大象传媒

SALERNO 鈥� 9TH SEPTEMBER 1943 cont.

Returning to my story it was at about this stage of the battle late one afternoon, when we were tidying up outside the command post, that we were aware of the noise of bullets zipping past close overhead from the infantry battle going on about a mile or less ahead of us. On the 15th we were again fully employed, as a regiment, supplying defensive fire of our infantry to help them fend off local attacks and in between times taking it in turn to make up for loss of sleep. Being busy meant we were fully occupied recording targets on our artillery boards, working out ranges and other necessary details for our guns, keeping maps up to date, calculating the effect of the wind, its direction, air temperature, etc., on the shell when in flight, communicating with the troop command posts linked to us, sending in returns the most important of which I suppose was the ammunition situation and keeping in touch with our observation posts and regimental headquarters. All of which was most interesting and meant that we had a very god idea of what was going on in our part of the front.

All this activity kept our signallers fully occupied when there was a lot going on. In fact, they were worse off than us in some ways because once on duty they just could not pop out to the toilet or wherever as wireless and telephones had to be manned at all times unless a particularly link was closed down for one reason or another. Perhaps the important thing for all of us in the command post was that when there was a lot to do the time passed quickly and there was an immediate increase in efficiency. Conversely long periods of slackness ultimately led to the situation where the less we had to do the less we wanted to do. Human nature suppose!

About this time the Hampshires over to our left with 46th Division received some much needed infantry reinforcements and so we heard, were greeted with an 鈥渙rder of the day鈥� stating that all positions would be barbed wired and all troops would fight to the last round of ammunition. The situation for us, the invading army had been very serious, indeed much more serious that we the 鈥渞ank and file鈥� fully realised. There had in fact been one or two local panic stations when somebody would appear with a gloomy titbit such as the Germans having broken through here or there but these were not taken too seriously.

Whilst we in the newly formed 5th Army had been busily engaged trying to establish our position the 8th Army driving north from the toe of Italy was now reported being nearby although its main drive was up the east side of the country. On the technical side we were transferred on to a 鈥淐orps Grid鈥� or in other words the British troops on shore were linked together so far as the survey side was concerned. The next move would be on to an 鈥淎rmy Grid鈥� which would also include the Americans in 5th Army.

September 17th turned out to be a somewhat adventurous day. It all began with the morning being quiet enough and I was able to lie on the grass outside our command post and doze in the lovely Italian autumn sunshine. There was a lull due to the Germans preparing to withdraw, although we were not aware of it at the time. Everything was very still with not even the sound of a bird. Indeed I cannot remember ever seeing or hearing one the whole time we were in Italy 鈥� but that is by the way. After lunch I was detailed to take a truck and drive back to the beach to pick up some light scale vehicles from the beachhead. These were 15 and 30 cwt trucks belonging to the regiment and containing rear echelon personnel.

It all started badly, I jumped into the truck set aside for me, started it up, put it in gear, moved forward slowly only to hear a yell from someone underneath, so I let it roll back accompanied by another yelp. As luck would have it a signaller had been sleeping between the wheels partly underneath the vehicle, but thankfully the ground must have been fairly soft because he received nothing worse than a bad bruising. Having overcome that little incident I with an officer as passenger started off and duly reached the raised beach road in safety. However, as we were travelling along it to our rendezvous the wretched truck broken down with distributor trouble as I discovered later. The officer went off on foot to find the rear party and no sooner had he left than the enemy commenced shelling the road. The reason was not hard to find, a squadron of tanks, probably from the 7th Armoured Brigade, were resting over on the land side of the raised road and right alongside my broken down 15cwt. Not being made in a particularly heroic mould I hastily took cover on the beach side of the road and just waited while some rather large shells landed at the rate of about two a minute.

Very soon the officer returned with the rear party and promised to send a breakdown truck which did eventually turn up. The excitement was not yet over for in the dusk on the way back to the battery position a seemingly endless procession of tanks passed us by on their way back towards the beach, missing us by inches. The road was very narrow and with a ditch on either side which left no room for error, but eventually we made it.

In the morning we were told that 8th Army coming up from the south had made contact with the Americans on our right and the battle was to all intents and purposes over. The Germans were on the point of withdrawing to a line somewhere north of the Volturno River but they would fight a rearguard action at every opportunity on the way back. In the meantime it would be up to 5th Army鈥檚 reconnaissance units to keep in touch.

I felt a little bit off coloured and I can well remember walking down a slope from our command post to where two captured enemy half tracked armoured vehicles were being cleaned out and feeling slightly sick at the time. The next day some of our dead from the observation post parties were recovered. I had to see the Medical Offices as I felt so bad and was told that I had jaundice. That night I slept badly and could not keep down my food. In the morning I saw the MO again. I was immediately sent to the 3rd Field Dressing Station which was simply a few tents and after a few hours by ambulance to the Hospital Ship Leinster. During my short stay of twelve days on Italian soil had not seen a single Italian! And whilst I was most reluctant to leave I felt the army could manage without me now that the immediate danger was over!

