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2162092 Sapper Dennis Raymond Lomax R.E.

Dennis had his call up papers on 25/06/1942!
He was to join the Royal Engineers as a crane driver. He reported to Longmoor in Hampshire where he did 6 weeks training. His training then continued in Ilford, Stranraer, Brogbouough and Coatbridge. During this period he was posted to 1023/1031/1024 Docks Operating Companies.
In the spring of 1943 his company was sent on embarkation leave which he spent at home (Dennis has been told that his dad was very ill after he left England no doubt recalling what had happened to the troops in the first World War)

After 14 days at Silsoe, in which time he had visited all his relations to say goodbye knowing that it could be a long time before he would see them again. They were a very close family and all his uncles had been in The Great War, two of them never returned. His schoolmates and friends of course were in the forces at this time so there was no socialising in that way.

His company embarked from Liverpool docks unaware of their destination. They were issued Pith Helmets, which suggested that they were heading for India or the Far East. They were at sea for ten days and passed their time playing Housey-Housey (Bingo!) and lounging about after some PT. One poor chap in Den鈥檚 mess was sea- sick all the time whilst he was at sea; typically though he got his leg pulled by them all and all his mates ate his share of food. He must have felt terrible.
After a lot of speculation as to where they were heading, they passed through the Straights of Gibraltar where there had to be absolute silence to prevent them from being detected by the enemy U-boat鈥檚. They were told it was to be Algiers. This was the sea port capital of Algeria and Allied Headquarters of World War 2 and the seat of de Gaulle鈥檚 French provisional government
At that time I would imagine that most of the soldiers had never been out of Great Britain, Den certainly had not. He said that he would never forget his first sight of Algiers, which was a blaze of white buildings glittering in the sun. They were put in an army camp until they all had permanent billets. Den鈥檚 turned out to be the local gym. The helmets that they were given on embarkation were taken from them, being told that it was one way of transporting them.
Den has told me lots of little tales of things that happened in the 12 months that he was there. As I go along I will try to remember as many as I can. He does say that he realises how devious the Arabs can be.
During his time in Algiers Den鈥檚 job was to load and unload goods and equipment. He remembers one time when he had just gone off duty when there was an explosion on one of the ships that he had helped load with explosives when it collided with another vessel. Several people were killed.
A particular load he remembers was a load of mules for Corsica. Their legs were sticking through the nets. These animals were to aid the French to recapture their island.
Another incident was when the soldiers saw an Arab being cruel to his donkey. It apparently was not moving fast enough as it had a big load and was being beaten. Some of the soldiers set upon the Arab.When Den came of duty late at night he would have a knife in his had in case of being attacked by the Arabs.
Den had a nice surprise one-day. He was sleeping in his billet after going off duty and was woke and told he had a visitor. It turned out to be a friend from Silsoe 鈥� Jack Walker - who was in the Air force and station just outside Algiers.
After a certain time they were sent to a rest camp for rejuvenation where they enjoyed themselves in the huge waves of the Mediterranean.

In the spring of 1944 they left Algiers for Scotland in preparation for what turned out to be invasion of France. They were stationed and in the grounds of Inverary Castle In different circumstances a most beautiful place to stay. I am reminded by Den that during the month that he was stationed there that in never stopped raining. In Inverary there was just two pubs. With many companies stationed at the castle one can only imagine them trying to get a drink. The glasses were passed back over the heads of the men waiting. I would imagine it was impossible to be the worse for drink!
Eventually they moved to Wanstead Flats in London and then to the Port of London on a passenger boat where they laid off Southend for a week or so. They were not allowed to get off this boat and had an armed guard to see that they didn鈥檛. In the port there was a pub called 鈥淭he Golden Fleece鈥� which they could see and longed for a pint.

On 6 June 1944 the Allies launched the greatest amphibious operation in history (code named 鈥極verlord鈥�) and invaded German occupied Europe. At the end of D-Day 130, 000 troops had been landed on an 80km stretch of the Normandy coast at a great cost. Thousands were killed. The Americans got the worst of it on the Omaha beach.
At dawn on the 7th June the boat that Den was on left Southend, and eventually disembarked at Courseulles. The weather was very stormy. The Canadians that had come over with the British parted company and went there own way.
The engineers had to find somewhere to dig in for a couple of days and found a suitable field.
Jill and Mick took Den and myself to France a few years ago and we toured the coast of Normandy, found the field in which he had dug a hole to shelter for a few days. One story that he recalls is when they were attacked from the air and one of his mates was going to the toilet at the time, he came out of the hole- cum- lou like grease lightening hanging on to his trousers. and running for his life, bottom for all to see! More hilarity.
Den has told us of the when a German sniper was in the church tower taking pot shots at them until an officer infuriated that no one had given orders for the German to be taken out, duly obliged by removing the offender! I tell you this as during our nostalgic visit we saw the pothole that the bullet had made in the tower. On the beach where they had to work they were well protected by the Destroyers and Cruisers, HMS Belfast was one of them, and any German aircraft that came anywhere near were shot down.
In early July they were having a service in a field when a roar of planes were heard. They naturally turned round to look and there were many hundreds of aircraft passing over. The Padre said, 鈥渄on鈥檛 worry lads they are ours鈥�. It turned out that they were on the way to bomb Caen, which was devastated. History books suggest that there were 3000 planes that took part.

During the nostalgic visit to France we went to the Canadian and American army cemeteries and to see the many hundreds of graves all facing America and Canada made you realise what a desperate time they had, particularly on D.Day.
We also went to Vimy Ridge, a strongly held German defence line in the first World War which was successfully stormed by the Canadian Corps of the British Army in the Battle of Arras We went in the trenches and could not imagine what it must have been like the, the trenches of both sides a matter of yards away from each other!
At this time we aimed to find two graves, one of my Uncle Horace White and the other Doris and Jack Ambridge鈥檚 father.

Eventually orders were to get to Bolougne but as there was still fighting here so they stayed in Amiens for a week until they could get into the port.

From Bolougne the Engineers went to Marseilles where they were needed to assist the Canadians back from Algiers. They were required to strengthen General Montgomery鈥檚 army in Holland.
After working flat out for a monththey were given a months leave.
During this time Den watched a bullfight. The French did not kill the bulls but pieced the animal鈥檚 skin with a rosette to score. He also visited a nearby island of D鈥橧f from where Alexander Dumas based the book of 鈥楾he Count of Monte Christo鈥�.
At the end of the war in Europe Den left France and headed for Scotland again. The troop train on which he travelled was packed with soldiers and he stood all the way. The soldiers could see all the celebrations going on 鈥� the people had heard in advance that there was a troop train going through and they stood and cheered them all the way. As the train sped through Luton, Den was so near home he just wanted to jump from the train.
When in Scotland they understood that they where being prepared to help the Americans invade Japan. This was cancelled when the Atom Bomb was dropped.

From Scotland Den went to Croydon, Thame and Biscester where his job was platelaying.
He eventually was demoted on 28.02.47 and went home to Silsoe. He was put on Army Reserve for which he did a period of training in 鈥︹��. He was discharged from Reserve Liability on 30 June 1959.
There are many tales that he has told me of the experiences he had and as I remember them I will add them.
For example. The night he spent in a prison cell as there was no where else to sleep after delivering a soldier, who had had a nervous breakdown, to Stirling. The police even locked the cells!
When he worked in a tannery with all the rats using their sleeping bodies as obstacles when lights were put on them.

Working Liverpool Docks when the Dockers were on strike
Skating in Liverpool.
Good landlady in Grimsby. Army Mission???
Bobby Beck offering to pay for the photo taken in Marseilles and failed to do so.

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