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Staffs County Council libraries, on behalf of the author, have submitted this story; the author fully understands the rules and regulations of the people’s War website.

TURKEY FOR DINNER.
I had to wait until I was eighteen to join the army. My father was very strict and would not sign the papers, even though I had eight brothers. I was determined to join, even though I hated the sight of blood.
I remember that every Christmas we were promised a turkey dinner, but no turkey dinner ever arrived! After the forth year we decided to take the matter into our own hands.
Off we set on a mission to pinch one from a farm. We went looking for the biggest, plumpest bird we could find! We eventually found our bird and took him back to camp. The only problem then being: no one had the nerve to kill that turkey! Even after all the years of being soldiers we still couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. We finally gathered ourselves together and one of the men held the bird’s body under his arm, over a tree stump, while another soldier stretched the bird’ neck out. We then chopped the turkey’s head off with a lumberjack’s axe.
We finally go the Christmas dinner we had been waiting for so long.

BOLSENO.
On another occasion our regiment were advancing on the way to Florence. We stopped at Bolsena to make camp. The infantry were still firing at the bottom of the field. We all complained that a camp should not be made at a place like that and a group of about sixteen soldiers went off on a ‘wine hunt.’ I was with a group of five who had remained behind. We were in a hut and I remember that I sat against the doorway. One shell came (210mm) and that was that! Four got killed and only I walked away. The next day I buried three, whose bodies are now buried in Bolsena war cemetery. And one friend from Crewe suffered shrapnel wounds and died later.
From that day on I’ve always believed that I’ll get it when it’s due and not until! I’m now eighty-five years old and I don’t think I’d be alive today if it wasn’t for the army. I’ve never had an illness, but three years ago I had a flu jab and I’ve never been right since!

MY BROTHER’S EXPERIENCE.
My brother Jack, who was younger by two years, served in the Royal Navy DEMS as a Gunner. Jack’s troop ship was torpedoed and Jack and all the crew were disembarked. Jack remained in the water for over seven hours, until a merchant ship picked him up. He was then sent home on survivor’s leave. My mother didn’t half tear him off a strip for coming home untidy!

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