大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Chris Comer of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Albert Newton (the author)and has been added to the site with his permission. Albert Newton fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

This is a story that Albert Newton told when he attended a People's War Reminiscence Session at Bredbury library.

Albert, from Hyde , was a motor transport Corporal serving in the Royal Engineers during the North Africa Campaign.

Albert told Lisa Cooper from the Stockport Express that scorching temperatures reached 140F (60C) in the shade during the day and dipped to bitterly cold at night. He said "We were without water most of the time as we were only allowed a pint a day, living on a diet of bully beef and biscuits. We'd not take our clothes off for weeks. One day I was so dirty I had to be washed down in petrol. The mines were the biggest problem in the desert, most of our men were lost through them. I'm very lucky to be here. Sometimes you forget, but sometimes you just can't forget some of the things we've been through. I would not wish it on anyone, not even your worst enemy. It was a terrible place to be. There were many times I thought I'd rather be dead than there."

Albert told Chris Comer, from Stockport libraries, about his rescue of the crew from a heavily armoured vehicle. As he explained to Chris, the progress of the North Africa campaign against Rommel's troops was a long drawn out process of advance and retreat as first one side and then the other got the upper hand. One problem was that, as you advanced, your supply lines became more and more extended until vital supplies became virtually impossible to obtain forcing a tactical retreat. Of course the German forces had the same logistical problem - hence the ebb and flow of the combatants positions.

Once our troops were performing an orderly retreat from an advance by the Germans with the Heavy Armoured vehicles on the outside of the retreating formation with the lighter armoured vehicles protected on the inside. However Albert spotted one Heavy Armoured Vehicle retreating painfully slowly 'like a wounded elephant' getting left behind. Albert drove across to it and realised he could do nothing to make the vehicle go any faster and that it's crew were at risk of their lives from the heavy German bombardment. He persuaded the crew to abandon their vehicle and leap into his vehicle which he used to convey them to safety. The faulty armoured vehicle was left trundling slowly across the desert performing the vital task of drawing the German attack away from them.

Albert was reprimanded by an officer for neglecting to rescue the vehicle as whilst the crew were dispensible the vehicle wasn't.

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