大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Edwina Davies on behalf of Mr James Harvey Wetton, M.M., and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Regiment: 41st Royal Tank Regiment

Call-up and Training
I was called up on 12 December, 1939. I was twenty. I became twenty one in the January. I had to report to Earl Mill, Oldham for training and I was demobilised in March, 1946.
I travelled to Oldham by train, my fare paid and was one of a batch of thirty conscripts drawn from this area; Kendal, Barrow, Grange-over-Sands.
We did our initial training at Oldham at Earl Mill. I remember marching through the town. I had only been in about two months. I tripped over a stone and the Sergeant Major told me to pick my feet up. I told him that I鈥檇 tripped over a stone. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been there a long time鈥� he said. 鈥淲ell I鈥檝e only just found it!鈥� I replied.
Whilst there I took my turn at guard duty, challenging those approaching with 鈥淔riend or Foe鈥�. Not that I could have done much if they鈥檇 said 鈥淔oe鈥� because although we鈥檇 been given guns we had no ammunition.
On completing our basic training we all went to Otley and that鈥檚 where we trained for tanks 鈥� all thirty of us, some to be drivers, some gunners, different roles but all tank men.
We were there a few months and then we went to Eastbourne and then received training in tanks on Salisbury Plain.
Training continued until 1942 and then we were sent to Egypt, near to Cairo. We went by sea and I was on a ship for nine weeks 鈥� and of those I was seasick for six. They used to say 鈥淧ut your life jacket on, there is a German submarine about鈥�. I鈥檇 say 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care if it hits us鈥�.
Next we began our training in the desert. It was then that I was promoted to Corporal. Whilst we were undergoing training we got some new tanks, Shermans. They carried a 75mm gun and a 0.5 machine gun. Besides the fixed guns we had small arms and hand grenades.
Training continued until 22/23 October, 1942 and then came our first battle, El Alamein.

