大象传媒

The Germans invaded Belgium, and the Belgium鈥檚 requested our assistance, we boarded with full kit, an RASC {Royal Army Service Corp} lorry. It must have been evening time as we were driven through the night. Most tried to sleep but there was a Ben gun post in the front back of the lorry and this was kept manned all night.
One chap refused to be relieved at the end of his two hours and stayed there all through the night. The beer was drunk and the lorry had to stop a few times so that the lads could answer the call of nature. In the early hours the lorry was travelling through a street lighted suburb and then it reach the main part of town. When it came to a bridge, (I think it was over a river, but it could have been a canal.} the lorry stopped and out we got.
One bren gun was placed on the road that ran alongside the water way, this covered the bridge. A barrier was put across the street and the orders were to stop anyone going either way. This was alright until the workers finishing time, when they crowded the barrier wanting to get home to their evening meal. After some persuasion they were allowed through. I wonder to this day that there might have been some Germans amongst them.
A rough sleep on the ground that night and back to the barrier the following day. The Royal Engineers then came along and blew the bridge. This seemed just a routine task to them, but they had to face an irate shopkeeper who wanted to know who was going to pay for the plate glass window that had been smashed by the blast, no one gave the shopkeeper any satisfaction. Towards evening time, the order to march back came. I cannot now remember whether we marched back or had a lorry ride to start, It I know that it was through streets that had their lamps lit.
The battalion crossed a bridge over a canal, and took up position on the canal bank. I was a stretcher bearer with B company and the company commander took over a house a little behind the canal bank where he had placed his sections to defend it. The German attack when it came was first with mortar bombs. Fortunately the house had a good cellar and we took cover in that. During a lull in the shelling, some wounded were taken to the rear, and what had been a pleasant modern farm house when we went in, was now a pile of rubble. After three days fighting there were several wounded in the cellar, and the order came evacuate all walking wounded, we did not get out of the cellar quick enough and our way was blocked by a German. We went back to the cellar and a German came and took us prisoner the next day.

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