大象传媒

Brian Morgan brought a photograph of his brother Terence, taken with the 3rd Battalion of the Irish Guards (Infantry) in 1942 when he was 18. Brian was 6 years old when Terence came home on leave with all his kit, including his rifle which Brian played with. Terence was in the Guards for 2 years prior to Normandy. On 3rd August 1944 he was wounded in Operation Bluecoat. His battalion was guarding the American flank against the 9th Panzer. Terence lost his right eye and had shrapnel all down his right side, and was invalided out. He died aged 42.
Brian's own memories of the war in Whitehill, Kidsgrove, where he lived, were of lots of American soldiers chasing the local girls. They were camped at Alsager and Knutsford, and were in General Patten's 3rd Army - there are photos of General Patten in a pub in Knutsford. He also remembers bombers - perhaps 200 at a time - coming over from Ringway, heading for Germany, flying so low you could see the crew and wave to them.
Brian says there was a Messerschmidt at Kidsgrove Town Hall in c. 1944-5. It had been forced down, and was on the back of a lorry. There was also a Spitfire behind Clough Hall Boys' School until the 1950s when it was scrapped.

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