´óÏó´«Ã½

A story of my service career as requested by those who I hope enjoy it.
As Told by George Walker of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Chapter 5

In training we had developed a system for crossing such places. (experience from the 1940 days in France). Instead of all going across together in a straight line, the odd numbered Bren Gunners, plus odd numbered Rifleman would go in the first batch, while the rest gave covering fire, then when the first lot had got to the other side of the field, they would give covering fire for the rest.

Yours truly was bren gunner in No1 section, so set off with the others. When we had been marching, I had used a rifle sling on the gun and carried it like a rifle. I put this sling around the handle of the gun so that it wouldn’t trail.

Now just imagine running across a ploughed field, it being mainly mud and soil building up under your boots. It made me stagger from side to side. Maybe a good thing as jerry was firing at us. I could see and hear the bullets as they struck the earth around me. I was just over half way across when the sling slipped out of my hand, tangled with my feet and I went headlong. I played ‘possum’ for a bit (partly to get my breath, and partly to make the Germans stop firing at me). They did stop, then I heard the bullets passing but fairly higher than me, so I picked myself up and ran as fast as I could to the side of the field.

On reaching there I set the gun up to engage some Germans in a couple of trenches slightly right. Luckily I’d got to a dip in the ground which made a kind of natural trench, because when I pulled the trigger, nothing happened. I stripped the gun and found that when I’d tripped I’d got dirt all up the barrel and between the firing pin and block.
(Just as well because if only the barrel had been full of dirt, I’d have blown my head off.)
I looked around for Archie, because he should be following me with the spare barrel. He came alright, but he thought I had been shot, so he left his rifle & spare barrel with the 3rd man in the section. So there we were, two soldiers trying to clean a machine gun in a hollow in the ground about 40yds from Jerry, and only a revolver with six bullets between us.

Back to the first time we were at Jebel Abiod, the same time as the ‘pig & mines’ incident. We had not seen any British planes except an RAF spotter plane like the small single engine planes you see for private use today. There were always 2 German Messerschmitt (fighters) always flying regularly, and the number of times the small plane (we nick named it Compo Box) dodged in between the hills turning around & twisting in the valleys when ever the fighters attacked it. It could turn very quickly, but the fighters were too fast for tight turns. I don’t think they ever caught it.

Anyway, one day Archie and I had come out of our trench because it was full of water to dry ourselves behind a bush at the side of the trench out of sight of the Germans. We saw this fighter coming straight at us. We had not seen any British ones as I’ve said, so naturally I dived into the trench full of water and was unable to stop myself as I saw the ring sign on the wings. Archie dived into the bush, a prickly pear one. It took me ages to get the spikes out of him.

Whenever we were in the line at Medjez there were always the patrols, as usual, and each time the four usual ones of us were involved. Sometimes though only two men went out, at night, stayed out all day and returned the next night. We got as near to
Longstop as possible and made notes of every movement, tried to spot Gun emplacements etc, and pinpoint a gun that made a nuisance of itself by keeping firing at Positions in Medjez.

Archie and I were one of the pairs that were often chosen. It wasn’t as if we were ‘volunteering’, far from it.

The first time we went alone we got up on the hills left of Longstop, and were going down this path we could see in the moonlight. Archie had his rifle slung on his shoulder and knocked into something. It sounded like church bells ringing, we soon got clear of the place. But nothing happened. We found out later it was a shell case that had been hung up by the Americans when they were there as an alarm. We also found a machine gun without firing pin that they had abandoned. We decided we would wait until it got a bit lighter before looking for a place to spot from. We were just rising to move when we noticed 10 shadowy figures rise from the ground 10yds in front of us. They moved off. We didn’t know who they were or how long they’d been there.

On another occasion when it was coming light the only cover we had was behind a bush (similar to those you see blowing about in cowboy pictures) on the edge of a small knoll. We lay behind it taking notes etc but the sun was beating down on us and making it uncomfortable.

Now, in training you are taught always have everything between you and the enemy, but it was nice & shady the other side, so we moved there as if we made no movement we could get away with it without being seen.

Early afternoon we noticed a German patrol of 10 men armed with machine guns, automatics and one or two rifles, leave the trenches and they came straight towards us. Now all we had was a rifle each and five rounds each. No way we could have a fire fight with them, so we shuffled to the other side of the bush and buried the binoculars and notes in the sand.

They came up the slope of the knoll and along one side, while Archie and I shuffled round the bush the opposite side to them. They never saw us. When they returned they came back the other side and again we shuffled around the bush, and again they didn’t see us.

Someone up there was looking after us.

On all patrols we wore a utility scarf. It could be folded and worn as a cap, could be worn as a scarf or to put things in. the helmet was too conspicuous.

That time when we were returning to our own lines, (the thing was to try and get in the same spot as you left, which I can say we always managed to) we approached our lines, we were challenged. (I always thought that returning was always most dangerous thing, because you could be mistaken for the enemy). I called the password we had been given the night before, but the battalion had been relieved by the Coldstreams that night. After what seemed a long anxious wait, the sentry called his Corporal. He asked us a few questions and what unit we belonged to and the password again, then told us to come in and took us to their Batt HQ. When we got there, our intelligence officer was there, took our notes, had a talk with the Coldstream CO over maps. We were thanked and went with the intelligence officer to rejoin the battalion.

