大象传媒

'My uncle Bert Manewell of Rotherham was a welder at Jenkin's Foundry from the age of 14 until 21 when he was called up in 1941 to serve with REME as a mechanical engineer.

Phyically he was classed as being B2 (as compared with A1) because of a weak chest caused by work in the foundry. This did not deter the Army from sending him to North Africa and Italy.

He spent most of the time in North Africa just behind the front line repairing vehicles and tanks. He lived in the open air, sometimes under tanks, among the sand dunes and where every mouthful of food was swallowed with amounts of desert sand. Often he slept under the tanks he was repairing.

Bert loved the Army and the camaraderie he found among the men, also the chance to play football for REME.

During his time in the Army and despite the many injections received he came down with malaria in North Africa. There was a reaccurrence of this when, in 1946 at the age of 25, he was discharged from the Army.
Bert went to work as a welder for Newton Chambers of Rotherham for 16 years before he died leaving a widow and two children.

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