- Contributed by听
- ActionBristol
- People in story:听
- Albert Edward Brown
- Location of story:听
- Seaforth Barracks Liverpool
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A4022344
- Contributed on:听
- 07 May 2005
Albert was called up on the 16th May 1940 aged 24. Joined the King's Liverpool Regiment. Call up was felt as inevitable and the papers were expected. Only a short time (8 to 12 weeks) was spent at Seaforth Barracks. From Seaforth sent to form 10th Battallion Home Defence in Sefton Park Liverpool approx a mile from where Albert lived for 3 months. The park was equiped with Tents. PT Training was under the direction of Frank Swift the Manchester Utd and England goalkeeper. Football games were arranged and Albert having played for Southport was entered into a team playing against such famous names as Dixie Dean and Ellis Rimmer.
Duties involved manning the communications for the Docks. One particular duty at Gladstone docks involved presenting arms to the Naval vessels entering and leaving port.
During 1941 May Blitz on Liverpool duties involved guarding buildings that had been bombed, traffic duties and recovering victims. At this time neighbours used to ask each other to store furniture from bombed out buildings and as a result of this Albert remet his girlfriend from years ago and she became his future wife Elsie. So Albert has Hitler to thank for renewal of what became a 52 year marriage.
Eventually posted from Liverpool to Slough guarding factories on the trading estates, then back to Formby near Southport. At this point transferred to the Royal Corp of Signals at Catterick. Finally sent to Glasgow and boarded the troopship Cameronia for India. (6 Week passage changing in Durban) Landed in Bombay and posted Mhow training centre. (November 1941) After 6 months training as an operator joined the 26th Indian Division at Calcutta. When the regiment was broken up moved to the 20th Indian Division and saw action in Burma eventually involved in the recapture of Mandalay.
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