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At the age of 16 I began my military service in 1st 5th Battalion, QRR at Haselmere, Surrey 1936 which was a Vickers Machine gun company, with its HQ at Guildford. In 1938 I was mobilised but after a short time I was demobbed and stood down, however on 3rd September 1939 I was recalled to the Army and in December 1939 our company was then sent to provide guard duties at an ammunition factory called Bramley’s in Basingstoke.

The QRR was then posted to Yeovil for field, Anti Gas training in preparation for overseas duties. After some time we eventually en-trained to Southampton to sail to France on the SS Durban Castle, upon disembarkation at Cherbourg we were put on to trains and taken to Meziers de Lavden which is near to Amiens, Arras and Bethune, after more field training we were sent to the Escaut canal in Belgium. It was here where we encountered our first sight of the German military machine and received casualties, the Germans attacked us across the canal with infantry, machine gun and artillery fire, the infantry was backed up by tanks. This battle went on for seven days and we were then ordered to withdraw after a short period of heavy fighting we eventually took up a holding position at Foret de Niepe. Not long after we were sent to join up with other British and French troops on the roads and lanes back to the coast.

When we left the Foret de Niepe we were in company units but we soon lost touch with one and another, and I soon found myself in the company of a company commander Major Godfrey and his Batman Pte Turner, soon we became mixed up with refugees who were trying to escape the fighting. Soon we were attacked by the German dive-bombers but we managed to escape into the open country and could soon see the sea. During our journey we once again became mixed up with more refugees and other British and French troops all trying to get away from the incessant bombing by the Germans. We soon encountered a NAAFI truck that had been commandeered by French soldiers, it was loaded with boxes of milk and tins of M&V (meat and vegetables) and Major Godfrey immediately took command of the truck and ordered the Frenchmen to leave. Upon opening the NAAFI boxes we discovered that they only contained condensed milk. Unfortunately it was too thick to drink so we only had some chocolate bars to eat. Later on, further into the open country, I met a French soldier who offered me a drink from his water bottle which I assumed would be water, however, it turned out to be only bitter Red wine which I was unable to drink.

At the time, no one had any ideas where we were heading for, but all became clear after 3 to 4 days when we arrived in the outskirts of the small French seaside town of Dunkirk. At this time the beach was full of both British and French troops amongst the debris of war, abandoned trucks and other fighting vehicles. Upon arrival at the promenade we were given tickets by the MPs which detailed our divisional flag numbers, mine was Number 44 which would be in evidence on the beach. We were to muster around these flags and wait till such time as our numbers were sufficient to be taken off the beach in a boat to go to one of the larger boats and ships waiting to receive us just off the beach.

During the 4 days that I spent on that beach waiting to be rescued, I was continually in fear for my life. All round me there were men seeking shelter from the continual bombing and strafing of the beach by the German planes and many men lost their lives on that beach. The German fighters and bombers were an ever-present threat. We spent hours huddled in pits that we had dug in the sand in search of respite from the incessant attacks by them. Amongst the vehicles abandoned on the beach we found a NAAFI truck which contained chocolate bars, biscuits and tins of bully beef. So at least we were able to keep our spirits up as far as eating was concerned.

I soon found myself mixed up with many different regiments and nationalities such as Indians, French etc, and during the fourth day on the beach I was picked up by a small boat but due to the amount of men clinging to its sides it capsized and we found ourselves in the sea. Fortunately a lifeboat from the former pleasure boat steamer the Golden Eagle had spotted us and we were soon carried back to the Golden Eagle which was to remove me from the carnage on that beach at Dunkirk. The crew, having pulled us aboard the steamer, sent us straight down to the engine room to dry off and then we were given mugs of hot chocolate and biscuits. We were allowed to get some long overdue sleep on the deck and as darkness loomed we left Dunkirk on route to Sheerness in Kent.

