大象传媒

The campaign in Sicily had been sucessfully concluded and we were waiting for our next move, the invasion of Italy.

Someone at Regimental level had decided that the Batteries should put on their own concert parties to 'entertain the troops' and young Lt.Whitfield had drawn the short straw, he was now 84 Battery Entertainments Officer.

In a moment of madness I had volunteered to play on a battered 'joanna' and other fools had likewise offered to sing, tell jokes or tell monologues but all this was not enough for Lt.Whitfield who obviously considered that this was his moment for show business glory.

鈥淲hat we are going to do鈥� he proudly told us ('us' being his not over-enthusiastic band of volunteers and pressed men) 鈥渋s to finish the first half of the show with every one on stage singing 鈥淐ome landlord fill the flowing bowl until it doth run over鈥�.

鈥淭he clever part鈥� he confidently continued 鈥渋s that whilst this is all going on, we will have other chaps coming down the aisles dishing out mugs of vino, which I will organise鈥�.

Came the night, the show went like a dream and we duly sang 鈥楥ome landlord fill the flowing bowl鈥� as though we meant it.

Bang on cue, the mugs of vino were brought down the aisles to rapturous applause.

One slight hitch鈥� the vino was in such quantities that we never got to start the second half of the show but dear Lt.Whitfield has gone down into Army folk lore history,mine anyway!

Ron

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