大象传媒

War memories:

Elizabeth Donald and Francis George Heath met when Liz was only sweet 16 and Frank 18 years. Liz (born 24th September 1923) lived in Field Street, Felling.

Frank (born 26th October 1921) lived in Richmond, Yorkshire. Frank was born and lived in Anchorage Place, built in 1700 until he was 10 and then moved to Bridge Terrace until he was 18, which were considered then to be modern stone cottages, which overlooked the River Swale. He was known as Ranch Carter-Heath in the village.

Frank had ridden his bicycle all the way to Gateshead, with a friend, that day with the intention of finding his mother Gladys Heath, who had moved to Alwinton Gardens, Lobley Hill some years earlier, after leaving his father George Carter.

It was a day that was to change his life for ever.

There was at that night a fair on Windmill Hills, which Frank and his friend decided to have a walk around. It was this day that he met the lovely Elizabeth. Dad said that he knew the moment he set eyes on her he was keen and wanted to get to know her, but as he was shy, he just knocked her hat off for fun, to get her attention. Frank and his mate then walked Liz and her best friend Alice Reid home all the way to Felling.

Frank got a job at Armstrong Vickers the next day and stayed in Gateshead forever!!

They were together from that day until Dad died just after his 80th birthday. (2002)
An amazing roller coaster of 62 years, sharing the good and the bad times all the way.

They had two children, Francis George Junior (July 1941) and Alma. (November 1953) Sadly they lost their beloved son Frank at the tender age of 52.

Liz worked in Hanlin鈥檚 The Grocer Shop on Gateshead High Street. She used to do the bike deliveries, but mostly walked as she was frightened of breaking the eggs!!
When they were courting, Liz鈥檚 remembers her supervisor saying 鈥淢iss Donald, work well, there is an inspector watching us from outside the shop鈥�, when Liz looked out the window, it was her Frank waiting to take her home from work, and Meggie Martin and all the shop girls were teasing her and jealous of her tall and handsome boyfriend.

They married on the 8th March 1941 at St. Patrick鈥檚 Catholic Church, Felling. Liz wore White Satin bridal and carried a bouquet of Lilac flowers. Sally, Elizabeth 鈥榮 oldest sister was bridesmaid and fell down all the steep front steps, after the service, ruining her bridesmaid gown, but everyone just couldn鈥檛 help laughing.

Frank called Liz, 鈥淟ilac,鈥� his flower, from that day on. 鈥� (some friends say Lila.)

The newly weds, lived in Field Street with Lilac鈥檚 parents at first, and Frank got on really well with his new father-in-law, who he called little Bill. Bill called Frank,
鈥淏ig Jack.鈥� Kate, his lovely, gentle mother-in-law, was amazed that this broad, tall fellow was a vegetarian!! Lilac鈥檚 parents loved nothing better than on a sunday afternoon, when Frank would take them all out for a beer, and a ride in his newly acquired but 鈥渧ery old鈥� ford car. To Bill it was like a Rolls Royce, he would wave out the window to everyone he knew on Sunderland Road Those days it was only out for a couple of gills, as people didn鈥檛 drink much then.

Lilac was 17 and due to have her first baby, so they moved in to live with her blind and deaf aunt Lizzie, so they could look after her too as War had broken out.

One day at Vickers the foreman asked all the lads for volunteers for the Army and Frank and his best mate Bob, expecting that the War would last not more than 6 months, said yes. Two weeks later they were in. They could have been exempt, as they were setting up machines for women to make aircraft parts, nuts and bolts for the War. Whitworths 鈥� American metal from Cincinnati 鈥� the worst equipment. Frank was in line for the foreman鈥檚 job too. He was a Capstan operator and used to teach the lads how to sharpen the tungsten tools, steel was used to cut metal in Pitler Young machinery from Germany. It was set like a star, you鈥檇 drill 鈥� turnaround, ream, thread it. etc.,

Lilac was furious with him for volunteering for the War, but moved with him to Catterick Garrison, where recruits were stationed for secret training before passing out. Lilac and Frank and baby Frankie, rented a room with Mrs O Grady, in Richmond, who was very kind to them, but not keen on babies.

Frank had good memories of this time, meeting Harry Wharton from the Royal Artillery, (and his 25 pounder wire-less) formed by Churchill to counter attack 6th armoured (div) tank regiment. (Gunnery and Tanks) Other things they remembered were Frank being sent to Army camps in Scotland, Kilmarnock, Stirling and Ayr Race Course. Frank (now only 20 years old) remembers telling Lilac that he was on embarkation leave for 3 weeks, and had been warned by the Army that he may never come back home, a terrible thought for newly weds.

Frank had to drive tanks to Aberdeen to put them on merchant ships in case the main convoy got sank by enemy, then the men were sent onto Liverpool docks. He was at sea for 3 or 4 horrible weeks 鈥� he remembers they had to be silent the whole journey, it was so very quiet and eary, so that the Germans spy鈥檚 in u-boats couldn鈥檛 pick them up on sonar, and then know where the British troops were going. Frank thought it would be Spain, Gibraltar, or somewhere in the Mediterranean, he said it was like sailing to the middle of the Earth. (Nov. 12th 1942).

They were only told 3 hours before landing that is was Algiers.!! They fought the French 鈥� it was a wipe out and then the Italians, they were no trouble. Then Gerry brayed the British troops harshly back into Cairo. Frank was here for a long time.

