大象传媒

My life in the RASC started with training in Alfreton and then went on to Capetown, SA which I have related in two other stories already on this website.

We were allowed to visit our friends in Capetown one last time before we left to say our thanks and we were grateful for their hospitality, knowing we would never be able to repay them. I believe the name of the Polish/Jewish family was Scheen which is the name on a letter I finally received in Sunderland with a postmark dated 11 April 1946 the letter was dated 29th March 1946 and had the address 17, Welgemeend St, Capetown. She mentions the baby girl of 21 months in the letter but they also had two other daughters Vivienne and Doreen. A most vivid memory of leaving Capetown by boat was that on the quayside as we pulled away a young woman sang, Land of Hope and Glory, this filled all of us with thoughts of home, England and emotional patriotism welled up in all of us and made us realise the conditions we were living under and that there was hope for the future.

From here we shipped out on the City of Canterbury to Durban where we were only allowed a short weekend stay becuase it was only a stopping off place and conditions were so bad on the boat on acccount of the numbers being moved, we were standing up to go to sleep there was no room.

We continued on to Bombay where we disembarked and boarded a train to Dulally where we stayed to acclimatise ourselves as we were making our way to Bhurma but were called back to Bombay as we were a tank transporter company and they need mules.

From Bombay we went to Port Tuvik via Aden but didn't stop off and on arrival we regrouped and joined another company. What happened next I'll never forget, we were getting ready to go to Scicily because all the boats were assembling at Port Said. Whilst in dock and getting ready for the big offensive, thousands of soldiers were entertained by Josephine Baker. A friend of mine was in the military police and managed to get the job of physically lifting Josephine on and off the temporary made stage.

The striking force for the invasion of Scicily were assembled at Post Said and in convoy of about 20 - 30 boats, troop carriers and the like and we were safe guarded by the the destroyers on route. We didn't all land at the same beaches and we landed somewhere near Siracusa and on up to Catania. On we went up to Messina and across to Reggio in Italy by small boats. Here I was putting skim nets onto trees to cover the vehicles when I fell about 20 feet onto a cactus bush. My leg was pin cushioned and I pulled the needles out myself. I didn't take the time out to see a doctor because it might have meant that I could have lost my company and as we'd all been together so long, I wanted it to stay that way. However, I did go into hospital, admitted through physical exhaustion, for a few days, oh, the luxury of a bed (well canvas and wood type)and time to recuperate. At this time I was in mid Italy in Campobasso and after three days I felt fully recovered and went to look for my company. It took 24 hours to find them and I had to lie to the doctor and say I knew where they were, otherwise I would have been sent into transit and may not have rejoined them.

Conditions were sparse and we slept many times either in vehicles, tents or under the olive trees. The advance was that quick we didn't have time to get settled as we had to follow at the same pace. If there was a stalemate things were held up such as when two or three attempts were made to take Cassino. We moved Bren Gun carriers on 3 tonne Bedfords for the build up for the advance on Cassino. They were carried from Rimini right the way accross central Italy via Campabasso and through to Cassino. At Cassino the Germans were based in an old monastry built into the side of the mountain this was situated on the old main route to Rome and had wonderful views over Cassino, where the Germans could see us advancing. The Americans went in first and we followed in and smashed their defences and took Cassino. After this we advanced onto Rome and from there on we were in full flow, we went on to Florence then I went with an advance party to the basin of the River Po, north of Florence near Bologno where an advance party from our company were waiting. We would go there for a couple of weeks then pull out and another platoon would go in whilst we had a rest. We were never given any leave though. When we took our two or three days rest at the headquarters we saw lots of new recruits coming out from England, who we thought were to replace us so that we could go home. But this was not the case as we were all going to be sent somewhere else. We came right down from Florence via cattle trucks to Toronto. En route we used to boil the maconichies (tinned food) in big soyas by the side of the road and lots of supplies of rum to supress the mens apetite in each truck. Then we arrived at Toronto and from there we boarded the ships again and we arrived in Hifa in the Middle-East. We were there to re enforce for any emergency that occurred, we moved around the area travelling to Lebanon, then Beruit and Jordan. The year was 1945. At this time leap leave was introduced so that service men who had done over three years service abroad could have leave. This however was not given to us as we were to be demobbed within the next year.

A pal of mine Bill, from Liverpool was employed in the troop movements he wanted to go home and see his lass from Leicester, but he did not have any money. I lent him 拢200 as I had not spent any of mine and he went off for a month. When he came back he thanked me and said that he had married her. When we were demobbed he returned the money to me and it was almost double the amount I had loaned!

When Bill came back I was supposed to be 28th group, but I was put in charge of the officers mess and given a couple of stipes to give me the authority. This was for three or four months. I was at Roche-Pinner on the borders of Jordan and Turkey. I remember spending New Year 1945 there. You were only allowed a bottle of beer a week for your allowance but as we had been on active duty we had never drank it so we decided to have a do at the naafi. An OC dressed up as an arab, to spoil the festivities, we had constant guards on duty as the arabs were a devious bunch, and his idea was to keep us on our toes you never knew if more were to follow. You could be lying in bed with your rifle strapped to your side and without you knowing they would swipe your rifle to use in the war aginst you. But we knew that it was the OC dressed up and when there was a general call out, because we knew who it was when he went in his caravan we locked him in until we had enjoyed ourselves with our bit of snap and bottles of beer celebrating the new year.

In the new year we went to Alexandria to a place called sidibish, we were all 'herded together' because we were due to be demobbed. Riots between the Arabs and the Jews held us up for a month. We went from there by ship to Toulon in France and went by train from Toulon to Dieppe and then by boat to Newhaven, from Newhaven we went to Aldershot.

On arriving at Aldershot we went to the barracks. A meal was laid on for us and the officers waited on us. Our beds were made up and we were told to go out and enjoy ourselves in Aldershot. We were demobbed the following morning, a Thurdsay and a few of us went to Woking Station about 9am in the morning. We had a little bit of reception in the refreshment room, before we parted company this was laid on by the women in charge at the station refreshment bar. It was not due to open until 11am but we tipped her well to do it. I caught my train about 11am and arrived back in Durham at 5pm in the afternoon of 26th March 1946, back to where I started from on the 2nd of January 1940.

I felt much older and wiser.......

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