大象传媒

I have written this in on behalf of my father Kenneth Dampier. He is 83 now and this is a short extract from his typed memories of WW2.

I was born and brought up in the Borough of Lewisham in South East London. In April 1939, I volunteered to join the local Gunner Regiment of the Territorial Army and was eventually posted to B Troop of 361 Battery of 91st Field Regiment. RATA, whose drill hall and headquarters were in Lewisham.

We attended for training on weekday evenings and I volunteered to become a Signaller, as my Dad had been in the Great War - he survived.

In the summer of 2939 the Regiment went to camp on Beaulieu Heath in Hampshire for two weeks training. We were living in tents.

On the post of 1st September I received a blue calling up notice and instead of going to work with a local builder, made my way to the drill hall. After much waiting about and a brief medical, we were taken by coach and finished up at Kempton Park Racecourse in South West London. We were billeted in the Main Stand Buildings.

On the morning of 3rd September we were on a route march around the district when the first air raid warning sounded and we were told to take cover in nearby houses. We were just getting our feet under the table when the all clear sounded and we had to continue with the march back to camp.

The regiment were at this location for some four or five weeks and we were initiated into army routine, with parades, polishing, guards, fire pickets, intense training, signal procedures, learning to operate brand new wireless sets and issued with uniforms etc, Of course we used to get the odd passes and went home now and again.

The regiment was equipped with 18 pounder converted guns to fore a twenty five pound shell and fitted with pneumatic tyres. Civilian vehicles were comandeered by the army and camoflaged to join us for service. The guns were calibrated at a firing camp.

Soldiers, like myself who were under 19, were sorted out, but I was retained by the Regiment as my birthday was in September. Under 19s were posted to other regiments.

After some leave the advance party departed followed by the guns and vehicles with spare drivers for the port of embarkation.

The rail part entrained in Kempton Park Station and arrived at Southampton Docks where we boarded an Isle of Man Steamer "Mona's Queen" (Later sunk aat Dunkirk). The date was 5th October 1939. The boat sailed at night and the sea was very rough, we awoke next morning to a heaving boat and it was difficult to find one's feet trying to find where the tea and biscuits was available for breakfast. We disembarked at Cherbourg and were transported to a farm near Laval to await our regiment transport.

Eventually the regiment moved off to northern Frnace and were concentrated around a small village South West of Lille named Allenes Les Marais. My recollection on arrival was that we had to set to and clear out an empty building, possibly a cow shed, which became our billet. We slept on the concrete floor with straw filled pallisses. The guns and vehicles were housed in an old brick works, the funrnace building being used as a guard room.

In the first instant the regiment served as Corps troops but toward the then of 1939 became part of the 5th British Infantry Divisional Artillery and which was part of the BEF.

The regiment was inspected at a secret location on 6th December 1939 by the Late King George VI.

The regiment moved again and to a small town called Lonne situated between Lille and Armentieres. There was a lartge railway depot in the area. My battery was billeted in a large house in it's own grounds called the "Chateau Rouge" Us soldiers were housed in rooms in thehouse, gunners in their respective rooms and signallers in theirs. We slept on the boarded floors. The guns and vehicles were distributed around the grounds. Guards were mounted on these at night. In the day a fuard was mounted at the entrance to the grounds which was in the Main street, The officers were billeted in houses in the town.

We spent Christmas 1939 in this billet the large room on the ground floor becoming a dining area. The cookhouse was located in outbuildings.

Much training, signalling excercises in wireless proceedures took place in the surrounding areas. Gun pits were dug in the sector around Halluin along the line of the river Lys, parallel to the Franco-Belgian frontier. We also mounted guards on public utility buildings such as power stations.

The regiment was on a firing camp to Sissone area and we took our turn guarding an ammunition dump during the very cold winter. We were housed in the attic of farm buildings when off guard and slept in all of our clothes including overcoats to keep warm, our breaths freezing on our wooly balacavas. We visited local bars when our guard duty finished to partake of hot coffee and cognac. I recall being lucky enough to go to an ENSA concert in Lille on one occasion and Gracie Fields and Richard Murdoch were on the bill.

U also had a seven day leave in England when my turn came round.

Recreation locally took the form of visits to local estaminets for eggs and chips to suppliment our poor quality army food.

I was fortunate enough to visit a local baker's house with other friends in the evening to partake of tea and cakes whilst another friend performed on the piano.

The division was ordered to the Saar Region, but the move was cancelled and some units were ordered to the Rouen area to await embarkation for Norway and on Brigade 15th went to that theatre.

My regiment moved to the Rouen area and was billeted in local halls in a village called Haute Epine. Time was spent on limited signl training such as line laying. The vehicles had to be kept loaded during the day to move at a moments notice. On My 9th when the Germans invaded the low coutries, the regiment was ordered to head for Belgium and made a long tiring journey and occupied positions South of Brussels behind the village of Hal. The regiment registered targets beyonee the Senne line which the infantry was defending. The positions were harrassed by enemy aircraft and a plane was brough down and claimed by the regiments bren gunners. Targets were fired on on the 17th May and kept the Germans at bay. Later that day the division was ordered to withdraw through positions on the River Dendre and go into reserve around the Siclin area. The division was only two brigades strong and had a day or two rest.

