大象传媒

NOSTALGIC MEMORIES

After the trip to Duxford and the wonderful reunion with Freddie to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings. I really did think that all the pleasures and excitement that I had very much enjoyed over the last few weeks would really drop off but that was not the case for on July.1st I received from Nic Boothby, French T/V a full length video tape of the interview I did with them at HMS Belfast it runs for about 45 minuets, it鈥檚 a brilliant keepsake to have, and I didn鈥檛 have to ask for it.

On July the 10th nephew Richard phoned to tell me that he was going to Normandy for a weeks holiday and would be having a look round the beaches there, he phoned me again from Normandy to ask the name of the beach that I landed on D-Day as he had forgotten, when I told him it was Berniers- sur- Mer his reply was, I am sat right out side the place, he was able to go into the visitors centre there and brought me back several documents and brochures which I found very interesting.

A couple of days later I received a letter from Arthur Smith (no relation) who lives in France, he was a DUKW driver in 297Coy RASC, and till very recently had a friend that was a driver in the same Coy as myself but had unfortunately now passed away.
He invited me to attend a very special anniversary parade that was being held in France at a small town called Vernon, situated near to the river Seine on which they would actually be crossing and driving down in original DUKWS, but as much as I would like to have attended that event I regret I had to turn the invite down. Just as a point of interest one of the DUKWS, that was there drove all the way from England, it is privately owned by a chap from down south and he took it over there at his own expense.

Arthur told me that they could only find three Ex DUKW drivers to attend.
He did send me some Photos of himself actually driving one down the river Seine. We are now staying in touch as pen pals.

21st of July Irene and I returned from doing the shopping to find a very large bouquet of flowers lying on the garden table by the back door, on reading the label we were shocked to find that they were for me, I have never ever had a bunch of flowers sent to me from anyone, in my life before, so who could have sent them?, well it was no other than Liz Heyder from 大象传媒 WW2. she had sent them as a small gift for the help I had given them with regards to my story, they were very, very beautiful.

ARMY BUDDIES

For some reason I got to thinking about trying to trace my old army mate Ronnie Barker who I knew lived here in Birmingham during our time in the army together, so Irene suggested that I try putting a request in the 鈥淲ERE ARE THEY NOW鈥� column of the Sunday Mercury, a local paper, so this I did and they published my request about three weeks later on Sunday 15th August. The phone rang about 4oclock that same afternoon when I answered it was none
other than the man himself, Ronnie Barker, I was shocked and speechless, however I was very surprised to learn that he was still living in Forman鈥檚 Road Sparkhill it was arranged that he would come and see me here at home.

We had our reunion here at home on Tuesday 27th Sept. he could only stay for about one hour but left three and half hours later, we spent all that time reminiscing over the time spent in the army together, the names of Jack Rostron
and (ginger) Kenny Risebrough came up, Ron told me that Kenny鈥檚 mom used to send him the Bungay Herald every week and we used to take the mickey out of him over it.

As I had already tried to find him with a request to Bungay Libraries and Radio Suffolk with out any success, I thought I might try and find if Bungay Herald was on the internet, however I did not find the Bungay Herald but I did find the Beccles and Bungay Journal, so I sent them an E-Mail asking them if they would put a request in there letters page, I sent this E-Mail at twelve thirty Monday lunchtime and at nine thirty Tuesday morning the phone rang and who was on the other end? The old Swede basher himself, being a true Norfolk lad I had very great difficulty understanding him, but it was really great to be talking to him again after all these years, of the five of us that were very close buddies he was the one I least expected to still be around.

Well that鈥檚 four of us out of the five, so what about number five, Jack Rostron? during his visit Ron told me that the last time that he heard anything of him he was living some where in West Heath, I was somewhat surprised by that because in 1943 I knew that he came from Dudley, not only that West Heath is only a stones throw from my house.

As I had found Ronnie through the Sunday Mercury 鈥淲here Are They Now鈥� Column I took a chance and asked them to publish a request for any information on Jack Rostron, this was really a very long shot and I didn鈥檛 think for one minute that I would score two Bulls Eyes. It was about three weeks before they actually published my request in Sundays paper12th of Sept., it so happened that it was the very weekend that we went down to Cornwall for a weeks holiday so I did not see that particular paper, it was twelve days later when I received a phone call on Friday evening about seven o鈥檆lock, to my utmost amazement it was Jack Rostron, how incredible is that, having now found four out of four old army mates and all still surviving. Jack had been trying to phone me all week but without success, the reason being the Sunday Mercury had published the wrong phone number, on the insistence of his daughter he went down the phone book to find my right number, and that was no mean feat with so many Smiths.

