大象传媒

Bill Tawney, another veteran now in his 80s, although living in Alstone Lane as a child, vividly recalls Arle Villa as it was before the war. He joined the 9th Lancers, at the time an elite regiment because they had swords, lances and rifles, when he was only 17. Three years later he was posted to India, but because he was a reservist when the war broke out he was sent to Tidworth and eventually joined the Warks. Yeomanry.
By 1939 he was sailing through Palestine and later fought in five different countries. There was trouble in Syria and his regiment travelled on horses from Palestine into Syria and successfully engaged the enemy. Later they crossed the border into Iraq and went to Baghdad. Trouble erupted in Persia (now Iran) and they fought the Persians for some time, later returning to Palestine. He spent his leave by the Sea of Galilee. He was in the 8th Army in the desert and as a Desert Rat served there under 'Monty' and General Alexander. After recovering from a leg wound, he eventually took part in the Italian landings. It was here that he saw the devastation of Monte Cassino. This was a famous battle because it meant the destruction of a monastery high in the mountains where the Germans were holding out. Despite desperate pleas from the Pope and many other heads of state, the decision to destroy it was made. Mr Tawney recalls whilst wandering around the area finding a little shrine to the Virgin Mary, lying intact by the roadside.
Eventually Mr Tawney returned to Cheltenham and now lives in Arle with his collection of army memorabilia and his memories.

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