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I went through Dunkirk and finished up in Hospital.
I was at the front.
3 were killed — 2 on the gun.
I was blown out of my seat by the blast.
I wasn't badly injured — just some shrapnel.
My gas mask was blown off.
I saw the shells coming at us.
I said to 'Tug' "let's get back they're machine gunning us."
He didn't answer, so I said "let's get back to the house, we might be safe."
I kept saying "Come on."
Tug was from Norfolk.
Two bullets had gone through his tin helmet — right through.
I ran for this house.
They started machine gunning.
I could hear the fire — it was hitting either side of the door frame, but not me.
I was in hospital for about a month. - I was 19 years old at the time.

Then I went back to the unit and then onto Malaysia.
I was there near on 4 years.
I fought the border of Burma.
We were all taken prisoner to Japan the Southern Island — I was there nearly 4 years.
I was a Prisoner of War. I was down the pits in Japan.
I never thought I'd come home.
The main Japanese man in charge said we were all being released.
I weighed 6 stone.
I was sent to Canada to build up and then came home on the Queen Mary.
I came back to Ashby.
I had wrote letters home but they never got there and letters were written to me but I never received them.

My younger brother was killed in Italy.
He was 20 in the October and killed in the December.

This story was submitted to the People's War Website by Lisa Reeves of CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of Sam Pickering and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions

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