大象传媒

Chapter Five
鈥淭he Royal Royal鈥檚!鈥�
I have never seen anything like it in my life, the population were out lining the streets and they were absolutely ecstatic were the folks, what a thrill that was y鈥檏now to have taken part in such an event鈥�(his voice breaking.)
You鈥檇 have thought we were the Royal Royals!
Every human body was swarming all over us like they threw flowers and rode jumping on your tanks and carriers鈥bsolutely wild it was.
So we pulled into the square in Brussels and a funny thing happened.
Our captain Fanning, Percy Fanning a smashing little fella wasn鈥檛 particularly tall y鈥檏now.
He had big rosy cheeks y鈥檏now and this here woman got a hold of him and she was kissing him, she was well pregnant y鈥檏now and so we were all going, 鈥淐ome on Percy, go on Percy鈥濃�� 鈥淢adame Madame!!鈥� he鈥檚 saying y鈥檏now flapping his arms around all embarrassed like but we laughed.
Then we were found billets in a big hotel you could never imagine the luxury we felt from sitting on a toilet seat y鈥檏now. Oh after squatting over a pit on a bar or on a ration box to sit down on the seat of a toilet was absolute luxury y鈥檏now. I must of been sat there two hours it was beautiful. As I say just a little thing like that oh how you appreciated it!
Previously dug in, in position we鈥檇 have a latrine dug and you鈥檇 sit on a box in a most uncomfortable way of doing your business because the flies, there were millions of flies and one thing I must remember particularly in Normandy was the smell of cattle and horse that had been killed. It was absolutely horrendous was the smell and of course of decomposing bodies you see. Oh that鈥檚 a memory that still smells!
The morning after the liberation my platoon was detailed off to go out onto a patrol through the other side of the city. We did eventually, once we were all fully supplied again and we started to advance to a place called Albert then onto a place called Hasalt, where the most severe fighting happened.
When you tried to dig in on the hills there was very little protection and you鈥檇 try to dig in to only get down a foot, it was very sandy and wet.
From there we fought on and suffered a lot of casualties again. In fact one company was nearly decimated鈥�(His voice breaking)
As my memory takes me, we moved on to a place called Bourgleopold where we fought to clear that area, this had been a training area for the German Army, a big camp there. We took the barracks and the training area, then we moved to what they call the Escaut Canal, which was just before the border from Holland.
It was at the Escaut Canal that we had some vicious fighting on rainy nights I recall.
A German attacker a company鈥檚 strength came in over the canal we could see them and the Cromwell Tanks they came in and we sorted them out like.
I recall an incident happened here, my lot we used to collect all sorts of weapons and guns like. Well we鈥檇 got this here German Spandau and we got it fitted up and we were dug in at the edge of this hedge and we opened up with this Spandau.
Well one of these Tanks started to turn around, because they had a sound of there own did theses Spandau鈥檚 y鈥檚ee. So it鈥檚 turning around and he comes up on us ready to shoot.
We jumped up waving are arms around saying 'no no no', they thought it were Germans y鈥檚ee. So we said 鈥榬ight were getting rid of that bloody thing quick smart like!
It was a real rapid fire machine gun, so we got rid of that.
We crossed and I think the place was a coal mining area; we had a lot of casualties some very fierce fighting y鈥檏now, the Anti-tank lads had had a birthday, they knocked two tanks out down this here road.
We held there and the plans were in progress for the Air Drop in Arnhem y鈥檚ee.
At the canal we were there about a week because the armour was so badly damaged they were refitting and we were holding the line.
From there we held the line, we were subject to a couple of counter attacks which we soon disposed of.
On the 17th September the Operation Market Garden took place which was the Airborne landing at Arnhem, Holland.
Now then the Guards Armoured Division were detailed to break out over the canal and into Holland on the way up to Arnhem and the Irish Guards Tanks were gonna lead.
We should have gone over and we were to bash through up to Nijmegan and then go onto Arnhem.
The British Paratroopers had landed at Arnhem, and the American 101st Airborne landed in different places along the route.
Some landed to the right of Nijmegan, that was the 82nd Airborne it overlooked the Reichswalde Forest. They captured the Grave Bridge and various areas along the route, there was a different bridge, it was longer and the American Paratroopers had dropped on and captured these y鈥檚ee.
It was brilliantly done, they captured the bridge in tact and what not and of course our lads landed at the same time and the break out started.
