大象传媒

My memories of the Battle of Alamein and beyond - William McFarlan (These words were written before my Father's death in 2003)
In 1942 I served with the 1st Battalion the Gordon Highlanders commanded by Lt Col H Murray. I was a Lt, commanding 11 Platoon, B Company. The Company Commander was Major Mike Du Boulay.

These are my memories of the Battle of Alamein, and afterwards through the desert to Tripoli and Tunisia and then to Sicily. The finer details are better described by Charles Barker and Ewan Frazer.

For our final preparations we spent a week, as individual platoons, with the 9th Australian Division learning front line operations and patrolling. It was very instructive.

On the 22nd October the infantry of the division moved up by night to dig positions, short of our attacking line, but in view of the enemy. We lay there all day with a water bottle, a tin of "bully beef" and a packet of biscuits without a man showing his position. Good discipline, but a very messy slit trench by dusk!

When the attack started we were supported by the 1st/7th Middlesex Machine Gunners, their Cockney encouragements were great fun and really cheered on our Jocks. Our brigade attack was led by the 5th Black Watch, who took the first two enemy positions behind a very heavy barrage. Our A & C Coys followed. We followed A & C Coy, passing through the 5th Black Watch who had had no trouble taking their positions. Our creeping barrage had been very successful, but I feel by the time A & C were approaching their objectives the barrage had progressed too fast.

Colonel Nap Murray halted us at the start of an enemy minefield to wait for D Coy with Valentine Tanks. Thus our momentum was lost. Before they had arrived I had found a gap in the minefield. Charles Barker went through and back with his carrier but the Valentines' CO refused to follow.

By this time Nap had been forward to find A & C Coy's - he was wounded before he reached them and returned, and, as it was nearly daylight, he ordered us to dig in where we were. If we had not had to wait for the tanks we could have been up with A & C and beyond.

Meanwhile, while digging in, a sniper was giving us a lot of trouble from the direction of Kintore. Mike DuBoulay asked me to cope with him. With a few men we set out. Unfortunately I forgot to take a compass bearing and, having dealt with him, I had no bearing with which to return. Then I heard "Monymusk" on the pipes, B Coy call, played by the great man, Piper Williams. We returned safely to be welcomed by Williams "Thank Christ, Sir, everyone else is dug in and me standing up!"

As daylight arrived Davidson, my batman said "You've got blood running down the back of your leg". I took my pack off and there was a piece of shrapnel sticking out which had just "nicked" my back - it was inside my mess tins.

I had previously managed to obtain 200 cigarettes - I told my Jocks that I would carry them in my mess tins and dish them out sparingly later - they could carry my food ration. I think the cigarettes saved me as there wasn't a whole one left. One bright Jock suggested that as I couldn't supply them with cigarettes they couldn't supply me with food!

On the 24th we moved forward beyond the minefield and again dug in. That night D Coy went forward at 4 am.

On the evening of the 25th October I was ordered to take a carrier, with food and water, to D Coy with a rough compass bearing. I found them. The idea was that if I succeeded I could then lead up B Coy to support them.

On returning I was told that B Coy had already gone ahead, obviously in the wrong direction. I followed in the carrier to try and put them in the right position. Unfortunately by the time I reached them they were being heavily engaged by a strong enemy position. (This description is different to the one in the Regimental History page 141 - but I believe that my sequence of events is the correct one!)

Mike decided to withdraw, so all I could do was pick up the wounded in the carrier, including my great sergeant, Eddie Cavell. Unfortunately the carrier was hit and went up in flames. We managed to get the wounded and the driver out and carried them out of the light of the flames. Captain Thom, 2 IC then did a great job by carrying Sgt Cavell on his back most of the way to safety.

The next day I had only one NCO left in the platoon, a corporal who was not suitable to be a sergeant. So, after an argument, I managed to get Pte Stephenson to be my sergeant instead of the corporal who retired to the rear.

Stephenson was Officers' Mess Sergeant in the South Staffordshire Depot but he wanted action, which was refused, so he collected the Christmas turkey too late to be cooked! He therefore joined us as a private. He was the greatest support I ever had. Unfortunately he was killed by a sniper in Normandy when I was not there.

B Coy advanced after dark to dig in ready to attack in the early morning. When we had dug in about 2' we heard vehicles approaching from behind us on our left. I lay flat in my 2' trench, I well remember a 15 cwt truck going over me and thinking the rear wheels will be heavier - luckily I was only winded! They were the Rifle Brigade Motorised Battalion on a completely different map reference to us.

