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15 October 2014
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George Walker, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - A story of my service career as requested by those who I hope enjoy it. Part 3

by JonRDavis

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Contributed byÌý
JonRDavis
People in story:Ìý
2987105 Cpl George Walker
Location of story:Ìý
Scotland, North Africa, Italy
Background to story:Ìý
Army
Article ID:Ìý
A6980592
Contributed on:Ìý
15 November 2005

A story of my service career as requested by those who I hope enjoy it.
As Told by George Walker of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Chapter 3

Ref the officer referred to Page 7.
Talk about ‘Red Tape’ in the Army.
I went home on leave, this time in new boots. I hadn’t time to put them into the cobbler’s, to have studs put in. Eva’s Dad was a part-time cobbler, a good one. He offered to put me a new sole on them and put new studs in them. I had the double sole, which came in handy abroad.
About a week after I returned, there was a parade called, and everyone had to wear their best uniform, clothing and boots. The C.O. made the inspection and when he came to me, asked me where I got the studs. They were the small ridgy ones cobblers used. He told me to send them to the Battalion cobbler for flat regulation studs. What a waste, the new studs were better than Regulation ones.

When we were at Buddon Camp, the pioneers section (Tradesmen) built an assault Course. Fences, logs, walls, rope crossing streams, rope bridges, the lot. We were in the Guard’s Brigade then.
We used to go over it in Battle order, weapons and all.
The guards asked if they could use it which permission was granted, and we gave them a demonstration first.
Now they made a big mistake, being in Battle order we wore boots. They all turned up in gym vest, shorts and pumps. They couldn’t get a grip on the wood logs etc. A lot of them didn’t finish the course, and there were a broken leg and arm or two among them. They gave us the nickname ‘Little Monkeys’. It stuck every time we were posted with them. We got on pretty well with them.

Talk about ‘Friendly Fire’, when we were at Buddon Camp we went on an exercise firing at planes. The idea was a plane came past towing a ‘TOG’, kind of a drone behind, about 25 feet. The type you see in Airfields to give wind strength and direction. Each man used the Bren in turns. All went well until one of the lads shot at the plane instead of the drone. Lucky for the pilot, the bullets entered the fuselage near the tail of the plane.
No it was not Bob Dunwell who was on the gun — see page 9.

When we were at Hamilton at Christmas 1940, we were billeted in the Town Hall.
Stanley Holloway came and gave a concert and we had to stay in to see the show, poor Eva had to stay in at the room she was renting.

When we were in Jedburgh, Will Fyffe the Scottish Comedian lived nearby and he opened his home and grounds for us to visit.
His son was in the 8th A&SH in the 1st World War. Unfortunately he was killed 25th December 1917.
It was when I was at Tinpandene farm there that an old A&SH from the 1st World War entertained two of us at his home. He gave us a little book called Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders that had been written during the First World War.

Just before leaving England, I was among some who were interviewed as a Potential Officer. Don’t know if I’d have made the Officer Cadet Training Unit and in any case I would not have been able to afford the expense of being an officer.

All ‘Timpendene’ men were detailed to help with the harvest. It was like a holiday for us. The farmer could not pay us because we were under Military rule, but he did give us a Bottle of Beer each day.
Also there, there was an abundance of rabbits, so two men were detailed each day to catch them, as supplement to our rations. We snared them or shot them with .22 rifles.
One time I got leave for a week and the cook gave me a couple of the rabbits and a chunk of beef to take home. Eva and her Mum didn’t like the idea of skinning and preparing the rabbits, even though I said I’d do it (when I was a lad I worked on a butchers stall in the market, next to a fruit stall who sold rabbits, so I knew what to do.) the rabbits ended up in the bin.

In Tinpendene too, the farm was isolated, miles from anywhere. The short of it is we said we ought to have a wireless to listen to at nights. I was going on leave so I told my mates I would advertise in the local paper if anyone could supply one (always one wanting something for nothing). The Signal Sgt said he could supply a battery (no electrics in those days). I went on leave and the news had sent a letter home saying they had a wireless. I went down to collect and was given a box and told they had saved this for me as it was the first one handed in from about 30. The others had gone to any other soldiers who had applied through the paper. The one I got was a ‘CAT’S WHISKERS’ one and headphones. I left it at home I couldn’t bear to take it back with me. We used the box as a shoe cleaning container to keep polish and brushes in.
Stephen still has it in the shed.

