大象传媒

My grandad Jack didn't talk alot about the war to me ,perhaps I didn't ask. However, luckily he wrote a brief summary of his extemely interesting ,both difficult and exciting,life.
The following is taken from that summary.

Grandad was born in Cardiff on July 30th 1925.
John Roland Trigg, affectionatally known as Jack.
He advanced his age by a year and was accepted into the Welsh guards at 17 years old in 1942.In 1943 He became a Guardsman "Tanky" and trained at Pirbright.
He then joined the 2nd Bn Welsh Guards.

In May 1944 Grandad went to Brighton and was stationed at Preston Park which was turned into a tank park.
On the 27th May he "was reluctantly granted 48 hrs leave to get married" to Evelyn Joyce Dew ( Joey Trigg, I hope nan doesn't mind me divulging her first name!!)Grandad then spent 24 hrs leave with my nan before he went overseas!! He did also spend two weeks waterproofing his tanks!!!

By June Grandad was in Arromanches. He then went to the benouville area ,via Bayeux and Caen. He "witnessed a massive bombing raid, the sky full of allied aircraft,wave after wave flew over our heads and bombed their targets which seemed just a short way ahead. We then crossed the Orne over the Pegasus Bridge and advanced into battle ,probing and threatening the enemy. We proceeded through disabled and burning tanks of the 11th armoured division and came into fire from tiger tanks.This lasted for some time until our tank commander received a hit in the head. At the same time the 75mm gun became unservicable. We lifted the tank commander down and carried him through shell fire to to the nearest ambulance. Unfortunately he died before he reached the first aid post.We were later withdrawn to Collembelles, fully exposed to the gunfire of the enemy and were held there for some days as a diplay of armoured threat."
Here my grandad displays his character....
" Welshmen sing in happiness and trouble and we certainly had some choirs singing during those troubled days."
Grandad was then moved to the Montchamp area where he stoically writes "after some further action the tank was mined and I received the full blast which went through the underbelly of the tank. My right arm was amputated in a Canadian base hospital near Bayeux on August 3rd 1944."

Grandad was officially discharged from the army in July 1945"ceasing to fulfill army physical requirements" !!He stuggled to find a job and enrolled for Government rehabilitation training. Grandad applied for a clerical job at RAF Yatesbury but was about to be rejected as he could not type. But the wing commander noticed grandads Welsh Guards Comrades badge and as this man had been a Grenedier Guard offered grandad an alternative clerical post. Grandad accepted and was employed by the Ministry of Defence until he retired, learning to type very quickly."Incidentally" He wrote at the time" I am still waiting for the Government rehabilitation training place!!"

In 1945 Grandad joined BLESMA (British Limbless Ex Servicemens Association)He was an active branch member from 1952 until he died in 1997.

Except when he was posted away, my grandad participated in all BLESMA sporting activities.He took part in the very first international sports for limbless at Stoke Manderville in 1967. Grandad competed for his country against 13 other countries and won 2 gold(Discus and medicine ball ) and a silver for his swimming.

With BLESMA Jack Trigg had some very priviledged experiences as a child I remember him always going off for a royal tea party. He escorted Prince Charles up Mount Snowdon in 1976.He and my nan were intoduced to The Queen and Princess Diana in 1981.

He also sailed with BLESMA across the channel,in yachts, more than once and loved it.

I think my reason for sharing my grandads memoirs are that the War caused the worst of times for my Grandad. He joined a healthy fit young man and only 2 years later was discharged with only one arm and no job. Lesser men would have been broken , But there was nothing that my Grandad could not do .(Except feed his belt around his trousers. Oh and there was quite a lot of giggling the Christmas my nan bought him an umberella!!) I never heard him complain ,unless the Welsh lost at the Rugby.He was always the life and soul of any party and there were always loads of those. My nan knows how to throw a good party!!I wish he was here to tell his own story,I know he would have typed it quicker!!

He was a great man and a lovely husband,father, grandfather and great grandfather. It is safe to say that WW2 shaped his life.

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