大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of John Armitt and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Armitt fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was an Artillery Clerk in the last war serving from September 1940 to March 1946. In September 1942 I was posted to the 79th Scottish Horse Medium Regiment R.A. I was very soon aware that I had joined a Regiment brilliantly led by their C.O. Lt.Col J.H.Beattie and I decided I wanted to stay with them. As a tradesman I was liable to be transferred to another posting and soon the call came for me to move. Through the Adjutant I requested my C.O. to let me stay with his Regiment and after an interview he agreed to ask for me to stay permanently with his Regiment. The request was granted by the powers that be.

My position was the Clerk responsible for 620 officers, gunners and all types of tradesmen looking after their welfare. I also became responsible for the Regimental Diary and any movement of every kind by the Regiment was recorded. The Regiment is unique, being created from the Duke of Athol鈥檚 鈥淎rmy鈥� which is still in creation at the Duke of Athol鈥檚 castle situated at Blair Athol. Two Regiments were created, the 80th and the 79th Regiments of Medium Artillery firing 100lb shells and thus extremely destructive. The 80th Regiment were employed in the desert and later on in Italy.

The Regiment was unique in having quite heavy, destructive guns which meant that they were called into service because the rest of the army was unsuitable, i.e. when the main part of our beachhead forces quickly moved up into France and then Belgium in pursuit of the retreating Germans. We however 鈥渕opped鈥� up the coastline and we had regular battles going north and removing German forces who had been by-passed. On our way we came across the remains of the destructive the 鈥渄oodle bomb鈥� which caused so much death and destruction to Londoners.

Later on in the campaign, on Christmas Eve, we were pulled out of the Brussels area to travel to the Ardennes. Guns of our weight were required for this campaign for the American鈥檚 line was broken by the Germans and this was a vital part of defeating the Germans for they had put them all into it. Allied forces held the Germans back whilst the Americans regrouped. We then had a great adventure as we travelled through the Ardennes retreating from the Germans where we were given shelter in a monastery by a group of priests. It was a closed Order but the Abbott allowed one of the priests, Father Ignatuis de Potter to speak. He and I spoke a lot together and after the war we corresponded each year until his death some two years ago. I still have his postcards in my possession.

My wife kept my letters home to her and I still have those in my possession.

I received a Certificate of Merit signed by Field Marshall Montgomery for outstanding good service and great devotion to duty in the campaign in North West Europe, the highest award a Clerk can receive.

PS I had a great friend in the Regiment who lived in the Stockport area called Jack Moorhouse. He was awarded two military medals for his bravery. It would be wonderful if he could be traced if he was still alive.

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