大象传媒

RIFLE BRIGADE No. 6922979

CHAPTER ONE

Over fifty years had passed before I decided to write this short autobiography of the
years between 1940 and 1946. I decided to do it after my sister, Grace, found letters
written from me to her during the time I was away in the army. There were about 50
and were read with great interest by several of my nieces and nephews, who said they
would like to hear more. It made me realise that my children and grandchildren might
also want to hear more of that part of the family history.

As a family we did our bit for the war effort. My three brothers and I were all called
up into the army, and at one time were all abroad in various battle regions. Dad, who
was never in the best of health after his spinal operation in the early l920's, was left to
carry on the business, in which we had all worked. The business was amalgamated
with two other companies to utilise labour and machinery to the best advantage.
Certain key staff came with them and my sister, Jean, went in every day to run the
office.

The family was large by today's standards. I was one of eight children, but there
usually members of the even larger extended family staying with us. The house in
Northfield Road seemed to have elastic walls! Life was happy and at the outbreak of
war was full of young people. Evacuation meant the family splitting up and going to
different parts of the country, Leicester being the first choice, as Grace was already
living there, having married Mark in l936. During the so-called "Phoney War" when
nothing happened, some of us returned to Northfield Road and were there when the
Blitz started.

The war really began for me when the first raid on London took place in 1940 and I
stood in the garden watching the Luftwaffe fly overhead. That evening the sky over
London was red and we were worried about our cousins, the Garsons, who lived in
Poplar the heart of the docklands. We heard nothing from them, so the next morning I
was sent to find them and bring them back to Stamford Hill, which was then
considered to be safe! The destruction I found was horrific and diversions were
everywhere, but eventually I got through and very quickly went home with Auntie
Fanny and whoever else I could get in the car. They stayed with us for a short while
and then rented a house further up the road.

CHAPTER TWO

Harold was the first of us to be called up and was given a real send-off at the station.
Even Reverend Levy, from Egerton Road Synagogue, who was a friend of the family,
came to see him go!

Mum and Dad moved to Bedford, after staying in Leicester for a short time, and we
travelled up to London by train every day. Incidentally, two of my travelling
companions were Mr. and Mrs. Shenkin, who later became my in-laws! I was called
up in October 1941 and went to Winchester to join the Rifle Brigade. Most of the
men were from London and a very mixed lot. After the war I used to meet some of
them in different jobs - drivers, milkmen, builders, etc. At the first lecture on army life
in the barracks I was amazed at the amount of illiteracy amongst them. I spent many
evenings reading and writing letters to families at home for men who could not read or
write! As far as I was concerned it was a real eye-opener as I had lived a fairly
sheltered life in a large Jewish family!

The barracks were at the top of the town and my first walk down in army boots was
disastrous, as I slipped and fell on my newly inoculated arm and was allowed two days
sick leave in barracks! Five weeks training started, which consisted of square-bashing
and fitness training, after which there was a passing-out parade. We all felt so smart!

By then I had been trained to fire a rifle and maintain it and to use a machine-gun to
such an extent that I became an army marksman, which allowed me to wear a special
badge, crossed rifles, on my arm. Very posh!

My next move was to Tidworth, where we trained on Salisbury Plain. We learned
vehicle maintenance and how to drive Bren-gun Carriers, which are small open top
tanks on tracks, and also small trucks. Some of the driving was on the roads, but
mostly over the Plain. Petrol rationing for civilians had started by then so road traffic,
particularly in that area, was very light. At that period I was extremely fit and was
able to show off to the P.T. instructors, who were mostly professional boxers and not
too good at gymnastics. The O/C suggested that I should join them, but I could not
see myself as one of them.

