大象传媒

The following is the third installment of the Memories of my Uncle Jim who served in the 1st and 8th Army and who as agreed them being posted.

CHAPTER THREE

TANGOUCHA

Tangoucha was a rocky peak 1900 feet high and had many natural caves which the Germans made good use of by interlocking machine gun and mortar fire. The battalion attacked it first on the night of 16th April 1943, and a further two times before it was finally captured. Again I was lucky as by the time I got there it had been taken. although it was still being shelled something told me to get out of my trench and get under the escarpment. When I got back to my trench my map case etc were gone, so I might not have been so lucky that time. This kind of thing happened to me several times in my active service.

I mentioned earlier about the Compo rations that we had, and about the tins of fruit puddings. I always fancied a tin to myself, but of course they had to be shared. The next afternoon after I joined A Company on Tangoucha I was offered a tin of pudding but could not eat it 鈥� the old stomach was a bit wobbly because we were moving off to get on the start line for another attack. Off we went through the gullies etc and were shelled and sniped at on the way. We lay out overnight on the start line and were to attack at two minutes to eleven next morning. The objective was two long hills, one behind the other. It was to be a two-company attack, A and C. A Company consists of at least one hundred men. If I remember right there were no more than forty men altogether. We got the order to fix bayonets and set off. We first had to get over a hill, so our mortars put down smoke. We got over OK and the next hill was clear, so I thought 鈥淲e鈥檙e on a good thing here鈥�. How wrong can you be. Jerry was on the third hill, which was higher up than us and he started on us. So we opened up also. Now, we had only as much ammunition as we could carry 鈥� he had as much as he wanted 鈥� so we soon ran out. There were machine-gun bullets coming from all directions, as well as mortar bombs. I noticed my nose was cut, but I didn鈥檛 know if it was shrapnel or rock. By now the sun was up and my head was bursting, so we had to try and get back. The ground was covered in a shrub about a foot high so I started crawling about. I was dying for a drink of water, but every time I lifted my elbow bullets would start flying about.

The outcome was eleven of us were taken prisoner. Before we set off I made sure I had plenty of cigarettes, but when we got in to the German position we had to take off our equipment etc, and only later did I realise that I had left my fags. We were taken back to a little school on the outskirts of Tunis where a little German Lance Corporal said 鈥淩ight lads, give me your pay books鈥�. He then asked if we wanted something to eat. We replied 鈥淵es鈥�, and he said 鈥淕o and get a tin from that heap in the corner of the yard. I ended up with the outside of a Yankee helmet. They gave us some soup and the smell nearly put me off. Also some of their bread which tasted sour. We were then put into a room which was like a stable.

After a while the bread gave me stomach ache, so I knocked on the door and asked if they had a doctor. I was taken to him, told him the problem. He was a big ginger-headed chap and I smile when I think about it. He handed me a big round tablet, I looked at it and thought 鈥淚s he trying to poison me?鈥� He must have read my mind because he laughed and said 鈥淚t鈥檚 only stomach powder鈥�. It did the trick.

When you are taken prisoner you are allowed to give your name, rank and number, nothing more. After a while it came my turn to be interrogated. I was taken into a room where the Intelligence Officer was. He had a big map with all the different battalion positions on. His first question was 鈥淵our Regimental Number?鈥�. I only got the first three numbers out, and he said 鈥淵ou鈥檙e in the Inniskillings鈥�. The next thing was 鈥淚 want you to look at this map and show me where you were taken prisoner.鈥� I replied 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know鈥�. He said 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter because those who took you prisoner know that.鈥� The next question was 鈥淲hich of our weapons don鈥檛 you like?鈥� I told him in no uncertain terms 鈥淣one of them鈥�.

Later on, often we took part in Sicily and Italy. I noticed an increase in one particular weapon. That was known as a Nelelwerfor, a six-barrelled mortar which really put the wind up us. It could fire singly or all six. You knew when they were coming. You would hear it go whoop six times, then when it was in the air it would go wow six times and no matter where it was going to drop you thought it was for you. So I often wondered if he got that answer from some.

After a couple of days we were marched down the road to an old factory and handed over to the 鈥淓yeties鈥�. We were lined up and an Italian sergeant came along. 鈥淣owa yousa guys, here鈥檚 a carda to writa to your mother鈥�. There was in the region of a thousand men in this place and more than half were suffering from dysentery. We just lay on the concrete floor with a bit of straw, but to the infantry man this was no hardship. For breakfast we had a fifty cigarette tin of what was supposed to be coffee. I can鈥檛 remember any bread. Dinner was some kind of soup 鈥� you had to be hungry to eat it. Later on a bit of dry bread and a little tin of meat between two, and I am sure it was donkey. There were bits of skin in it. They also gave us three cigarettes a day. I used to smoke mine straight away, otherwise you ended up with an empty paper.

One morning after about a fortnight we could head guns and machine guns rather close and transport rushing by towards Tunis. Suddenly machine bullets were coming through the window. The Germans opened fire on the building on the way to Cap Bon. I thought to myself 鈥淭hey are going to do us all in鈥�. But the only two were the Italian sentry and an Arab who was just passing. The Italian sergeant ran out and went berserk. A short while later some of our troops cam in and released us and the first man I saw lives very close to me now. Again I was lucky because eventually we were destined for Italy as Prisoners of War.

Some lads were, at this time, already on board a ship for Italy, but our aircraft started to bomb it, so the Eyeties abandoned ship, so they were able to get away. One chap on this ship was from the Royal Fusiliers and on release came home to UK as escort to some prisoners. By the time he got back we were in Sicily and for some reason he was asked which Battalian of the Irish Brigade he would like to join he chose the Inniskillings. Of course, I didn鈥檛 know him at this time, but after the war I joined the Old Comrades Association, which meets in Liverpool and London, and I鈥檝e met him a number of times since.

After being released I was sent to Medjez El Bab railway station for a couple of days. While there I watch German POWs marching past. There were a quarter of a million taken and twenty two generals.

Again I was lucky. I was returned to my own anti-tank platoon. There was a new officer and six pounder guns in place of the two pounder. During my absence a mate of mine had become Platoon Sergeant, so I had a gun. I stepped off on the wrong foot with the new officer. He said 鈥淐all me Stan鈥�, and I replied 鈥淭o me you鈥檙e 鈥楽ir鈥� and to you I鈥檓 鈥楽ergeant鈥�. I also asked about the new guns, whether they had been checked, which was the Platoon Sergeant鈥檚 job really. Anyway I did the necessary.

On the 20th May a victory parade was held in Tunis and until the end of May the Brigade were at St Germain, a little seaside place where we could bathe and take it easy.

In early June we went to Heliopolis which was near a small town called Guelma, in Algeria. We could still bathe at Heliopolis as there was an ancient warm Roman Bath.

On the 17th June the King came out to visit and the Brigade lined the route. As normal we stood there an hour before time in the sun. But there was one bit of fun 鈥� an old Arab on a small donkey came riding down the middle of the lines and I think he got a louder cheer than the VIPs! Also to start the donkeys off the Arabs made a noise that I can only describe as drur, and to stop a hissing noise. Needless to say the donkey would only get three or four yards before he would get stopped and then started again.

On 30th June General Montgomery visited the Irish Brigade to inform us that 78th Division was being transferred to the Eighth Army. The men thought our own 1st Army was as good as the Eighth, but the 1st was disbanded. Towards the end of June we moved to Hammamet.

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