大象传媒

Well F.J.Winder (or Frank), or in my case DAD, was enlisted into the Army in 1939, aged 25yrs, and recently Married. Being born in Salford, my dad was "Billited" in a Mill in Littleborough just outside Rochdale.So were a lot of lads from Salford.My Mother and some neighbours in the same position would visit their husbands at Week-ends, or, would in turn be visited by their spouses if they had a 48hr pass.

Being a young man at the time my dad was like many others who gave in to his fears and subsequently went A.W.O.L. on a couple of occasions-----both times being caught and returned to base. No doubt with some restrictions (No doubt with some restrictions being put on his leave passes?)

However, eventually,it was time to go! Along with "Thousands" of other troops, he found himself in Blackpool Football Stadium, where being in the Stands listened for his Troop to be called to Go!

He found himself embarking on a Ship that took him abroad towards Burma.
He was in the Front Line for 4yrs.Eventually being brought back to England from Rangoon where he was suffering from Malaria,Beri-Beri, and a severe dose of Disentry which resulted in him having part of his Stomach replaced due to the severity of this Dysentry.

Now being a Proud man, my Father very Rarely talked about his exploits in Burma, apart from when as a child i would taunt him and he would "give away" little secrets like "at night the Jungle is so dark, that when on Guard Duty we would wet a Matchhead and rub it between the V endsight, so that we could see it as it glowed in the dark with the Sulphur content of the Matchstick",or" once we were following a Mountanous trail when 1 of the Mules went over the edge, making us have to carry on Patrol for a further hour's walk" when i asked him Why? his reply was "well the screams the Mule made when it went over was heard for miles,and we knew that the Japs would have heard it as well?, and we were right! That evening, the Japs "Mortard" the position where the Mule had gone over, they made a right mess of the place".

My Dad before being enlisted was a "normal" kind of bloke.He liked a Drink, a Smoke, and the occasional "Flutter". ---so my Mam told me.
However, when he came back from Burma, that part of his life was gone for good. He turned to his Religion and shuned any kind of Swearing, Drinking, Smoking, and Betting. It changed his life ---forever.

He even had his "Army Pension" taken off him, because someone "Dobbed" him for having a Drink one evening--------albeit the Army never took into consideration that this Drink was in memory of his Brother Killed in Bristol on a Searchlight in 1945!!

Well my Dad died in 1985, and with him he took most of his Memories of the War. The Army never even gave him his Medals? Being too proud he would'nt write for them. --I did and received them, had them Framed and are hung on the wall in my Hall. Each time i see thm it reminds me of him. To me ---He'll never Die.

Thank You,

Steve Winder

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