大象传媒

My father came from outside Kendal in Cumbria. Before war was declared in 1939, there was a recruitment drive for the Territorial Army and dad joined up on 3 May 1939 at the age of 18 years of age.

He celebrated his 19th birthday in August and was on a training exercise when war was declared. He was immediately despatched to France as part of the BEF. A book produced in Cumbria, called "Cumbria in the war years" shows the Border Regiment leaving Kendal station, a sea of faces.

In 1940 before Dunkirk he was wounded in France, how badly I don't know as he never spoke of it- only that he was evacuated through Brest. I have a photograph taken in July 1940 at the Larbert Base Hospital in Scotland, on the road to recovery. The photo was sent to him with a personal note by a "Nurse Mack" and had been developed by a John Cousins who was in India!

By 11 November 1941 my father had transferred to the Royal Artillery. He then went to be a "batman" for an officer and was for a time in Skipton, I understand, near home! He then decided he wanted to get back to the action, and was sent to Egypt, but via the Cape and South Africa.
On 20 November 1942 he was in Durban and sent his parents a postcard with a note "Just a post card of a few views of a place I have been to. It is a lovely place and the people are very nice"

On 18 December 1942 my father transferred again, this time to the Royal Tank Regiment and was a wireless operator for the rest of the war. After the war he suffered for a few years from time to time with a swollen ear: he put it down to wearing headphones for long periods. My father arrived in Egypt after El Alamein and appeared to make his way to Syria. By 1943 he was at Baalbeck in Syria. He recalled sandstorms from his time in the desert. He also recalled swimming in the Dead Sea.

In 1960s "Gone with the Wind" was re-released for the big screen. Dad had to go to see the film again, having seen it for the first time in Baghdad!

The 8th Army then made its way into Italy and by 1945 dad was around Venice and Padua. He wrote the following on the back of a photograph of his colleagues beside a group of tanks:

"Day of Attack on River Senio: April 10th 1945. Went into action with Poles. Three days after day with Poles, moved over R. Salarbo and went in with Indians (Good chaps).
Action with Poles 13.4.45 (East of Castle Bologanese over R. Santerno.
4 days' maint. 23.4.45 Never caught up again.
Saw Venice on "V" day. Move to Padua "V" day. Moved to Austria two days after. Good time (dances)
Through Udine Slept in Street. Civilians watch us get up in the morning.
Move to Austria, Klagenfurt. 50miles from Wolfsburg."

Another photo was taken a sports day on Victory Day in May 1945, "very hot day". I understand that Venice was quite a congregation point for the Army on VE day- and then leave was granted for 2 days, not one.

And it was in Austria my father learnt to ski-and liked it.

On another photo of my father and a friend, dated April 11th 1945, all is written is:
"To my best pal from Bill".

Dad was not discharged from the Army until 21 July 1946, and made his way back to Cumbria and civilian life.

My father died in February 1991, just at the conclusion of the Gulf War: he thought it was ironic that the area was the one that he had been defending from the Germans.

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