大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War site by Jennie Hocken for Kent Libraries & Archives and Canterbury City Council Museums on behalf of Arthur Potts and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I came from the East End of London and I was called up on 18 April 1940, and was drafted to the Butlins Holiday Camp, at Clackton, and joined the AMPC (Auxillary Military Pioneer Corps) they were the working unit, and whilst at Clapton , we dug all the trenches and barbed wire defences against possible invasion, all along the East coast. I was then drafted to the Orkney Islands to build camps. Whilst there, Dunkirk happened and I was made up from from an A2 person, A1 person, and drafted to Inverness to join the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (the only Cockney Highlander!) We did our training in the hills outside Inverness, marched back to the Barracks to a brass band, then changed over to a Pipe band to finish in Inverness. Then from there I went with the Camerons, to North Africa, fought our way up the desert, to try and release Tobrook, where I was captured on the outskirts.
The Camerons were sent to make up the 4th Indian Division.

When I was captured, we were taken from tobrook to Brindisi, Italy, and we stayed in a prison camp there for a year and a half. the invasion of Italy took place and the gates of the prison camp I was in were thrown open by the Italian Guards and they ran. So I spent a fortnight in the woods and vineyards, until I was recaptured by German Paratroopers. Transferred then by train into East Germany, near Chemnitz. Then into a stone quarry, and worked in there for at least a year and a half and we were released by General Patten's troops. There was a river by the quarry, they come on the road near by and grabbed hold of us, and took us up onto their jeeps. We then went to Rheims. I've still got the pass from the American Army to allow me to visit Rheims up to a certain time during the day.

We were flown by Dakaota from Germany to Brize Norton. I was so happy to be home that I got down and kissed the ground. It was the first time we had seen grass for a long time.

We were given Compassionate Leave but I had to go home to a new house in Hornchurch in Essex as the one in Stepney was bombed out.

After the Leave I went to Long Marston and was transferred to the Royal Engineers. After a period there I went to Rehabilisation near Colchester and finally got my release papers.

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