Overseas

On Oct 23 1942 the Battalion left Crieff by train to embark on the HMT Cathay, at Gourock. The Battalion had been on this ship before in training so was familiar, and a good clean ship. We were the only ‘Fighting Troops’ on board from about 3000. Our total Battalion establishment was about 700. The rest supporting units.
We sailed on the 26th.
On the 25th Oct three officers appeared to give a speech. They were Maj-General Evelyn, commander of the 78th Division, a British Rear-Admiral Burroughs and a Maj-General Ryder, a chap in a helmet similar to the German ones. It turned out he was an American. We were told we were the 1st Army under Lt General K Anderson, part of 5th Corps under Maj-General Allfrey, and the whole lot under an American Gen Eisenhower. We were going on an expedition, which we were to be told afterwards.
It later turned out that 1st Army only consisted of TWO BRIGADES plus supporting units.

There is usually 5 sections per platoon - 30men
3 platoons one company (perhaps 100 men)
5 companies to one Battalion (four fighting, plus sometimes 2 supporting logs)
3 Battalions to one Brigade, 3 Brigades to one Division. 3 Divisions to one Corps. 3 Corps to an Army. So we were about one fortieth of an Army. A misnomer if there was one.

We learnt that it was going to be called an American expedition because of relationships not being very good between the French and English, although all through the coming campaign we always outnumbered the Americans. Even if we never numbered more than a Corps the whole of the Campaign.

Nov 2nd we were shown maps and told of plans, we were to invade the North African Coast (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) to be at the rear of the Rommel forces facing 8th Army. We sailed past Gibraltar late evening 6th Nov, what a sight Tangiers made all lit up. We hadn’t seen a city or town lit up for 3 years.

On the 8th November we were anchored opposite a pace called Sidi Ferrach just west of Algiers in Algeria. We were floating reserve to the 11th Brigade if they should need us. They landed there, met a little resistance from the French but by evening the French had given in so we sailed into Algiers.
That night our small convoy set sail to attack a port called Bougie about 200 miles to the East. The landings were a success and we took our objective and had just finished consolidation when word came to march into Bougie. One company had 40 miles to go, another 30 and our company 25.
While we were going to Bougie the Germans launched an air attack on the ships.
The ship had sailed into Bougie bay, and was sunk before any stores or equipment could be taken off. All we had we carried, small pack, weapons, and dressed in only Denim canvas trousers and shirt. A very cold night indeed.

Next morning the Battalion was ordered to go to a place called SETIF in the Algerian desert, it was a large barrack town of the Foreign Legion, and had an aerodrome. It was on the other side of the Atlas Mountains. We were on a very uncomfortable train, wooden seats, and draughty coaches, all day and night and managed to get there next morning. We occupied the aerodrome and were there until 16th November, then returned again to go back to the coast to a place called BONE. It had been a very cold, wet and windy stay.
At Bone we were sent on to Tabarka just beside the Tunisian border about 65 miles away east to join the rest of the 36th Brigade. The train only went as far as a place called La Calla, we finished up marching over 25 miles to Tabarka. Who said ‘the army marched on it’s stomach.’ We had little food and water but we made it without losing a man. We must have been fit. We kept having air raids to contend with and saw NO friendly planes. Part of the Battalion went forward to help the Royal West Kents who had met the Germans at a place called DJEBEL ABIOD.
The rest of the Battalion followed on foot as usual. Talk about Africa being sunny and hot, it hadn’t been the past week, miserable rain, causing flooded trenches and mud that stuck to everything and was like walking on ‘stilts’.

There were two main roads in Tunisia (north), one from Tabarka to the port of BIZERTA, the other from BEJA, through MEJA EL BAB (past a hill called DJEBEL AHMERA 9called LONGSTOP by the allies) to TUNIS.
36th BRIGADE TOOK THE ONE TOWARDS BIZERTA.
11th BRIGADE TOOK THE ONE TOWARDS TUNIS.

Djebel Abiod was a small village at a v roads with an Oued (small stream) running through it. The road lewd to Tebarka, the middle one towards Bedjemane and Bizerta, the other to Beja and Medjel el Bab. This road passed between two hills which we occupied. This was Nov 20th. On the night of 21st November we were attacked by the Italians and Germans. They were beaten off but had managed to lay mines on the road to Tebarka. Unfortunately our platoon truck had been sent up to us that night and hit the mine, killing a company QMS and driver. Just before dawn all seemed quiet, so a platoon of A Comp were sent to take up positions on one of the hills north of the village. They were ambushed by some Italians and taken prisoner and some started to advance on the village.
We being the nearest company on the South side of the hill were ordered to counter-attack. Reports say there were 150 Italians. Afterwards we counted about 50 dead and captured 40. First time in this war the Battalion had fought Italians.
The Platoon from A Comp came out of it safely.

