- Contributed byÌý
- finedonmulso
- People in story:Ìý
- Charles "Smokey' Watts
- Location of story:Ìý
- Italy
- Background to story:Ìý
- Army
- Article ID:Ìý
- A6049325
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 07 October 2005
This story was submitted to the People's War website by Stephen French of Finedon Mulso Junior School on behalf of Charles Watts and has been added with his permission. Mr Watts fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
I asked Mr Watts, a family friend about his world war two experiences.
He served in many places including Austria, France,
Burma the desert and Algiers also he was a despatch rider in
Italy. Many of his friends were killed in the war around him as he fought. He was only twenty years old when he went to war and he was afraid most of the time, especially of the German Tiger Tanks.
They did not always get food rations and sometimes only one pint of water a day.
His nickname was ‘Smokey’.
Mr Watts has recently returned to Italy to honour two men who died. The men took his place as a tank driver when he was taken into hospital with jaundice, and their tank was blown up during the fighting.
He was awarded six medals including the Burma Star, and has a medal for selling poppies for the British Legion for 40 years.
Stephen French
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