大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anna Wilson of Leicestershire Library Services on behalf of John Thomas and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 23 when war broke out and lived in Ullesthorpe. However, I was called up in 1940 and served first in the Battle of Britain. The Germans used to send their planes over at the weekend. I was then posted to the Duke of Cornwells Light Infantry, attached to the 8th Army. I fought in the Battle of Casino, Italy. We were stationed on a hill and the Germans were just below us. I remember that there was a great debate as they wanted to bomb the Germans but we were in the way. In the end they did go ahead with the bombing and four of my mates were killed and I was wounded. Once I was recovered, I went on to Bologna where there were 800,000 troops. I never had a rest so didn鈥檛 see my family at home at all. While we were in the mountains, the Germans were killing the mules bringing us food and supplies. We were always short of food and often hungry. My last posting was in Greece where the communists started an uprising after the end of the war. I was away for 5 1/2 years altogether - I finally came out of the army in May 1946.

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