大象传媒

After a brief pause near Naples, the Irish Brigade returns to the line to participate in the final phase of the Battle of Cassino. Eventually this strong point is passed and the road to Rome is opened.

Thursday 11th May
We started at 01.00, me on the bike (a new one with a new engine). It was not particularly light and the road from Pontalatone to the main road was a nightmare. After that it wasn鈥檛 too bad. The amazing thing was on the way the terrific number of fireflies one saw 鈥� just like arc lamps in the distance. There were hundreds and very bewildering. At the junction with route 6 I met L/Cpl Jack Johnson CMP who I knew in the Tunis days. He has been back with diphtheria and spent some time with the Maltese who entertained us at St Germain. Pushed on to Vairano. Road good but bumpy and dusty and eventually arrived in new location, Presenzano, about 03.30. The place chosen for us to camp in is a hayfield thank the Lord and not too bad. I slept al fresco very well from 04.30 鈥� 07.00. Got office set up and now trying to get myself in the picture but I am not told anything. The Divisional Commander came and spoke to us this afternoon and wished us luck and then the Brigadier gave us a talk as to what is going to happen. Polish corps is going to take Massa Albanet and come down onto route 6. CEF(Canadians) are coming over to S Giorgo and 4 Division and 8 Indian Division are going to go over the Garagliano. This is timed with the Second Front and Russian attacks. A really lovely day. Frank and I had a stroll round the artillery spotter planes in the next field. Talk of firing the Monastery by petrol bombs. No idea when the balloon will go up. Erected my bivvy today.

Friday 12th May
Awakened by an almighty barrage early this morning. The assault is on. Poles are going for Massa Albanet and 593 whilst 8 Indian and 4 division cross Garagliano and the French and Americans swing to the north. We are following up. Later in the morning the Poles are on their objective. Much heavy bomber activity. 8 Indian across, but 4 Division having difficulty at S Angelo.

Saturday 13th May.
Beautiful day in our hayfield. Very heavy dew at night. Poles have had to come off Massa Albanet and 593 during the day. The French made good progress and are attacking Mount Maio tonight. The Indians are making good progress towards S Angelo - Ghurkhas. Service this afternoon taken by Rev Greydon. Excellent. This evening about 20.00 we got a move order. C/Os conference at 22.00 and me making up air photos until midnight. Then started to pack eventually got down to it in the open air about 01.20.

Sunday 14th May
Awoken about 03.00 and then started final packing. Breakfast at 03.30 鈥攈unk of bread and jam and tea to prepare to move at 04.00 but when everything was at fever pitch announced that move postponed until 05.15. Eventually moved, me on bike. Early morning and cool via route 6. Much dust and traffic. Many delays but eventually arrived under M. Trocchio. Rest of traffic in Brigade area absolutely unbelievable. Conference of C/Os. Slight enemy shelling much of our own. Tac HQ pushed off about 16.00. Had some dozing under truck. Got tent up and settled down amongst terrific MT concentration. Mr Seymour slept the night in our tent. Good fellow.

Monday 15th May
6th Inniskillins and 2nd London Irish Rifles went over river. Plan for overnight attack postponed. 6th Inniskillins attacked during the morning and achieved their objectives. During the afternoon had PoWs in (including one officer) from all units chiefly 115 PGR, 33ATK Battalion and 741 JGR regiment. Of course in the middle of the session we had to move, only and mile and a half. Eventually got them all away and packed up and moved. John has gone forward to main this morning. New location is a farm. We are all in an upstairs room. Johnny Legge fixed us up with a 109 receiver so we are well in the picture. Was disgusted with the officers whilst examining the PoWs. Like a lot of children. Some shelling fairly close but much noise from SP regiment behind us. Lt Col Gough C.O. 2nd London Irish Rifles killed also the C.O. of the 16/5 Lancers. 6th Inniskillins on objective.

Tuesday 16th May
09.00 2LIR moved over Grafton and after heavy fighting reached Pytchley at 11.50 (These were linear objectives set out in the battle plan). 102 PoWs in . Considerable shelling, some damned close to us here. Heard that Terry O鈥機onnor was wounded in three places. Heard that 142 RAC and all the boys of 15 AT Brigade on their way up near Mignano. Progress good today and Boche showing signs of cracking.