So we were to follow the Irish Guards over and we were to have close support by Spitfires and Typhoons who were to knock the opposition out that was in front of them and if there were any Tanks they were to go in and blast what they could and we could just bash on along what they called this 鈥楥entre Route.鈥�
We carried on, we did very well the engineers had built bridges and so forth, we got up to the 82nd Airborne Division who were ready to do an attack over the river and outflank Nijmegan.
But unfortunately for the Irish Guards across the canal on their way to Eindhoven there was an 88mm squat and the first six Mish Guard tanks got knocked out all in a line y鈥檚ee.
So it was the following day that we crossed over and continued the march.
Of course we鈥檇 been held up, so instead of following straight over we were now 24 hours late going over y鈥檚ee.
So that was the start of the rot as I saw it, it was the start of the rot for not getting to Arnhem.
Although saying that I didn鈥檛 think they would have gotten through to Arnhem.
We鈥檇 have probably got a day early to Nijmegan but getting to Arnhem from Nijmegan was almost impossible.
Well it was impossible with the tanks because there was one road and it was all built up and off the road the tanks just sank, there was no way they could operate y鈥檚ee so they were held there and we were frustrated.
Anyway we鈥檇 travelled along and we kept meeting the American Infantry and the American Airborne and we finished up on the edge of the Reichswalde Forest to the right of Nijmegan.
We linked up with the American Airborne there and our tanks supported them as the Americans did an attack against the River Waal.
Our tanks went into Nijmegan with a bit of fighting the Grenadier鈥檚 Tanks they dashed over firing.
There were chaps up on the rigging of the bridge all explosives ready and a Tank it crashed across the bridge shooting the fellas in the rafters and what not and we eventually captured the bridge.
It was a massive, massive bridge it was the Nijmegan Bridge now called The Grenadiers Bridge because it was a Grenadier Tank that crashed over fighting y鈥檚ee.
They cleared the bridge and dismantled the explosives and we managed to get over as far as we could go to a little village called Elst.
So after this fighting in Nijmegan and clearing the town we crossed over and we went sort of right off from the road which led to Arnhem and headed to Elst.
We were holding the ground round and about it like and the SS were still in the area so we were holding still.
But we couldn鈥檛 get through this main route to Arnhem and it finished up, I think it was the Second Regiment who went in late at night and got what was left of the Paras back out y鈥檚ee.
We knew things weren鈥檛 going too well for the Para's, as a couple of days after the first landing the Polish Paratroopers came in and they were been fired at as they were Para-shooting in!
The planes were been hit and you could see them going down, Dakotas like.
Like I say eventually when the perimeter closed up they did evacuate the very few that were left of the Paratroopers Division. The Regiment that had gone in at night time made an area for the ones that were able to came back from Arnhem to cross the river.
Now, then we moved about the different parts of the front, there was one incident I remember.
We were based in our Office placed in our positions, it was night time, a freezing misty moonlit night in September.
We were told 鈥榯here鈥檚 nothing in front of you only Germans!鈥�
So we saw just in front of our position there was a Gun Tractor what they called a Porte.
My gunner Horace Camm, been a man of initiative looking for the opportunity of loot went scrounging round this vehicle. He came back with cushions out of it and tins of food and what not so we were doing very nicely.
Anyway we did our usual night time Guard and Sentry.
At first light in the morning we did a stand to, everybody was up and awake at their gun positions.
Out of the mist came this here little Artillery Sergeant went to his truck and he absolutely exploded.
Our section sergeant who we called Jimmy Dimment, he鈥檇 no neck and he was built like a bull, he was known as Bull Dimment and he was a massive man.
So this little Artillery Sergeant comes up and he had his Bren Gun, he was complaining bitterly about his stuff that had gone missing and he says to Bull Dimment 鈥淚f that stuff isn鈥檛 back in that truck in two minutes I鈥檓 going to ram this bren gun up your bloody arse!鈥� Imagine the spectacle of a big gruff Guard Sergeant and a little Artillery Sergeant. It really was one amusing incident!
Over on our left flank the following day the Irish Guards had gone into action and taken a heavy beating. They met up with German Paratroopers some equipped with flame throwers and they suffered a lot of casualties so they were relieved that they were brought outta the line.
The Commanding Officer led us himself that particular night, along this here track and the Whole Carrier Platoon.
We were taken through into a position and we were told to dig in, in this orchard or at the edge of it. We鈥檇 to dig gun positions and our carriers were held back in the orchard on this farmyard. We鈥檇 to dig a crawl trench.