CHAPTER THREE

The time came to leave Tidworth. My intake went to Bushfield Barracks, near
Andover, where we were split into the KRRC and the Rifle Brigade. I joined the 1st
Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in Scarborough, where we were billeted in a hotel on a
cliff overlooking the sea. It was here that I learned to ride motor cycle, usually on
very rough terrain. The only trouble was not being able to find a crash helmet small
enough for my head size, so every bump I went over left me completely in the dark!
How I survived was a miracle! It was while I was in Scarborough that my sister,
Rose, died, but I was refused leave to go to the funeral as we were about to move on.

After a short time we went to Brighton and eventually back to Bushnead Barracks,
where we were split up for embarkation, some to the Middle East and the other to the
Far East. Luckily for me I went to the Middle East, as those that went to the Far East
were taken prisoners by the Japs soon after they arrived.

Before embarkation we were fitted out with tropical kit, which consisted of a pith
helmet, shorts with turn-ups, long socks and puttees, which were like khaki bandages!
The turn-ups of the shorts could be turned down at night, for warmth! We then went
to Liverpool by trian, travelling only at night and not very comfortably, either.

Our ship, the Empress of Japan, was waiting for us. She was a 28000 ton luxury liner,
but did not live up to that description, as some 5000 troops and 100 nurses were
packed onto her. The decks had been cleared of a furniture, except in the dining halls.
Hammocks were packed in bedrolls, stacked during the day and used at night, hanging
from the rafters. When there was no more room to hang them, the soldiers slept on
the deck itself. The food, however, was excellent, with lots of luxuries that, back
home, were in very short supply. We sailed through the Irish Channel and on to our
first port of call, at anchor off Freetown. Meanwhile, on board life took on a varied
existence.

There was a certain amount of exercise, training and cleaning duties, the worst of
which was cleaning the latrines! The ship's captain made an inspection at 9.30 every
morning, so after cleaning and polishing them by 8.30 a.m. you stood on guard making
sure no-one used them until after inspection. Many a scuffle occurred during that
hour! The hammocks, meanwhile, were rolled and stored immaculately and you hoped
to find your own later out of the 1000 that might be on your deck! Although we were
in convoy, gun duties still had to be attended to..My watch was four hours on and
twelve hours off, on an anti-aircraft gun up in the rigging. This was the only time that
I was sick, although many of the other men had been sea-sick from the start of the
journey. As my gun station was up in the rigging, when the ship listed to 45 degrees in
a storm, I'm afraid there was no holding it in!

At Freetown we were anchored about half a mile from shore, but we were entertained
by the natives in bum-boats, trying to sell us fruit and things, and the boys diving for
coins, preferably silver, which they could see better and were worth more. It looked
as if it was very lush on shore, but with a continual mist, and we were told it was
called the white man's graveyard, because of malaria, etc. It was here that we met up
with the rest of the convoy, made up of many ships, including cruisers and destroyers,
for our protection. By now, we were in the tropics and sleeping conditions were not
all that marvellous. We had to wash in salt water, as fresh water was only for drinking
and was strictly rationed. However, we were all young and fit, so were able to put up
with it.

One of the worst thing that happened to me was to have a terrible toothache. There
was no dentist on board so they sat me on a chair, somebody held my head, and the
duty doctor pulled the tooth out. No anaesthetic, but somehow I survived.
Another day I got into a fight with a big guy who called me a "dirty Jew". Before we
knew what was happening a boxing ring had been erected and a proper fight arranged.
I gave him a thorough thrashing - he didn't know I'd been a boxing champion at
school! After this I was treated with the greatest respect!

As it was so warm at night we were allowed to sleep outside on the decks, but had to
be up before 6 a.m. because that was the time the crew washed down the decks,
whether you were in your blankets or not! There was great excitement when flying
fish and schools of porpoises were seen. Of course everybody rushed to the side, only
to be told not to as the ship would lean too far over with several thousand men
watching. Eventually they worked out a drill for it.

