大象传媒

This story was contributed to the Peoples War website with the author's permission.

On the 2nd December 1943 I joined the Welsh Regiment and after a period of six weeks training in Brecon, South Wales, I, along with other members of the Regiment, was sent to Leigh on Sea, Essex.

It was now April 1944 and for the first time in my life I had to leave Wales and travelled by train to London on the way to Leigh on Sea, Essex. The most vivid memory I have of that journey, is stopping at Oxford station and seeing that the train on the other platform was going to Pembroke Dock, and knowing that the train was going through Llanelly brought tears to my eyes.

On reaching Paddington Station, I took the underground to Tower Hill and then walked to Fenchurch Street Station and boarded a train to Leigh on Sea.

The army had taken charge of the houses in the area and I stayed in one of them for four weeks. During my stay I attended evening service at the local chapel in Southend on Sea. After the service the soldiers were invited to the the Chapel hall for tea and cakes. The minister presented me with a New Testament, and I have it to this day.

Shortly we had to leave Leigh on Sea for Herne Bay, Kent where the 1st/5th Welch Regiment were based and I became a member of this Regiment.

On the move and this time to Ickworth Park Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. No house this time but a little bell tent but although it was the month of May it rained so much one day that it turned the place into a sea of mud.

Early one June morning I was awoken by the roar or Aeroplanes. Later I was told that the invasion of Europe had begun; it was 6th June 1944. Not long after that I was on the move again, this time to the dock at Southampton, the ship and the beaches of Normandy.

The ship was very large and landing craft were used to reach the shore. On leaving the craft I was up to my waist in water and on going towards the shore I went into a shell hole and was up to my neck in water. This was very frightening. My New Testament had its first taste of water.

July 1944 it was now a week after D-Day and on marching through Normandy, passed through Arromanches, Bayeau and slept in a field with the other soldiers. I was in France before the 1st/5th Welch Regiment, therefore when they had their first casualties, I had to go as a replacement to C Company.

The month of July found me at the front line, only a field away from the German army. At Baron which was called Hill 112 I was in a cornfield for three days and nights and could not move around by day. On the fourth day other soldiers arrived and thy through smoke bombs into the field, thus enabling me to move out. There was a raging battle and the German tanks had to retreat.

The Regiment advanced to Falaise where the Germans were in "pockets" surrounded on three sides, with only one way out. The German soldiers suffered heavy losses. There was little fighting after Falaise.

Crossing the River Seine near Muids 20 miles South of Rouen and advanced towards the River Somme, reaching Pigouiny by the 2nd September 1944, on the town of Lille, to Menin which is on the French and Belgium Border. On to Ypres,Mouscron, Alost, Wolverthem, Boom and Antwerp.

As Antwerp was in German hands, I had to guard the docks. After week I left Antwerp for the Junction Canal north of Lommel. There were Germans in this area and one of my fellow soldiers was killed. At this point I had my second taste of being in water, crossing a little stream I stepped into a shell hole and was again up to my neck in water.

I was now in Holland, walking through the fields I saw the Airbourne flying over and later learned that they had been on their way to Arnhem.

For me it was a long trek through the fields of Holland, passing through the villages of Middelsbeers, Osstelbeers and the town of Eindhoven. The latter part of September the other soldiers and I were on our way to Nijmegen, but at St. Oedenrode South west of Grave there were Germans in the area and we had to stay in the fields until mid October.

October 1944 and on the move again, this time to Oss. Here a few soldiers and I stayed at a farmhouse. The Dutch family had a little girl of about 10 years of age and I asked her to write her name and address on my New Testament. On leaving Oss, the soldiers and I were told that we would be attacking the town of s'Hertogenbosch, from the East to the West from the direction of Oss.

The night of October 23rd 1944, the 1st/5th Regiment were to advance on the railway towards the North Eastern outskirts of the town. On reaching the town, another soldier and I went into a house, through the back door with the intention of going through the house and out through the front door and into the street. On walking through the back room, into a middle room, I came face to face with a Dutch family, sitting at a table with two German Soldiers standing at the other door with a machine gun ready to fire. At this point I had no alternative but to give up the fight.

I was taken Prisoner of War on th 24th October 1944, and marched from s'Hertogenbosch to Amersfoot.

It was now November and all the prisoners were put into box rail wagons and transported to Germany. On route somewhere in Germany the wagons had to stop as the RAF were overhead shooting at everything that moved. After a week in the wagons, where we had been packed in like sardines we came to a place called Fallingbostel. This is where the Prisoners of War camp was situated. It was called Stalag X1B. At this Prisoner of War Camp were so many Airbourne who were captured at Arnhem. Life at Stalag was not good, little food and an occasional Red Cross parcel to help us along.

On Christmas Day 1944, as a gesture of goodwill we were shown the film 'The Wizard of Oz' and given a mug of beer.

Towards the middle of March 1945 about 50 soldiers had to leave Stalag to work on a railway line at a town called Uelzen, as the RAF had bombed the railway. We all slept on straw in the Market Hall, in the Centre of Town, and marched to the railway to work during the day. One morning a woman came up to me and slapped me across the face.

April 1945 - the RAF were very busy in the area for some time, bombing German planes and the railway. One Saturday morning, whilst working on the railway, the RAF started bombing the town from one end through the centre and to the other end. Many Germans were killed and others injured. The Prisoners of War were injured but not seriously. A brick came through the air with the blast from an explosion and landed on my ankle, which remained painful for a few days. The Market Hall was bombed, therefore we were marched for 6 miles to a barn and slept the night.

The following morning when we awoke we had the surprise of our lives; outside the barn was a British tank. We were FREE. We were taken to Celle where we had a medical check up, new clothes, good food and a bed to sleep in. The following day we boarded a plane which took us to an airfield outside Brussels, Belgium. We stayed in Brussels for one night, saw the town, back to the hotel, slept in a bed and this time there were white sheets.

The next day we boarded a plane and landed at Horsham, England; another medical, new clothes, a railway pass and six weeks leave.

We were taken by lorry to the railway station at Horsham, caught a train to Victoria Station, London, the underground to Paddington Station, but this time a year later, on the overnight train to Wales and home.

Arriving at Llanelli at 5.00 am I did not have to walk far and when I got to the street of my home there were flags everywhere; I wondered what had happened. I was to find out that the flags were out to welcome me home.

I had sent a telegram from Horsham informing my parents of my homecoming. News travelled fast, and out came the flags.

During October 1985 the 1st/5th Welch Regiment was given the Freedom of s'Hertogenbosch. My wife and I stayed with a Dutch family and I told them of the farmhouse I had stayed in and how the little girl had written her name and address in my New Testament. To my amazement I was taken to the farmhouse and met the family and their daughter who was now over 50 years old. I showed them my New Testament and they were all overjoyed to meet me once again and this time in happier circumstances.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.