Into Battle: El Alamein and on to Northern Italy
Before we went into battle and engaged the enemy we put up a barrage, then from two o鈥檆lock, four hours of creeping barrage.
The big guns, 250mm, were set up about 10 miles from the front line and under the cover of the big guns the 25mm guns crept up. Then the tanks, infantry and the Royal Engineers went forward. The casualties were very heavy. The Engineers took the heaviest losses because they were advanced first, clearing the way of land mines so that the infantry could go forward. We followed the infantry in.
When we went in with our tanks at daylight the number of dead and wounded was terrible. You could not avoid the bodies and you had to drive on them as they lay. But, we forged on through the desert towards Tripoli and into North Africa from Egypt.
The Americans were in the Sea and we were moving across below the enemy. So they were trapped and they gave themselves up in thousands.
An example of the luck I experienced all the time I was in action occurred in the desert when I stopped to ask an M.P. where 鈥淪un Track鈥� was. There were various tracks; Sun Track, Moon Track, Tree Track for example. He told me and I鈥檇 just dropped down inside the tank as he stepped back onto a mine and was blown up. If I鈥檇 been out of the hatch I would also have been killed.
After El Alamein we regrouped and set-off to invade Sicily. We expected to meet a lot of opposition but there was nothing.
From Sicily we moved on to mainland Italy but again we were not hindered because the enemy had retracted. I remember the fields full of tomatoes and a framer鈥檚 wife, about fifteen stone, coming out and hugging me. 鈥淏ritish good, good, good鈥� she said. 鈥淚 bet you said that to the Germans鈥� I remarked.
As we went up Italy we could park our tanks up anywhere, often on farms and they would bring us food. We got on well with the Italians.
We then began to advance right up Italy and we fought our way up as far as the River Po. Sometimes we were so close behind Jerry that when we came upon where they鈥檇 been stopped his soup and tea were still steaming. The infantry pursues them and took them prisoners.
Monty used to put in an attack and then pull back. We were fighting alongside the New Zealand lads. This New Zealand lad asked me to go with him and showed me where nine of his comrades had been hung from a beam. After that the New Zealanders said that they would never take any prisoners and they never did. They were really good fighters, the New Zealand lads. I rated them far above the Canadians and the Americans.
The comradeship amongst the men was wonderful and there is no better soldier than the British Tommy. I鈥檝e seen our lads go out with their machine guns, face to face with the enemy and mow them down. They did not want to be taken prisoner. I was never afraid of dying, only of being taken prisoner.
At one point we were approaching the River Serio. An officer came up and asked me if I would go on a 鈥渞eccie鈥� to see if we could get troops across it. I refused at first but he said he was exhausted but he gave the order and so I had to. I met up with some Scots and they grabbed and pushed me down on the ground, saving me because there was a German reconnaissance group coming towards us. I never saw the Scots again.
I reached thee river and waded in until I was waist deep to see if it was O.K. for the tanks to cross. I also ventured into the German lines. Then I had to go back and report.
We then moved forward. It was about one o鈥檆lock in the morning. I was in a scout car leading along the road. I wasn鈥檛 sure first where we were so I said to pull up and there in front of us was this huge hole, a bomb crater. We鈥檇 stopped right on the edge but hadn鈥檛 seen it in the dark. And then the guns started, the Germans firing at us. Later we made our crossing of the river with our tanks where I鈥檇 waded in.
Luck played a big part in survival. The Scots warning and helping me saved me as did the decision to stop on that road and my luck held. For four years I slept within half a mile of Germans, four Christmases abroad, and apart from getting a piece of shrapnel in my arm when we were near Rome and that was treated simply with a filed dressing, I was unhurt. You learned to be cautious and a country life teaches you not to do anything daft.
During the course of the war when I was in battle I had three new tanks because the ones they replaced had their tracks blown off by landmines. Landmines posed the biggest danger to the tanks. If you did find yourself in the situation of a track being blown off you got out quickly.
One incident when my luck might have run out but held was as we moved further north in Italy and we were stopped in a field one night. I had to answer a call of nature. I failed to take a machine gun or a hand gun with me and came face to face with a German paratrooper. However, he didn鈥檛 shoot but held out his hand and said 鈥淔riend鈥�. He threw his machine gun down and gave himself up. I took him back and we gave him breakfast. His group also surrendered. There were twenty of them, only sixteen year-olds. They鈥檇 been dropped and told after landing to kill as many enemies as they could.
All the way north towns were taken street by street by the infantry. I remember on one road we were held up by a sniper until someone saw a puff of smoke and got him. Another time I spotted a German through my binoculars. I told the gunner to fire a burst but the German didn鈥檛 move. Then my gunner said 鈥淢y bullets are going through him鈥�. When we got to him, he was frozen stiff.
On reaching the River Po they would not let us cross on the Bailey bridge because our tanks were too heavy for it. They weighed twenty two tons. That was where we were when the war in Europe finished. My wireless operator got the message in code that the war had ended.
From the River Po we went on to Padua and that was where we made our base. It was then that I got a month鈥檚 leave. It was a short time in which to arrange everything. Then it was back to Italy, to Padua.
The plan was then to regroup and got to Japan but in the end all we did was effect the handover of equipment to other regiments. They also wanted the Eighth Army to go to Europe but Monty refused. He said that the Eighth had done enough.
They had been involved in the battle of Monte Casino where the loss of life was terrible. I should have been there but I wasn鈥檛 sent because at the time I was nursing an injured hand.