Wednesday 17th May
Awakened by very heavy barrage 07.00 this morning which marked the beginning of the first Royal Irish Fusiliers鈥� attack on objective Fernie(the third of the series of three linear objectives). It was terrific, over an hour. Objective reached 09.00. 6th Inniskillins and 2 LIR ordered to be ready to move at short notice as our tanks had got through well. Exploitation with proceeded with by teatime and objectives achieved. During the morning a white flag reported on Monastery hill but when Guards brigade went in to town apparently those Germans in town had not seen white flag and shot them up. Capt Corbet says there are three companies of Parachutists still in Cassino and another one on Monastery. They have probably had no rations though for some days. Our day has consisted of listening to the 109 receiver all day and it has worked well. Our troops will rest and hold tomorrow whilst the tanks go forward probably with 36 Brigade. Lt Col Bredon wounded. Renowned Major Franklin Vale killed and CSM Wilson shot himself through the hand! Enemy now definitely cracking and French almost outflanking the Hitler line. (This was a German defensive line)

Wednesday 17th May
About 22.30 we were suddenly aroused by the sound of aircraft engines and all of a sudden a mighty swish. I was talking to Mr. Plyman but when I heard it dived for the floor. The windows blew in and there was a terrific commotion. Outside was as bright as day and there were flares all over the place. Ack ack was going up and just then bombs were coming down ahead of us in the direction of the river. We dived into the officers鈥� mess kitchen, a good solid sort of place. Four planes were shot down. One crashed just over B echelon and burned for a long time. Apparently some sort of dump was also hit, possibly ammunition as it fluctuated a good deal. The Boche are expected to try to get out of Cassino tonight. The road is going to be lit by flares and the Corps artillery is waiting.

Thursday 18th May
A quiet night eventually. 6th Inniskillins took Piumarola last night and 1st London Irish Rifles are near Route 6 where they will rest whilst 36 Brigade passes through. The tanks have gone right forward today and Aquino aerodrome is reported ours. The French are doing very well. I hear that 142 Royal Armoured Corps are coming in on this job so I expect I shall be seeing some of the boys. Orders to move received this afternoon and we all got packed up. Ossie and Chalky on recce failed to return until 20.00, so SC decided to stay in the same spot and move early tomorrow morning. Poles on Monte Cassino 1000 flag up. Many PoWs. In the evening we amused ourselves by drawing on the walls in charcoal. Tea up at 22.00 and so to bed.

Friday 19th May
Quiet night interrupted by Simcock at 01.30 鈥�02.15 for maps. Harold went and got them whilst Simcock insisted on speaking to me. Apparently our battalions will occupy 36 Brigade positions and 36 Brigade are pushing on. Up at 05.15, tea, wash and packed up and on the road by 06.00. Hadn鈥檛 gone far when noticed back wheel catching, stopped and removed rear portion of mudguard and slung it. The proceeded over Congo bridge when bike finally broke down, chain went round and that鈥檚 all, so I dumped it. Rear Rec Sec Charlie Smith came up and I offered to ride pillion but as he said he had never driven a passenger before I took the Matchless! We pushed on up the road and took a wrong turning the led to Division 4. Turned back on to ace Route by German dugouts dug into the banks. Terrific affairs. We then went on for miles along bulldozed tracks with bags of transport -tanks, self propelled guns, everything going along leaving clouds of dust. Road very bad having been deeply rutted by tanks. Once, following a truck we found ourselves in a parking area. On we went and struck a particularly bad patch that took a good deal of manoeuvring. However, we came out to the spot where 2 LIR had been!! And an officer of Sp Gp told us where to go. We went but later met him coming back. About turn and back over the bad patch until we eventually arrived at main Brigade! General office in German dugout, twenty feet under a large house. Terrific show. Came back with SC, Plyman and Seymour. Passed many knocked out enemy self propelled guns including one Ferdinand, an enormous affair. Arrived in our area and just in time to bury two chaps of 2LIR ( Sgt Roberts and Rifleman Trotter) Later two more were reported and Capt. Greydon took charge of that. Several others found later on. Near our camp was an obviously and anti-tank trap, the two guns are still here. Curiously, the transport commander whose documents I had yesterday, Lt Rudolf Scheld, Parachutist, was buried by our chaps. He had been prepared for burial by the Boche but they left it too late. Our chaps made a good job of it and made a wreath out of beans and poppies. Later in the day it started to rain which made things pretty miserable. The tent we have is an awful 160 lb and it leaks.

