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Italy - romance (nearly!)

The Doctor, called Helène, was young and pretty and we used to hold hands at night across the tiny charcoal stove - the only heating. One day I had a high temperature and went to bed. Helène produced an enormous pill which I could hardly swallow but it worked and I was O.K. again in no time.

After a few weeks the Army Commander gave us permission to fire our 3" Italian gun (the Italians had capitulated by this time) at the German occupied town Guardiagrele and then he decided we were too close to the enemy and the whole workshops was sent back about two miles to the cross road of Archi where the 327 battery were employed. This was when I spotted a slight incline on a narrow path down to the Sangro and slept in my truck and had my meals and even our pay parades just outside my truck.

After about a week the Lieutenant R.A. in charge of 327 Battery asked me to join his billet so my driver drove my vehicle out and I went in the new billet just round the corner and my signals truck decided to go where I had been and when the driver stopped at my old location there was an almighty explosion and his truck disintegrated, pieces landing a hundred yards away. An anti tank mine had been detonated at the exact spot where I had been. The driver needed medical attention.

WINTER IN ITALY. 1943 AT ARCHI ON SANGRO RIVER.

I had to go to Army H.Q. to see Colonel McCullough Commander R.E.M.E. which was up a mountain on a narrow road with a hairpin bend. My driver Aggio took me in our Morris pickup. After our visit we were on the way down when Aggio declared that the brakes were not much good. We managed to negotiate the hairpin bend travelling fast when we spotted with alarm an open jeep travelling up the hill containing the army General, Sir Oliver Lease (who was now in command of the whole of the 8th. Army), with two staff officers. Fortunately, there was just room to pass but the Army General turned round in his seat and shook his fist at us. We could not stop and went careering down the hill until we were out of sight. We expected a summons to Army H.Q. but, thankfully, none came.

A few weeks later in early Spring the Regiment was pulled back about fifty miles to Calvi (a small town) which gave me time to drop down to Salerno to see my brother, Harry, at his workshop (Harry was in charge of the base workshop at Salerno). Arrived to find Vesuvius in eruption and Salerno was covered in fine grit which choked the roads and lay about 6" thick on everything. On the way back a yellow sulphurous cloud covered everywhere and we were pleased to leave. Back at Calvi the Colonel decided we should have a Regimental Parade. I knew nothing about such work and was very worried but at the last minute it was called off because the Regiment was ordered to Cassino.

CASINO

We found a field about five miles before Cassino and were told we must protect the bridges in front of Cassino (on the Rivers Garigliano and Liri) with smoke to hide our crossing of the River Liri. So our role was to take the jeeps loaded with smoke canisters to the bridges and successful we were. In the meantime we had to support the Guards with 4.2" mortars just after Cassino. A signals friend of mine, Lieutenant Hussey said he wanted to see some action so I took him in my jeep to an area we had just captured that morning and went down a narrow track until we met some anti-tank gunners who told us the Germans were in a wood just ahead with tanks. A Nebelwolfe (type of German multi rocket) had landed in our track and affected our steering but we managed to disentangle ourselves and went back a mile and found our Guardsmen with their 4.2" mortars. We then went back to our bases.

Soon after Cassino we travelled North to Florence and winter of 1943/1944 was again with us. So we halted just North of Florence and we had an easy time with local leave in Florence and a few weeks on an art course at Florence University. Then 99th. A.A. Regiment was demobilized and went back to Naples but I was soon involved in the war again.

I was adjutant to Commander R.E.M.E. Ist. Armoured Division when we attacked the Germans on the Gothic line. We had 500 tanks and numerous 25 pounder guns. The Germans were well dug in and retaliated in strength and so we made little progress and many of our tanks were hit and put out of action. At one stage we had 300 tanks out of action. I had the busiest time of the war working to midnight night after night.

Much of the Division became ineffective and the Army Commander said we must withdraw and demobilize the whole Division of 15,000 men. We found ourselves at Numana and went to a transit camp for further posting.

Posted to 6 Armoured Division as Adjutant to R.E.M.E. in the middle of Italy. Assigned and met Colonel McCulloch and his Major, 2nd. Lieutenant Post and Lieutenant Silver and six other ranks.
We then had the problem of crossing the mountains to the River Po where there are huge barriers about 20 feet high round Ravenna. Slowly we overcame them and we were then free to make for Klagenfurt in Austria. As we went North there were streams of men travelling South bound for Italy from Austria where they had been prisoners and in the towns we picked up discarded German clothing, badges and Nazi arm bands etc all the way until we reached Klagenfurt where we halted near an S.S. Barracks. We went in to Seisz-Inquarts’ (a notorious and most unpleasant German Commander) house and used it as an Officers Mess. We were near to Wörther See the warmest lake in Europe where we had some superb swimming and arranged one morning to leave for England for the first time since October, 1941.

BACK IN ENGLAND

We returned to Klagenfurt and were then posted to England and told to go to Andover to join an ordnance depot. There I found 450 men and 15 officers of which five were R.E.M.E. ladies. One of them was rather nice and when we declared our engagement, the quartermaster, Major Agar gave us the Mess Table. Note this table is still in use today! I was demobbed in June 1945 and got married to the "rather nice" REME lady officer Janie Benvie Salmond.

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