大象传媒

A soldier鈥檚 reminiscences of World War 2

After over 45 years since the war ended, one鈥檚 memory is not so sharp and time and place of happenings may not be accurate. A soldier was not permitted to keep a diary, for the obvious reason that it could fall into the hands of the enemy. So I have to record only the events I remember.

My service began as a conscript in March 1940. I arrived with other civilians at the R.A.C. depot at Tidworth for my military training, carried out by officers and men of the 9th Hussars. Every soldier has tales to tell of the ups and downs of this 6 weeks initial training and the characters one met. Such as the man with two 鈥渓eft鈥� legs, never in step. One of our group, a young Jewish lad, went A.W.O.L. and sent his uniform back to the depot with a note saying he did not like the army. He returned with 2 鈥淩ed Caps鈥�. After the end of the six weeks the next thing I remember was being on board a liner, the 鈥淒uchess of Devonshire鈥� docked at Liverpool. We were to sail to the Middle East and it was around May, soon after the fall of France. Several times we left the docks, and back again, before we finally sailed during the night in a large convoy. The crew of the ship called her the 鈥淒runken Duchess鈥� because of the way she rode the waves. With the Mediterranean closed we had to make the 6 weeks journey round the Cape. We stopped at Simonstown and Cape Town but did not disembark, just re-filled.

We arrived in Egypt and I, with others, joined the 3rd tank regiment, part of the 8th army, 7th Armoured Division, which became the 鈥淒esert Rats鈥�. We were billeted in tents in the desert just outside Cairo. We had a couple of evenings in Cairo and prepared for the offensive under Wavell, against the Italians. About a dozen of us, myself included, formed relief crews. We followed the advancing tanks in trucks, doing various duties until needed. However, only a few of the relief crews were in a tank, I was not, before the Italians were beaten.

It is rather difficult to remember precisely all that followed. I know I was sent with a squadron of our tanks from the 3rd Battalion (we had the Matilda tanks used in the Italian campaign) to Greece. Stayed over one night in Athens, and then began the journey to reinforce the army opposing the Germans at Mount Olympus, only to be ordered to withdraw because the Germans had broken through. We were able to be taken off by the Navy and, minus our tanks, deposited on Crete, a stepping-stone before returning to Egypt. We were unable to be taken off the island before the Germans launched their paratroop attack on the island, preceded by heavy bombing and low flying attacks. I was at the port of Canea when a dozen planes came in from the sea 鈥� German bomber fighters. We all made a beeline for the church and, as we crowded in, someone said, 鈥渟hut the door鈥�. It was not required 鈥� a terrific blast blew the door off.

There were quite a number of British troops already there before we arrived, mainly infantry and marines. We 鈥渙dds and sods鈥� were given rifles and stationed above the two airports 鈥淢alome and Heraklion鈥� with orders to take shots at the descending enemy paratroops. However, the island was abandoned eventually by the British. I and hundreds of others were taken off by the Navy, the last boats, before the Navy decided not to make any more trips. I was back in Egypt. Many more were left on the island as P.O.Ws.

How I came to be in Tobruk is hard to recall after so many years. Our units were based just outside Tobruk, between there and Sidi Barrani. I believe our tank and 2man crew were on a reconnaissance mission and, with some trouble with the tank, ordered to make for Tobruk. We believed the unit would follow in a day or so. We were in Tobruk when the Commander surrendered the town to Rommel. I was a P.O.W. We clung to the hope that now that Russia was in the war, which we had heard in Crete in June 1941, the war would soon be over.

We left Tobruk by boat, somewhere, in an Italian ship, the 鈥淧iere Luigi鈥�, and landed I believe in Greece then the journey in 鈥渃attle trucks鈥� to Stalag 8B. With an Aussie born in Scotland and a chap who lived in Aldershot and in the R.A.S.C. we 鈥榤ucked in鈥� during our captivity. The train stopped in Belgrade and we were given some bread, noticing that women onlookers were weeping. We looked a sorry lot; most of us had dysentery. I don鈥檛 remember how long the journey took, it seemed unending, but about 4 or 5 days. On the journey we were given a loaf for eight, twice.

