大象传媒

The Irish Brigade are off on a long journey, destination unknown. It starts with a journey back to Taranto retracing their steps through areas they had fought over a couple of months previously.

Monday 10th July
Up at 04.30 for breakfast at 05.00. Packed finally and handed over my bed to relieving Sergeant. Parade at 06.30 fully draped in FSMO 鈥� God what a strain to remain upright! On to trucks and finally left for the station at 07.30. Arrived at Presentina station on the outskirts of Rome. Here we offloaded kitbags to the trucks and distributed bed rolls. We are allotted four trucks (7 horses or 30 men) each. All food etc and blokes on one truck plus a contemplated officers鈥� mess in one truck, which was fortunately washed out. Eventually at 09.05 we had all more or less got ourselves sorted out and the train moved off. By Jove what a ride. Our wheels seem square and the rails laid at all levels. The wagon sways at perilous angles. After about 5 minutes we pulled into a Rome station where we stood for a while until engines were put on our tail. The Americans are running the rail services with diesel electric and oil burning steam engines. We slowly pulled out of Rome and with many bumps we started our journey. With 30 chaps in our wagon the great thing was to get the blokes to hang their kit up to make room to sit down. The doors on either side provide the light, air and observation points and the chaps sat with their legs outside until we came to some tunnels where there were destroyed engines and clearance was only six inches! We went a little way, stopped for an hour, started and went a little further, stopped and started, and thus it went on. We stopped and got a cup of tea and bread and jam at 12.30. About 16.00 we reached Valmontone. We stopped about 19.00 and got a meal under way. There was another train on the up line, which looked as though it was derailed but I don鈥檛 think it was as about half and hour later it came by. We had to gobble our rice down to get on again as the wretched train started to move. We slowly rolled on a few miles or so and yet again another stop. It was now getting dark so we decided to get things organised for the night. We put our heads together and got ourselves sorted out in a sardine pattern with feet overlapping. It was most amusing as the blokes all tried to make their beds. Feet smelt very high and there was always the threat of our equipment falling off the side of the truck on top of you. However, after much laughing everything gradually quietened down.

Tuesday 11th July
We awoke after a night of dozing and banging about to find ourselves stationary in the wreckage of Roccasecca station. The place has had a terrific bashing, engines and carriage, trucks etc all destroyed all over the place. We got our breakfast here and the engines refuelled. We left about 09.45 and knocked along quite well towards Cassino past Piedmonte which looked very bad. Cassino station was badly damaged, in fact completely destroyed. Several of our own tanks were to be seen on the road by the station. Much water was still about and for the first time we could see the whole ruined town. The castle was mostly rubble and hardly a tree standing. The battlefield atmosphere prevailed. From here we pushed on quickly and past through Mignano, Sparamine to Capua and Caserta. We got through Caserta and stopped at a small station where we stopped for a meal alongside the track 鈥� more tea and bread and jam after 10 hours. I had words with Ossie as the 6th Inniskillins also on the train had had a meal on route. We changed drivers here and Italians took over and we rattled along towards Benevento. The Skins had a chap killed 鈥� run over and the poor fellow was killed instantly. At Benevento we stopped for a meal where it was all laid on 鈥� more M and V and tea! We pulled out of Benevento and made our beds down once more.

Wednesday 12th July
Awake this morning at 05.30 to the shouts of 鈥淥utside for breakfast!鈥� Apparently arrived at Barletta. We turned out and walked down to the point where Italians were issuing yet more M and V and tea! I was fortunate and got a tomato flavoured one. We left after a short time and reached Bari. Just after Bari was a very big aerodrome full of planes quite a lot being serviced by Italians. We rattled along at an incredible rate- apparently RE drivers now. We had a couple of sandwiches at a small station but unfortunately couldn鈥檛 wait for tea. All the stations had small boys and women selling anything from wine, tomatoes nuts, etc. We eventually arrived at our destination about 14.00, climbed into our FSMO and piled out to be told by Ossie to dump everything on the platform. We did so. Then Shireby appeared saying the place was three quarters of a mile away and he had just been drinking good tea. The dog! We had to pick up all our gear and transport it 1600 yards down the track and dump it again. Here I got put i/c baggage party whilst others went off. Trucks were scarce and we had to wait for an hour and a half until we off loaded everything. I left on the last but one and arrived in the camp 鈥� desolate and olive groves once more. Water was scarce. Offloaded the truck then returned half a mile up road to LIR camp where we had more tea and M and V!! Walked back to camp just as it started raining. Out tent was pitched in the camp and the rain just poured in though the roof and the walls. We sat in the centre and just hoped for the best. Fortunately it eased off and we were able to sleep dry. Later they brought a rum ration round. This ended our very long and dreary journey 52 hours, 25 minutes.

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