大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a Volunteer at the National Trust, Sutton Hoo on behalf of Cyril Tuffs and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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In 1943, as part of the RASC, I was posted overnight to North Africa in June after the war there was over on a boat with no awning and full of total strangers. Not far out, the boat broke down and we all had to be transferred to another one. After 11 days we reached North Africa and it was terribly hot.

We were carrying ammunition from Algiers into the desert. Just before the Salerno landings in Italy we acquired petrol tankers which were put onto the landing craft and carried to Salerno. When we hit the beach I was in charge of a landing craft even though I was only a Private. The petrol tankers were not used so we were transferred to the Infantry for a few weeks and were some of the fist troops to be stationed in Naples. As the platoon fitter, I had to repair all vehicles and drive so at one stage I worked 22 days and nights without a break. I always had to travel last to repair any broken down vehicles.

We moved between Naples and Rome where I was the first to deliver petrol. I then went into hospital which was worse than a concentration camp. By the time I came out of hospital after a couple of weeks, we had moved to North Italy via Turin.

By this time, 1946, the war was over and I came home but had to return to be on tank transporters. I came out later in 1946 and married in 1947.

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