大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Max Walmsley and added to the site with his permission.

I was eighteen when the War started and was called up immediately because I was in the Territorials. I joined the Royal Field Artillery - the 88th Field Regiment. When the Lancaster battery got orders to go to France, I was considered to be too immature at eighteen and was sent to Blackpool instead. Eventually they too got orders to go to France and this time I was sent to heavy anti aircraft in London. I was a gunner firing heavy 4.5mm guns first on Woolwich Common and then on Dartford Heath.

It was during the Blitz and we worked in sandbagged emplacements. You just used to hope that you weren't next in line! It was a bit hectic. It's a very difficult job - searchlights would pick out the planes but you had to aim well ahead if you wanted to hit them - not like today when the missiles seek the planes out. We were on heavy guns - the Bofors guns which I used later in the War were much lighter - they were ok for low flying aircraft but not much good for planes higher up.

In the meantime our regiment had come back from Dunkerque and re-formed at Oulton Park. I rejoined them there. We were the first troops to arrive there and at first it was like a mudbath. To begin with we lived in tents but eventually it was turned into a proper camp with huts and a ring road around the camp, which eventually became the Oulton Park motor circuit.

Eventually I was posted to Lark Hill where we trained other troops to fire the 25 lb field guns - I remember we were involved in making a training film there.Then I was posted to the Officer Training Corps at Shrivenham and commissioned in Light Anti Aircraft guns - including Bofors guns. Just four days after I was posted, the other lads got orders to go to Malaya.

Once commissioned I was eventually sent over to Algiers in November 1942 and thence through Tunisia to Bizerta to defend the harbour there while boats were gathering for the Invasion of Sicily. Following the Invasion we moved to Italy to defend a place called Foggia where there was a US Air Force base. Heavy bombers would fly a triangular route from here - they would fly first to the UK over Italy and France. Then they would restock with bombs and fly from Uk to Russia. Then agian they'd take on fresh bombs and fly from Russia back to Foggia.

Eventually we moved up the Adriatic coast and en route, while I was driving a Canadian made Dodge 15cwt truck, it went over a mine. My leg was damaged in the explosion. The Dodge had a metal floorboard - if I had been driving a Bedford truck,which had only a wooden floorboard, it would all have been much worse.

When I came round I was sitting in the back of a car - there were two figures in the front and one on either side of me, an American voice said " You're Ok Lieutenant, we're taking you to hospital." When I looked down my foot was pointing backwards. I was taken to a tented field hosiptal - I managed to keep my leg for a month but then gangrene set in and they had to take it off.

For me the worst part of the War was hanging about in Naples waiting for a ship to take me home. After a long wait I was stretchered on board and brought home in a hospital ship. The most cheerful chap on the ship was a chap who was blind and had lost both hands - when I saw him, I thought I'd been very very lucky.

I contracted an infection in the end of my leg. When I arrived at hospital in Liverpool I remember a nurse and doctor brought over a paper packet. They opened it up and blew the powder inside onto my wound. It was penicillin.

I started to recover and was allowed home for Christmas in 1944. In February 1945 I got married - on crutches - and in August I was fitted with my first artificial leg. A month later I was recalled by the Army and they sent me to a German Prisoner of War camp in Kirkham. I went on a catering course and had to supervise their rations.

After three months I was posted to Marbury Hall near Northwich and I became Captian and Adjutant of a Prisoner of War camp for 8,000 German prisoners. I was eventually demobbed in February 19476.

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