大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Website by Sutton Coldfield Library on behalf of Tony Hands and has been added to the website with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

The first part of Tony鈥檚 story provides background to his early life;

Those attending 11鈥漮鈥� clock Mass will have spotted Tony at the organ, playing for the choir. Tony鈥檚 early life has a Dickensian quality. His mother鈥檚 second marriage to an Italian barber, whose surname Puglisi, was given to Tony.(Paul Anthony).

1924-25 Living in the St.Pancras area of London he had freedom unknown to those living there in present times.

His memories as a 4-5 yr old are of walking, exploring the surrounding area as far a field as Kensington Palace. He recalls seeing Lamplighters Barrel Organ players with a monkey trained to collect money. The Muffin Man and the Milk Man leading a horse and cart that carried churns of milk. All the excitement of London life, even being run over by a milk cart carrying a milk churn in Craven Terrace London.

Sadly this came to an end after his mother gave birth to his half-sister Penny. His mother made the difficult decision to place him in an orphanage with the Sisters of Charity, at Newcastle On Tyne.

During the next year his mother caught consumption. At 6 years old Tony was sent to live with his Grandma in Coventry, who had a sweet shop in the centre of Coventry.

He was 7 when a further upheaval came and he was sent to St.Phillip鈥檚 Orphanage in Oliver Rd, where he remained until he was 16. During this time he left school at 14 and worked at H.C.Larkins, a large wholesalers and also as a salesman at the 50 Shilling Tailors in Birmingham.

At 16 he joined as a novitiate, The Liittle Brothers of the Little Oratory, living there he became assistant Sacristan, being paid one pound each week. It was 1938, now 18, his eye caught by advertisements for the Regular Army.

Army

Unsure what to do, he was encouraged by Shaun Fitzgerald, a nurse at the Oratory, who cared for the elderly priests. Tony visited the recruitment center, he took the King鈥檚 shilling and became a member of the Royal Corps of Signals.

In the meantime the army had decided that his name would be changed and Puglisi became Hands!

He was sent to Catterick for 52 weeks, where he learnt all the skills needed to become a Wireless and Line Operator. This consisted of 14 weeks basic training; marching drill, rifle drill etc with a pass out on the barrack square after 14 weeks and then 48 weeks of training to be a wireless operator; line and flag and Morse lamp operator, followed by an exam.

The Munich Crisis, then the outbreak of war led to Tony being posted to France in 1940. He was in the Sussex and Surrey Yeomanry, B.E.F. In early May he was in Belgium at River Dyle. Then came the withdrawal from Dunkirk. He became separated from his unit and being mistaken for a spy, he was knocked out by a British Officer, he had been mistaken for a German spy.

At Dunkirk he helped to move the injured and wounded aboard the Paris, a hospital ship. Tony boarded the Javelin that brought him safely back to Dover. Rejoining another regiment, the 54th Heavy Artillery Regiment, he was sent to North Africa to the First Army Algiers, then to Tunisia.

In 1943 they landed at Taranto and became part of the Italian campaign. Now a Sergeant, he was sent to Venice for 12 months at the end of the war. He lived in a Facsist Contessa鈥檚 apartment, while in charge of overseeing English speaking Italian students, who were operating the Maetsre telephone exchange.

On his return to Birmingham he was stationed at Cateswell Barracks, Hall Green, where he was part of the team training T.A. He was now able to participate in the local social life, which is where he met Kathleen Mousley and all the family members of the English Martyrs Social Club.

Tony and Kathleen married and had three daughters, Kathleen, Teresa and Margaret who in turn made him grandparents of Anthony et al.

A post that he found most enjoyable was when he was sent to Oxford, attached to the University, training Officer Cadets who intended to make the Army their career. He was also training army cadets (boys) at two public schools.

Retiring form the army in 1962 he came to live in Sutton Coldfield.

He worked as a security guard at Pebble Mill Television Studios for 16 years and then for 3 years at The Wesleyan and General Insurance Co. before retiring in 1985.

Sadly, early last year his wife Kathleen passed away after a long illness through which Tony cared for her, with the help of his family and the Marie Curie and Macmillan nurses, for whom he has the highest praise.

Now living alone, he is adjusting to this phase of life, with the resourcefulness and courage that he has displayed through all the differing circumstances of his life. He took up the challenge of playing the organ when asked to take up a post and has now been playing the organ at St.Nicholas for over 10 years.

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