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My experiences on active service.

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Cpl. Turner W.

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

Compiled by personal experience and extracts from various diaries.

My experiences with the Guards abroad 12 August 1943 to the end of hostilities in Europe 8 May 1945.

In the following pages I am going to endeavour to relate the majority of my experiences both in North Africa and Italy so that in years to come during my leisure hours with my dear wife, Verna, I may recapture some of the happy and unhappy days which I saw and went through during the dark days of the Second World War when everyone went mad and acted like beasts instead of human beings and if and when my children read this they will realise the state that man can get into when faced with the Angel of Death and when one realises how much strength that God can give you during the times when all seems to be lost

11 August 1943
England

At 9 p.m. tonight the draft were all on parade at Regents Park barracks for the final roll call and after the usual speeches by the Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Coates M.C. and the guardsman's friend the Regimental Sergeant Major Charlie Yardley we boarded the Troop Carrying Vehicles for our last ride through the streets of London and followed by the cheers and well beings of the neighbours in Albany Street we wended our way to St. Pancras station where the train was waiting to take us on our journey to Scotland. After arranging ourselves in a compartment for six of us, namely F. Palmer, Joe Cullingworth, Malc. Radcliffe, Ron Yates, Bill Hales and myself, we were visited by the G.O.C. London District Major General Smith and the R.L.C. Colonel True and we finally left London at 9.50 p.m. and knowing it would be the last comfortable train ride we would have for a long while we made the best of it and finally fell asleep not waking until we reached Carlisle where breakfast was waiting for us and then off once again until we finally arrived at Greenock at 11 a.m. Straightway we fell in and marched down to the docks to the ship which was to convey us farther afield. The liner itself was a massive affair of Dutch origin named "Marnix Van St. Aldegonde" and staffed entirely of Dutch and Javanese with the exception of two or three English officers, and after getting settled down in the Mess Decks we had a look around and it was then we felt the misery of leaving Dear Old Blighty when we observed the gangplanks being drawn up and the expanse of water between the ship and the dockside growing wider and we finally dropped anchor in the bay awaiting the convoy forming up.

15 August 1943

On the Atlantic

At 9.30 p.m. tonight we were all summoned to our boat stations where by means of loudspeakers we were informed By the Captain of the ship that we were sailing at 10 p.m. that night and after giving us instructions as to what to do in case of enemy action we all crowded to the rails for our last glimpse of Blighty before darkness hid it from view and to the strains of "Home Sweet Home" and "There'll always be an England" we weighed anchor and proceeded slowly down the river towards the Atlantic and after it was too dark to see anything we retired to our hammocks for our first nights sleep on the ocean.

16 August 1943

After breakfast Pedlar and I proceeded on the deck to have a look at the convoy which included sixteen liners headed by the "duchess of Bedford" and an escort of one cruiser "H.M.A.S. Sheffield" the aircraft carrier "Johnstown" and eight destroyers, and after convincing ourselves that all was O.K. we settled down to the humdrum life of a troopship which included PT, Rifle Inspections, Boxing Tournaments and the inevitable Housey Housey without which life would have been very monotonous.

22 August 1943

Our seventh day at sea during which we had our first U-Boat scare, but the fine work of the navy soon put our minds at rest, and after an hour of anxiety everything returned to normal again. It is now very hot indeed and for the first time we changed from battledress to K.D. and there were many laughs and jokes cracked at the expense of some bony and knobbly knees.

23 August 1943

At 4.30 a.m. this morning Pedlar awoke me with the news that in ten minutes time we should be passing through the Straits of Gibraltar so I got up and we proceeded on deck and there we saw the Rock looming ahead very grim and forbidding and no wonder that the Italian navy was confined to the limits of the Mediterranean whilst it was there. Over on the other side the lights of Tangiers in Morocco were like Blackpool illuminations and after another look around we went back to bed until the merciless sound of the bugler blowing Reveille fetched us out once again.

25 August 1943
Phillipeville

On going on deck this morning we discovered that we were approaching land fairly quickly and we knew that our journey was at an end and at 9.30 a.m. we finally docked at the small port of Phillipeville which is midway between Algiers and Bone and my first impressions of North Africa were definitely very low [content removed by moderator] Troop Carrying Vehicles were waiting to convey us to the No. 1 (Guards) S.R.T.D. and we finally arrived there during the hottest part of the day (3.30 p.m.) and after various parades we were tented down with our mosquito nets suspended.

The next few days went by very slowly, doing various forms of training, fatigues at the docks, which was loading ammunition on ships which we discovered later were used in the invasion of Italy and coupled with no letters from home I was very miserable.

9 September 1943

On wakening this morning I felt very feverish so I had a walk to the MO Room when I was informed I had dysentery and I was sent to the 67th General Hospital with a temperature of 104o and for five days I lived on milk and liquid jelly coupled with three dose of quinine to ward off malaria and on the 15th I had the best surprise of all when I received two letters from my darling wife, Verna.

17 September 1943

Today I was discharged from the hospital and whilst waiting for transport to take me back to my unit I witnessed scenes which made me fully realise what war is, when an ambulance train arrived and I was asked to help unload. They were all men from the terrific battle which was raging at Salerno and quite a number of them were from the 3rd battalion who were in the thick of it. Young boys 19 and 20 with both legs blown off, others with stubs of arms hanging down and one poor devil with half his face blown away and yet they say we live in a civilised world.

