大象传媒

L. DAVIES
No. 4276232
X. GOY
R.N.F.

Dear Rose,
Well I am writing to you hoping that you are keeping well as myself I am lucky to be alive to write. Why have you not written, it is 5 months since I heard from you as I have photos, letters and airgraphs, but received no answer. Well the old battalion have had some fighting, lost a good few men but done good work. You will of read about the boxes formed in the desert, the loss of Torbruck and the fast moving Battles we have had. Well the last one of all Mersa Mahtrue, was the worst, I will never forget it. We were in a box and Jerry shelled from all sides and continued day and night and we had to break out at the finish or be taken prisoner. Well the night came, Saturday and we moved up and Jerry was waiting for us with tanks and machine guns and we got about 30 yards of him before he fired, machine guns against tanks but the lads went straight in, like mad men and didn鈥檛 they fight and at the finish drove the tanks away and the Jerry was picking up the dead for 24 hours and we lost half our trucks. The next day we reformed and got ready, it was Sunday. Shells were coming over by the dozen and Jerry was closing in on us, so as soon as it was dark we made our mad dash to freedom and at a dear cost. Hell was let loose, he knew we were coming out. We broke the way through. Trucks were burning, men were killed and wounded and screaming for help, we could not stop as tracer bullets were flying through us and tanks were knocking hell out our trucks. Well we carried on, Jerry about 2 or 3 yards from us and what a mess but the gun team on my truck they did wonders, I was 5 yards of an anti tank gun and he fired at my truck blowing the engine to bits and the lads fired their guns to the last round with Jerry fighting round the truck and we were ambushed and not much chance to get out. Well 7 of us fixed our bayonets and went in at them the officer leading and smashed them up at hand to hand fighting in this valley and hell was let loose. The screams of Jerry was heard above the battle to surrender but mercy is not given when you lose your best pals. The officer got wounded but carried on still fighting and he was bleeding badly, well we had to come out, tired, worn out, no truck and very little ammunition left. Well we carried our wounded out, 4 of the men died in my arms but we got them onto a truck, fought our way out and got to the main column heading for freedom. The men down hearted at the loss of pals but moral not broken. They never lose hope because they know we will win if we fight to the last man in this dry, waterless hell of a desert.

Your loving husband,
Les.

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