Before first light we advanced to the ridge in front. (I think the forward point of Aberdeen). From it we had a very long view. Some distance on our right I saw Ewan Frazer surveying the countryside just in his shorts and a rifle! One of my Jocks said "I hope, he draws their fire away from us!"

The same morning we were bothered by a sniper. Pte Graham, a stretcher bearer, did a great job of crawling out to bring in the wounded. By keeping his eyes open he eventually saw the sniper move. We dealt with him that night, plus his telephone. (Pte Graham volunteered for active service from Barlinie jail in Glasgow, breathing the early morning fresh air he would say "This, is the life, I'll never go back to jail again!" (He was awarded a well earned MM).

For the next few days we stayed where we were, tanks coming up by day in hull down positions to engage their opposite numbers - I think we had more casualties from the ensuing shells than the tanks did! By night we patrolled, Sgt Stephenson accounting for two more snipers. For his initiative and bravery throughout the battle he was awarded the DCM. As others followed the retreating Africa Corps we had two days rest by the sea.

During those next two days I had time to think back on the previous ten days of action. What a great bunch of Jocks we had - always cheerful, great comrades and at times just as frightened as I was! As we had two officer casualties in our Company I was made 2IC and promoted to Captain. From then on the 8th Army consisted of only 3 Divs due to the difficulty of supplies over a long distance - they were the 7th Armoured, the 2nd New Zealand and the 51st Highland.

We followed the others via Fuka - Halfaya Pass - Tobruk and then across pure desert via Bir Hackeim to the El Agheila area where Rommell had retreated to make a defensive position. Here we took front line positions about 1000yds short of the enemy. 5/7 Gordons were on our right with a gap between. Bruce Rae, C Coy and I did alternate nights on deep patrols (he had been wounded the first night of Alamein and rejoined) these consisted of finding the gaps in the enemy鈥檚 front line to see if they had started withdrawing.

I always took Sgt Stephenson and Pte Laurie but the CO, Lt Col Fausset- Farquhar, told me to take different men on each patrol - these patrols meant going behind the enemy isolated forward positions and as we three trusted and knew each others鈥� moves I suggested that he gave me some easier patrols to teach others !

One fun patrol was when the CO was away and Major Scrappy(!) Hay was in charge. Lt Col Stephenson of the 1/7 Middlesex drove up to see us in his jeep. Unfortunately he went through the gap between us and the 5/7 Gordons - just short of the enemy front line he was fired on and his jeep hit - he escaped and walked back to us . That night Scrappy said to me 鈥淗ow about taking our jeep out and towing it back 鈥�.

So with Sgt Stephenson and a driver we set out, found it, and bought it back. It was easily repaired and, as each Battalion had only one jeep at that time, it was repainted with identical numbers to ours! Unfortunately some fool parked them together when General Wimberley was visiting us. When the story was told to him he sent for Col Stephenson to bring a bottle of Scotch - the jeep was duly handed over - then all ranks involved, from General to Private, had a dram together!

After Agheila we advanced rapidly to Wadi Zem Zem where Rommel halted - this stretched our supplies to the limit.

Monty decided to attack immediately with his 鈥淟eft Hook鈥� of New Zealand Div and 7 Armoured Div - 51st to do a frontal attack and follow the cost route to Tripoli. Both attacks were given 7 days to reach Tripoli - no more supplies would follow us - our next would come by sea into Tripoli harbour.

On our front there was a very deep mine field - this was surveyed and mapped by Mike Miller in broad daylight.

To penetrate this the job was given to our Battalion - 3 gaps were to be made - on the left part of C Coy under Bruce Rae, in the centre Scorpion Tanks with flails in front to blow up the mines (first time used in action), on the right part of B Coy under myself. Both C & B Coys had a section of Sappers with us.

When we got through the remainder of our Battalion and our Brigade would fan out to attack the enemy positions - followed by the other 2 Brigades.

Unfortunately when the attack started the first three Scorpions blew up within a few yards - so their gap was abandoned.

C Coy got about half way, where they encountered anti-personnel mines - Bruce Rae and his leading men were wounded - so that gap stopped.

We were lucky and got straight through, and we were relieved to find that the enemy had withdrawn. As a result the whole division could pour through and chase them up the coast route.

(Once again this is a different version to Regimental History Volume V page 151)

Our Battalion was then left behind - as petrol was in short supply. Brigades leap-frogged each other and Battalions could be left behind and picked up later.

