大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples War site by Jas from Global Information Centre Eastbourne and has been added to the website on behalf of Mr Alford with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions

I was born on the 24th April 1920 and my mother was a country girl from Essex and my father was an Accountant from London. I had an older sister Mary born in 1915 and a younger sister born in 1929. I lived in and around London until commencement of the War in 1939.

I was a reasonably good athlete and I captained school teams at cricket and football, had a trial for Middlesex Juniors at cricket, sang in the church choir but at 12-14 I lost my voice after being top boy and 鈥渟inging solos鈥�. I ran at The White City in county sports.

I started work at 14 years old as an office boy and left that after a year to take up an apprenticeship with the GLCC for four years which took me up to the beginning of the War.

During my apprenticeship I did a spell of boxing but realised I didn鈥檛 like being knocked around so switched to sculling which I proved to be quite good at and also won a cup for all indoor sports in 1938. I played in the company football team and played badminton and table tennis.

Most of the chaps were called up to be fitters in the fleet air arm. I had my papers through first for the army so I thought as I had those before the fleet air arm I should join the army. I regretted it after! I would rather have been with all my old chums, nevertheless I packed my bags, said my goodbyes and with my free travel
pass and four shillings PO in advance of service pay set off for Carlton on Trent RASC Training Centre on the 27th June 1940.

I did my basic training there and then moved down to Chatham to start the mechanical training. While I was there until the end of October a lot of overhead fighting took place at the 鈥淏attle of Britain鈥�.

The first time I was nearly shot, fortunately only a bit of a dent in my steel helmet! I then moved up to Leeds for another two months and then back to Bulford Barracks before trekking all the way back to Glasgow to test our skills on waterproofing vehicles for driving through water.

We really are ready now for service overseas and it鈥檚 time for embarkation leave on May 9th, seven days. I got the tropical kit on May 17th and arrived at Liverpool on the
23rd and set sail for Greenock and then on to the beginning of a six week journey. The ship was called the 鈥淰iceroy of India鈥� sunk next trip out.

By the 6th June it was starting to get very warm, got into khaki drill. We crossed the line on the 21st June and next day we heard Tobrok has fallen and twenty eight thousand men gone. By now it is the 27th June and going round the Cape and changing back into battle dress. Pretty cold. 4th July docked at Durban and got off ship next day, had photo taken.

Sailed again on the 7th, hot again, passed Madagascar over on port side, pulled in to Aden, very hot and sticky on the 17th July. Passed through Red Sea and landed in Suez on the 24th. Slept on the quay side all night awaiting transport and eventually got away on the 26th on our way to Tahaq, 85 miles away. The next day we went for a swim in Ismailia getting out workshop organised for vehicles ready to work on.

I stayed at Tahaq until mid September and then up and away into real desert about 30 miles from Alexandria. I was running short of food and water. Another trip of about 45 miles south, deeper into desert, and only about 35 miles from Cairo. Still very little water.

29th September 1942, very very hot and no water all day and the same again on the 30th. Next day a driver passing through gave us a can and we drank ourselves silly and actually had a wash and a shave.

Clothes had to be washed in petrol (dry in 5 minutes) and to cap it all we had a two day sandstorm. The cook house had to ring a bell so we could find it.

Halfway through October and things are hotting up. 大象传媒shop is working day and night to keep the three ton Bedfords going with all the sand that is getting in to the petrol systems and the odd truck that has gone over a land mine and another one that has been hit by a dive bomber (not much rest).

We are now a mile or so behind a thousand guns which we (our 3 tonners) are supplying with about 1,000 rounds each. The Battle of Alamein started on the 23rd October through to the 4th November 鈥� let battle commence!

On the 28th one of our fitters started repairing a petrol tank too quickly and put a blow lamp on it to repair a hole and he got blown up and I got caught in the blast and was knocked several yards. We got him to hospital and fortunately he recovered and returned to us a month later.

1st November sees me as near death as it is possible to be. Jerry was trying to knock our workshop out and the dive bombers came in with the sun behind them so we cannot see them. This Stuka with two guns blazing came down on three of us who all dived to the same ridge for cover.

I knew I had been hit and momentarily I was sure I was dead. On seeing the blood pouring out of my right arm I realised I was still alive but unfortunately the two lads either side of me were both- dead.

The spray of the bullets killed the one on my left, lucky me in the middle only got one to the arm and the other poor devil got the full blast. I never worried again after that I just prayed that if it was my turn it would be quick. In the meantime our lorries were belting backwards and forwards day and night keeping the guns supplied.