Saturday 20th May
A day of rumours all of which proved to be without foundation. Ponterarro, Pico, Piedmone and Aquino were all talked of as being ours, but this was later disproved. 5 Buffs got turned back from Aquino aerodrome. Our lads are consolidating Route 6. During the afternoon the Black Watch apparently mistook Inniskillins for the enemy and started fighting them, but fortunately it was stopped before it got serious. On the radio it was reported thus: 鈥淭hose bare-arsed barbarians have attacked us!鈥� 鈥淒o you mean the same kind as my seagull?鈥� 鈥淵es鈥� 鈥� Well tell them to bugger off then!鈥�

Sunday 21st May
Had to put some air photos together for JOR this morning and take them up to Main. Whilst I was there the Boche started to shell uncomfortably close. Plyman came in a said the water point near Piumarola had caught it and a couple of chaps were wounded. I stayed longer than I need have done until it quietened down. Roberts, who was driving, didn鈥檛 lose time. These blasted mediums 100 yards to our right and 100 yards behind us are positively awful when they fire. They almost blow the blankets off you when in bed. This evening the Capt. GSI 8th Army brought the Major in charge of enemy equipment down to photo captured Italian self propelled gun that the Skins got which came in two days ago. The Indian Pioneer company just behind us are very lively fellows 鈥� they just run around all day.

Monday 22nd May
We were wakened in the night about 04.00 by much anti-aircraft fire. I got out and had a look and the sky was just red with Bofors fire. Aircraft were overhead, but nothing dropped. It passed off eventually. During the day our chaps are pulling back a bit. The Poles are still battling away for Piedmonte which we can see as a pimple on the end of the Cassino range on the right of Route 6. French and American forces have made great strides to the outskirts of Pontecorvo and Terracina. Much work on hand and the blasted mediums 100 years away from us make life intolerable. A couple of Mustangs returning from bombing Route 6 had to run the gauntlet of our own anti-aircraft fire this evening. A couple of aa spents landed in our field, one just near the Indians. This evening whilst writing to Ken I started eating some issue chocolate. All of a sudden I felt my back tooth disintegrate. Bugger it. It鈥檚 another trip to Tiger Shannon.

Tuesday 23rd May
Awakened at 05.00 by the barrage in support of the Canadian attack on Pontecorvo. 700 guns, 400 rounds a piece. Impossible noise from the mediums. No news for a long time. Bridgehead going well with the Americans near Privemo and the French along Liri river. We are stuck with 11 Brigade outside Aquino. Piedmonte and S. Germano still enemy. Major Holmes came in this afternoon with news of Capt Allen whom he say a day or so ago. He is now chief instructor at Carpua Camouflage school and told Major Holmes that he hadn鈥檛 forgotten me and was waiting for the proper job and rank to turn up. I don鈥檛 know what this is bit I hope it comes off. Claudio Villi returned this afternoon. He has been in Sorento on a month鈥檚 convalescence after pneumonia. He had been broadcasting as well as living in high society. Canadians almost surrounded Pontecorva and their tanks on the Melfa! New pipe from Naafi.

Wednesday 24th May
Fine day and up with the lark. Just as well as JOR rang up for me to go to main of 07.30. Borrowed an Ariel. Got up there to find yet more photos to inscribe! Two sets. At them all morning and finished just after dinner.

Thursday 25th May
Very noisy night. Enemy aircraft dropped flares and bombed concentration areas of our battalions. Some damage and casualties. Much anti-aircraft. Very busy layering maps. Turned out very hot during the day. The mediums near us are now out of range so it is much quieter 鈥� thank heavens. Great progress again today and early this morning the announcement that the bridgehead had joined up with the main 5th army came through. Mt Cairo has also been cleared.

Friday 26th May
This morning at 08.30 Aquino has been taken. We were told to be ready to move at 12.30 but did not. Eventually moved at 15.30. Many tanks of 9th Armoured Brigade going up 鈥� one blew up on a mine quite close to us. Road past old main HQ very bad. Tanks on the tank track alongside the road going all-out blotted out our vision by raising immense clouds of dust. Through Pinmarola 鈥� shattered - to Aquino (birthplace of St Thomas Aquinus)- wrecked. Many Shermans of 16/7 Lancers knocked out here together with many enemy self-propelled guns. On to Route 6, pleasantly bordered by poplars for a few miles, then a left turn to a small farm. It seemed just like the Garden of Eden after the shell-scarred landscape we had passed through. Not a tree broken nor a house wrecked. Got tent quickly erected in the garden under some vines and got to work on maps. Many mosquitoes.

Saturday 27th May
Broken night again by enemy aircraft and with looking for a map at 03.30! Got up at 07.30 SC greeted me with 3 German range finders 鈥� magnificent workmanship. Our boys (1RIF) going up the road north of Ceprano. Ceprano reported taken by the Canadians this morning. Made good progress but going difficult owing to skirmishes. 2 LIR are following. Owner of the farm and his family arrived from the hills this morning, carrying all they possessed. Grandma was carrying a holy picture. They were very glad to see us. Apparently they had a bad time the last few days the Germans were here. They were conscripting men for labour and as the owner went he was shot at and wounded in the shoulder. The women were basically employed washing for the lads all day. Very hot. Major Holmes came in and had a talk this afternoon.

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