大象传媒

Memories 3b

1943/4

December 3,1943

Load the Regiment鈥檚 guns and trucks, including 鈥淧atricia鈥�, my pride and joy (an Austin Light Utility Truck), on to the Liberty Ship 鈥淣oah Webster鈥�, at the port of Bizerta, Tunisia.

December 6 to 10.

In a convoy of 70 vessels by the scenic route to Italy 鈥� Pantelleria, Malta, Etna, 鈥渓ooking like a Japanese fire screen鈥�, Stromboli in eruption, Isle of Capri, Vesuvius, Naples. Drop anchor in Naples harbour, cluttered with half-sunken bombed ships.

December 13

Patricia unloaded at 0500 hours. Drive to our temporary home, the Potato Market, to kip down in the back.

December 16

Drive over the hills to Avellino and Foggia, to end up at Minervino Murge, quaint and ancient. Put up tents in the public park. Patricia handled the 160 miles very well 鈥� much low-gear work.

December 24

Load up Patricia with huge turkeys and take them to the town bakery for roasting. Crowds of sinister-looking men in the town square, in cloaks and black hats 鈥� the male smugglers鈥� chorus from 鈥淐armen鈥�?

Christmas Day

Officers bring us 鈥淕unfire鈥� (buckets of hot tea laced with rum). Collect turkeys from the bakery 鈥� fabulous smell. Sergeant stabbed, not too seriously, down town 鈥� what was he doing there, by himself, in the middle of the night?

January 2, 1944

Driving the Regimental Sergeant Major back over the hills, to Salerno, convoy moving agonisingly slowly, get sleepier and sleepier. 鈥淐an I have a break, sir?鈥� 鈥淣o, drive on!鈥�
CRASH 鈥� through a stone wall into someone鈥檚 back garden. Patricia鈥檚 front wings drooping on to the wheels. Take a turn round each sidelight with a piece of rope, heave the wings up, giving the poor girl a look of surprise, and drive on.

January 8 to 15

With REME help, replace Patricia鈥檚 wings and give her a general bulls**t

DUKWS arrive 鈥� looks like we are going on an amphibious assault somewhere.
Landing exercise offshore Salerno. Cock-up 鈥� about 30 DUKWS go straight to the bottom.

2

January 16

Move to Embarkation Camp 鈥� maximum security, surrounded by rolls of barbed wire. Somehow, a friendly Italian girl is smuggled in, and proceeds to earn almost the whole Regiment鈥檚 ration of bully beef.

January 19

Embark on LST (Landing Ship, Tank). Crew is American, and the ice cream dispenser works 24 hours a day.

January 20

Move off, and get briefing. We are to land on the beach at Anzio, a few miles South West of Rome, and heavy opposition is expected.

January 22

Anchor off Anzio. Down the companionways to the hold at 0100 hours. Climb on our DUKW and wait. The bow doors open, the 鈥渢raffic light鈥� turns green, and we inch forward down the ramp Our DUKW puts its nose in the sea, water surges up to the windscreen, at last we have 鈥渓ift off鈥�, and are wallowing in a calm, black sea. DUKWs form single file, passing a line of purple lights on the sterns of anchored warships. Five-minute barrage of rockets from two British landing craft lights up the night sky, but otherwise we just chug quietly towards the beach. Get to the line of breakers, to bob up and down at the back of a traffic jam 鈥� 鈥淐learing of mines not complete鈥� Shells start bursting around us 鈥� sound like 88 mm. Sitting on the side of the DUKW, feel about 10 feet tall. Our American driver says 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 sign up for this鈥� and starts heading back out to sea. Our lieutenant draws his Smith and Wesson 38 鈥� 鈥淭urn this bloody thing around or I鈥檒l blow your head off.鈥� Hail from the beach - 鈥淏each Clear鈥� 鈥� we chug up the sand, drive a few yards through a hedge into a field, and empty all the gear out of the DUKWs. Elegant Italian officer watches us 鈥� apparently he is the local Commandant, and was in bed with his mistress when our infantry came knocking on his door 鈥� asked them to give him half an hour to pack his bag and say a proper goodbye.
Get out my survey gear and survey in the Regiment, to make sure that all the guns are pointing in the same direction. Solitary Messerschmidt cruises over, pilot waving 鈥� wonder if he thinks we鈥檙e German troops on an exercise.

January 23

Survey in the 19th Field Regiment 鈥� the people who shelled us by mistake on Banana Ridge. Hear that our recce units have been all the way to Rome, and met virtually no resistance.

January 26 to February 8

Flashspotting (taking bearings on enemy muzzle flashes) from an Observation Post in the ruined 鈥淎nastasia tower鈥� every day. Gerry bringing more and more guns into action.AA shell explodes over the cookhouse. Cook wounded, but can still cook.

February 13 to 16

Heavy air raids each night, and daily shelling intensifying. Cut down trees, and turn my slit trench into a World War 1 type dugout.

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