Well all night long we dug and it was like concrete by the time we were done my hands were like concrete too y鈥檏now. In fact by the time we鈥檇 done my hands were bleeding.
Not only that, we had to put up with the German line only about 100 yards away across this field y鈥檏now.
They were dug in and our artillery were dropping things in on them. It was the big guns that they were firing with what we call the five, which fired 100lb shells.
When they were coming in they were just sounding like an express train coming over you y鈥檏now.
They were bursting and we were all living in hope none would drop short and drop on us you see.
There was somebody in the German line, his nerves must have gone we could hear him shouting all night long y鈥檏now.
After stand to we鈥檇 dug pits and we run the carriers over which was fortunate. We鈥檇 left lads on the gun positions and the remainder of us came back and prepared a breakfast like for all of us, cos under the carriers we had the cookers.
They must have realised we were the cause of the Artillery barrage and they put down a fierce barrage on the orchard, but we were all safe cos we were under cover y鈥檚ee like.
That was just the one time, we were there three days and three more troops had come up and we were brought out of the line to refit.
We were living in the farmhouses and the barns and what not y鈥檏now. That was just outside Nijmegan we were there possibly a week refitting and we restocked and what not.
Then on the 4th November we went into the line and we took over from a Rifle Brigade Battalion in Overloon we were ordered to move out and take over their positions.
We had to take over in daylight and we were observed all the time apparently, Captain Fanning our Platoon Officer he was killed that day.
He was out reccy'ing and he was trench mortared, he was killed was Captain Fanning.
My pal Billy Wigglesworth he got a wound in his bum, he got a 鈥楤lighty鈥� and was sent back to England.
This was November 4th 鈥�(moans a great big horrible groan at the memory!)鈥� we took over and facing us was the SS again and the Dutch SS y鈥檏now and we used to get shelled with machine guns on a night time and it 鈥榦h鈥� it was one of the most depressing places y鈥檏now. It rained and rained it was soggy and right depressing countryside like, it truly was one of the most depressing places I鈥檇 been and I was really under the weather, well we all were like.
It was a most depressing place a lot of the first night we were dug in and it was miserable rainy and a right dismal out look.
During the night a German patrol had come in and they snatched a lad outta the trench who unfortunately had a map on him marking the minefield and the path through it.
So the next night a German Fighting Patrol came through about thirty strong, went right through to our Aescholon, soft vehicles which were way back with our petrol and so on and they had created a bit of mayhem y鈥檏now.
Well we found out that they got through the back through the minefield. So what happened was we鈥檇 thirteen bren guns in our platoon, six two inch mortars and we were dug in at this side and then the companies were dug in on the other side.
Then what we did was we made a perimeter with all the mortars with flares and waited.
The Patrol went out and they were lying in wait and when they saw activity starting with the Germans they came back and bolted.
So they got into the middle of the mine field and they sent flares up well all these mortars opened up with flares, and we caught the Germans right in the mine fields, and all the bren guns gave 鈥榚m some stick like, well that frightened them. They never came anymore, they never came back that way, we inflicted a lot of casualties on them y鈥檚ee.
While we were there, it was obviously deserted and every morning our Artillery Spotters would go up into the steeple.
Each morning there was an SP Gun (self-propelled) would open out and bang a couple of shells at the church like.
So anyway we were in position and we could smell this here lovely smell of cooking pork.
We went to see where this lovely smell was coming from and old Horace as usual been on the trail had been out routing. And it was a lad called Paddy Cox in another section he鈥檇 killed a little pig an butchered it and were roasting it like y鈥檚ee.
So of course we got the idea, there were lots of little pigs running about and they鈥檇 have been killed or they鈥檇 have died of starvation, so it was a treat for us and a blessing for them that we鈥檇 killed these little pigs.
We all got quite adept at butchery so we could kill a pig and have it butchered in quick time.
Horace had been doing his usual round and he鈥檇 been in to see a, well I don鈥檛 know if it had been a shop or something.
Anyways he came in with these little cartons and we didn鈥檛 know what they were, they looked like oats we said it were like Quaker oats.
So the next morning we had the Big Dixie on the boil and we started pouring these flakes in, it turned out it were lovely porridge.
So he鈥檇 discovered some honey had Horace and we had food containers which we filled with honey. We poured the honey in with the oats, coming out of the trenches after all night made it a real treat.
So with Horace鈥檚 Quaker oats, and Paddy Cox's little pigs we lived very well.

See Chapter six & Seven for more.

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