大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Camilla Thorp, Volunteer at the National Trust, Sutton Hoo on behalf of Margaret Ashby and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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A very sensitive child, Frederick Ashby was sent to boarding school at the age of seven. His routine from day one was to get up at 6.30am, run (at least a mile), cold bath on return, prayers (chapel) and then breakfast. The normal days lessons were from 9 to 4, homework and extra sports. Literally every minute of the day was filled.

This was his life for the next 11-12 years. He was also Head Boy. When it came to University, he was turned down at Oxford, not for the lack of achievements 鈥� he had excelled both academically and physically, but it was politically he seemed to miss out on.

So it was London he settled on and did history 鈥� with honours. He then went to Carnegie to get a degree in physical education. During the holidays, he always escorted groups of underprivileged children to summer camps.

It was during one these camp weeks that a German girl started talking to him, persistently. He was 22 years and extremely handsome. After a very short time she had more or less proposed to him, this being 1939. The eve of the registry office wedding he spent on a bench in Trafalgar Square wondering how to get out of it. Being a very honourable man, he couldn鈥檛. He didn鈥檛 tell any of his family, and the witnesses were dragged off the street.

His 鈥榳ife鈥� insisted on taking him to Germany to meet her family 鈥� she had been jilted by an English author, so was determined to find another suitable English man and she had!!

They arrived back in England in August 1939. It was simply a marriage of convenience. War was declared on September 3rd and by October he cycled into the recruiting centre because it was his duty and it was also an escape from his commitment.

So his army career began, where he was always known as 鈥楤ill鈥�. After his public school, army life was relatively easy and he was exceptionally fit. He was posted to various regiments being promoted en route mostly in physical training.

Army Career:
Enlisted at Acton into the Royal Artillery embodied Territorial Army and posted to Army School of Physical Training (24.11.1939)
Appinted Lance Bombadier (24.11.1939)
Promoted Acting Sergeant (27.11.1939)
Appinted Acting Sergeant 鈥� Instructor (27.11.1939)
Attached to 2nd London Irish Rifles (06.01.1940)
Promoted Sergeant (27.02.1940)
Transferred to Army Physical Training Corps (16.09.1940)
Promoted Acting Warrant Officer II and appointed Company Sergeant Major 鈥� Instructor (16.06.1941)
Attached to 10th Battalion 鈥� Royal Welch Fusiliers (24.10.1941)
Attached to 1st Battalion 鈥� Grenadier Guards (22.11.1941)
Promoted Staff Sergeant (13.12.1941)
Promoted Warrant Officer II ( 13.03.1942)
Posted to 163rd Office Cadet Training Unit (29.08.1942)
Discharged (11.12.1942)
Appointed to an Emergency Commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Welch Fusiliers and posted to 6th Parachute Battalion (12.12.1942)
Transferred to Army Air Corps and posted to 6th Parachute Battalion (18.12.1942)
Embarked UK (12.04.1943)
Disembarked Central Mediterranean Force (Unknown date)
Promoted Lieutenant (12.06.1943)
Attached to 7 United States Army 鈥� Central Mediterranean Force (15.08.1944)
Ceased to be attached to above Unit (29.08.1944)
Appointed Acting Captain (11.10.1944)
Appointed Temporary Captain (11.01.1945)
Returned to UK (17.02.1945)
Posted to Army Air Corps Depot (17.02.1945)
Posted to 3 Formation College (14.03.1946)
Relinquished Temporary Captain (17.04.1945)
Appointed Instructor at No 3 Formation College (13.05.1946)
Appointed Acting Captain (25.05.1946)
Appointed Temporary Captain (25.05.1946)
Appointed Acting major (02.08.1946)
Promoted Captain and appointed Temporary Major (02.11.1946)
Released from Military Service (16.11.1947)
Relinquished Commission and granted the Honorary rank of Major (01.07.1959)
Overseas service:
North Africa /Central Mediterranean Force / Greece (12.04.1943 to 17.02.1945)
Medals:
Military Cross (London Gazette 7th December 1944)
1939/45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star,
France and Germany Star,
Defence Medal, War Medal 1939/45

In North Africa he grew a moustache to keep the sand out of his nose and mouth. He was generally involved in the blowing up of enemy fuel dumps and munitions (which he also did in Sicily and other parts of the Mediterranean).