One draws a veil over arrival at the Stalag delousing 鈥� medical checks 鈥� an English battle dress after the K.D. Middle East tropical kit. Life in this reception camp, with noise night and day, the sharing of the rations given by the camp, a loaf of chestnut or potato flour which was measured equally by someone with 8 pairs of eyes watching, distribution of about 4oz of bread to 8 hungry men, to last the day. One never let this morsel out of one鈥檚 possession and any left for the morning, one slept with it under one鈥檚 pillow. I do not recall having any Red Cross parcel, or part of one, until I went on a working party.

Eventually I, with my two mates Colin McDonald, the Aussie, and Ralph (Dodger) Green, joined a 24 strong working party, along with an interpreter (鈥淒olmetcher鈥�), a British army Corporal, 鈥淢ick鈥� Duffy, an Irishman who spoke fluent German. We were transported to a small hamlet 鈥榃eisswasser鈥� near Friewalsa, the nearest big town being Breslau 鈥� now Wroelaw in Poland.

There we spent about a year felling trees and stripping the bark which were then used as pit props. The 鈥榣ager鈥� was at the edge of a forest and once used by Hitler youth as a summer camp. Our quarters were on a small ridge, the guards (3), either too old for military service or unfit, were quartered in a farmhouse below where no doubt they could observe us through binoculars. Our quarters were a large single storey building, later made bigger. This was done by something I had never seen before. The roof was 鈥榡acked up鈥� and another floor built and then the roof lowered. Heating was provided by a huge wood burning stove which smoked a lot and we lived in a permanent smoky atmosphere. But at least it was warm, with plenty of wood from the forest, in that very cold winter.

After working in the forest all day we were marched to the convent in the village where the nuns provided us with soup laced with potatoes, vegetables and some meat. We believed the nuns added some of their own rations in the soup. We returned to the 鈥榣ager鈥� with a container, like a dustbin, filled with gruel 鈥� our breakfast. This was carried on a pole by two of us in turn every night. It was uphill all the way and we had walked off our supper by then, and if we had a Red Cross parcel, which was not a regular feature of life, we carefully and sparingly chose something we could afford to eat.

After about a year we left Weiswasser. Russian P.O.W.s were to take over our compound. The Germans believed the Russians would work harder and stand the cold better. Our party was transported to Sandhubel, another small place in the same area. Here we worked in sandpits filling sandbags for air raid protection for buildings. Some in the factory made cement pipes. The factory master we nicknamed 鈥淓ggy鈥� because of the shape of his head. An excitable man of about 50 years of age, who despaired of English soldiers 鈥� 鈥渁lways complaining and lousy workers鈥�, he maintained.

Now this was sometime in the middle of 1944. Early in 1945, March I believe, the guards one morning ordered us to pack up our private belongings and to make sledges to carry them across the snow 鈥� we were going 鈥榦n the road鈥�. As it was winter, very cold, and with deep snow everywhere, we wore all the clothing we could, covering our down-to-the-heel army boots with rags. We managed to cover our heads and ears with newspaper under the various hats we wore. The 5 guards came with us and what food we had for all was carried on a makeshift sledge. The next six weeks was a nightmare. We seemed to be going in circles. News of the rapid advance of the Russian army was so confused as to where they were that we changed course many times.

The food ran out and we lived on what we could find. Billeted in farms abandoned, or with owners too scared to protest. Eggs and chickens soon disappeared within a short time of our arrival and were often eaten raw. The guards seemed too scared of the Russians to do anything to stop us; in fact they were glad to join in the distribution of the 鈥榮poils鈥�. Turnips and potatoes pulled from the ground and eaten raw, never, and not likely again, to be enjoyed so much. As the weeks went by the weather changed, the snow went, and spring came.

