- Contributed by听
- Norfolk Railway 1940s Weekend
- People in story:听
- Robert Curson
- Location of story:听
- Egypt
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A3039013
- Contributed on:听
- 23 September 2004
My army career started on the 1st December 1939, though I wasn鈥檛 sent overseas until 1942 when I embarked for Egypt. We went via the Cape, spending a month in transit camp in Durban before heading for Port Tufic via Eritrea and Aden. We moved on to base workshops in Egypt where I worked as an armoured vehicle inspector and tester. I could tell many a story of off duty visits to Cairo, but not now! From May 1942 we spent 9 months eating bullied beef and biscuits, and slept on the floor of the workshop. We then progressed to tents, which shared with five others, and slept on the sand as there were no beds.
The last six months were spent in Alexandria before we moved to France after picking up a troopship. Three days to cross France by rail in a cattle truck, before arriving in Dieppe; only to be help up for two days because of the fog. We eventually crossed to Newhaven, and then up to Woking where we were kitted out in civilian clothing, got discharged with all necessary formalities, and ended my war service on March 6th 1946.
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