大象传媒

Introduction

This article has been written by Joseph Ritson, a 鈥淧eople鈥檚 War鈥� volunteer story-gatherer for the 大象传媒 Radio Cumbria CSV Action Desk at the Whitehaven Maritime Festival on 25 鈥� 26 June 2005. The Festival incorporated the official county of Cumbria 鈥榁ictory Parade鈥� commemorating World War Two on Sunday morning 26 June 2005. It is submitted with the permission of Trooper Jack Farrell from Cleator Moor, Cumbria, who served with the East Riding Yeomanry during the latter part of World War Two. The author fully understands the terms of the 鈥淧eople鈥檚 War鈥� website.

The author has known Jack for a number of years, and has used a lot of information about the war from Jack while researching the Battle of Normandy. Many of Jack鈥檚 wartime experiences have already been written for the 大象传媒 鈥淧eople鈥檚 War鈥� website (See Articles: A3829629, A3829773 and A3829539 ).

Talking over past times before the Victory Parade

Recently, thanks to the 大象传媒 鈥淧eople鈥檚 War鈥� website I learnt of a book about the East Riding Yeomanry during World War Two entitled 鈥楩orrard鈥� by Paul Mace with Ted Wright (ISBN 0 85052 800 3). Both Paul Mace and Ted Wright had served with the East Riding Yeomanry during World War Two. It is partly based on first-hand witness testimony from other fellows who had also been in the ERY during the war.

While reading the book, I found a small contribution given by Jack that he had never previously mentioned to me. When I met Jack on Sunday 26 June 2005, just before the 鈥榁ictory Parade鈥� in Whitehaven I asked him about this incident. Jack and his unit had landed in France on D-Day, 6 June 1944 at 鈥楽word Beach鈥�. One of the minor problems many of them experienced was an affliction that became known as 鈥楤eachhead Belly鈥�. Anyone suffering from this ailment, needed to take a shovel and leave the other fellows for a short time for a degree of privacy.

On this particular occasion, about the middle of June 1944, Jack鈥檚 tank was parked up near RHQ at Cazelle (Mathieu), a little to the north of Caen. One of his mates was suffering from 鈥楤eachhead Belly鈥� and he made several attempts to find a quiet place on his own behind a hedge. Unfortunately, each time the Germans started shelling their position. Jack鈥檚 mate had to abandon what he was doing behind the hedge, yank up his trousers and dash back to the tank with everything flying at half-mast. Well, it did lighten up the rather serious situation of being shelled by the Germans!

A strange coincidence

By chance, just before I met Jack at the 'Victory March' that started at St Nicholas' Church Gardens, Whitehaven on 26 June 2005, I had been talking briefly to Andy Hamnet from Carlisle, Cumbria. Andy had been aboard HMS Warspite during the Normandy Landings (See Article Reference ID: A4476981, posted by Jemma Bellingham). HMS Warspite had been one of the naval vessels supporting the troops by shelling the German positions before the infantry and tanks advanced.

The ERY had much to be thankful for the naval guns during these early days of the Normandy campaign. I mentioned to Jack of the coincidence that I had just spoken to Andy, who was standing nearby. Having researched the Battle of Normandy, I knew that HMS Warspite had used its15鈥� guns in support of an ERY attack on Galmanche (near St Contest) before the Liberation of Caen.

Paul Mace and Ted Wright also mention this support by HMS Warspite in their book 鈥淔orrard鈥�. Of course, in June 1944 Jack鈥檚 unit relied upon the support of Andy鈥檚 ship to bring about victory in Normandy, France. Then, on a sunny Sunday morning in Whitehaven, Cumbria on 26 June 2005, both Jack and Andy were waiting to take part in a Parade commemorating the victory they had both combined to achieve all those years before. They were two of about a thousand World War Two veterans who took part in Cumbria鈥檚 Victory Parade that day.

Conclusion

Jack also told me his daughter Pat and family had travelled from London to watch him take part in the Parade. It was a proud day for Jack, and one he had looked forward to for a long time. So Jack was on parade and went 鈥淔orrard鈥� once again!

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