A couple of days later I was called to see our Commanding officer. When I was marched into his office there was my Platoon officer and the Intelligence officer there.
It appeared the Int. Off, wanted me in the Intelligence Section.

But my platoon officer wanted to keep me, and I was offered two stripes (a full Corporal) if I stayed with him. The choice was left to me. After I asked a few questions of them I chose the Intelligence, and told them my first priority was to get home to my wife and daughter.

I’d been a Lance Corporal before and knew if I’d accepted the stripes I would be responsible for 10-30 men’s lives. By accepting the move I knew I’d be working most of the time by myself and I’d have a better chance of survival.

I told them I didn’t think I was a coward but that was where I thought my duty lay.
When we came out my platoon officer said he was sorry to lose me, but that he thought I had made the right decision and wished me luck. A couple of days after that he was out on patrol with Archie, a chap called Russell, who took my place, himself and his batman when they bumped into a German patrol. He and Russell were killed, his batman wounded and Archie managed to escape. By the way Archie got the two stripes.

During the battle of Hunts Gap, I was in an observation trench on a spur going out into no man’s land. I was in the Intelligence then. This trench was approached by an open trench we had made on the blind side of the enemy trenches, so that he could not see anyone in the observation trench if we didn’t move about much. (that was the time the lads could not move at all during the day).Once you were in that trench you could not leave it till dark. I was peering through my binoculars (Intelligence were issued with Binoculars and Compasses) when I saw a figure coming up the German side of the spur. I could see it was a British officer and wondered what on earth he was doing there. He came right up and jumped into the trench beside me. He was an officer who had just come back after being wounded, and had been put in charge of the section, while our previous officer was made adjutant. He said he had come to see how I was getting on. He was astounded when I told him where the Germans were and that he had been in their view, and we could maybe expect some attention from them. Luckily they didn’t, but I can tell you I was a little worried until we went back at dusk. He had blown our look out position.

One time when I was out with Int section at Medjez I was out in no man’s land, in a flat area but some decent cover in the ‘grass’. About mid afternoon I thought I heard a rustling behind me, but every time I looked around, I couldn’t see anything. It happened a few times, I was in a sweat I can tell you. I rolled on my back and watched, then saw a movement in the grass. What had scared me was a tortoise. I thought it would make a nice present for Valerie, so when I got back the driver of the section Pick-up said he would keep it in the van for me. It was about three weeks after when he and I were sent to one of the companies with something and we went in the truck. We had to go on a very straight road with ditches each side. Half way on this road we were attacked by a fighter. Each time he came down shooting at us we would go into the ditch nearest his approach, which gave us more cover. He shot the van up, and when he’d gone we looked inside and there was the tortoise as large as life, so we decided to let it go.

When I was detailed to be Major Taylor’s runner, it was his responsibility to get ammunition etc up to the troops. That night he had done so and they were stacked at the side of the road under camouflage nets. Next morning when battalion moved off, he told me to stay with the rations and he would return or send someone back for me when he knew where the rations had to be taken. There was I, guarding rations and all the trenches to pick from. It wasn’t long before two German fighters came along strafing the area, and me jumping from one trench to another. They shot the ration boxes up. Now among them were TWO Demijars Glass with RUM in them. By the way it’s a myth that every time we went into battle we were given rum. It was the MO’s responsibility and I can only remember once having an issue in the Italian Alps. As it happened these two glass bottles were not damaged. When Hamish came back, all he said was that I certainly knew the best thing to save. It was then the acting CO was wounded and Hamish took temporary control.

He detailed another officer to see to supply systems and the next day this officer gave me a bottle of

Johnny Walker’s Black label Scotch Whisky. The officer said it was Hamish’s ration from the NAAFI and he thought Hamish might like it with him.

Hamish went mad, he said such things were to enjoy out of action, and told me to take care of it. I put it into my small pack, and carried it for 3 days during the attacks and bustle of battle.

When we had reached a certain area, Hamish was called to a divisional conference, for plans for the next move. The safest way back was along the railway line a distance of 12 miles before we could reach any transport. When we were going back (Hamish and I), we met an Artillery officer and his batman going along the rail track to the same conference.

To be safe we walked on the sleepers to avoid mines. After a while we rested sat on the rails, when Hamish said he could do with a drink, but none of us had any water left in our bottles. I remembered the Whisky and pulled the bottle out of my pack, ‘Will this do Sir?’
Hamish opened it and offered me first drink as he hadn’t expected to see it after all the jostling it had had. I said I’d never had any before and said no, so Hamish said I deserved a drink and said try it. The four of us finished the bottle between us. Neat too. After that the sleepers kept to be leaping up and down. We eventually met transport and I got in the back. It was the last thing I remembered until about 15 hours later. We were parked in a field and Hamish had been to the conference and told the driver not to waken me. I always reminded him it was him who introduced me to the devilish drink.

I’m going back to the early days when we first entered Medjez. The battalion was dug in on a ridge with a straight road towards the enemy. There were always two Jerry planes making regular swoops up the road shooting everything up. We called them Gert and Daisy after 2 cockney comedians. We had camouflaged the trenches when all of a sudden a great big van pulled up in front of the platoon’s position; put a great big aerial and a canopy on the side of the van. They were the RAF detection unit to send word back to the aerodrome when Gert and Daisy appeared. We soon shifted them, especially when we showed them where the German lines were.

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