大象传媒

Back in 1939 I was living in Hunslet, Leeds, working as a costing clerk for a tailoring firm, and I volunteered when war broke out, and along with 49 other volunteers was posted from Bulford to Worksop to join up with 250 T.A.鈥檚 from Hull 鈥� the 552 Company RASC, commanded by a wonderful older officer, Major J Rishworth (some of us would later become known as part of Monty鈥檚 Desert Rats). We were billeted over the Golden Ball pub and were known as the 鈥淕olden Goolies鈥�. We were then made up to a company of 750 O.R.鈥檚 and 18 officers and were part of the 1st Cavalry Division, which arrived in Haifa, Palestine on 10th January 1940. It was there that I first met Bob Allison who was Sgt. Acting Q.M., and I became his right-hand-man. We were later split up into 2 companies, 432 being the other company, commanded by another splendid Hull man, Major Moncur. I worked with bob for about 18 months to 2 years. He stayed with 552 Company, and I went to 432, and we went our separate ways. I did hear while at Alemaine, that he had been commissioned, but where he went to I never knew.

Many, many years later there was another twist to the story鈥�

My granddaughter Michelle Duffy (now Leach) lived many years in Hull (from 1986 to 2000), and her best friend Jo Corlyon married a Hull lad called Neil Allison, and the name Allison provoked me to show him the letter, and explain the mystery to him. He thinks there is an Uncle Bob somewhere in the family, but the photograph of Bob may bring better information.

I am now 93 years old, and can still remember many of those great Hull lads, and would love to hear from them, or their families:

R.S.M Arthur Watson C.S.M. Tommy Burns Sgt. Kemp
Sgt. Raby Sgt. Rea Sgt. Chignall
Sgt. Pete Gilliard Sgt. Sandy Martin Les Winham
Les De Boer Sam Butterworth and his brother Cyril or Nobby Clark
Maurice Chapman Freddie Freeman Sgt. Chapman
Ron Witty Alan Searr Arthur Thompson
Chris Battersby Bob Toey And of course Major J Rishworth

Both Majors became Colonels, and they will all now be over 80 years old.鈥�

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