We had a long conversation on the phone of course, and it was arranged that I would go to see him at his home on Tuesday 27th Sept. and this I did, it was really great to see him again after so many years and to find him looking so well although he does have problems, I think we all have some kind of problems to bear, like Ron and myself he still drives and gets about quite well. We spent all afternoon reminiscing about our Normandy Campaign, and I hope that he and his daughter will be coming to my home for a visit.

What would really be great now is, if some how a reunion could be organised so that all five of us could meet, but at this moment in time I am not sure that is achievable, we will just have to wait and see. On Friday the15th October 2005,
Jack Rostron and his lovely daughter Debbie came to visit me at home, this was my 80th birthday and we enjoyed a few hours reminiscing over our time spent together in the army, Debbie his daughter was a very pleasant and really bubbly person, Irene and I were very pleased that she had come with him.

At the beginning of Jan. 2005, I received at long last my Normandy 60th anniversary badge from Normandy. I have been trying since the beginning of May last year, asking The French authorities to send me one. I even contacted their MOD,but they told me it was nothing to do with that Dept. and gave me a contact in Caen After several exchanges of correspondence, I received a personal letter on 6th Oct. from Admiral Brac de LA Perriere, the President of Normandy Memoire 60th Anniversaire, telling me that they would keep my request for a badge on record as they had not yet decided what to do about those veterans
who, for what ever reason are unable to attend the ceremonies in Normandy.
However early in December 2004, I received a letter from the Normandy Veterans Association (SE Branch)that they had received from Caen a small number of these badges for them to send out to Veterans who the French Authorities had named and I was one of them, so it was worth all the effort that I had put in and ended with a very good result.
I wear this badge with pride.

On the 21st of January 2005, I received a very unexpected invitation to meet, along with twenty two other persons the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in the Lord Mayors parlour at the council house for tea. We had sandwiches and very special fancy cakes, after which he gave us a tour of his chambers and office. I could not resist having my photograph taken with me sitting at his desk, I also had my photo taken with him, his name was Mike Naggle, the first Irishman to hold that office in Birmingham. All in all it was a very pleasant afternoons experience.

Listening to the radio one morning in August Irene happened to hear a veteran telling the presenter that he had just received one of the first H.M.Forces Veterans badges, to be issued by the British MOD. So I tried to find out how to apply for this badge, but strange to say nobody seemed to know anything about it. At that point in time I was trying to locate my old army buddy Ken Riseborough who lived in Suffolk , looking on their web site much to my amazement a veteran had put the address that you could write to at the MOD for this badge, so that鈥檚 what I did, it took a very long time to come through but I received it 21st January 2005.The trouble with this badge is, although its for any Veteran or their next of kin that served in the forces during 1939/1945, very few people have even heard or know anything about it. I have never seen any announcement in the press or anywhere else about it.

Blast From Past.

During a phone conversation with Freddie Smith in January, he asked if I could try to arrange a Re-Union with ou
r other mates, after some consideration ,Irene suggested that we invite Fred and wife Sheila to come and stay with us for a couple of days that way we could arrange for the others to come here for a re-union, so that鈥檚 what we did and the date was set for Tuesday the 11th of April.

I met Fred and Sheila off the M42, at lunch time on Monday, Sheila having driven all the way here, as Fred is no longer capable of driving.
Our main concern, was how he would coupe with our stairs ect, with his disabilities, as they live in a bungalow, how ever he managed quite well.
Martin and Janice came over to see them in the evening and Fred had Janice in stitches with his descriptions of some of our exploits during the Normandy Invasion, and before we knew it, it was nearly midnight.

Tuesday arrived and this was to be the big one, at lunchtime, first to arrive was Ron Barker, he and Fred were really close mates, as they used to sing duets together, they even had a sergeant for a manger and a corporal as booking agent,
They didn鈥檛 get paid any money for the gigs they did in the sergeants and officers messes, just free beer and excused guard duties.
They where quite good really, some off the ditties they sang were quite filthy,
but Ron was quite a 鈥淚nk Spots鈥� Fan round that time, 鈥淏less You鈥� being one of their favourites.
Jack Rostron arrived with his bubbly daughter Debbie just after Ron, from then on the talking did stop even for one minute, the ladies couldn鈥檛 get a word in edge ways.
I thought it would be a good idea to show them my moment of fame by putting on my French video tape while we had tea, sandwiches and cakes, but even that didn鈥檛 stop them talking, I don鈥檛 think they saw, even half of it.
The one sad thing about this re-union was I was unable to get Kenny Risebrough
here, as it was to far for him to travel also problem鈥檚 contacting him.
Before Jack and Ron took there leave we had a Photo shoot out in the front Garden from which I now have some excellent photographs thanks to Jacks daughter Debbie.
All in all a very successful and incredible Re-union, and well worth the effort.
Fred and Sheila returned home on Wednesday

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