering 30 miles in under the optimum 8 hours. It was during one of these long route marches that Marine William D. Howells, affectionately always known as 鈥楤en鈥� and who came from Cilfrew in Neath, who was in the next rank to me, began to limp saying that one of his feet was hurting him terribly. To drop out on a route march was a sign of weakness, something we did not think about, so to help him I volunteered to carry his rifle as well as my own, exhorting him with the fact that it was only a few more miles back to camp. But still he limped, so Marine Glyn Griffiths from Llanelli who was in the other neighbouring rank volunteered to carry his back pack to make it easier for him. When we finally arrived at our camp, Ben flopped on to his bed, took offhis boot and sock and inside was the cause of all his suffering. A little rolled up ball of paper with the message on it, 鈥楳ay good luck go with the service man who wears these socks鈥�, which had been inserted by the machinist who had knitted that pair of socks. Needless to say, Ben did not think much of the good wishes. Thereafter, Ben became my 鈥榦ppo鈥�, defined in Royal Marine jargon as a close friend. The 鈥榦pposite number鈥� of a two man team, a system used to ensure maximum effectiveness in military activities.

11.On the completion of our military skills training we returned to Stonehouse Barracks to complete the naval side of our training. This comprised the learning of seamanship, semaphore, morse code, together with naval gunnery ranging from 0.22 rifles through to high angle anti-aircraft weapons and 15 inch naval guns.
On the 7th of December, 1940 we were told by one of our instructors that the Japanese in an aerial attack had practically annihilated the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. And so Japan entered the war on the side of the Axis with this event precipitating the entry of America into the Second World War on the side of the Allies.
All our intensive infantry and naval training culminated on the 20th of February, 1942 when as a squad and feeling super fit, we were passed for duty before General Sir W. W. Godfrey, K.C.B., C.M.G., Honorary Colonel Commandant, Plymouth Division.
Having declined a commission and a non-commissioned rank, I, together with others of our squad volunteered to join Combined Operations, being posted to Eastney Barracks, Portsmouth for further intensive training.
On the 19th of August the ill-fated onslaught on Dieppe known as Operation鈥� Jubilee鈥� took place. We were lined up on the parade ground and could distinctly hear the noise of the battle continuing in France, but we were not called upon to give support to the raid which culminated in some 1,000 dead. The bodies of two thirds of the Canadian troops and a fifth of the British Commandos littered the French beaches, a further 2,000 men being stranded and taken prisoner. A costly operation in which we took no part after waiting several long hours for the 鈥楽tand Down鈥�.

12. A short while later we were sent north to Scotland for landing craft exercises on the troop
transport ships 鈥淩eina del Pacifico鈥� and the 鈥淢onarch of Burmuda 鈥�, both pre-war luxury liners now commandeered for war service.
The training and exercises all had the same purpose, apart from the training as assault troops to fight alongside the landing parties, we were to form crews of light naval craft which supported landing operations during an invasion. This entailed dealing with the problems of approaching a hostile shore, landing upon it, or remaining off at close call and with the possibility of re- embarking troops from it.
The grand name Landing Craft Support [Medium], (LCS[M]) referred to our craft, 30 feet in length with an 8feet beam, shallow drafted and armour plated down to the water line. They
carried a crew of 12, consisting of a Royal Naval Officer, a coxswain, a signaller, a seaman, a
stoker and 7 Royal Marines each of whom, in addition to the usual kit carried a Thompson sub machine gun. The stoker sat aft between two Ford V8 engine which drove the twin propellers. The craft was fitted with a 4 inch mortar, which fired smoke or high explosive shells, a turret with twin Vickers 0.5 machine guns and smoke laying apparatus on the stem. In action the noise in the confined spaces was deafening.
All the training and exercises was soon put to good use, when with our craft swinging on the
port side leading davits, we sailed in convoy from Liverpool aboard the Orient Line Transport Ship 鈥淥tranto鈥� on the 23rd of October, 1942.

13. Our destination was unknown to us but it was evident that as the weather got slowly Warmer we were heading in a southerly direction. On some days the bow of the ship pointed towards the setting sun, while on other days it was the stern that pointed in that direction indicating that the convoy was continuing its journey southwards in a series of loops. Little did we know when we sailed that up to that time our ship was part of the greatest arnlada in history and that shortly we would be taken part in Operation 鈥楾orch鈥�.
Operation 鈥楾orch鈥� had been code-named by Winston Churchill himself and was the earliest example of a combined action by sea, land and air forces in which the Merchant Navy played a highly prominent part. It was the first time in the history of war that armies from two separate continents, Europe and the United States were simultaneously landed upon the shores of a third, the shores of French North Africa. It was during our journey south, and having been seconded to the 1st Army, we were told of our destination.
At the time we were being paid in Military Money, which comprised of notes of2s.6d [twelve and a half pence] and 1 s. Od [five pence] denominations with the intention that when we landed in North Africa all transactions by us would be in this military currency and not the French Franc. This paper money could also be used on board ship to buy necessities such as soap, cigarettes etc. at the NAAFI canteen.
I cannot recall that it was ever accepted by the civilian population, cigarettes being the favoured currency-
Regarding the purchasing power of a 1 s. Od., it is a remarkable fact that at that time it would purchase a glass of beer, a packet of Woodbine cigarettes and a box of matches and still leave a change of a halfpenny in the pre-decimal currency.

