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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Alan Shippam of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Ann Lumb, and has been added to the site with the author’s permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

John was called up for service, and joined in March 1940 aged 22 years. He was sent to Huddersfield West Yorkshire, where they were trained to fight for the first few weeks with broom handles, until equipment arrived. They were sent to the Welsh borders and he recalled a red glow in the sky one December night, and was told it was Sheffield burning.

He was later told that his father and uncle were missing. They had been in the city centre on business and sheltered in the Marples Hotel. The hotel was bombed and many lives were lost and never identified. John was given leave to tour hospitals and morgues in Sheffield, but no trace of either of them was ever found.

The Welsh people were very kind to John and his colleagues, and they lived with the locals. Here they were trained to bridge rivers, build Bailey bridges and lay heavy gauge wire for netting soft ground.

They sailed for Africa on the Rangatteti (not sure of spelling) and had to make a huge detour to avoid action, and it was a long journey. When the ship docked, at Durban I think, local people met them and took them on tours round the city. Two ladies met John and they had a big car. They were, strangely enough, from Sheffield and had emigrated years before. They originally lived 2 streets from John’s home.

John was upset when he stepped off a footpath to let an African pass and he was told he should not have done so, he was horrified and it made him all the more determined to do it again if the occasion arose. In 1941 they were in Port Said to acclimatise and the natives used to shave them and make them tea. He recalled seeing the top of a large ship and realised it was on the Suez Canal.

On the coast road leading west, they were in Meesa Matsu and Sidi Banini , and were involved in mine clearance. Some of the mines were 2 feet long and cylindrical, but most were the size of a large dinner plate; they were connected by wire, so stepping on one triggered the rest. They covered them with colander type things which were later removed by the soldiers following behind. John said the Battle of El Alamein started with an enormous barrage of cannon fire and tanks. He walked with a rifle and was not engaged in the activity, but as the enemy retreated, they went ahead to replace the bridges.

Sometime around this time, I’m not sure at what point John and his mates were sent to get Montgomery and Earl Alexandra’s caravan and car out of the mud where they were bogged down. He said Montgomery thanked them, but was very reserved. Earl Alexandra was very approachable and shook their hands. John had a leg wound with shrapnel and as he was moved to hospital his I.D. locket and papers were lost and therefore he was sent to Syria by boat. It was thought that the enemy might move through Turkey and attack Suez from the East. Then eventually he was back in the desert but missed his original mates. In the time he was in hospital, they had moved on and he was with different people. He landed in Sicily and British Warships were shelling. As they moved inwards, they were heavily bombed. They crossed the Straits of Medina, I think near Anzio, on to Rimini. The homes were deserted, tables were laid for meals and there were signs of quick evacuation.

Here in a garage John and his friends found a young Italian couple with a tiny girl called Maria. They had fled their home; they were starving and the boys begged food from the canteen where they were fed. At Christmas, John made a wooden trolley on wheels and made little bricks. One boy painted it; they all filled it with their chocolate rations and took it on Christmas Eve to the garage where the couple were. The little girl loved it.

John was upset to leave, but said they should be safe now. He never forgot Maria and often talked of her. Later he became a despatch rider and was given a revolver instead of a rifle. He sometimes called at American bases where they fed him well and gave him food to take back with him. Later, they went by boat to the South of France, D-Day had taken place and he entered Germany near Osnabrook where he saw a concentration camp. He never wanted to talk about the horror of the war, hence his story is a lighter version. He died in November 2001.

Pr-BR

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