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And so Algeria was invaded by the British and Morocco by the Americans. We knew, the Germans knew, the Vichy French knew, but we the Gib garrison or most of us anyway didn鈥檛 know exactly where. A naval R.N.V.R. Lt. Commander said the weekend before at the Yacht Club, 鈥淒o you know X words? Well my first is an exclamation, my second a Commonwealth navy.鈥� We had it immediately by working backwards, Royal Australian Navy 鈥� R.A.N. and of course the exclamation was Oh! 鈥� ORAN 鈥� of course that made sense. The Pioneers Corps was shipped to North Africa to build runways and returned months later wearing their Africa Star ribbon. The Germans retreated West after El Alamein and eventually East in Tunisia and the war in North Africa was over by the Spring of 1943 and a huge number of prisoners were taken. A battle camp was opened to the West of Oran and infantry from Gib and 25 pounders to support them were there too 鈥� can鈥檛 remember if ours were shipped from Gib or 1st Army guns were used.

I went out to be Range Officer 鈥� an opportunity to have a change and some exercise and this was to be on a rotating basis. I was told to choose a party to do the necessary donkey work and as it was going to be arduous I picked the young and fit and those I particularly liked and they all volunteered. At the time I was in charge of 4鈥� naval guns in enfilade at Catalan Bay and Sandy Bay and at least they had been able to swim often. It was a great way to give some of the garrison a change of scenery. In the Dakota on the way over it was a very cloudy and I remember so clearly that there was a small break in the clouds and we could see the sea below and there, just for a few seconds, was a Spanish tramp steamer with enormous Spanish flags painted on the deck and the sides 鈥� and then immediately there was cloud again all the way. We wondered what the chances were of that happening.

We were met and transported to a village, Les Andalouse, I think, some miles West of Oran. The officers accommodation was in an empty villa just at the top of the beach which was disappointing 鈥� covered in very smelly seaweed which seemed to be a paradise for enormous flies 鈥� and of course there is practically no tide in the Med to clean up the debris. The villa was very pleasant, the marble floors, but furnished with a few army tables and benches. I had a balcony from my room overlooking the sea and some of us used to pick our way through the seaweed and cool off. A short way up the beach was a small bar serving a few locals. We never really knew who were of French descent or Arab - or both. We used to have a couple of glasses of a very pleasant local dessert wine and look at the sea. But it was really quite physically demanding most days.

The terrain was not unlike Bournemouth with chines running parallel down to the sea, but the chines were much longer and there were more of them and the terrain was difficult to negotiate because of the thick prickly scrub, particularly in the valleys. My job was to place targets in the featureless panorama. We had salvaged cardboard and whitewash and that was about all except odd branches which we found. Most mornings we, that is my long suffering soldiers and I, would make our way several miles into the scrub to fix targets 鈥� sometimes to resurrect old debris 鈥� all that was necessary for something to be observed from a distance. It wasn鈥檛 easy, for we really had very little water to make the whitewash which was carried in a pail already mixed - not too full. We took sandwiches, a first aid kit and our water bottles. I made sure that the water was not drunk except at stated rests. Unexploded shells were sometimes found! One day, with some new bodies from Gib, I discovered that one rather heavy character was suffering on the return journey. He had drunk all his water. I gave him my water and went short myself 鈥� I had to get him back! When we arrived I desperately wanted a drink, I knew I should not overindulge but I did, I just kept on drinking. I immediately had a dreadful pain in the stomach which was quite frightening 鈥� worse than the cramp I鈥檇 had in my throat on Xmas Day 1942 with the enormously thick corned beef sandwich. Another experience, another lesson learnt.

A small boy used to wait for us every day with green figs which he sold for a few centimes 鈥� and we ate them without washing them which of course we should have done 鈥� no ill effects were reported. One night - or dawn 鈥� when we were on an exercise near cultivated land we saw, rather than heard, a small file of figures each carrying something. We went to ground and a nasty smell became apparent and got worse and worse. Then we realised 鈥� the night buckets were being emptied. I was always wary of these huge tomatoes which we used to buy to supplement our diet of tinned and dehydrated food. I was to meet a party from Gibraltar at the docks. There were a number of Sherman tanks parked and I inspected them.

I got on well with the Americans but was constantly amazed how most educated officers knew so little about the world, and Britain. They used to say I knew more about the 鈥楽tates鈥� than they did. I certainly knew more history and geography. As someone once said to me 鈥渨hen the ocean is 1500 miles east and 1500 miles west of where you live you don鈥檛 worry too much about what鈥檚 the other side of the ocean 3 or 4,000 miles further on鈥�. I had an amusing time in the Officers鈥� Club in Oran a few times. We were few and far between in this American area and I was quite chuffed by the friendly attention 鈥� or dare I say it, respect. They had found that while they had been in the war some 18 months, we had been in the war nearly 4 years! I played the piano 鈥� American 鈥榯oons鈥� but forgot and played too many Southern toons like Campdown Races and Swanee River so to avoid a difficult situation I hastily rendered John Brown鈥檚 Body and escaped out of a side door.

I saw a nasty accident in Oran. We were behind an American Army lorry with troops sitting on both sides 鈥� actually on the sides. In the other direction a local lorry, laden with timber - some sticking out, appeared, quite fast and as the two vehicles passed, the troops on the left side were swept off into the road. What a mess 鈥� another lesson.

Six of us decided to go to Sidi Bel Abbass the HQ of the French Foreign Legion and it was officially arranged 鈥� a usual practice apparently but of course it was an American area. We went 鈥� a hot dusty journey in a big Humber staff car and were greeted by a large swarthy sergeant with what the Yanks with us said was a Brooklyn accent. Apologies 鈥� all the officers were otherwise engaged and he was to show us around. He was an excellent and enthusiastic guide and what an accent! I don鈥檛 think we found out his antecedents 鈥� probably didn鈥檛 dare to ask but would have loved to know. What a hard life the legionnaires experienced! The barracks were Spartan, the beds were three planks on small trestles a foot off the floor. I don鈥檛 remember seeing mattresses but presumably they had a palliasse but I only remember seeing three scrubbed planks. Lots of details about history and actions followed. Our guide was immensely proud of General Gamelin 鈥� who was in this outfit he declared. We decided to have a meal in town. Luckily we had an old hand with us who found a restaurant 鈥� or eating place - Arab owned we thought. His French was good and we awaited the meal drinking a very pleasant local wine 鈥� red of course. A huge oval plate arrived with a huge omelette 鈥� goodness knows how many eggs were in it. It was duly cut into six large pieces and served. I remember it was drier than I should have liked but lots of bits and pieces, some green inside, were all agreed very tasty 鈥� we wondered what the ingredients had been, but sometimes it鈥檚 better not to know. On the way back on this bumpy road, with six on board after 20 miles or so we broke down. What to do? Luckily after 20 minutes an American truck arrived. Typically in my experience they couldn鈥檛 do enough 鈥� broken half shaft confirmed - as we had suspected. They towed us all the way back to Les Andalous 鈥� miles and miles out of their way.

I was recalled to Gib and was to take passage on an American destroyer. Very cordially received and fed and watered and I retired. In the night there was a disturbance and the sound of shouted orders followed by a ginormous explosion and then a few more which were seemingly more distant. Someone came in and said 鈥淣ot to worry鈥� only a suspected submarine. At breakfast I was asked by a grinning lieutenant how I鈥檇 slept. He said he鈥檇 never been below when depth charges had been used but had been told it was an interesting experience. Back to Gib and routine and rumour.

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