大象传媒

On 18th April 1945 I arrived at Warwick Station to be meet by a Sergeant Major he shouted you are in the army now jump when I speak which we then did for the next six weeks while in training.
We then were posted to Marske- by -Sea for a further eight weeks training this time on 4.5 Medium Artillery
Next move to West Tofts Camp in Norfolk this time on 5.5 Medium Artillery for approx ten weeks.
Next move to Cromer on the coast most of the regiment were then posted to India as I was not yet 19 years old me and about 20 others were kept back for the next draft .and then posted to Bodney Airfield to await the next draft on 26th March 1946 we travelled to Dover for the Boat to Calais then onward to Italy we arrived at new camp in a small village called La Farra we were then on 25 pounder guns this was on 4th April 1946 .after two weeks I was promoted to l/bdr another sixpence a day .approx two weeks later we moved to a tented camp at a place called Mont Castiloine on the border of Yugoslavia called the morgan line on manoeuvres we were told not to point the guns towards Yugoslavia as it would upset Tito鈥檚 army on 1st May a patrol came over the border as they claimed Trieste the only time in my army period that I heard bullets fired in anger
Next it was all blanco and polish as on 2nd May we were on Victory Parade through Trieste with our Quads Guns and Limbers then after a few days it was back to La Farra and more gun drill.Between La Farra and Monfalcone was Redipulia with a large monument of the Austrian and Italian war ,I was told there are 365 steps with 1000 names on each for those that had fallen during the war.
When I was there in 46 a German Long Tom Gun was on the railway lines next to the monument.
About the middle of May I was sent on a gunnery course at Monfalcone the weather was very hot so we were on parade at 0600hrs until 1400hrs in the afternoons we were on the beach swimming about 100 yds down the beach was a compound full of German prisoners of war also swimming the course was one month then back to camp. Around the beginning of July I applied for another course at Monfalcone this time Technical Assistant Royal Artillery T.A.R.A for short. I passed that gave me another sixpence a day, that made my pay a total of 28 shillings a week in new money 拢1.40. When I arrived back at camp I was promoted to full Bombardier and another sixpence a day We were still enjoying life in Italy but all good things must come to an end We were told next stop Germany so on 8th September Jack Windle and I went on a 5day short leave to Grado.

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