Orders were received on the 18th May for 5th and 50th divisions to proceed to the Somme area to assist in the defence of Arras. This force became known as Frankforce. The force was to occupy positions on the line of the river Scarpe. My regiment occupied gun positions on farms in the area of the village of Gavrelle. My troop gun positions were around the farmhouse and the command post vehicle was in a large barn as was no 1 gun. The noise when the gun fired was deafening. Wireless communications was impossible but the line signallers managed to lay a line to the observation post located with the infantry. We were in these positionns for a few days from 19th to 23rd May. The critical period in the battle was 22nd and 23rd May when the Germans put in their attacks to attempt to cross the River Scarpe. The 13th infantry brigade line was some 5000 yards long, R. Innisks on the left, from plouvals to St.Yaart and 2nd Wilts on their right stretched to Rouex and 2nd Cameronians in reserve around Fresnes. On 21st May a patrol of Cameronians made an assault crossing of the river Scarpe to draw enemy fire and came back with a wounded prisoner and a German despatch rider. In the early hours of 22nd May the Germans forced a way over the river between 13th and 150th Infantry Brigades and enemy forces were working their way around Franforce. The 91st field regiment and rest of the divisional artillery fired much ammunition during this battle. Heavy hand to hand fighting took place and two of the regiments guns were put out of action and the detachments wounded. Several decorations were awared during this action.

On the night of 23rd and 24th May the division made a miraculous escape from the Arras salient under very difficult conditions. It was said that as the last of our regiment withdrew from Gavrekkem enemy advance motorcycles entered the other end of the village. The BEP now faced the enemy on two main fronts one facing East and one facing South West. A counter attack southwards was aborted and 5th and 50th divisions were ordered to move back to Belgium and take up positions on the Ypres-Comines Canal line. We had had two brief days rest whilst these decisions were made by high command. The BEF now faced the Germans on a front some 100 miles long, the Belgian Army in the north (soon to stop fighting) and a gap appeared, to which 5th divisions was ordered to this area. My regiment went into actionn in the Wytesccheate area. The guns were positioned in fields and Troop Command Post in the cellar of a farmhouse. A critical battle was fought whilst in this position about 26th May. Whilst on duty on the telephone a message came through from the Battery Command post concerning the withdrawal to Dunkirk, The Infantry of the 13th and 15th Brigades (5th division) fought in very heavy fighting and the guns were firing much ammunition in their defence often over blank and open sights, The infantry suffered very heavy casualties and few returned from the front.

The withdrawal from the gun positions took place around 3am on the morning of 28th May under attack from enemy aircraft. The ground being very boggy one troops gun had to be winched out and in the middle of operations the infantry appeared hotly pursued by the enemy and so two guns had to be destroyed and left behind. The detachment commander was awareded the distinguised conduct medal and was wounded, left behind but was recaptured in a counter attack. The 3rd and 50th divisions meantime had formed another line northwards from Boordschote to Poperinghe and 5th division were withdrawn through this line to form another defensive position on the line of the river Iser. The 91st field regiment took up their final position around Adinkerque on 30/31st May and were only able to register defence targets.

On the morning of 31st May I was ordered to the Battery Command Post with small pack etc and transported to the Observation post area to relieve the signallers. The 15 cwt truck was unable to reach the OP vehicle due to a drain being mined and we had to trudge around the edge of a field under some enemy airbust fire to reach the wireless truck. The officers including the Battery Commander were in a house some 50 yds away. We remained in the position for several hours and the enemy was shelling the road a few hundred yards away. We were told to dig a slit trench but it filled with water as we dug, wireless communication was impossible due to jamming by the Germans. In the end the BC decided that we should abandon the post and return to the regiment positions. On arrival the vehicles were taken to the vehicle park nearby and we were ordered to make the wireless unusable. After this we had to rummage around for some food.

In the early evening all spare personnel (including me) were ordered to assemble at the Battery Command Post with our small packs and any arms and the Gun Towers were brought along and we were transported to Dunkirk where an air raid on the port had just begun. We had to dismount and take what cover we could. We were then aplit up into groups by the Adjutant and marched to the Hole. We boarded the destroyer HMS Winchelsea and sailed soon after, arriving in Dover at Midnight. We were allowed to send a postcard to our relatives from "Somewhere in England" and ordered to the station to board a train. We were so tired that we soon fell asleep and only awoke at stations where there was such hospitality in the form of mugs of tea and cakes etc. About fifty of my regiment arrived in Dorset at a Tank Regiment Depot.

The remainder of the regiment was evacuated on 1st June. The CO of the regiment was awareded the DSO

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