Next day the Germans tried with two tanks but were driven off. We were in those positions until the 26th Nov patrolling and usual tasks of infantry, and it was raining most of the time, plus shelling and mortars.

On the 26th November the Brigade was ordered to attack, R. W. Kents leading, then the Buffs with the 8th Argylls at Djebel Abiod in reserve. Next morning we got orders to move to pass through the Kents and Buffs and take Bedjemane, which we were in by 4pm and consolidated. Next morning at dawn the Battalion was told to advance, as advance guard to the Brigade to seize some cross roads near a place called MATEUR before dark. This entailed a march of nearly 30 miles and under wet and miserable conditions underfoot.

We had the carrier platoon plus motorcycles and mud got everywhere, the vehicles had to keep stopping to scrape the mud off the wheels & trucks and also for mines the Germans had put down.
We had to keep stopping to get the mud off our boots.

About mid day we had gone about 15 or so miles when we came to a pass with a large hill on the left (we called it Green hill) and one on the right (Bald Hill) with a small one near a railway station at the far end. The road straightened out between the hills with ploughed fields each side of it. The vehicles had to keep to the road, it being impossible for them to go in the fields.

The Companies had been taking it in turns to lead and the Battalion stopped, the CO was an old Regular Soldier with N W Frontier experience in India. He didn’t like the position so sent back word to Brigade HQ that he intended to send patrols on the hills to review the position, but he got orders he must carry on as quickly as possible. He did however put the leading Company A in the field each side of the road in the advance. The rest of the Battalion kept on the road. B Comp with my platoon leading were the 2nd Company on the road, with Y Comp behind us. When A Company nearly reached the other end of the pass ‘all hell broke loose’. A Company caught the most of it, and four carriers out of the six were knocked out by anti tank guns (the two survived to get back at night).

The rest of the companies were fired on, on the road and all the shelter we had was a bit of a ditch. My Company B & Y were ordered to attack Green Hill and X Company to attack Bald Hill. We fought until nearly dark, and I can say that my Platoon 10, was the first on the hill, and had we learnt later that we had the dubious honour of being the only British Troops who had gone further on the hill and achieved more on it than any other troops did in the rest of the Tunisian Campaign.
Stories later of this action.
Our Company and the other two X and Y lost about a third of our strength. When we reformed only 8 men of A Company reported, we learnt that 1 officer and 20 men were killed, 4 officers and 22 men wounded, 5 officers and 98 men prisoners. Our platoon took 3 prisoners & the rest of B Comp 4 more.

The Germans had casualties but I don’t know how many.

So much for orders to rush through, if Brigade had only listened to the CO.

We stayed in those positions three days as the other battalions in the Brigade tried to dislodge the Germans. No one succeeded until the Americans took the hill WITHOUT OPPOSITION in May 1943.

On the 4th December 1942 the Battalion was sent down to help 11 Brigade who were having a bad time, and had advanced to a place called Terbourta. We relieved one of the battalions there. Unfortunately during shelling, one landed near the 8 remaining men of A Company. Four were killed, three wounded and only one man survived. Later we were withdrawn to strengthen the line and finished in Medjez El Bab, then moved to hold position at Oued Zarga. This was when we received the men we had left in Crieff. These formed the R Comp and reinforced the other companies. A Comp ceased to exist; we were B, X, Y & R, which remained the rest of the war. In the middle of December we received new clothing & underwear and overcoats. Great as most of us still had the gear when we landed at Bougie. For the next 2 and a half months we were in and out of the line, a few days at a time patrolling etc, but when we came out in the morning, invariably we went back in at night. There were not enough troops to cover the whole front, and the weather was lousy, patrols were the order of the day.
Mid January I was offered two stripes to be Corporal. My Officer wanted to keep me in the platoon but the Intelligence Officer wanted me for the Intelligence Section.
I had to pick, the Co was with the two officers and told me it was entirely up to me. After discussions I told them I didn’t think I was a coward, but my only intention was to get back to my wife & daughter, so I chose the Intelligence where I had only to look after myself as I knew I would do observation posts on my own. As we came out of the meeting my platoon officer said although he wanted me I had made the right choice. My No2 on the Bren got the stripes.
More experiences in Intelligence later.

In February we moved about the line that often it was difficult to put much in detail, except we supported the French a lot and with Guards Brigade went to help the Americans at Kassarine Pass. The Intelligence Section was always busy with planning routes, guiding platoon parties and in observation posts in no man’s land.

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