It was very hot on the ship which was not very well ventilated and I felt dizzy all the time. I was put on a liquid diet and I as able to get hold of some soap for there had been none on the beachhead. All the soap and cigarettes were put on one ship which was sunk 鈥� good planning! I was very well looked after by the hospital staff on the ship, but at that time I was not concerned about my illness but was very worried at having to leave my unit. Despite all the little inconveniences and annoyances that occur in the best regulated group from time to time, we were really a closely knit family and a reasonably happy one. We all knew one another, we were a team and I knew that I would have no real peace of mind until I returned.

After two warm and restless nights the ship arrived at Tripoli just after noon on the 22nd and all the sick and wounded were taken by ambulance to the British No. 2 General Hospital. There seemed to be a shortage of nursing staff and the new intake myself included did not receive a lot of attention. It was all very understandable as no doubt most of the available medical personnel were concentrating on dealing with the many battle casualties.

For the next seven days I was poorly with intermittent sickness, but there were some quite cheerful moments such as when I was visited by members of the regiments rear party who had not yet left Tripoli. The visitors included the Regimental Sergeant Major and the Lieutenant Quarter Master and I was presented with a parcel of cigarettes although I did not feel the least bit like smoking them. By this time I was almost as yellow as a buttercup from the top of my head to the soles of my feet and certainly not as pretty. To occupy the time during my feeling better periods I ready a book which I found quite enjoyable called 鈥淕reen Doors鈥�.

On October 4th I felt bad again and persuaded an orderly to take my temperature which was 103掳F. For my trouble I was told off by one of the nursing sisters when she eventually arrived on the scene. The next day I suffered a series of hot and cold turns and was not allowed out of bed. On the 6th, a nursing sister at last decided that I really wasn鈥檛 well and took my temperature herself. It was still at 103掳F and so a blood test was taken. On the 7th following an uncomfortable night during which I sweated profusely I was told that I had BT Malaria and some kidney trouble in addition to the jaundice. I was told later that I was the first case at the 2nd British Hospital to have both illnesses at the same time. It was no consolation so far as I was concerned. That same day I had a visit from one of our gun sergeants which cheered me up no end and for the next few days I was given regular doses of quinine which I noted as being foul stuff and very difficult to keep down.

One very luck break was that I had a friend in the hospital on long term treatment for Amoebic Dysentry and who also had a 鈥渓ight duties鈥� job in order to help out the staff and one evening he brought me a large pancake and on another day a fishcake. Such titbits may not appear very appetising in modern times, but in 1943 they were rare delicacies.

By October 12th I was beginning to improve and had a proper dinner for the first time. It consisted of powered meat, powdered potatoes and powdered carrots, followed by rice pudding. This menu did not charge for the remainder of my time in the hospital. Furthermore, not having eaten very much for two weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed every scrap of it. I was now well enough to continue with my reading and managed to get hold of a 鈥淪aint鈥� book.

Eddie did not fare so well when he had jaundice being put on dry bread and dried prunes for a fortnight in December 1943 in the Naples Hospital and afterwards at the Sorrento Convalescent Depot.

I continued to improve and four days later was told that I was being transferred to Egypt. October 19th saw me on an ambulance by 0900 hours but there was a delay somewhere along the line and I was not put on to the New Zealand hospital ship Naungamu until midday. It was a grand affair inside, very comfortable and excellent meals. We all received tea and biscuits while waiting in the ambulance and when on board a dinner of soup followed by lamb, cauliflower and potatoes and then a dessert of apples and almond sauce. That night I had a restless sleep but recovered in time to consume a breakfast of porridge, sausages, bread, butter and jam. We left Tripoli just after dawn following a delay caused by some mechanical trouble and there was a rumour that if it could not be satisfactorily repaired, we might be diverted to the UK, but no such luck.

The next five days were most enjoyable from the point of view of sheer comfort. Good beds, chairs to lounge in on deck, an issue of 50 De Reske cigarettes and meals such as liver and bacon for breakfast and cold meat or luncheon sausage, cheese and beetroot for tea. There was a music quiz in the evening on one day and on another the ships radio played what was then one of my favourite pieces of music 鈥淥ne Fine Day鈥� from Madame Butterfly.

A cold I had picked up before leaving hospital quickly got better and I was able to go on deck on several occasions. The weather was warm and sunny and it was grand to be just lying there while the ship slipped through the blue Mediterranean. Whilst on the voyage I was able to have a tooth filled, the dentist being amazed at the good condition of my teeth and those of other British soldiers compared with men in the New Zealand army. One evening there was a picture show and during the voyage I was able to read a book by PG Wodehouse. An author whose books I was fond of in pre-war days.

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