18 to 29 September 1943

During these days nothing of great interest happened and I was busy in the demonstration Platoon giving various demonstrations to units new from Blighty and already I was beginning to feel an old soldier and taking a great delight in telling newcomers to "get their knees brown" but after all this came the news on the 29th that we were to proceed to join the 3rd Battalion who were fighting just north of Naples, and then we knew that this was it.

30 September 1943

Bizerta

This morning at the very unearthly hour of half past two we were roused by the platoon Sergeant and after eating a cold breakfast we left the I.R.T.D. at 4 o'clock and after traveling 250 miles through the country which the First Army had fought its way through we finally arrived at Bizerta at 7 o'clock at night very tired and dirty and after being tented down at No. 4 Transit Camp I fell asleep wondering where the morrow would take us.

1 to 3 October 1943

For the next few days we were just lounging about the camp doing nothing in particular but cooking and eating scoff which we had scrounged and on the night of the 2nd we were lucky enough to see an ENSA show which included Wee Georgie Wood.

3 to 5 October 1943

Salerno

At 7 a.m. we were ordered to pack our kits and we were marched down to the docks where we boarded an L.C.I. on which we lived for two days and at 2 p.m. on the 5th I first set foot on the soil of Italy and I knew then that it was my first step towards home and the love which was awaiting me, but little did I think how long it would be. Our billets during our short stay in Salerno were in the Royal Opera House and three of us, Pedlar, Joe and myself were living and sleeping in a box and we were quite comfortable for three days when we received our movement orders for another journey.
8 October 1943

56 (London) Division 201 Guardsw Brigade

We left Salerno at 3 p.m. and after a wet and very weary journey arrived at a small seaside town called Castelmare where the 10 Corps. Reception Camp was and we were dumped in an old bolt factory and before being able to bed down we had to sweep up the broken glass, nuts and bolts all in total darkness owing to the scarcity of lights. We stayed at this place for one day and two nights during which time I had my first view of Mount Vesuvius.

10 October 1943

Today we started off on our last leg of our journey to the Battalion and after passing through the then very dirty Naples finally arrived at B Echelon which was at a place called Santa Maria and it was here that I heard the big guns for the first time. During our short stay of three days here we were split up into various companies. I went in No. 2 and Pedlar in No. 4 and during a drill parade which we had we were inspected by none other than Captain Yates who to my surprise and disgust stopped me a haircut, but afterwards he sent for me and I had a good chat with him.

12 October 1943

Battle of the Volturno

During this afternoon I was informed that all No. 2 Company personnel were to proceed up the line to join the company and I knew that the time had come when I had to put my faith in God and to ask for his guidance. We moved up at last light and after a short stay at Company H.Q. I was detailed to join the No. 4 Platoon who were in the town of Capua on the banks of the River Volturno doing O.P duties and after changing my boots for slippers I set off with a guide through the very eerie streets. On arrival I was immediately dispatched to a section and for the rest of the night with the exception of two or three hours I was gazing across the river just watching and waiting just in case Jerry did attempt anything. This went on for five nights and an amusing incident happened during this time. One night on arrival at the O.P we discovered that we had no watch between us so instead of going back for one we changed sentries everytime Jerry did being able to see him and we were only five minutes late getting back to our daylight position in the town.
16 October 1943

Tonight we were relieved of the Capua position by a battalion of the Ox. and Bucks. regiment and after spending the night in an oil factory we crossed the Volturno and dug in on a hill side just north of the river and it was here that I had my first narrow escape. Whilst we were moving up the hill we were spotted by Jerry who began mortaring us and on hearing a bunch coming I got down and five shells dropped about seventy yards away but the only casualty I had was my gas cape ripped clean off my belt with shrapnel, and after that nobody had to tell me to dig in, in fact I was like a steam navvy and we were here for 36 hours.

18 October 1943

Early on the morning of 18 October I was in my first attack. Orders came through that the Battalion had to clear the hill and at 4 a.m. after a terrific artillery barrage we went in with fixed bayonets and just as we thought Jerry had flapped Hell let loose and for about an hour I must have gone mad, because I don't remember very much about what happened until I found myself the only one left in the section the rest being killed or wounded, and after digging in and watching for a counter attack the 5th Battalion Grenadier Guards passed through us when we were able to relax and after two days in those positions we came out of the line for a rest but we were detailed to carry the rations up to the 3rd Battalion Scots Guards who were in a very precarious position and this went on until 28 October.
28 October 1943

I had to go sick with a very sore throat and I was sent back to the 8th C.C.S. at Santa Maria with acute tonsillitis.

5 November 1943

Today I rejoined B Echelon from hospital and although I was quite fit in myself I was ordered to go steady for a few days.

10 November 1943

I was warned today that I would be rejoining my Company and I reached them just as they were coming out of the village of Callabrilto where the Battalion had suffered very heavy casualties with mines and spandaus and we spent the night in some caves and it was here I first encountered the flea and before I had been in half an hour I was scratching like a blinking monkey.

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