When we were picked up our lorries arrived at night and we were to move off next morning - unfortunately our drivers were Indian and when we were due to start one lorry would not start so their Cpl changed the batteries from one that was running and was amazed when that one wouldn鈥檛 start!!!! So we ended up towing one - saving petrol but arriving very late for our evening meal.

From then on to Tripoli was frustrating - although some units had some stiff encounters particularly at Homs. We would prepare for an attack and then find they had gone. So we mainly spent our time marching and getting lifts where possible to Wadis where bridging had been blown. We had to help the Sappers to make it possible to get vehicles across.

By the time we got to Tripoli my Jocks had all decided that after the War they would not take a job on the roads although they worked extremely hard with a lot of humour!

As we approached Tripoli we again got some transport - I was in a 15cwt truck. One of our 3 ton lorries ran out of petrol - so we towed it - on entering Tripoli our truck ran out of petrol too, just short of the main square. A senior officer of the 23rd Armoured Brigade arrived and told me in unfriendly terms that I was blocking the road - I could only reply that if he would get a can of petrol I would move - which shows how short of supplies we were.

That evening at COY HQ we received an order that all Pipers were to report to the Main Square - Piper Williams had a great flair for finding alcohol - he could not be found - so CSM Michie sent out a search party which just produced him in time. The CSM suggested that he and I should take him to the square together. I drove the truck with the CSM sorting out Williams in he back.

On arrival we found a large crowd and a combined Pipe Band of both Gordon Battalions on parade -it was also being recorded. We handed Piper Williams over to Pipe Major Anderson and, as a safety measure the CSM and I stood at each end of the square to make sure he turned round! Williams marched correctly and played as well as ever. The North East of Scotland knew the Gordons were in Tripoli when they heard the radio later, as the band started with 鈥淐ock of the North鈥�!

For the next week we were employed in unloading the ships carrying our supplies. The Jocks enjoyed any broken cases - particularly liquid!

Then came a few days of 鈥渟martening up鈥� - we were not told what for.

On the 4th February Winston Churchill and General Alan Brooke arrived. The event is best described by Arthur Bryant in his book - 鈥淭he Turn of the Tide鈥� - based on the war diaries of Field Marshall Viscount Alanbrooke:-

鈥淥n February 4th Mr Churchill and I arrived in Tripoli - on the Main Square the 51st Division was formed up - the last time we had seen them was when they arrived in the Middle East - then they were still pink and white; now they are bronzed warriors of many battles and a victorious advance.

I have seldom seen a finer body of men or one that looked prouder of being soldiers.

We then took up a position on a prepared stand, and the whole Division marched past with a bagpipe band playing, The division was most beautifully turned out, and might have been in Barracks for the last 3 months instead of having marched some 1,200 miles and fought many battles鈥�

We then headed for the Mareth Line and Tunisia.
William McFarlan
Arrochar House
Oxfordshire
People mentioned in the above:-

Ranks at Alamein:- Later:-

Lt Col H Murray Gen Sir Horatio Murray GCB KBE DSO
GOC Scottish Command
Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Europe

Capt C N Barker Brig C N Barker MBE MC

Major M H H DuBoulay Lt Col M H H DuBoulay MC

Lt E Frazer Capt E Frazer DSO

Lt B D M Rae Major B D M Rae MC

Lt W M McFarlan Capt W M McFarlan MC

Transcript of citation for MC

On the night of the 25th October 1942, Lieut McFarlan鈥檚 Coy was ordered to move forward about 1000 yards. Lt McFarlan at once personally led a patrol to establish contact with another Coy already on a ridge in front and so that he could find the way with his men. Later whilst leading his own platoon to the ridge a number of army M.G.鈥檚 opened fire from derelict A.F.V鈥檚 at close range inflicting casualties on his platoon. Lt McFarlan showed great initiative and bravery in organising and controlling his men under heavy fire. After re-organising and having attended to his wounded he again continued the advance with his platoon over the bullet swept ground, reaching his position. Twice later on the same night Lt McFarlan guided forward transport to the forward Coys though the enemy fire had not slackened. The coolness and determination of Lt McFarlan throughout that night were an inspiration to his battalion and the fact that this vital transport including Anti-tank guns reached the forward troops contributed not a little to the firm re-organisation of the ground won.

This was an MC Immediate signed by, amongst others Alexander and Montgomery

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