大象传媒

This contribution to WW2 People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk. The story has been written and submitted to the website by Rosalie Davis Gibb (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of Frederick A Wright.

It was 1944 as we gradually worked our way through Normandy. One day we found ourselves well forward. I had pulled the half-track into a small field, close by the back of a caf茅. We could hear close gun fire and presently I saw one or two Typhoon鈥檚 diving and firing rockets at some target, level with us.

I needed a wee! So I started to walk and towards a hedge. Suddenly I was startled by very heavy machine fire and the roar of an aircraft. I turned around, only to be faced with a Spitfire tearing towards me, his guns blazing. I dived straight into a bed of nettles right by a low wall. God! I thought, I do not want to be killed and not by my own men!

I went into the caf茅 to find some shelter. My crew was already there. Moments later, a young and distressed Infantryman walked in, muttering about a tank that had been hit.

The next morning we moved up for yet another recce, towards the enemy. Soon I could see the 鈥楥romwell鈥� tank ahead. Bodies of the crew were scattered around. No-one had been picked up and we knew we had reached very dangerous ground. One crew member had reached the far side of an adjacent piece of land, dead of course, but still on his hands and knees, just a blackened corpse, as they were all blazing on fire as they died.

I looked at Sergeant Leigh, but he didn鈥檛 need to speak. 鈥淎lright鈥� I said, slipped the half-track into gear and moved up a bit. Slowly I wended my half-track through the bodies and then pulled in as close as I could into a thick coppice right by the road. About half a mile ahead thick woodland could be seen. Enough, I thought, to hide a dozen 88mm anti-tank guns, the finest gun of the war, and just one shot would be enough to send us all to eternity.

Again Sergeant Leigh and I exchanged glances. Again I moved up. Still nothing moved! As I moved on yet again I listened to the tracks as I slowly drove up, click, click, click. Again I pulled into the coppice. Then I got the shock of my life. A face shot up out of nowhere, close to mine, and if I live to be a thousand, I shall never forget what he said 鈥淲hat the devil are you doing up here!! You have already been reported as the enemy, clear off out of it before you get a bazooka up your backside鈥�

Well, there is nothing like a piece of plain English to make one understand. So swiftly I turned away, and, once more, I was able to heave a large sigh of relief. On such hair-raising occasions as this the crew would stick already lit cigarettes in my mouth, as I smoked quite heavily then, so with my hair on end I would puff away like the Royal Scot!

Please read on to my next story 'MY FIRST LOVE - "WINNIE IS MISSING" '

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