´óÏó´«Ã½

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from Lincolnshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Norman Elsdon and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Elsdon fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

From Picilli came one or two short spells in the line. One day we went out about mid afternoon. The rain was conspicuous by virtue of our travelling in an open lorry. Eventually we de-bused and walked along the land to our squadron headquarters. Here we rested awhile awaiting dusk, with exhortations to mind the verges as mines were suspected. Then we set off along a muddy, rain sodden path, slipping hither and thither in the squelching mud. After walking for some distance, we took up positions in the area of a hedge. The lay-out was to ambush an enemy patrol which was thought might come that night to check up o a previous night’s casualty. So we manned various trenches. I remember stepping into the first and, to my pleasure, finding the water up to my knees. Hardly had we settle in when some mortars landed and in the consequent duck-down, other parts of the anatomy became wet. After two hours staring into the dark, we moved to a shell-hole and lay in the mud for an hour before taking over again. However, although the enemy was once reported over the ‘phone as being behind us, nothing happened and eventually dawn appeared and we returned. Another night in the sae area was spent in digging trench positions. We had to scoop the mud out by hand at times, it was so sticky with rain. Our last ‘do’ on this sector was a couple of days. The first night we went out to man a position. This time it was cold and dry. Nothing happened; we just stood in trenches during the night then returned with the dawn.

From Picilli, we went back to Casa Luce, another town with no remarkable qualities, and from there to Sarno where we spent some time. During this period Vesuvius erupted and the streets of Sarno were covered with volcanic ash. We managed to climb up Vesuvius to where the lava was flowing very slowly down the mountainside. Eventually we moved again, this time to a more mountainous sector. We spent a night at Agnone (this was a rather more ‘open’ town than usual but squalid in the rear quarters) and then moved to Pescopenetaro. This was a village built on an outcrop of hillside. Quite a considerable part of the building had been demolished. My activities here consisted of spells on guard each night on the top floor of a derelict and very draughty building. Back once again to Agnone and then a further move, this time to Pizzoferrato. I did nothing of interest personally, merely on guard.

Vastagiradi was the area in which we spent our spell out of the line. One day we had been learning descending cliffs by rope and just as we returned the enemy shelled the area on our way back. Nothing happened beyond making us duck a few times. Our first billets were a cowshed, the next was a return to open fields. As we progressed, we heard grenades and shots going off right and left in a railway siding. Sounded as if we were heading for a battle royal. It only turned out to be some Italians celebrating the fact that Jerry had departed. After this we returned to Naples where we rested for a time before moving to the line again.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.