大象传媒

Joseph Summerbell Wilkinson was born on the 13th October 1913 in Greencroft County Durham. He was a coal miner after leaving school and on the 2nd May 1939 he joined the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, one of the TA Battalions.
War broke out and on the 28th January 1940 and the Battalion left Southampton for France, PTE Wilkinson was to go on and serve and fight for his country and his life until 21st October 1945 fighting in some of the most famous battles in WW2. This small account of his service career doesn鈥檛 go into much detail about what happened, just a small account of where he went. Detailed information can be found in the excellent and highly recommended book 鈥淭he 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry 1939-1945鈥� by Major P.J. Lewis and Major I.R. English.
After much training and maneuvers in France and advances and retreats up and down the French-Belgium border the battalion saw its first major action near the village of Warlus and Duisans On the 21st May 1940 the battalion Split into 2 units, supported by a few French tanks they attacked a cemetery where over a hundred Germans had taken refuge. The French tanks raked the cemetery with machine gun fire and when the infantry advanced only 18 of the hundred were left alive and taken prisoner.
After passing through Warlus they ran into heavy small arms and mortar fire on the Arras to Doullens road and were forced to take cover. At the same time German dive bombers attacked. The sky was full of aircraft. The first air action against the battalion coincided with an attack by German tanks coming from the front and right flank. The French tank crews were taking cover under their tanks from the low-flying planes and knew nothing about the German threat until Major Raine dragged one of the gunners out feet first and indicated the danger, from which the French gunner brought his gun into action quickly enough to stop the frontal attack, whilst on the right flank the German armour was kept at bay by the accurate fire of guns from a troop of the brigade anti tank company. It was during this action that PTE Wilkinson was wounded from machine gun fire form a stuka dive bomber. He was hit in both his legs and was one of 10 casualties. He arrived in hospital on the 22nd May 1940 just before the main evacuation at Dunkirk.
This information I have just learnt from receiving his papers through. I did get a Dunkirk medal to go with his collection as I thought he was wounded at Dunkirk however now I don鈥檛 think he will qualify for it, any ideas?
He rejoined the 8th battalion on the 15th July 1940, and was off to the Middle East. He was to travel through Palestine and Iraq and into the famous Gazala Line where the mining skills of the Durhams were very much utilized digging in and making anti-tank trenches.
It was during this time that General Montgomery was to take over command and train the troops hard forming the famous 8th army desert rats to go against the mighty Rommel. They were to fight at the famous battle of El Alamain among many other hard fought battles all over the desert.
On April 21st 1943 after many hard fought battles the Campaign in the desert was finally over and best of all won, now off to Sicily and Italy. The invasion of Italy began in July 1943 but before it did PTE Wilkinson along with other soldiers from the 8th D.L.I. were transferred to the 7th battalion Green Howards on the 11th June 1943. The 8th battalion D.L.I. and the 7th battalion Green Howards fought side by side in the Sicily campaign which was a very bloody and hard fought campaign with many casualties.
He made the Normandy beach landing with the Green Howards along side them was the 6th battalion Green Howards and the 5th battalion East Yorkshire regiment, landing on the Eastern sector of 鈥淕old Beach鈥� close to La Riviere. He fought with this great battalion until 14th August 1944 from which he was transferred into the 7th battalion Durham Light Infantry. He served in the army until 21st October 1945 when not long after that he moved to Thornhill Dewsbury in West Yorkshire to marry my Grandma.
I am very proud of what my Grandad did, what he had to go through must have been horrific. I have a couple of photos of him before the war and during and you can see he aged very quickly probably due to the horrors and the stress of war.
On the back page of his release book his testimonial reads
鈥淭his man has served as an officer鈥檚 servant, as a driver and has assisted the field cashier. He is thoroughly honest and trustworthy and has carried out his duty with up most efficiency often under extremely adverse and difficult conditions, I can recommend him with full confidence鈥�.
My Grandad never did talk about the war, he left me his medals in his will he died on the 24th Febuary 1993. I have researched this over the last few years and still have a lot to research.
I have been told by an old family friend that he was going to be put up for a gallantry award at one point while he served in Africa as a driver however his jeep hit a mine he was driving and killed his commanding officer so the recommendation was never received.
If anyone new this great man or has any information on the 8th battalion D.L.I. or the 7th battalion Green Howards please e-mail me jonny_c1975@yahoo.co.uk

MEDALS AWARDED
1939-45 STAR
ITALY STAR
FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR
AFRICA STAR 8TH ARMY
DEFENCE MEDAL
WAR MEDAL
TERRITORIAL EFFICIENCY MEDAL

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