大象传媒

Private T Smith 4865685 Royal Leicestershire 1st Battalion Service 8 August 1941 - 1946

I was shipping to Sinapore in may 1941. I went to Penang, then to Sungi Patani and then to Jitra Plantation. For the last 6 months of 1941 I stayed in Jitra where I was under cover of canvas digging silt trenches and putting up barbed wire defences, in what was then the rainy (monsoon) season.
Our silt trench was situated at the side of the main road leading into Thailand and Malaya. We were a squad in the silt trench.
We were the first to meet the Jap Forces this being on Christmas Eve. The night was pitch black and the Japs came within 20 yards of our barbed wire defences.
All hell let loose was they over-ran our trenches. After about 30 minutes of fighting, there was screaming as the Japs were firing tracer bullets through the dark night (In the fighting my Corporal was shot through the temple.

Whilst mounting the Ben Gunn Tripod I was hit in the stomach, but the bullet hit the belt of my equipment and went off my stomach leaving a scar on my stomach knocking me down trench.
Corporal Friels mate went mad when he found his mate killed. He screamed out 鈥漷he bds have killed my townie鈥�. He then jumped on top of the trench and ran towards the Japs still screaming. He must have been caught on the barbed wire.

Morning came and we withdraw weary and beaten.

This story was submitted to the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War Website by Lisa Reeves of CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of Thomas Smith and has been added with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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