In Italy the weather had been very cold. After one very bad time, with a handful of men, they were starving after using all their rations. He went into a nearly village where the villagers had just killed a goat. Much to his sorrow he had to hold up the family at gun point and requisition the goat. Generally he lived rough in fox holes without washing or changing his clothes (once for six weeks) surrounded by the German army afraid that the condensation from his breathing might be seen by the enemy.

Once, having requisitioned fishing vessels, they were supposed to meet at a rendezvous on the Italian coast (Brindisi?) but there was an horrendous storm. The boats tossed about like corks, but my husband found some peach brandy in the bottom of the boat. The only way the men could cope was to indulge in as much of the brandy as they could which seem to solve all their problems!

The worst thing that happened to him was the sinking of the Abdiel in 9th September,1942 in Taranto harbour. He got his men into berths but there was not room for him so he stayed on deck. They were all kited out for the next day鈥檚 sailing and they caught a German laid ground mine. The whole ship was blown in half and sank very quickly with many of the men trapped inside. Frederick managed to tow many of the men to safety as he had been blown clear and was such a strong swimmer. He saved as many as he could but eventually had to be ordered out of the water because the remaining men were probably already dead, but he was compulsively trying to save every one.

For such a sensitive man it is incredible that he managed to come to terms with such events. Blowing things up and causing havoc was all part of the job, but people dying was not something he could be happy about. He was an incredible man and never lost his sense of humour.

He was often parachuted into places with small groups. On 1st June 1944 Lieutenant Ashby was a member of the parachute force dropped near Avessano behind the enemy lines, with an order to operate on the road Sora-Avezzano and force the enemy to withdraw with such speed as to be unable to implement their demolition plan. The enemy reacted quickly and attacked the party on 2nd June, but Frederick managed to disengage and succeeded in mining the road that night.

On the night of 3rd June, 1944 he again reached the road and attacked a German convoy, two vehicles and passengers being destroyed. The area was so full of Germans that Frederick found that he was unable to reach the supplies dropped to him. The advance of the Allied relieving troops had, moreover, stopped and he had no wireless. He kept his party together and continued to operate until, picking up a leaflet dropped by Allied Aircraft ordering him to return on 7th June. Frederick showed himself to be a most determined and courageous fighter, not to be deterred from his objective. He returned with his complete party except for one man killed and three captured. He was awarded the Military Cross and this was recorded in the London gazette on 5th December 1944.

In June 1944 close to D-Day, he was dropped into Caen by gliders with American forces. Many of the gliders got caught up in slanting stakes put into the ground by the Germans. Gliders and men were torn apart. He and a small group of his men were dropped away from the main forces in Normandy to undertake diversionary activities. They were forging ahead and came across a chateau full of Germans who came out waving their rifles. They surrendered to him having been convinced that the main Allied force was about to turn up. As this was not the case, he disarmed them and told them to wait near the Chateau. He then went on to carry out his task and never knew what actually happened to them!

After the European war, in February 1945 he was moved to Greece where he was temporarily joint Mayor of Athens. This was during their Civil War and he had his men dug in on the main square in Athens and he knew there were snipers around. He did not want to panic his men, so he actually walked between the two main foxholes in the square and a sniper bullet caught him through the femoral artery. The regimental padre stuffed his thumb in the bullet wound to stop him bleeding to death. Eventually he developed gangrene and had to have an amputation. He tried to get a message to his parents:
鈥淒ear Mother and father, They tell me you have been enquiring after me through the Red Cross. I am terribly sorry you have been worried. I have written two or three air letters but they must have been delayed. Don鈥檛 worry, I am full of life and feeling lots better and before so very long I shall probably be home with you 鈥� so look out some good fishing for me. With love from Fred鈥�.

We got married on his 60th birthday after working together in the NHS. We had first met when I was 17 and then again when I was 23 when he was married and had three children. We met up again when he was 59, my parents had recently died and left me their house. After a brief spell in hospital, I attempted suicide. Frederick heard that I was in hospital and came to see me. We moved in together within days. Although I did not know it, he was already divorced with six children. I had four children and after my divorce we were married and lived together for 23 years of bliss. All this story is pillow-talk as he never ever spoke about the war.

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