There were several alarms, luckily false, when the destroyers raced out to various
parts of the convoy and dropped depth charges, while we were ordered to boat
stations. The sea was usually calm, but when rough there was lots of sickness and the
smell was enough to make one sick all over again. Thank God my stomach was such
that I escaped, but some of the boys had a really nasty time and many meals were
missed. The canteen would open at different times during the day and each section
would take their turn. There was chocolate, cigarettes, beer, soft drinks and biscuits,
the stocks seemed to be limitless. Men on duty down in the hold wore special clothing
because of the cold storage where the mountains of meat, etc. were kept.

Meals were taken in two sittings. Those in the second sitting were marched around
the ship, up and down corridors and hatches till, eventually, reaching the dining hall as
those in the first sitting finished eating. After this long trek everyone was in a foul
mood!

Activities and drills passed the time during the day and at night there were guard
duties. Bingo was played at night, it was called Housey-Housey then. Money prizes
were given, but most of the money went to the Navy.

The next stop was Cape Town, where we were allowed on shore, but had to be back
on board at night. The amazing thing was to see the lights blazing, coming as we had
from the black-out at home and then, of course, no lights at sea. Here there were no
restrictions, it was truly a wonderful sight. Waiting on the quayside were fleets of cars
to whisk us into town to be entertained by Cape citizens. One day was spent on the
beach at Camps Bay, with its beautiful white sands, than we went on tours of the
town, there seemed to be Forces Clubs everywhere. The people were very hospitable.
The one's we met were mostly from England and seemed to be living very
comfortably. We weren't allowed to travel very far and had to be content with the
pleasures of Cape Town.

CHAPTER FOUR

Three days passed very quickly, it was just a stop to refuel, then we were off, leaving
the unforgettable sight of Table Mountain from the sea. A short stop at Durban for
more rations and we were on our way again. We sailed up the east coast of Africa,
through the Red Sea, where our escorts left us, as the liner had great speed and was
considered to be safe on its own. At night we slept on the deck with the magnificent
sky above. The sea was alive with phosphorescent spots which are common to the
Red Sea. After a lengthy cruise, port Tewfick, at the southern end of the Suez Canal,
came in sight. The ship anchored in the lagoon, the sky was bright blue, the buildings
ashore were pure white and it looked beautiful. We went ashore by lighter, amid much
shouting and noise, to be greeted by the chaos of Arabs, filth and a terrible stench.
What a letdown!

Trains were waiting to take us up to the Bitter Lakes, so called because they are so
salty. These are part of the Canal, where more ships were waiting to take us through
the narrow part. Tents were our homes for a while and training took place on the sand
dunes behind. This training consisted of climbing the hills in full kit in the baking hot
sun, taking two steps up and sliding down one, not a happy time! Swimming was a
popular sport until one of the boys, after cutting his foot on a shell, contracted polio
and we were quarantined in our tent for four days, that was a real bore. The soldier,
unfortunately, died, and that really put a damper on everything.

After three weeks in the area of Ismalia we moved up to the battle area west of Cairo.
My job, at that stage, was on a petrol lorry, a 3-tonner with an all-metal body.
October 22nd 1942, the night of the Battle of El Alamein, was dark until the
bombardment started, lighting up the sky, with the noise seeming to go on forever.
Fortunately, my job allowed us to wait until the battle was well in progress, but
eventually the various had to be refuelled and we were OFF!

Driving a lorry in the desert is not as cushy as it sounds as we were a prime target for
Stukas, the German dive bombers, and with 500 gallons of petrol on board, that's no
joke. The lorry had a closed cab, so we had to rely on a forward vehicle to warn us
when to leave the truck - we learnt to drive for miles with the doors open!

The 5-gallon petrol cans were square and made of tin. The rattling of the lorries
fractured most of them so that they leaked, and we always joked that if a match was to
be struck in Alamein the flames would chase us all the way across the desert!

After a couple of days so many prisoners had been taken, that our job became one of
escorting thousands of them back to other soldiers, who eventually put them into stockades
for POWs. It It was uncanny to have to escort so many men on our own! From then on it
was just a case of chasing the enemy.

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