大象传媒

Sergeant Don Paige embarks with the Irish Brigade, part of 78th Division from Tunisia to the campaign in Sicily. Here he is closer to the battles than in North Africa, and encounters more tough riding on his motorcycle鈥�

Wednesday 28th July
Awoke to find the ship on an even keel and Sicily in sight. Owing to the usual balls up we had to exist on the generosity of the gunners for breakfast. By 09.00 we lay off the landing beach and there were many more craft about. Also the officers emerged once more. Trucks were unshackled ready to move off but this was delayed for a considerable time pending the clearance of a stage. Eventually we were ready and then we went to the floating quay with our front doors open and ramp down. One either side the troop carrying ships were unloading. We motor cyclists were some of the first off and all the trucks just rolled off and up to the concentration area without any trouble. The road was very dusty but we soon assembled near to Cassibili. We arrived there about 16.00 and snatched a hasty meal and were off again by 17.45. Meanwhile we had made the acquaintance of the locals and had purchased lemons, tomatoes and had a long swig from the old man鈥檚 bottle for 2 cigarettes. Through Floridia, Solarino and Palazzolo. The towns are very ancient, stone built and the inhabitants friendly 鈥� the women handsome. All the way along we saw great evidence of the Italians failure and tons of ammunition, guns and tanks etc. knocked out and abandoned. After Palazzolo we halted for a break at 20.30 and as light was failing and the road in front of us very dangerous and precipitous we pulled in and got down to it. The lads slept in the truck and I had my bed up under the bivvy alongside the truck.

Thursday 29th July.
Proceeded at 05.00 on way to Mineo via Vizzini a nice looking little town well up in the hills. The houses are quite classical in style. Much abandoned enemy material along the road. Mineo is situated on top a pinnacle and a very stiff climb. Going down the other side was less pleasant as the road deteriorated badly and dropped quickly. On the plain now, going over tracks deep and sand and dust was not pleasant and we got well in front of the column. We stopped for a break by a three tonner that had broken down. The chaps with it had been there for 48 hours with not much grub but had some tea so we produced some bully and biscuits from a 48-hour ration. Eventually the column caught us up they had stopped for a meal because none of us had had anything since the night before. Eventually reached our destination very sore and tired about 14.00 called Albaspino a small new Government settlement. We set up shop in a barn affair and we got some sleep. My bed between truck and Signals office. Rash.

Friday 30th July
Awoke with an awful conscience at 04.00 that I had wetted the bed and completely convinced myself of the fact, but after another couple of hours discomfort was much relieved to find that it was the result of sleeping under two leaking water cans on Signals office. Working all day in truck as office, which worked quite well. Moved at 11.30 to new location over Moon track past Division. A horrible sandy, bumpy windy track with damn great boulders liberally sprinkled on it. An unfortunate accident happened some way up. Signals sergeant LIR hit a boulder and came off his bike and the truck following went over his leg. Stayed some time with Major O鈥橣arrell directing traffic and fixing up ambulance. Reached location about 16.00! 5 hours for 8 miles!

Saturday 31st July
After arriving in this wadi set up shop and dug in by which time it was daylight. Damned hot all day and we had to stand by ready to move at 01.30! This morning 6 FW190s attacked our area with bombs but no real damage.

Sunday August 1st
Left wadi at about 01.30 and after about 5 hours riding over sandy boulder track reached new location in a re-entrant on a hill and quarter of a mile from cookhouse. Stayed here all-day and sweated. Canadians took Catenanuova yesterday and today 11 and 35 Brigades took over from them, and pushed on remarkably well. Tonight we moved up at 19.30 to HQ in another awful wadi thick with boulders north of Catenanuova passing through the place in darkness 鈥攊t stank and the place was a skeleton. Had a lot of enemy stuff in from Skins, which kept me awake until 03.00 waiting for Brigadier to finish conference to show him stuff and then get Jim away to Division with it. Cowboy(Keith Taylor) our new driver, a great acquisition, had my bed down for which I was truly grateful.

Monday 2nd August
August bank holiday! 2LIR and Skins attacked Centuripe at dawn and got very near their objectives with few casualties. Capt.W.Hanna(Cole鈥檚 friend) was killed unfortunately. Harry French has turned up again. Busy day with the attack. Very useful place this next to a vineyard and we ate grapes all day. Harold snaffled three chickens before we left. Moved at 19.30 and went a few miles nearer Centuripe which by this time had completely fallen to our attack. 2LIR brought in an Italian civilian whom I talked to in French. He is Professor of University of Cataria and a lawyer. Anti-fascist.

