大象传媒

While serving with the 16/5th Lancers,which was part of the 6th Armoured Division,at the end of the war we found ourselves at a place called Knittelfeld in Stiermark, Austria where we were held up by the Russian Army who did not give us too many signs that they would move back to where their agreed sector was at the Semmering Pass, near Vienner Neustadt. We sat there for three weeks with all guns laoded until the Brass finally sorted it all out and late one evening we heard obvious signs that the Russians were moving out.

One can imagine our surprise on wakening the following morning to discover that the Yugoslavian Army of Marshal Tito was now occupying the Russian positions, so another ten days passed until we could gain our agreed positions. We then occupied ourselves with rounding up the local undesirables, and setting up transit camps for the journey home for the lucky ones on home leave, through Southern Germany.

By the end of '45 we had accomplished our various missions and it was time to move on and so we left our unfurnished apartments whose only piece of furniture was an electric stove which had been put to good use every evening in baking potatoes filched from the neighbouring field. This went on for some weeks until the farmer complained and so the Mess funds were depleted in paying for half a field of potatoes !

We were then alerted to move to Strassburg - not to be confused with Strasbourg in Eastern France but rather some ten miles West of Sankt Veit, and twenty miles North of Villach in Carinthia, or Karnten as the locals call it !

Strassburg is a very small village in the beautiful Gurk valley which has a twelth century Cathedral in the Gurk centre which is in sad need of renovation and midway between is a four storey Nunnery with, - it was alleged - Nuns in residence, although they were never seen. Strassburg itself was main street village with an Hotel which doubled as our Mess,an Abbotoir with a rooming house upstairs, the smell being extra on occasion, a Catholic Church,a Mayor's/Squadron office, and absolutley no shops or stores of any kind. The Tank Park of twenty Sherman Tanks,was in the village square.

The winters in Austria are very cold and go on forever and so entertainment was at a premium in the long evenings. There was agreat deal of ski-ing to be done and a Brigade Championship was arranged in which "B" Squadron acquitted themselves very well. A Ski resort at the Kanzelhohe was pressed into service for the Division, and lessons were given by Peter Schnieder who had been an Austrian Champion at one time. We were well catered for in the daytime, we even did some Tank Maintenance, but the evenings were a challenge. The local electricity supply was generated from a water mill and we enjoyed the American Forces Network from Garmisch Parten Kirchen with the popular D.J. Moffat Moffat - until 21:30 hrs. or therebouts when the water mill froze and darkness descended - suddently !

A dance was held every wednesday at Tribach a few miles away in another valley,and so transport was arranged for interested parties with some of the local girls who wanted to join the fun. The "fun" was badly danced Polka and Viennese Waltz's but what the heck - it was a dance with music - lights - and girls, what more was needed ? We were all learning the German language and we were becoming fairly good at making ourselves understood. One evening a girl joined us who had smothered herself in perfume and so one of the lads said to her "Du stinken sehr Gut" - whereupon she belted him. We all thought it was pretty good German - probably Hoch Deutsche !

Some bright spark had the idea that we should arrange a dance in Strassburg for the whole Village and provide food and other refreshments etc. So, in order to ensure sufficient funds - the S.Q.M.S. - Sgt Rocky Knight. acting SSM and Cpl. "Timber" Woods our head cook were co-opted onto the 'committee'. The organisation then began in earnest with a truck being sent down to Italy for the 'refreshments'.Timber Woods came up with canapes, sandwiches, bits and pieces - his talent knew no bounds - which had been carefully hidden in his effort to feed us on a daily basis.

H. Hour was to be 1400 hours on Sunday in order that we could shed some light on the festivites should they go on that long, by 1430 hrs the place was packed with young girls, older girls, their Mothers and Fathers plus Grandparents going back many generations. The dancing was per usual as they had no idea of Ballroom Dancing - like the younger generation to-day - whereas we had a couple of experts , devotees of both Sheffield and the Hammersmith Palais de Danse Halls, in the shape of Willie Moore and Al Offord who were prevailed upon to demonstrate the Quickstep, Slow Foxtrot, Tango Waltz, and the Rumba which left the Villagers dumfounded.

Then the Interval arrived with the effrischergung - as they say - most of the lads were busy waitressing and clearing up so that when the dance re-started - the Hall was empty of all civilians, much to our astonishment. We did it again later but serving the food at the END of the Dance. So it was back to the AFN and Moffat Moffat until 21:30 hours again !

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