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El Alamein and the North Africa Campaign

In February 1941 I left Stranraer in Scotland and did not return to this country for five years, until January 1946.

I was on a troop ship with approximately 300 others, and we didn’t know where we were being taken. Our journey took us within a hundred miles or so of the American coast in order to avoid submarines operating in the North Atlantic. Eventually we travelled north up the east coast of Africa and docked at Ismailia in Egypt. On arrival I was drafted into the 1st Royal Horse Artillery as part of the Fourth Armoured Division.

Within a week I was on my way to Matruh on the Mediterranean coast. Here we were divided into batteries of eight 25-pounder guns and the necessary transport to patrol the immediate desert area. Contact with the Italians at this stage was infrequent, but we managed to drive them back to the Libyan border. The Germans then arrived in large numbers, and it didn’t take them long to reverse the situation and push us back to Alamein. Here we dug in for a period of time during which General Montgomery planned our future counter-attack.

He had made it perfectly clear to the ‘powers that be’ that under no circumstances would he attempt to do this until he had all the equipment requested. When this had been accomplished, the actual battle of Alamein began with a heavy barrage. This continued day and night for some considerable time, and was an experience I will never forget.

This action was the prelude for the tanks and infantry to advance. The enemy was eventually driven back to the western borders of Libya where many prisoners were taken. This was the beginning of the end of the North Africa Campaign. The Royal Horse Artillery then carried on to Italy, but I was sent to Syria on a course of instruction in ciphers, which then took me over the principal cities of the Middle East until the end of the war.

In conclusion, we should never forget the support and bravery of the Australian Division, the New Zealand Division and the Indian Division, who all contributed to make our victory possible.

This story was collected by Laurence Le Quesne and submitted to the People’s War site by Graham Brown of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Ted Sharp and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

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