Incidentally I forgot to mention that the Stuka dive bomber has a built in scream mechanism which is turned on when it is diving 鈥� horrible!

Now we have broken through the El Alamein Line we are moving up a few miles every day to stay in touch with the action. Horrible sights of dead bodies and tanks with people who have been trying to clamber out after an armour piercing shell has swished round inside.

All black bodies, half burnt. I am afraid this is real war, no give or take. 1,200 of our tanks took part and as Monty said in a memo to all companies involved in the War of North Africa, 鈥渓et no man surrender so long as he is unwounded and can fight.

Let us all pray that the Lord Mighty in battle will give us the victory.鈥� B L Montgomery, Lieutenant General GOC in the Eighth Army.

It was at this time that our Bedford 3 tonners were getting a little tired. It wasn鈥檛 unusual for one to breakdown somewhere in no mans land and the thing was to go out and find it before dark because Jerry was always on the look out for strays.

On one occasion I found myself with a breakdown truck out looking when I saw what I thought was a sandstorm approaching, but not a bit of it, it was Monty leading by example with about a dozen tanks 鈥� I was told in no uncertain language to get the hell out of it.

German tanks apparently were about a mile away and they were going to clear up. I did find the truck the next morning very early and got it back. The driver had apparently found his own way back.

I did incidentally find a German staff car at the same time riddled with bullet holes. This time we repaired the petrol tank without anyone getting blown up.

By now we are passing pens of German and Italian prisoners. I spoke to one who had sufficient English and he told me this was the only front on which they were being defeated.

The German Headquarters was telling them nothing other than that they shouldn鈥檛 be surrendering. By now we are at the end of October and rapidly approaching Mersa Matru.

Now into the end of November 1942 the workshop had to move on leaving me with a fitter and an electrician to put a reconditioned engine into one of the Bedfords. We worked all night and I got a wooden splinter from the packing case which turned septic causing a big red line from my thumb up under my right arm. Very painful!

We got the job done though and caught up with the workshop a couple of days later. No good for a day! Off on the move again in the middle of December have now travelled about 150 miles in the last few days with Benghazi in sight. Hand still causing a lot of trouble. Taking lots of tablets and lots of visits to the M.O.

Benghazi town getting hammered by Jerry. December 25th Officer MSM visited us all at 8.00 am with tea, chocolates and 10 cigarettes. Worked on two broken springs all day and had pork and beer for supper and went to bed in bivi.

I was woken up in the soaking set with rain, spent all next day drying out. M.O thinking of sending me back to base for a complete rest. In fact I go tomorrow and am to make my own way there calling on any camp for meals and sleep. I eventually got there about a week after, over a 1,000 miles.

My workshop said that I could join another company down at base if I didn鈥檛 feel like coming back. I had about two weeks convalescing but got some decent food down me and saw a few films and generally relaxed.

Now I thought it was time to get back to work and my own company. I did the same going back as I did coming down, eating and resting anywhere I could, no problems, every camp willing to take you in and the next day give you a lift back as far as they could.

It took me a bit longer going back as my workshop had moved on up to around the Tripoli area. When I eventually found them there was rejoicing all round but they were surprised I managed to do it.

Next day back to work as usual but by now I was in charge of the inspection section which is almost an MOT but called in the army a 406. Each lorry had its own 406 and inspections were done every month unless of course they had a breakdown.

It is now in the beginning of March and I am finding time to have a swim nearly every day, strength building up to maximum now.

I got attacked by a sea gull whilst swimming today, sea very rough and raining a bit. Now March and passed lots of prisoners on the road 鈥� they are all throwing in the towel and have had enough in this area. In fact Tripoli is held and has been for the last month.

Winston Churchill came out on the 3rd and 4th February and addressed the Highland Division and the New Zealand Division along with the Royal Armoured Corps and the Royal Army Service Corps.

He addressed us by saying:- 鈥淓ver since your victory at Alamein you have nightly pitched your moving tents a day鈥檚 march nearer home. In days to come when people ask you what you did in the Second World War it will be enough to say I marched with the Eighth Army.鈥�

8th April cleaned my Bren Gun. I haven鈥檛 mentioned before that I was the company champion with the Bren and the rifle.

I had the only Bren gun in the company but apart from firing at the odd German plane it didn鈥檛 get a lot of use. I did have various guns through my hands that were said to be faulty which I tested and returned with comments.

I had an anti tank gun in yesterday which had some hell of a kick!

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