Then came the morning when the guards had vanished and we were on our own. Ralph Green and I (by now we had become separated from Mac the Aussie) left our latest abode and made our way west across the field. We met some Russian P.O.W.s going east. Passing farmhouses, the occupants threw out loaves of bread to deter us from ransacking their homes. After walking for about an hour we came to a railway and a sight I shall always remember 鈥� three trains, all on the same line with white flags or sheets on the roof of the carriages, which were crowded with men of all nationalities, just as many on the roof as in the carriages. The trains were heading west to Czechoslovakia. Rumour had it that the Russian army was only a few miles behind us. On board were German soldiers mixing with the P.O.W.s and displaced persons hoping to reach the American lines.

We stopped eventually at Pardubice, the first big town in Czechoslovakia. There, after an appeal over the station announcer for shelter for British and French P.O.W.s, Ralph and I were taken by a young married couple to their flat for a bath and a meal. We stayed there for a couple of days, then left and finally reached the American lines.

How we got there I don鈥檛 know. It must have been by train because I vaguely remember the trains stopping at every station whilst the Russian soldiers searched the train fro Germans. Every station had armed Russian soldiers on the platforms. I only remember seeing the 鈥榊anks鈥� for the first time and being given packets of American cigarettes and chewing gum. We were taken to be 鈥榙e-loused鈥� and out uniforms treated. Then the first real meal we had had for 3 years. Soon after, we were transported in American trucks, driven at an alarming speed by black American gum-chewing servicemen, to the British lines, which I cannot recall.

Medically checked and given fresh uniforms, we waited for plane to take us back to England. For 3 days we had to wait on the tarmac for transport and it was hot. It was now late May. We had learned after leaving Czechoslovakia the European war finished on May 7th. Came the day we left in a Lancaster Bomber, sitting in the windswept bomb racks and landed in Bushey (Herts). I was demobbed in March 1946.

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SOME INCIDENTS I REMEMBER WELL AS A SOLDIER IN WW2

Lying flat on a hill in Crete when bullets from low flying aircraft whizzed all around and thinking 鈥榯his is my lot鈥�.

In a truck at the evacuation point in Greece. A.M.P. directing where the trucks should go. Truck in front to the left, ours following to the right, the truck on the left blown sky-high.

In a P.O.W. working camp in German Sandhubel. A British P.O.W., fond of going out of camp to meet a German girl, returns and is shot and left wounded until the morning.

At the forest camp in Weisswasser a young Kiwi makes an escape (aided by the rest of us). Captured by forest master, with the aid of dogs, in the pouring rain.

The guard in charge of the camp at Weisswasser walking 10 kilometres to get tobacco leaf for British P.O.W.s. The P.O.W.s smoking leaves and tealeaves to satisfy craving for a smoke.

To learn of many British P.O.W.s being killed in the coal mining area of Poland by allied bombing.

Book received from British Red Cross, 鈥淕one with the Wind鈥�. Read in turn by all in the P.O.W. working camp at Weisswasser.

We British P.O.W.s saving our 鈥渄og ends鈥� from Red Cross parcel cigarettes and taking them to a timber factory where Russian P.O.W.s worked.

Feeling the butt end of a rifle on my back used by an Italian soldier on board the Piero Luigi because I did not move quick enough (as we were being transported as P.O.W.s to Greece.

Seeing German soldiers hanged by Russian P.O.W.s. The Germans hanging from trees.

Getting in a carriage, crowded with ex P.O.W.s, on a train on its way to Czechoslovakia and noticing a German soldier sitting amongst us, with his revolver strapped to his waist. Carriages of a refugee train, crowded with men on the roof, ducking their heads when approaching a tunnel.

Observing a captured German soldier marching through Pardubice, giving a Nazi salute, and carrying a Swastika flag, shot dead by a Czech partisan.

The Forest Master at Weisswasser sending a large piece of venison to us P.O.W.s on Christmas day 1942 鈥� the snow coming thick and fast.

Ralph Green in a German hospital after being hit by a falling tree 鈥� treated well in hospital and the friendly wounded German soldiers giving him cigarettes.

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