大象传媒

After working at Short Brothers of Rochester, Kent (aeronautical engineers, builders of the Sunderland Flying Boat and the Stirling Bomber), and of course being in the Medway Towns at the time of the Battle of Britain, I was called up in March 1943. Basic training at Squires Gate, St Anne鈥檚, Lancashire. Being a country lad, that was my first real experience away from home and it came as a bit of a shock. I went to several locations in the UK. One place was to have a great impact on my life and that was Crook, County Durham, where I met my future wife.

I joined the 131 (Lorried) Infantry Brigade R.E.M.E. Workshop 7th Armoured Division at East Derham, Norfolk in January 1944. We prepared for invasion of Europe (we didn鈥檛 know where or when). We went to Normandie 7th June 1944 landing on Gold Beach. I wonder if there is anybody still around who was with our workshop at the time. The first impression I had on arriving off the French coast was the vast array of vessels. To our right were two battleships shelling, one I think was the Warspite.

After moving off the beach we were held up by stiff resistance at Caen, but the big air raid on Caen came and we moved on the Villiers Bocage and Falaise where there was very heavy fighting. My next memory was going to Labourse Pas-de-Calais where we were made very welcome. From there to Belgium to a place called Malins, not damaged at all, and met a very nice family and made welcome once again. (The name was Leon Goovaerts).

On once again to Holland and a place called Geleen, we billeted in local houses. They had little to eat, just potatoes. We shared our rations with the family that we were with. There were air raids whilst we were there. I wish I had noted all the places that we passed through, so many.

From Geleen, it was on to Tilburg. Unfortunately a lot of people were killed from shelling, but the Germans had already gone. Several places we had been in Belgium, the women who had collaborated with the Germans, were having their heads shaved. We weren鈥檛 allowed to interfere. My memories after being in Tilburg are passing by Eindhoven and on the Nijmegen. The attack on Arnhem was being made, quite a few of our bombers taking gliders in were shot down. Things like that you never forget.

We went across the Rhine over a pontoon bridge, so many foreign workers (called displaced people) were all wanting to get back home. The huts they were in were terrible. Men, women and children all together. Our next destination was Hamburg where peace was declared on 8th May 1945. We were not there long when we were told to pack up, next stop via Bremen, was Spandau, Berlin. Old people and children were doing their best to clear the rubble, again we were not allowed to help. We entered Berlin on 4th July 1945. Our VE Day was 21st July 1945 in Berlin when we had our Victory Parade.

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