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George Hunt was 21 years old in 1939, enlisting at the beginning of the war, and being a fit young man, he was one of 30 out of 100 that was selected for service with the Welsh Guards, eventually commanding a Bren gun carrier. After training and service in the London area, he was sent to North Africa in 1943 for the very difficult campaign there. He served in battle at both Casserine Pass, and Hammamlif, both terrible bloody battles. Reflecting back on that time, and his subsequent service in the Italian campaign, he said with a slight smile,鈥� Yes, I came through all that without so much as a scratch. My commanding officer became convinced I was a good luck charm!鈥� It was in the North African desert where the commander first got that impression.

With their Bren gun carrier hidden as best they could behind a small sand dune, Sergeant Hunt and his C.O. crawled on their bellies to a slight rise to observe the Germans through binoculars. The nearest enemy were only a scant 300 to 400 yards away, and due to their proximity, they thought they鈥檇 be safe to continue the recce as long as they liked. As they lay there in the sand, a whooshing sound, not unlike a Catherine wheel, could be heard growing louder and louder. It was a German artillery shell.

The shell landed directly between the two men, who were only a few feet apart. It failed to go off. A dud, but surely both would have died, had it not been. This incident convinced the C.O. that Sergeant Hunt was a good luck charm. Months later, in the midst of the Italian campaign, the same officer and Sergeant Hunt were observing some German troop movements and the incident repeated itself. A shell landed a couple of yards directly in front of the two prone men and again, it failed to explode.

The two men had occasion to be separated for a short time whilst in Italy, and tragically, the C.O. was killed. Only a few days later, Sergeant Young was travelling at night with his gun carrier 100 miles north of Rome, just after the city was liberated, as the British Army swept north towards Germany. In what was thought to be a secure area, the column suddenly was engaged by a burst of enemy fire, panicking the lead gun carrier, who turned around and started back down the road in the direction they鈥檇 just come from. Sergeant Young had dismounted from the gun carrier, and in the darkness, and panic, the other driver couldn鈥檛 see him. Sergeant Hunt鈥檚 grenade belt was caught by the passing machine, spinning him around, and crushing him between his own Bren gun carrier and the fleeing one. Sergeant Hunt鈥檚 war was over. He suffered a fractured pelvis and broken vertebrae. He was evacuated to the field hospital, and on to recovery in a hospital in southern Italy, the thinking being his particular injuries would mend better in the warm climate, rather than chilly, damp England.

Sergeant Hunt, in relating his story, displayed proudly his medals, which included the Africa Bronze Star, the Italian Campaign Bronze Medal, and the 1939-1945 Service Medal among them. When asked his opinion of the skill of the German soldiers, he was very complimentary, and remarked how civilized he thought Field Marshal Rommel was, having observed Rommel visiting his captured troops and insuring they were being treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention rules.

This story was submitted to the site by Henry Wheeeler of 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of George Hunt and has been added to the site with his permission. THe author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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