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Having seen active service in North Africa, Sicily and Monte Cassino with the 78th Division (First and Eighth Army), the light 鈥渁ck ack鈥� bofors regiment I was part of was to be disbanded, as the allies had now gained air supremacy in Italy. With other members of the regiment I was transferred to an infantry-training depot, based near Caserta, in southern Italy. During our three months there our training covered small arms, three-inch mortar drill, mine clearance, mine laying and awareness of booby traps etc.

Whilst I was waiting to be moved back up the line, we were all called out on parade; the sergeant had an officer with him. The sergeant then asked for volunteers to step forward with over two years driving experience. Never volunteer I thought, however, with the front line looming I put my hand up and considered any thing may be better than going back up the line. The officer came over to me and quizzed me about my army driving experience. I told him of my time as a dispatch rider and my three years as a driver/mechanic as part of a bofors gun team. He ordered me to stand to one side. Altogether about 20 of us were selected.

We were told to get all our kit together and board some army trucks that were waiting by the front gates to the camp. We were taken to a disused airfield just outside Capua, near Naples. There were some hangers at one end of the field, which was where the trucks stopped. We noticed all around the airfield were row upon row of various types of army vehicles. We were all told to leave the trucks and move into the hanger. There was a cookhouse set up in one corner, with army cooks preparing meals. All round the sides were bales of straw. The straw enabled us to have something to sit on and for bedding down purposes later that night. Eventually the officer appeared with his sergeant and told us to gather round for a briefing. He said that in the morning we would be leaving in a convoy with the army vehicles (all of which had been reclaimed from battle damaged vehicles) and drive them up to the divisional area near Rimini. We were to pick any vehicle of our choice. I picked an army quad - a field tractor, which normally towed a 25-pounder field gun. I thought with the weather being so bad, if we had to stop the night, I could bed down in it and at least be dry.

Our first stop was at a petrol dump to fill the vehicles up for the journey north. Then we commenced in single file. A mobile field kitchen had made a start a couple of hours before our departure time to prepare meals at pre-designated stopping areas along the route. At our second rest area of the day we stopped for the night. The next morning we washed, shaved and had breakfast, after which the order came to move on. We arrived at the divisional area and parked up the vehicles. I was wondering what was going to happen next. Would I be sent back to my unit the Lancashire Fusiliers and the front line? After about two hours the officer and the sergeant came back and said the 鈥渢op brass鈥� were so pleased with our efforts they wanted us to return to Capua to bring a second convoy of vehicles back up to the divisional area.

On the way back to Capua we passed a few of our vehicles, which had broken down on the outward journey. When we got back to the hangers at the airfield, the sergeant came up to me and said our officer was looking for some one to drive an American truck called the 鈥淏ig Mack鈥�, which could then be used to pick up vehicles that broke down on the road north. The 鈥淏ig Mack鈥� had been used for carrying Sherman tanks. It had six-wheel drive and ten gears with an additional booster gear. The sergeant told me to get used to driving it and then go over to the petrol dump, and fill it up. On our next trip north I had no trouble with the traffic on the roads, as when other vehicles saw me coming they would pull over to the side to let me pass.

In between trips to the north and the front line, we were able to do some sight seeing in Naples. The volcano Mount Versuvis erupted while we were there, belching white smoke from its summit for days.

After a few trips from Capua, up to the divisional area behind the front line, our officer told us that because of the D-Day landings there was a major shortage of replacement vehicles and we would be staying together to form a permanent company. We were to be called 408 Returned Vehicle Park, 38 Vehicle Company RAOC, CMF. Our officer also said that the following week we would all be moving closer to Rome. The army had taken over a large factory, two miles outside the eternal city. This was going to be our base. The factory had parking space for hundreds of vehicles. It had large office buildings and further buildings for storage. Some of the office buildings had been converted into billets for us.

On the day we moved in, the army engineers were fencing off part of the factory site. We were told this area was for German POW鈥檚 who had volunteered to work, for the allies, on repairing damaged vehicles we brought from the front line. A few days later when we returned to our Rome base, the German POW鈥檚 had moved in. The gates were opened and we drove in to the POW compound. The Germans came over to see what we had brought them and gave us a hand to offload the various vehicles. There were about 30 Germans and all seemed pleased to help, as they were provided with good accommodation and three square meals a day.

One day the officer ordered the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) to make me some tow bars. I had towing chains, but needed tow bars to tow vehicles with no serviceable brakes. With the tow bars I could tow as many as six vehicles at a time or eight if they were small, like jeeps. It was quite something winding down the mountain sides and looking back at the line of trucks (like a slow moving train) on tow, with the tail end drivers giving me the thumbs up to let me know they were ok.

After a few weeks our unit started to expand, with the arrival of more men 鈥� officers, NCO鈥檚, cooks, office personnel, drivers and more three-ton trucks to ferry everyone around. The army also employed some Italian civilians for general guard duties and for any odd jobs around the factory and compound.

I was very fortunate to remain with the vehicle ferrying company for the remainder of the war and later took on further duties as the company medical orderly and earned the title of 鈥淒octor Roberto鈥� from the local Italians. I am convinced that by not following the age-old maxim of 鈥淣ever volunteering for anything in the army鈥� I am still alive today to tell the tale of my war time service to my son.

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