Tuesday 3rd August
The wadi we are in is the usual thing one finds after German occupation. They don鈥檛 know how to shit and they leave all their equipment all over the place. One PoW in this morning, a German parachutist and an Italian deserter from Messina en route for Syracuse. Had a good night鈥檚 sleep. Mr Verley and Griffiths and Webburn (son of Vicar of Barkway!) attached and slept alongside.

Wednesday 4th August.
Nice peaceful atmosphere pervades 鈥� BM etc. away, Long Room etc in charge. Our chicken when plucked and drawn by Ernie Row was unfortunately condemned and had to be buried. Tp Meduins and 3 forward batteries came up during the afternoon and cracked. It made a fearful din. Moving to new HQ north of Centuripe at 10.00. I have never had such a lousy ride. First of all bike refused to take hill and after several attempts had to get assistance. 2PoWs awaited me when I eventually got out of it. The sun from HQ to HQ was awful. The winding terraced road with precipices on either side made it a nightmare. The enemy had blown craters at difficult points, which did not improve the going. Centuripe sits on the top of a plateau and is surrounded by a moat like ravine. How on earth our chaps got it I don鈥檛 know. I heard terrible descriptions of the condition of the town when our chaps first got it. It was packed with half crazed civilians which is not surprising after the pasting our artillery gave it. When we passed through at about 14.00 it stank terribly of dead. On the run down from Centuripe we saw the fires of places raided on the slopes of Etna, an enormous mass in the night

Thursday 5th August
Arrived at new location and thanked God. Absolutely on my knees. Got bed down and slept for about 2 hours. Battalions have got on well and big attack to enlarge our bridgehead goes in this afternoon with a call on the artillery of three divisions (480 guns) and six squadrons of aircraft in support. During the morning we were mucked about loading and unloading shifting positions. Jerry shelled us a bit too. The attack was a wonderful demonstration. It was preceded by a lot of bombing and artillery preparation before the actual barrage went down. Adrano lies about 5 miles from us and we can see it sitting on its plateau under Etna. When the planes bombed it it was completely covered with dust 鈥� enormous columns of dust went up. Then the barrage went up. It was terrific in every sense of the word. The whole hillside was covered with shell bursts. God alone knows what Jerry thought had hit him. The attack was successful and the bridgehead widened. I had one PoW in this afternoon. Anti-Hitler but no doubt pro-Hitler when things were going OK. A good deal of shelling by Jerry this afternoon, but no damage. We are very upset by the announcement of Major O鈥橣arrell鈥檚 death this afternoon. A terrible blow. He was the best type of officer we had had since Arengo Jones. I am very sorry. I also heard Capt Butler ex Def Pl was killed. So facing the battlefield I will snatch a few hours sleep
During the night we had a heavy pounding from Jerry鈥檚 blasted nickelwufer(?) or artillery. He was damned close to us and I was very tempted to get out of bed and get into a slit trench but heard sounds of voices, which turned out to be RASC drivers from the ration convoy in our trenches. So I decided to stay where I was. Another close one made me think again but nevertheless I stuck where I was in bed. I thought one foot higher or one foot lower wouldn鈥檛 make much difference.

Friday 6th August
This morning 16 PoWs in. Established a cage. Mostly from 923 Fortress Battalion and 3 Parachute regiment. One parachutist the usual Nazi. Adrano is ours. This evening we move to our new location- 200 yards down the road! Set up shop and dug slit trenches and down to it. Unfortunately the gunners roused us up a bit with a barrage about midnight very close in.

Saturday 7th August.
Moving this afternoon down to valley. Bags of transport on road. Eventually landed up at CP and from there went on to new location. The bridges over the river were certainly wrecked. We are now in an orange orchard with grapes, tomatoes, pears and delicious pure fresh and cold water in the aqueduct near at hand. It鈥檚 delightful to have such a plentiful supply and Cowboy keeps us well supplied! George Wall killed.
Settling in whilst 11 and 36 brigades clean up Bronte. Things moving fast. Had wash down last night and Cowboy is doing my washing. Great relief. Chalky came in this evening and we cleared up his whisky and lemon.

