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I drove him 500 miles in all and our farthest call was near the Albanian border. Driving up through the mountains was horrific and took all ones concentration, as all one side of the road was just a sheer drop and not a bit of safety fence anywhere! One saw dozens of vehicles which had toppled over and it made one quite sick!

By this time we had to hurry back down from Albania to Athens as the Germans were advancing all the time and we had to start evacuation.

I was given another job driving a Col Williams who was in charge of the evacuation. Meaning to say I had to stay with him until the very last moment once the main party had gone. We then had to get ourselves out! So the Colonel directed me to drive him down to the coast where he had a small yacht moored and waiting for us. We met another officer and his batman and got ready to board the yacht, but first I had to destroy the vehicle. ( A lovely Humber Tourer). I was told by my officer to drive the car to the top of the cliff and let it go. This I did by driving it slowly and then jumping out and letting it go! We all got on the yacht and stayed in the bay till morning and made for Crete.

Two days on Crete and we were on the move again. Before we knew it there was a destroyer there to take us off. This time we headed back to Egypt and were put off at Alexandria.

When we were at Alexandria we were sleeping in Bivouacs (small tents) two to a tent. They were so small one had to dress lying down or kneeling and to get out to wash and shave on the sea front. While we were there the local Egyptians held their FEAST OF RAM-A-DAM. It was held in massive marquees all joined together. They fasted all day and came in to eat at night. This consisted of all their natural dishes and tons of salad, I have never seen so much food spread out on tables in all my life!

I was sent to a holding company to await a posting, which came quite quickly. I was posted up the desert to a transport company running supplies up to a depot, supplying troops up the front. While I was doing this job I was put on a charge for bringing back some goods for our own use. For this I was brought up in font of the officer and had two days鈥� pay stopped!

By this time I was fed up with traveling up and down the desert and I was determined to have a change so I went to see my commanding officer and asked him if it was possible to have a trade test. He asked me what was the trade and I said I would like one of a Baker, the trade I had volunteered for when I joined up.

This was granted and, as there was a field bakery about a quarter of a mile from our unit, he said he would contact them and see what could be done.

Well, within a week I was taken over to the bakery for the test. I was then taken into the bakery and assigned to the moulding table. The sergeant threw me over two lumps of dough and said, 鈥� NOW MOULD THEM BUGGERS UP鈥�. To his amazement I had finished the job quicker than the rest. He looked at me and said, 鈥� you need not bother to do anything else as I can see you are a baker鈥�.

I was flabbergasted! When, after two days my CO sent for me and told me I was transferred to the Bakery, known as 33rd Field Bakery at a place called BERBEITA. Before starting at the bakery I used to drive up to an airfield about 5 miles up in the desert to wait for the mail plane to come in and I would collect the mail then take it back to the field Post Office.

I soon got pally with most of the others and knew I was going to enjoy myself. After a week or two we were really settled in and I soon found out they were a great lot of lads. But they were getting ready for a big offensive. The starting line was EL AlAMEIN and we were moved back a few miles behind that line to a place called AMERYA.

While we were at AMERYA we were baking the bread in Aldershot ovens. These ovens were actually on the ground with a tray on the bottom covered by a clotch like covering of zinc. Cow cake was burnt on the bottom tray, then when hot enough was swilled with a damp rag on a stick. The tray of dough put on the bottom tray and then it was covered in front by another piece of zinc which was plastered up with mud to keep the heat in (all clever stuff)!

After about a month we had to stop baking as the offensive was soon to begin. We knew when it was starting, as there were hundreds of guns across the desert for about a mile and one night they started shelling and were on continually all night. So within two days we were on the move again this time making for MERSA MATRUH.

When we arrived we took over a bakery, which was used by the Germans and in the mess room some of the food was still on the plates, so they must have gone in a hurry! We were now following hard on the heels of the Eighth Army.

Next we went to TOBRUK where we used to make 100鈥檚 of bread rolls for an Australian infantry company and in return they kept us supplied with beer and Guinness. These Australians were forced to move back by German pressure, so before they moved they buried hundreds of bottles of beer and Guinness. After a while, when we started to advance, they went forward again and when they got to the place they had occupied previously, they dug up all the bottles previously buried and took them along with them!

Within a couple of weeks we were off again - This time to BENGHAZI

By the time we got to Benghasi I was taken ill and put into hospital for three weeks with Jaundice. After three weeks I was allowed to go back to my company and given light duties and to my surprise I was promoted to L/CPL and in three weeks I was called into the office again and promoted to full Corporal. We now had to move again and this time way out into the desert to the railhead. We were soon starting baking again this time with our mobile field ovens.

We were strafed by German aircraft nearly every day but luckily no one was hurt. We slept in big dug-outs about 10 men in each. These dug-outs were covered by a large tarpaulin and it was not much like home!

We had sand storms nearly every day and even having a big marquee to dine in the sand got into everything.

Our water truck went to fetch the water on one occasion, and was lost for two days in the sand storms and stopped us baking for two days. After being here for about three weeks the army had taken Tripoli and we were ordered to pack and get to Tripoli as soon as possible.