Comradeship and Survival
I was in the army seven years and although dreadful things happened I enjoyed every minute. It was the comradeship. Everyone looked out for each other. Men did literally put themselves at risk to save their friends.
After the war I was made up to Sergeant Major because the previous Sergeant Major had a motorbike accident, broke both arms and did not return to the squadron. The lads knew about my promotion before I did because they had seen it in orders.
Ronnie Brown whom I鈥檇 served with all through the war came up and asked since I鈥檇 become a Sergeant Major I would do him a favour. He gave me a gun and said 鈥淕o and shoot yourself!鈥�
But he and Jack Hartley had been my friends from training. Both came from Blackpool and both came through the war unscathed.
Ronnie had a trick he used to play. We would go in somewhere for a drink and he鈥檇 ask 鈥淲hat day is it?鈥� Someone would give him the date and he鈥檇 exclaim 鈥淚t鈥檚 my birthday!鈥� and then with luck we鈥檇 be given free drinks to celebrate.
However terrible were the things we witnessed there was always a sense of humour maintained amongst the men. We learned to make the most of things.
In battle you鈥檇 see planes shot down and men bale out. We saw a parachutist coming down and found the 鈥榗hute. That was in the desert. We didn鈥檛 find the parachutist. Parachutes were valuable. You could get 拢60 for a parachute in Cairo.
Next thing a notice appeared stating that 鈥淎ll parachutes, enemy or allied must be handed in to stores鈥� and someone had added 鈥淪o the officers can sell them鈥�.
When we were in the desert, for example, we were only given one pint of water per day and that was for everything; shaving, washing and drinking. It wasn鈥檛 enough. But, we also got five gallons of distilled water per day to top up the batteries on the tanks. That solved our water shortage. We used to pee in the tank batteries and keep the distilled water for drinking. It did not seem to affect the tanks. They kept going.
We were always hungry. Once we got a chicken and within an n hour it had been cooked and eaten.
You never had your clothes off your back for days. You slept in them and it was only now and then that you got the chance of a shower. You could not get undressed because you had to be ready at all times, day and night, to move out in ten minutes.
Whilst I was in the desert I got made up to Sergeant. I also won the competition for the dirtiest vest. First prize was a bottle of beer. My vest had petrol poured on it and was ceremoniously burnt and I got a new one form stores.
Whilst in the desert I had sand fly fever and I was very ill. It鈥檚 like malaria. I had sweating bouts every few minutes. I was taken to an Indian run hospital and although I was very well treated I was glad when I got back to the lads.
Soldiers lived by their wits and would sell or trade what they could. Later when I was Sergeant Major I had to carry out an inspection of the tanks. During active service items got lost and no doubt many were either sold or traded so that few tanks were fully equipped. I knew this so when I was going to start my inspection I said that I would start at number nine. The sergeant said that I couldn鈥檛 do that, they would have nothing. At inspection the tank would be fully equipped from items pooled from the other tanks. Usually the second tank also would be fully equipped but the others would all have items missing and would be waiting for them to be passed back from the tanks already inspected so they too could pass inspection.
It was suggested after I became Sergeant Major that I put in to become a Second Lieutenant but I refused. I told them that I couldn鈥檛 afford to be an officer with the cost of buying the uniform and the kit required.
Mind you, the best officers were without question those who had come up through the ranks.

Officers
Some officers you liked and respected but as I鈥檝e said the best were those who had risen from the ranks. Those who had come in as officers straight from training had no idea. The officer who sent me to check the river was a good one. He鈥檇 seen action.
When I was on training I met one of those officers, straight from Sandhurst. I was training to be a tank commander. He told me to take my tanks across this piece of land onto this hill and take up position. I told him I couldn鈥檛 go across where he said because it was what I called watery grass.
He said 鈥淵ou鈥檙e here to receive orders, not to question but to take them鈥�.
I checked again and asked if he was sure and then did as I was told. I knew what would happen and it did. I鈥檇 only gone a few yards when the tank, because of its weight, over thirty tons bellied down. It took them three days to dig it out.
They knew nothing.
In Italy I met another who鈥檇 just come out. There were lots of Germans around, heavy shelling and small arms fire. He was stood up in full view. I shouted at him to get down and keep his head down. He asked if I always spoke to officers like that. I told him he wasn鈥檛 on Blackpool Sands 鈥淵ou鈥檙e here鈥� and then a shell exploded next to him. He asked where it had come from and I told him there were Germans everywhere. Afterwards he thanked me.
Another one arrived from Sandhurst and had us helping to unload his stuff. He鈥檇 even brought a camp bed. We told him he wouldn鈥檛 need that.
鈥淲hat do you sleep on?鈥� he asked. We told him 鈥淥n鈥檛 bloomin鈥� floor!鈥�

I receive the Military Medal
At the end of the war I was awarded the Military Medal. I was notified by post and received the medal and 拢25 also through the post. I do not know the reason for its awarding having not been told the reason for my citation.
It could have been for various incidents because you frequently found yourself in tight corners. I can speculate.
There was one occasion when I鈥檇 led a river crossing and gone across first but then they blew the bridge so I was the only tank which had made it. I had to stay in position and keep firing and try to make it appear that I was not alone until the others could make it across.
I was also on bridging tanks. They had no turret. Their role was to help men across rivers. You had to take up position in the middle of the river and lower the ramps which were at the front and rear of the tank so that the men could cross. In effect your tank was exactly what its name suggests, a bridge.
So I accepted my medal without knowing the particulars of why it was awarded.

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