Frank in Egypt, missing Lilac and wishing he could be with her and their son at home)

Whilst in Tunisia, Frank captured 3 German prisoners all by himself, in the middle of a freezing night, when serving under Major Brundle. He was on night duty and took them alone, and was impressed when they refused to wear Italian clothes offered to them, once they were stripped of their guns and uniform, and chose to sleep naked on the cold tarpaulin all night. One German soldier offered his gun over to Frank and said you are a very brave young man, take this for your future grandchildren.

Once again Frank met up with Harry Wharton 鈥� 3rd Brigade of Guards 鈥� Rifle Brigade. 4th Indian Division Gerka鈥檚 鈥� (not sure of order of these memories -)
Royal Engineers, would build a bridge, with the medical core, in a French village
Le Ciff 鈥� North Africa where Frank remembers how he caught Malaria. He used to drive the left handed Ambulances 鈥� taking over from the Welsh Guards 鈥� they were relieved by the 6th Armoured Division. Gerry, saw him at dawn one morning and started shelling, there were no trenches left so he threw himself out into the sand to avoid the shrapnel, he鈥檇 fallen into a female nest of mosquitoes and 100鈥檚 of them flew up out of the sand. He could feel them biting and stinging all over his body, he just covered his face with his hands. He daren鈥檛 move 鈥� he just had to lie still or he鈥檇 risk being shot by the Germans.

2 weeks later in Naples the doc鈥檚 admitted him to hospital with acute Malaria. He remembers shivering all the time. Harry was well enough to leave hospital. But both remember Mount Vesuvius erupting while they were in this war hospital.
(I still have the tiny piece of red volcanic rock).

Although the volcano was 3 miles away, he remembers the noise and the tremors, the ground shaking violently, and that although it was broad daylight, it suddenly went pitch black. They all thought they would die that day too.- One of many days.!!
They could see the eruption from London.

(1943 or 44)
When Frank was sent back to fight with his units, he was sent to the Battle of Monte Casino. They were hidden in the monastery by Americans to try and get the Gerry, but the Gerry were hidden in the mountains and could see them miles away. They attacked us 4 times before they were taken, however, 135,000 men died.
Troops from New Zealand, Poland, Britain and the crack Gerkas Para troopers were lost. Alexander took the Americans out, the British troops were in front of Casino, but the Gerry鈥檚 had Stooker bombers. In the main battle 鈥� they regrouped the troops in Port Barry in Italy. There were 2 tankers, ammunition ships, and 1 Gerry mesherscmitt, which bombed all the ships and lost 800 people.
This created a 4 month delay as the 8th army had to wait for return transport.

(As they advanced through Italy, the soldiers remember dirty houses and MP鈥檚 rounding up all the soldiers who had been with the Italian women . Some troops were in hospital with VD and they were subjected to court martial and put on charge, but it was terribly sad to see young kids in Naples selling sex for coppers or food.
Whereas proceeding through Austria, the Troops noticed was noticeably very clean.)

1945 鈥� Austria Clagenfert. On Yugoslavian Boarder
In Clagenfert, Austria,Frank was stationed in a family called Gerhardt鈥檚 home, as he was the Major鈥檚 front line driver. He stayed downstairs with the servants while the major was upstairs with Doctor Gerhardt and his wife Alma. They were very kind.

Frank was on Border patrol to stop Tito鈥檚 mob from coming over into Austria. As they used to rape and pinch just like the Russians did. Frank was also the driver for Brigadier Keithley. He was sent onto Tripoli for a few months to serve to try and squelch troubles as Arab-Gadalfi was murdering the Italian population.

[Alma Barracks 鈥� Richmond - named after 1854 Battle of The Green Howard鈥檚]
We only discovered many years after I was named Alma that Frank鈥檚 own granddad, born just outside of Richmond, in Reeth, had died in the Battle of Alma.

Although all troops knew they had to come back to war if they had still 6 months or more to serve, they were entitled to 1 months leave to go home, just before Frank鈥檚 leave was due he took a re-lapse of malaria was admitted back into hospital again. Finally he was transferred by an old rattling Dakota plane with 7 others to a hospital in Malta to await for a troop-ship to return him to England and his family at last.

They were 6 month late getting back to England after the end of the war, due to suffering severe sand-fly fever, dysentery and malaria. Finally de-mobbed in York, before returning to his family in the North East. Harry and Frank remained friends.

The rest is History!
+ These memories were written down by Alma, as requested by her Dad Frank, in the last days of Francis George Carter-Heath鈥檚 life. (22 Nov 2002). Frank and Elizabeth talked to each other about all the things they been through, in 62 years together. He wanted his great-grandchildren to know about them both, should there ever be any. Elizabeth constantly sat bravely at Frank鈥檚 side, never leaving hold of his hand, night and day for the last three weeks of his very severe illness.
I will never forget -
Frank鈥檚 very last words to Elizabeth as he turned his head to look at her, he put his other hand on her hair, to touch the soft curls on her forehead, and he smiled,

鈥淵ou look like an Angel, with all that silver glitter in your hair, you are so pretty鈥�
(there was no silver glitter of course)

They just sat holding both of each others hands and smiling so sweetly at each other 鈥�
then he closed his eyes, and was gone鈥�.

(I have never been able to allow myself to read back the notes as they made me so sad until today 鈥� but I know they both would want this to be read - Alma.)

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