大象传媒

Having advanced my age by two years to join the army at sixteen in 1942, I was sent to the Buffs barracks in Canterbury for my training, then I was sent to Barming near Maidstone as part of the young soldiers battallion of the Buffs, they were disbanded and I chose to go to 529 battery of the 190 field regiment RA, not being old enough to go to France with the battery, I was sent to the Lancashire Fusilliers at Berwick on Tweed,[which was fortunate, as I understand the 190 field regiment was decimated at Caen], they were disbanded, and I was sent to the second Battallion of the Loyal North Lancs [Loyals], I went to Northern Ireland with them for further training, then we went to Italy, where we went into action on the Faenza Front about 15 Killometers south of Bologna.
Eventually, we advanced at great speed north pursuing the retreating Germans.
When the war ended, because of battle fatigue [shellshock], I was hospitallised, consequently losing touch with my regiment, so I was put in the Royal Army Service Corps, and was a great success as a driver, One of my duties involved driving a 10 ton Mack personel carrier collecting army personel from Trieste station who were returning from leave, and Transporting them to a half moon shaped area of land called Pola, which I believe now is called Pula, the ownership of this territory was being argued over by the Jugoslavs and Itallians at the time, but the Jugoslavs allowed us one route and one route only over which we cold drive our trucks for the transfer of personel. On one cold and very frosty morning I was travelling this route with a consignment of Guardsmen returning from leave, they Started kicking the back of my cab, and shouting that they wanted to stop to relieve themselves, as it was quite a long journey, reluctantly I stopped the truck, knowing that we were warned not to stop as that was not allowed on this route, but the soldiers were very glad I stopped and there was lots of steam around. Hearing the sound of boots on tarmac, I turned and saw running towards us, rifles at the ready, a couple of Jugoslav soldiers, shouting something that I could not understand, finished or not, I ordered my passengers back into the truck and we sped off, I heard the sound of one shot as we departed, the Jugs [as we called them] didn't mess around, but we arrived at our destination unharmed but I understand that ther were a few wet trousers experienced.
Later on that year I did the same run, but because of the time constraints, it meant that I had to stay overnight at a camp which was on the banks of a beautiful lake {the name of which I've forgotten], and on that lovely warm June night I sat on a chair at the edge of the pine forrest surrounding the lake, looking at a beautiful moon reflected in the lake, and listening to music emminating from the sargeants mess window, the music was popular at the time although I've never heard it since, It was The London Concerto,I'll have to ask Jane Jones to play it for me on Classic FM. I am now 79, and have had a quadrupal heart by-pass 22 years ago, but so far[touch wood] I'm hale and harty --- Eric Kirsop

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