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My Uncle Charles was on the reserves and when war was declared in1939 he was called up straight away although he was 36. Within a few weeks he was sent to France in the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force).

In 1940 when the Germans invaded France, he and thousands of other troops were finally trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk after which he was rescued by the Royal Navy and a small flotilla of little ships. They were landed at Portsmouth and from there they were sent to Aldershot and put into barracks. From then on he trained in his trade as a driver/ engineer.

At the end of 1942, General Montgomery and his army smashed through the German Afrika Corps and headed for North Africa. Meanwhile British and American forces were heading for Africa in a large convoy; they were the 1st Army. Among them was General Patton and, I believe, General Eisenhower and also my Uncle Charlie. After heavy fighting, the Germans withdrew to Sicily.

My cousin Robert ‘claimed’ by his father

Meanwhile back in England, Robert Randall, my cousin and son of Charlie, was called up into the Royal Engineers. He was trained in his trade in the Royal Engineers and made ready for war. The British Army had created a scenario where a relative could claim another so they could fight together when abroad. Uncle Charlie claimed his son, Robert and so he was sent to join his father in Africa. They were both part of a pincer movement to break the German blockade as the Allies moved North towards Rome. They landed on the beachhead with little or no opposition. As soon as they had landed, the enemy got wind of the landing and brought up their heavy artillery. All hell was let loose and the British came under very heavy shell fire and only just managed to hold onto their positions. After weeks of hell, the Germans were gradually pushed back with the help of the RAF and the US Air-force.

‘Don’t ever say that you know me again’

My Uncle Charlie and his son had a hard time staying alive and when they finally had a break from the front, my cousin said to his father ‘Don’t ever say that you know me again!’

This became a family joke for years and I never forgot it.

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