Upon arrival in Sheerness we were taken to the Royal Navy barracks, HMS wildfire. From there we were placed onboard trains at the dock still in our battledress (what was left of them) and sent to Oxford. At Cowley barracks where we were held under canvas to await the arrival of other survivors (sic). I was sent to a camp consisting of tents and bivouacs and as every day dawned we had parades which were attended by new arrivals from the beaches. After spending two weeks in this camp just outside Oxford we were then transported by trucks to Castleford near Doncaster in Yorkshire for field training. Whilst I was here I received my temporary promotion to Lance Corporal and I became one of the guard commanders. My duties at this time included the command of a group of ten men. After a period of two to three months we once again became a full division and in company with other regiments were moved to the south to Kent and Sussex areas. I was then sent to the coast at Seaford near to Eastbourne to join the Coastal defence as part of the Anti invasion defence force. But after two months as no German forces had dared to invade I was stood down and moved inland to Biggin Hill to defend the aerodrome and then on to barracks at Gravesend where I along with my comrades were given two weeks leave.

I went back to my family home at Beacon Hill, Near Hindhead in Surrey. Upon my return to my home it was as if the war was many miles away and life in this small English village went on as usual. Many of my old friends who had joined up at the same time as me had not returned, in particular two old friends from the TA, Humphrey Strattan and Charlie Marrett had been captured by the Germans in Belgium and were at that time held as Prisoners of War somewhere in Germany. Fortunately they were returned to Beacon Hill after five years of incarceration and I was able to meet up with them again. Other notable Beacon Hill residents that I recall are my long time friend Ron Whittacker who had joined the Armoured Corp. There were three brothers, Doug, Roy and Don Ellis whose father was the local “bobby”. The house that their family lived in was called “Dougroydon”. Later on during the war I met up with Doug on the ship from Glasgow that took us to North Africa and we spoke of old times and old friends. It was good to meet and talk to someone from home. “Tubby” Andrews, who was the former owner and mechanic of the local garage had joined the RAF as a navigator. He was later demobbed and took up his former life. Another friend who later became a work colleague of mine at the Hindhead Post Office after the war is Dick Mercer. Dick had joined the RAF as ground staff.

Upon return to duty at Gravesend I contracted appendicitis and was sent to Military Hospital at Beneden, this had formerly been the home of the Guinness family but had been commandeered by the War Dept as a Military Hospital. Once I was fit again I was “Y” listed and sent to join the Royal West Kent Regt and posted to Barking, replacing troop shortages in the RWK battalions. After a long time we were sent home on leave (two weeks) after which we joined our battalions and in 1942 I was sent to North Africa to fight in Algeria and Tunisia as a back force for the Eighth Army under General Montgomery to assist their drive to push General Rommel and his Afrika Korps from Egypt and into Tunisia. Upon arrival in Algiers I found that I had been transferred to the London Irish Rifles as a rifleman and did not see immediate action at that time and stayed in camp for a couple of months until we were sent forward to fight with the 1st Army at Mersa Matruh in Algeria. We were sent out on patrols against the Afrika Korps and we patrolled La Goubelliat Plain and Longstop Hills on their advanced units. After the North African campaign ended in 1943, I was sent along with the London Irish Rifles to invade Sicily at Palermo and I was part of the Allies force that drove the Germans out of Sicily.

My next move was to take part in the invasion of Italy; we landed on Italian soil at a point somewhere between Naples and Salerno where we met little or no opposition to our invasion. But later on I became embroiled in the battle at Monte Casino. After a period of heavy fighting the allies were victorious and many prisoners were taken. I had received injuries to my legs caused by shrapnel whilst serving in North Africa so after a short period in hospital and I sent (sic) to the small mountain town called Benevento where I spent a year as worker in feeding station which provided catering for troop trains moving from Naples to Bari. During the time I was billeted in the booking office of the Benevento Station, I became friendly with the stationmaster and his family. During 1980 I returned to Italy in the company of my wife, Mary, and we were fortunate to meet up with the family once again. Up until the death of Stationmaster’s sister, I have been in contact with them, exchanging Christmas and birthday cards.

I served out the rest of the war Benevento until 1945 when I was sent to a transit camp in Milan to await my return to England (Sic). I was sent by train via Geneva and Calais arriving in Folkestone August 1946. Upon my return to England I was given two weeks leave and I returned home to Beacon Hill to join in the celebrations with my family. I was greeted with end of war parades in the village and met up with old friends. After leave I was sent to Woking to be demobbed in November 1946 and I returned to civilian life once again.

During my military service I received the General Service, 1939-1945 and Defence Medals, in addition to the North African and Italian Stars. The decorations and their ribbons were posted to my home from the war office in 1945.

F.J.S. Gage

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