大象传媒

Anzio cont.

My tommy gun had been cut clean in half by a shell fragment and lay in two pieces at the bottom of the trench. Had I been there I would have been decapitated! Two men who had a double trench a few feet away were both dead, a shell having landed on the edge of their trench! This area facing the Buonriposo Ridge became our standard OP spot. Everybody was dug in all over the area. A miserable sort of existence and the last two days in February produced another 鈥渋ncident鈥� so far as we were concerned.

It was decided that a company of the 9th Royal Fusiliers would make a night advance across the 鈥渘o-mans land鈥� area in front of the 鈥渆mbankment鈥� road and up to the ridge, and we were detailed to go with them as the contact for supporting artillery. The advance was made all very quietly of course and when we reached the location everybody dug in.

It was still very dark so we thought nothing would happen for some time, I took the opportunity to take my boots off for a while, a rare occurrence and then, just as dawn was breaking my officer came up and said 鈥渃ome on we had better go up and see what鈥檚 doing.鈥� I got up out of the trench put on my boots and we were about to move when with an almighty scream of 鈥渃ome on Tommy鈥� the Germans started to attack. They must have been very close all the time. They knew we were there. It sounded as if we were for it this time. The officer and the other two signallers raced off to the left and dived into a wadi. Then the mortar bombs started exploding and I went running to where I saw the others disappear. Just as I reached the wadi a mortar bomb landed nearby and I felt a terrific clout on my right thigh, my leg went numb and I pitched head first into the wadi beside them. I said 鈥淚鈥檝e been hit鈥�. Try and carry on they said. I felt down my leg 鈥� no blood, no wound. I had been hit by a chunk of rock from the explosion, that is all it would have been. Anyway we crawled along this wadi back towards from whence we came.

Half way we came across an infantry officer and three men in a junction of another wadi. Two of the men were wounded and very bloody. We eventually made it back to our lines and with our own machine gunners firing away over our heads as we crawled 鈥渉ome鈥�. We reported to our Major, who was at our starting point, that the infantry had been overrun and that we had lost all our equipment鈥�.

To return to the main story, on Sunday March 5th I was part of a small advance party that left the gun area and spent the night in a rear area among some trees quite near to the sea shore and our own Waggon Lines. The weather continued wet and miserable but I managed to find somewhere to sleep with the Service Corps. On the 6th there was some improvement, the sun put in an appearance and dried up a lot of the moisture.

In my absence the battery command post crowded with the regular staff, less myself of course, but with the personnel that were taking over belonging to 92nd Field Regiment, was quite heavily shelled. Nobody inside was hurt but a gunner who threw himself on the ground outside my wall of ammunition boxes was killed. He had been sent to the battery position to collect the gun history sheets and I had spoken to him that morning before he set out. It was all rather unnecessary as the documents had to remain with the guns because all our equipment was being left behind. I think it also tended to make people count the hours, hoping to stay clear of shells having come so far unharmed. Up to that point we had been not too worried about being shot at!

After another night spent with the RASC we all moved off rather unexpectedly at about 1000 hours to the docks area of Anzio and went on board the Greek Landing Ship Tank 鈥淟AMOS鈥� (AHMNOZ). As we left the harbour the Germans fired a final salvo of shells at us, big ones too but they were off for range and all fell short. I fell asleep in the afternoon and after a quiet night鈥檚 voyage we all landed near Naples and were taken by RASC lorries to a village near Salerno called Angri. We were told that it was the birthplace of Al Capone but I doubt it.

Following a sound night鈥檚 sleep uninterrupted by gunfire etc., we ate our breakfast in a relaxed sort of way for there was no hurry, and later paraded for a bath. On entering the bathing establishment we dumped all our clothes in one room, had a shower and picked up a complete new outfit. Socks, boots, underclothes, uniform and hat, after drying ourselves. We badly needed both the wash and the uniform as the latter was becoming somewhat threadbare in places. Some of us managed to pass through the system a second time and thereby changed our spare uniform. In the evening the officers and sergeants had a good old booze-up together and not surprisingly, eventually crawled into bed rather late.