14. Having been aboard the ship for a few days, I decided it would be a good idea to have a bath. But where to find a bathroom as access to one was not easy. Some searching though, proved successful but it was only when I began to fill the bath that I realised that it was not fresh water but salt water that was pouring out of the taps, and as ordinary soap will not lather in salt water, I hurriedly dressed again, and hoping that no one would want to use the bathroom in the meantime, I decided to try out my military money by buying some salt water soap at the
canteen. Success, the bath was filled and I settled down in it. I had been there only a short
while, when the alarm bells rang throughout the vessel, summoning us to 鈥淎ction Stations鈥�. I jumped up, and without drying myself, half dressed and ran to my designated spot on board our craft, only to find after waiting around for quite a while that it was all a false alarm. Needless to say I did not return to the bathroom.
On Friday the 6th of November at 22.00 hours the convoy passed through the 13.6 kilometre wide Straits of Gibraltar and headed in a north easterly direction, hopefully giving the enemy the impression that a landing was to take place on the south coast of France. The following
day, our kit-bags were stored in the holds, we had a final briefing and rations for 24 hours were issued. At 22.15 hours we were at our stations. We were told that if the lights of the city of
Algiers were to be seen when moving in, the population would be expecting us, but if dark we would probably get a hot reception.
When opposite Algiers the convoy turned due south and so, on the 8th of November, Operation 鈥楾orch鈥� commenced with a large force of British and American troops, under the supreme
command of Lieutenant-General Dwight D. Eisenhower of the U.S. Army, landing along coast of French North Africa from Casablanca in the west to Algiers in the east.

15. Our particular objective was the beach at Sidi Ferruch, just west of Algiers. The noise of the engines of the assault craft had announced the advent of the invading force and we were
subjected to searchlights being turned on us, and to a not very effective fire of artillery and
machine guns. The enemy had been taken by surprise, but their underwater and air defences
proved strong, and Allied ships were lost, together with much military equipment and the lives of many service men.
On our run in to the beach we had a whole panoramic view of the coast line with the red-tiled, white washed buildings standing out so beautifully against the light of dawn. At the time I
thought that war was not so bad after all, little realising that war, like cream, turns sour within a very brief space of time.
On the morning of Monday the 9dt of November, at 10.00 hours an armistice was signed, and
so ended Operation 鈥楾orch鈥�, but with operations continuing eastwards along the North African coast into Tunisia and Libya.
Since the winter of 1940-41, the war in North Africa had flowed backwards and forwards
along the Mediterranean coast line. To the south the desert yielded nothing, so campaigning resolved itself into a contest for the chain of small ports of supply along the coast. Cut off
from these, an Army was quickly deprived of water, fuel, ammunition, food and reinforcements in that order, which were the essentials of desert warfare.
By the 10dt of November, 1942, the invading forces had met up at Maison Blanche, the great airport to the south of Algiers, the French Army having shown little disposition to fight. On the instructions of Prime Minister Churchill the 1st of November was celebrated as
Victory Sunday. Church bells rang out for the first time in three years to celebrate the passing of the risk of invasion from across the Channel and also of the invasion of North Africa.

The road to victory was clearing.

16. Following our landing at Sidi Ferruch, we advanced on foot into the dock area of Algiers itself and were caught in a night-time enemy aircraft bombing raid by both high-level Italian bombers and German 鈥楽tuka鈥� dive bombers. On one of the jetties were large wicker baskets. We had no time to investigate as to what they contained but we, that is some of the patrol and myself, immediately utilised them as a shelter. During the bombing raid the wicker baskets became damaged by a very near miss and we all thought that we had been hurt and that we were covered in blood, but in the dawn light we could see that we were not, but were covered instead by hundreds and hundreds of snails. The baskets had contained 鈥榚scargots鈥� destined for the tables of the Algerian city restaurants. Although we were all covered in a horrible slimy mess we all burst out laughing at the state we were in, but it could also have been possibly as a relief that yet again we had survived an enemy bombing raid.
In Algiers we were billeted in a 鈥榣ycee鈥�, a secondary school for girls while we waited for our next assignment, with daily leave from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. which enabled us to explore the city. One of our party approached me with the request, that as I spoke French to buy him a bottle of hair shampoo from a chemist shop. This I did, but unfortunately instead of saying 鈥楢vez vous quel que chose pour laver les cheveux?鈥� -鈥淗ave you something to wash hair?鈥�
I said 鈥楢vez vous quel que chose pour lavez les chevaux?鈥� which in English translates as, 鈥淗ave you something to wash horses?鈥�. No wonder the chemist paused but, nothing daunted, he produced a bottle of fluid which he assured me would do the necessary. That night we had the inevitable bombing raid, the school being damaged, with several naval ratings being killed and our breakfast ruined by fragments of broken glass landing in the porridge. Each of the classrooms had a lovely mosaic tiled floor on which we slept and the bottle of 鈥渟hampoo鈥� which had been placed on the floor ready for use the next day was smashed, and it was easy to see where the contents had flowed, the colour of the lovely tiles had disappeared.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.