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George Sethlock told his story to Wyn Briggs in the summer of 2004 at the Summerlands Nursing Home in Westgate on Sea, Kent.

I was in the Army during the 2nd World War. I went to the Rock of Gibraltar and there we had to build an airstrip for the RAF in order that the planes could fly to North Africa.

The Royal West Kents and approx 2000 troops travelled via the Bay of Biscay (everyone sick, green and all colours!) to Italy in a Polish ship Belltie. I was involved in Italy in the Monticasino Campaign near Gracie Fields home. The fighting took place at Savoy. We had mostly to march, rather than be transported, to the area of fighting. The Germans had a mixed Army of Germans, Russians. The Italians just more or less gave up by that time.

When a German sniper was firing, we all had to lie down. I made out I was hit and rolled back into the woods but the Captain lifted his head up and got shot in the neck.

We were making a dawn attack and it was pitch black. The Germans dropped shells to find out where we were. One part dropped and a clod of earth hit me in the ear and went numb but the next one I dropped flat - it must have come very low. I was put in an ambulance, then DC7 to Naples. We were strapped in but by that time we were not afraid — there was no point as we had lost so many brave men. On that journey some Russian and Italian nurses looked after us. The Red Cross boat back was much better as we were allowed to sit on deck and it was all lit up and painted white so the enemy knew it was a hospital ship. I was sent to a Scottish rehabilitation centre and came out of the Army.

My wife was in the land army and was working at a famous tomato growers near Edmonton but we did not meet until I came out of the Army and once married we had 57 years together.

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