Most of the battery were billeted in barrack rooms not unlike those in Le Cateau at Colchester and some of the men were doing a remunerative trade with the locals selling their blankets often by throwing them out of the windows to their pals in the street who bargained with the Italians. And of course Eddie our BQMS was supposed to prevent it. There was also a lot of personal kit being stolen. As an example one man awoke in the morning to find that all his kit had gone. All that was left were his pants which he had worn in bed and the two blankets covering him. The result was that a small party was formed of an officer, sergeant major and battery quartermaster sergeant and who were authorised to search as many homes as considered necessary to retrieve stolen army property. This was very successful. A vast quantity, not all belonging to our own battery, was recovered consisting of Army equipment and personal kit. The search party was armed, forced entry and met with little resistance or protest from the Italians.

Nevertheless our stay in Angri was quite enjoyable. It was a comfortable little place which obviously enjoyed the business it received from the constant stream of soldiers that passed through this army staging post. Whilst here I sent my battledress to an Italian tailor in the town for alterations and he made a very good job of them. I also had my photograph taken in the town square in front of a statue, with some other sergeants and I still retain a copy.

On March 11th we moved to a small town some twelve miles north of Naples called Pouzzuoli, put up our 鈥渂ivvies鈥� and took over the equipment left behind by 92nd Field Regiment, the unit that relieved us at Anzio. A first glance at the specialists equipment was not encouraging and I concluded that it was not up to the standard of that handed over to the 92nd!

The takeover completed we were left with two spare days, no parades and no particular restrictions on how we spent our time. The weather was on the change, alternating from wet to sunny and back again. I managed to get some much needed washing done and on the first night everyone received an issue of rum. On the 14th several of us paid a visit to Naples and had a good meal of eggs, chips and vino for 125 Lire which worked out at seven shillings or a little under one day鈥檚 pay which reinforced my opinion that the exchange rate was weighted too heavily in favour of the Italians.

Whilst in Naples we visited one of our cooks at the 65th British Military Hospital. He had received severe abdominal wounds from shrapnel at Anzio. We found him looking very cheerful, his tummy had healed nicely and he was really looking forward to going home. It was really sad therefore to be told several weeks later that he had died just one day before the hospital ship reached England. He was fairly elderly compared with the rest of us and in all probability his death was caused by delayed shock, the effect of the sea voyage or perhaps a combination of the two.

That night there was an airraid on Naples which we could hear and at the same time see the searchlights flashing about in the distance. In the morning we were up at 0400 hours and on the move by 0600 hours. I must say once more that I never liked those early reveilles. It was always dark, often both cold and wet, everybody had to wash and shave, pack up their kits, have breakfast and generally grope about in a semi panic, usually in strange places and with edgy tempers. The wonder of it all was that it worked and usually on schedule.

On this occasion the weather was cold and we were travelling across Italy in the direction of Bari. The first half of our two day journey took us through villages perched high up in the Appenines, all of them under snow. The route was via Avellino, Pratola Serra, Ariano di Puglia and Grandinetto and the distance about 165 km. All the towns were built as fortresses. On the second day reveille was late and we did not continue our journey until 1000 hours. We were being transported in the vehicles taken over from the 92nd Field Regiment RA and our speed was rather slow because there was lots of snow along the route. It was hard work for the drivers but the rest of us could relax and those in the backs of lorries could nod off to sleep.

We arrived at our destination, which was Altamura near Gravina, rather late at night having passed through Foggia, Cerignola, Canosa, Andrea and Corato. I awoke the next morning to find the ground thick with frost and that I had been posted as Battery Orderly Sergeant. The entire day was spent on checking everything, every bit of equipment we had received from 5th Division and the task was made quite pleasant by a warm and sunny day. Not only was everything examined but each item was duly listed and a note made of anything missing. All this activity was followed by an easy going day and to begin with I must have dawdled over ablutions and breakfast because I nearly missed the morning parade. I arrived only just in time. The whole afternoon was spent cleaning up everything in sight and after that, having consumed the evening meal, there was a general move to get to bed early.

I should explain here that we were in Italian built wooden huts in which there were wooden beds for everyone. Originally the buildings had been constructed and used by the Italians as a Prisoner of War camp for British soldiers captured in the desert war. In fact many years after the war had ended I met an ex-soldier who had been in this very place and who had a very poor opinion of the way he and fellow prisoners were treated.