Tuesday 10th August
Still working on log and war diary. Rumours of a move this morning and this afternoon definitely moving 15.30. S.C. called for me and I had to go on a recce with him in the Staff car leaving Jimmy to come on the bike. Went through Adrano. By God, it is hell. Everything smashed. The houses, churches everything. The roads piled high with rubble and only a bull dozed track through the centre like a snowplough could have made. The inhabitants who had evacuated themselves were returning, young and old on mules still gaily decorated with embroidered harnesses. It was a ghastly sight seeing these poor wretches just looking at the heaps of rubble that had been their homes. They looked at you as a dog you have just beaten. However, the RE鈥檚 and the pioneers were clearing the place up and cleared the houses as the families arrived. The fable that the British tommy is the best ambassador in the world is more than true. One saw the dust caked stripped to the waist soldiers sitting with the family enjoying a drink on the pavement. It makes one think who suffers most. 鈥� Put not your faith in princes鈥� was an unlearned maxim. Further up the winding road, edged by Etna鈥檚 cinder like lava, whole field of it were 25 pounders. We are now flat out for Randazzo.

Wednesday 11th August.
Today we prepared to move up. Pity to leave this pleasant fertile valley. Moved off about 15.30 riding LAD bike. Through Adrano once more. Stood on the point for some time with Griff. Took one or two photos of the ruins. Still pretty bad in the town but improving. From there up to Bronte 鈥� if anything worse than Adrano- piles of rubble in the streets being bulldozed out of the way. I took wrong way and get held up by a blown bridge, had to come back via back streets what a ride. Eventually got to HQ in a dip just outside Bronte used as a mule point. Nut orchard! Not bad. Our lads in the line tonight. Beaucoup barrage and some back. Rather noisy night . Some PoWs in the morning.
1 Para Regt, Kamp/btl Reggio etc. Some mortar fire not far from us. Things going quite well. Cowboy has discovered water supply and we are now OK again. Attacking Maletto tonight.

Thursday 12th August
Faughs in Maletto. LIR got lost in darkness and didn鈥檛 get to objective. However, got up during daylight under heavy mortar fire but with only 16 casualties for the whole show. All Brigadiers down at HQ this afternoon to plan for Faughs and LIR to go for Randazzo tonight. Barrage arranged. Some PoWs in. Larsen rang up at about 21.30 to say that one PoW had said his battalion pulling out tonight. Good deal of artillery fire during night. Command post went forward.

Friday 13th August
Faughs in Randazzo before Americans but pulled out to let them through. 40 PoWs in this morning. Hell of a job to get them to cage, which moved forward between batches. HQ moved forward south of Maletto. Talking to some PoWs all with 4 years service and wounded in Russia. Were really glad to be PoW. The artillery has shaken them up. They are quite ready to pack up but fear the SS. They don鈥檛 like the Russians or Russia. One fellow, a window dresser in Civvy Street, and good looker was shaken when we told him we were 8th Army and that Russians were advancing. Arrived in new location about 20.00 and found Cowboy had my bed down etc. A Spitfire stunting low this afternoon. Pilot fell out and plane crashed.

Sunday 15th August
Plenty of work on War Diary. Still existing under a gradually subsiding tent as truck is still being seen to. Received opened parcel from Shireby this afternoon containing all the stuff for March War Diaries from Bobby Lowry. It had been sent on 18th July to IRTD where it was opened as it was uncensored and from there forwarded to Division. The whole thing arrived from Division with a cryptic message 鈥淧lease submit explanation鈥�! Hang to that! This evening we witnessed a partial eclipse of the moon. It was right over Mt Etna and through the telescope looked and amazing sight.

Monday 16th August
Our troops now reported out of contact with the enemy. Linguaglossa and the road from Randazzo to Linguaglossa is now open. Capt.Cole going to Division with personal explanation about the War Diaries. Hope it works. Heard today that new I.O. is to be Mr. Hobbs of 56 Recce. A good chap, I think. Bags of War Diaries to do.

Tuesday 17th August
An awful night. Up several times with pain in stomach and wind. In morning I was relieved to find I was not the only sufferer. Jimmy, Frank and several more had it This afternoon I had to go out with Brigadier and Capt. Cole in jeep preparing to do panoramas of battle scenes. He went all the way to Regalbuto and then to Catenanouva, then to Centuripe, Adrano, Bronte. The Brigadier was most interesting and pointed out everything of what had happened in detail. On the way back we called in on 152 Forward Ambulance to get some tea. Back through Adrano and Bronte now clearing up considerably and many more people about Heard today that the Americans entered Messina 20.00 last night and wound up the campaign.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.