The worst was now over although we had to work, as there were more to cater for.

We got there quickly and were put into a large bakery right in the docks. The heat was terrible and we were baking in heat of 120 degrees!

We were here for some while working quite hard but enjoying ourselves (if one could). We had a little time off to go into the town and perhaps see an ENSA show. While we were in Tripoli we were bombed many times, and one night the bombs fell by the bakery leaving a crater just at the back of our billets about 15 feet wide and about the same depth. My bed was broken and covered with debris but lucky for me I was on night shift and missed it! We did have one enjoyable event - our football team reached the final of the Tripoli Cup! We reached the final after playing 8 games to get there, and being the smallest company of all.
One of our greatest wins was 鈥� The royal Engineers鈥� and better still was by beating 鈥� The Royal Scots Greys鈥�.
We lost the Final 1 - 0 to a side from a transit camp consisting of 6 Professional players!

However, when most of the fighting units were gone to aid the troops in Europe we were left with nothing much to do and so we were moved back to SUEZ. We had to start baking as soon as we arrived and continued until I was due to come home, after being out there over FOUR YEARS and SEVEN MONTHS.

We had to sleep in tents inside the perimeter of the camp, /whilst baking there we had the assistance of the local inhabitants (ie WOGS) who did all the carrying of flour and water for the dough. Still it was not many weeks before I was called into the office and told that I was due to go home. When that day came it was terrible to have to say goodbye to all my pals and having to leave them out there. I was taken to a holding camp to wait for the boat that was taking all troops who were due to come home.

After a day at the camp, which incidentally was D-Day, we were put aboard the boat that happened to be the Liner WINCHESTER CASTLE.

We came through the Mediterranean Sea making for home, but before reaching Gibraltar our ship broke down and we were stranded in the middle of the MED and German U Boats were still operating there! CAUSING GREAT PANIC. They eventually got it going and limped into Gibraltar were we stayed for two days while they worked on it to get it seaworthy.

Finally we arrived in Scotland and landed at GUROCH. We disembarked in the morning and were taken to a big army centre where we had to have a medical before going home. After that we had to go and get a travel warrant and a pass for leave and told to wait for instructions, which would be sent by post.

I was told by the officer who issued my pass that I would be posted as near home as possible, so I was pretty thrilled. I travelled down from Scotland to London and arrived about lunchtime.

I was told by a railway porter in Edinburgh that I was in luck as a troop train was travelling to London in about an hour. It duly arrived and I hopped aboard and settled down. In my kit I was bringing home a few things short in England ie Sugar, Toothpaste, Tea and other things. But best of all I was bringing back a lovely pair of pyjamas and a dressing gown. The troop train stopped at Grantham and most of the Troops got out and we travelled on to London. I went to pick up my kit to make my way out but found it was all gone, Rifle and all! I was left speechless! I then had to go and report to the army police (REDCAPS) and was given a fair hearing and told they expected that I would have to pay for it all. I was so disappointed about it. So again I set forth for home arriving at Salisbury in the afternoon and then tried hitch hiking. I was lucky, as a Clark Glass lorry came along and stopped to pick me up.

He dropped me right outside my door, which I really appreciated. As I got to the door RENE was waiting for me - A DAY I SHALL NEVER FORGET!

As I got indoors, who should be there but TUG WILSON and his wife. I was really knocked out. The thing that hurt me most was that Denis, my son, did not even recognize me.

Being back home I felt like a fish out of water and it was going to take a long time to acclimatize. After about three weeks the dreaded letter to tell me my next posting arrived. When I opened the letter I could have dropped through the floor as my posting was to the top of Scotland at a place called MUIR OF ORD. The nearest town was Dingwall about 10 miles away. However, soon, within a couple of weeks I asked for a cross posting with a chap who was at Tidworth and lived in Scotland.

While being at MUIR OF ORD I had a letter to say my father was very ill, so I went and applied for compassionate leave which was granted. I travelled down again and when I got home father was very ill. But seeing that I only had three days leave I had to go back up again. I had only been back two days when I had to report to the office and they said that my father had died and they granted me another three days leave. So I had to travel back down again and I waited till my father was buried before going back. In doing so I overstayed my leave by TWO days.

After traveling back up to Scotland again and reporting for duty, I was put on a charge of A.W.O.L.
ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE.

The posting to Tidworth was granted so I was sent down to Tidworth the next day. Being posted was lucky for me as they dropped the charge against me. I spent several weeks in the bakery doing a little table work such as molding the dough. The days were really boring but I was lucky again because I could manage to get home for several nights each week.

Still the time came when I was due to be demobbed. ON 1 FEBRUARY 1946 I was taken to Guildford and handed in some army kit, getting some civilian clothes in return. I had to go in and pick out what I wanted, coming out with a new suit and an overcoat. I travelled back from Guildford a free man. After a few weeks leave I returned to my old job at the village stores again baking.

I was in the Services from 1 February 1940 - 1 February 1946. Although it was terrible being away from my loved ones all that time, I would not have missed it for anything.

QUITE AN EXPERIENCE!

S E YOUNG S/162490

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