Sunday March 19th dawned somewhat misty, probably because we were fairly high up, above the one thousand feet contour level. Nevertheless the weather began to clear into quite a fine day in time for the Commanding Officers Parade which lasted an hour. This was followed by a thanksgiving service during which part of the Padres sermon dealt with 鈥渢he licentious soldiery鈥� and the sins of the flesh. Well members of the regiment had barely come into contact with an Italian of either sex and elements of the Division had been in action constantly since the Salerno landing and we were told later that this period of six months and three days constituted a British Army record. Whether it was in fact I have no idea. But to return to the sermon the men took exception to its contents and it was a subject of some gossip over the next few days. Having said that I must add that it took a great deal to demoralise the British soldier and a cup of tea and a cigarette after the service cheered up one and all. At that time nearly everybody smoked and many of us smoked both a pipe and cigarettes. We received a free ration of fifty cigarettes in a sealed tin at regular intervals and in addition were able to buy more if needed through our NAAFI representative at a reasonable price. That afternoon there was a general discussion followed by a singsong in the evening. Everybody was in the best of spirits especially, I imagine, those who had been in action since the Salerno landing. I reckon that about a quarter or more of all ranks had been absent at one time or another. Malaria and jaundice had affected quite a lot of us, battle fatigue had struck down a few more, then there were the wounded not all of whom returned and so on.

On Monday it was almost 鈥減lease yourself鈥� day and after the evening meal we saw a film in the camp called 鈥淢e and my girl鈥� following which I spent an hour or so in the Mess. The next three days were occupied by a twenty four hour guard. The weather had turned very cold but luckily the guard house was equipped with a fire to keep the sentries warm when off duty. It was not really a very pleasant job for the sergeant in charge. In addition to the mounting and dismounting ceremony he had to muster the whole guard at some time during the 24 hours for inspection. Worst of all he had to keep awake for the whole period from guard mounting to dismounting. Which, with very little to do is difficult especially in the early hours of the morning. The sentries were luckier being allowed to sleep when off duty.

One day was spent on a trip to Bari during which there was a great deal of rain. It was once the Byzantine capital of southern Italy and in due time was conquered by the Normans who built the castle and cathedral. I must confess that I did not find the place very interesting and my recollection is of a rather grey town with no buildings of any particular interest but maybe my memory is distorted by the miserable weather. Again I was in bed early.

On the 23rd we packed up all our kit. It snowed all day, it was very cold and most of us went to bed not long after the evening meal. The next morning reveille was at the unpopular time of 0400 hours. We had breakfast and hung about and it was not until 1000 hours that we commenced our journey, by rail, in cattle trucks in the cold and snow en route for Toronto where we arrived during the afternoon after a relatively short journey.

On this my second visit to Italy鈥檚 major naval base the climate had turned wet, cold and windy and the next four days were spent trying to keep warm and dry. Accordingly a lot of time was spent in bed interrupted by one or two route marches, a visit on foot to Toronto which was three and a half miles away and one really good supper.

March 29th saw me on duty as Regimental Orderly Sergeant and with a great deal to do because our regiment was due to go on board the SS Cameronia en route for Egypt for a rest, reequipping and no doubt a further period of training. The previous day everybody drew rations for this morning鈥檚 breakfast, the first time I had come upon such an arrangement and we all went on board ship at 1015 hours. We went out in small boats and climbed up a seemingly endless rope ladder in full service marching order to get on board.

The Cameronia was a good ship which provided some very acceptable meals. I managed to squeeze into a cabin and was more or less comfortable. We spent six days on board and the voyage began in rainy weather but on the second day out probably because we were much closer to the North African coast, there was a distinct change for the better. This was followed by delightfully warm and sunny days. I had to do a turn as Battery Orderly Sergeant but there was little to do and most of the time was spent reading and occasionally writing and enjoying the sunshine.

One very sad event occurred during the voyage when a sergeant died following an operation for removal of the appendix. Everybody felt so sorry because having survived over six months of fighting it seemed such a misfortune. He was buried at sea with full military honours. Representatives from all the batteries in the regiment paraded for the short but poignant service which ended with the body slipping from under the Union Jack, down the plank into the sea.

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