大象传媒

Part one of an edited oral history interview with Mr. John Kenneth Clark conducted by Jenny Ford on behalf of Bedford Museum.

鈥淲hen I went up to College, to St.Edmund Hall, Oxford. I was given the choice of declaring myself a Conscientious Objector or joining one of the Training Corps. I don鈥檛 know who decided how long you stayed because I was 18 when I went up before I was due for call-up but I stayed for four terms and I spent a day and a half a week in training. It was a strange life in a way - it was half Army and half University. I used to spend a day and half a week on training and then you鈥檇 had all your other studying to do as well. And then after four terms I was called-up, there were a lot of young men like that.

I went into the Infantry. I had very mixed feelings, I didn鈥檛 really want to go. I was reading Modern Languages, that is why I got a job as an Interrogator after the war. I was in the Infantry Training Corp at Oxford and then they called me up for a month鈥檚 selection and then I went to an Officers Training Unit. I had to stick it out until I was taken prisoner in Sedjenane, Tunisia in 1942.

Mr. Clark was at that time a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, commanding the 8th Platoon of 鈥楢鈥� Company.
Well, it was in Northern Tunisia. It was hilly country about 1,000 feet, 2,000 feet high hills and the Germans attacked and got round us and they did a sort of a pincer movement like that and so we had to get out there and we were put in a small village. And I was put on a small hill, a very small hill just outside the village with the rest of the Company behind me. All day, when I was on this hill, you can imagine the hill like that, the Germans were coming that way and I wanted to put my men along the top of the ridge there so we could see them coming because there were bushes about this high. Instead the Colonel put me back on this side where I couldn鈥檛 see anything until they came over the top of the hill because of these bushes. Well, the Germans came and they attacked all that day, they attacked the Company behind me. They didn鈥檛 see us. I said to my men, 鈥楬ide amongst the bushes, dig a hole and hide because they鈥檝e got the advantage and only fire if you are seen鈥�. Then I sent a man back to the Company Commander to say that it was a hopeless position, could I withdraw? The man was killed by our own machine gunners, he was a nice chap, I liked him very much. So I just sat there waiting and then again in the middle, about six o鈥檆lock another Officer came out and brought some food for us because we hadn鈥檛 had any. And I said, 鈥楥ould I withdraw?鈥� and he said, 鈥榥o, you鈥檝e done a bloody good job鈥� and I thought I hadn鈥檛 fired a shot!

Then in the middle of the night, about three in the morning, imagine me there and I heard sounds from this side of marching feet and the Germans came up. Fortunately, I鈥檇 got them all dug in around here, I saw them marching as near as that window there, I could hear them talking in German. One of them looked round to exactly where I was and I had a little hand grenade and I threw it and there was a big bang and then there were several shots fired and then they moved away and attacked the Company behind. They were driven back and about half an hour later two Germans came up 鈥� as near as that window 鈥� picked a body up and I stood up and I said in German, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e prisoners!鈥� Because I could speak German and they said, 鈥榳e are stretcher bearers, you can鈥檛 shoot us.鈥� So I said, 鈥榃ell, I鈥檓 going to take you prisoner鈥� and they said, 鈥榦h, no you can鈥檛. We just want to take our Company Commander back to the First Aid Post.鈥� So they went off back again and my Sergeant kept saying, 鈥楽hoot the buggers, shoot the buggers.鈥�

We鈥檇 been there all day and the next day, the next morning I got a message from the Company Commander, he sent somebody to say we were to withdraw, which we should have done earlier. And that day the Germans attacked again and they got round, in a pincer movement they got round us so we had to get out before we were cut off. I was left with three light machine gunners and myself to cover the withdrawal because of course everybody can鈥檛 go otherwise there is chaos, so I was left with these three machine gunners for half an hour. The Germans attacked but they didn鈥檛 take our position. After about half an hour I was just going to blow the whistle and get the men to go and one of them shouted out and I went to have a look and he鈥檇 got all his toes shot off one of his feet. So we carried him down to a hole in the ground and it鈥檚 very difficult to put a bandage on your toes actually, I hadn鈥檛 realised. We tried all ways to get one on and of course he was very upset. Then I looked up over the edge of this hole and a machine gun fired at me, the Germans were near and I thought oh, dear! Three things we could do 鈥� we could try and carry him in which case we would all be shot because we can鈥檛 move fast enough or we could surrender or I could leave him and try and get away with the others and I didn鈥檛 want to do that. So I said to the three blokes, 鈥楾here are three things we could do, which shall we do?鈥� So they said, 鈥榊ou decide.鈥� So I said, 鈥楻ight, well throw your sten guns in the pool and we鈥檒l surrender.鈥� I could speak German and when the Germans came up I started talking in German to them and they were alright. We gave them some cigarettes. It was the most difficult decision in my life! I don鈥檛 know whether it was right or if it was wrong. But if I鈥檇 left him I wouldn鈥檛 have been very happy. Perhaps I ought to have done, I don鈥檛 know and if we鈥檇 tried to carry him we would have moved so slowly they鈥檇 have hit us.

There were three light machine gunners and myself as an Officer. We were separated, Officers went to one camp and the others went to another camp. I used to get bored with the conversation and I used to leave the Mess and go and meet two Intelligence Corp Sergeants with whom I had a lot more in common. I was very conscious of being at the bottom of the ranking in the Officer鈥檚 Mess. There were one or two other young ones. I was happy with my Platoon although most of them were a lot older than me.鈥�

Mr. Clark has a full account 鈥楤attle Honour in Tunisia pp.55-70鈥� published in 鈥楶eople At War鈥� edited by Michael Moynihan, David & Charles Publishers, plc., Newton Abbot, Devon. 1989. ISBN 0-7153-9457-6

Please see 鈥楻ole Reversal in Civvy Street鈥�, 鈥極ut of the bag in drag鈥� and 鈥楻ole reversal鈥� 鈥� three other stories submitted to the 大象传媒 鈥楶eople鈥檚 War website on 16th February 2005 by Bedford Museum on behalf of Mr. Kenneth Clark.

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