大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Helen Oram Scotland csv on behalf of John Grant and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I saw two years 219 days active service as a corporal with the Parachute Regiment in England and Palestine before being sent home injured.

On 26 April 1946 we had six of our Parachute men shot and killed by Jewish terrorists. One of them, like me, was from Aberdeen. Four were shot in bed and the other two were killed returning to their Unit. One of the guard sergeants had a lucky escape. When the firing started he dropped down in the tent and a bullet went through his trousers.

After this shooting, our battalion was surrounded by the Gordon Highlanders to keep us in the camp, otherwise there could have been blue murder. They kept us in the camp for the night to let everybody cool down. Next morning we went out doing searches, looking for the terrorist culprits.

I got my injuries while travelling along the road in a jeep. A mine went off at the side of the road. We were going with an order to cancel a dance in the Officers' Mess. We wouldn't have been involved in the dance. Of the four of us travelling in the jeep, three were injured. I had shrapnel up one side of my body and my right eye was damaged. Eventually I lost the eye.

I was very disappointed not to finish my service. Because of my injuries I had to be discharged from the Army.

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