- Contributed by听
- Lancshomeguard
- People in story:听
- Bill Burton
- Location of story:听
- Blackburn, Lancashire
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A3890874
- Contributed on:听
- 13 April 2005
I was called up aged 17 and a half, to join the P.T.C. with the Gordon Highlanders at Brigadon Barracks, Aberdeen.
One week later, a lone raider came over the North Sea and dropped his bombs on our barracks. The results were devastating; 24 new intakes were killed and 28 injured, and this really brought the war home to me.
After 16 weeks with the Gordons, we joined the London Scottish in Hampshire preparing for the invasion which was to come in 3 years or so...or "D-Day" as it would become known.
After Hampshire, we changed regiment to the "Camerons". We went to Italy, and fought in Monte-Cassino, then the Adriatic Coast and also Greece for 8 months. We were then called back to Italy, to form a second batallion of the Argyles.
Eventually, we came back to England - to Grimsby - to reform for the Far East, but then we got the news that Japan had surrendered, so instead we went to Palastine and we volunteered for the "Red Caps" in Cairo, then came home for de-mob in Manchester...my war was over.
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