大象传媒

This a letter from my Uncle Fred to my Mum鈥檚 Aunty Mary. Uncle Fred was a Collier in Ilkeston, Derbyshire and quite a character from what I have been told! Unfortunately he didn鈥檛 fully recover from his wounds, and although he returned home, he died in Nottingham General Hospital on 30th August 1944. It's a real tear jerker.

July 30 1943 Cpl F Henson
4809291
D Company
6 Linc鈥檚
72 Gen Hoop? Troop?
B.N.A.F.

My Dearest Mary,

I received your telegram today. I鈥檓 glad to know that you are receiving my mail ok. I am also getting yours ok, as they are directed straight to this hospital Tell my dad I鈥檓 getting theirs as well. I wrote you an airmail yesterday. They are best duck as they don鈥檛 take very long to get home. There is also one of these letters on its way but you鈥檒l probably get the airmail first, although I wrote the other before the airmail. I鈥檓 feeling much better today.

I had another operation to my chest yesterday, but I鈥檝e got used to those now, that makes four times I鈥檝e been to the Operation Theatre (Picture House) as we call it. The first time I didn鈥檛 know anything about it, but the others I could see what the surgeon was doing, except when they took the bullet out of my back. That wasn鈥檛 here though, that was in the first hospital. After he had finishes he said, 鈥渨ell cpl, do you want it,鈥� so I鈥檝e got it here, quite a souvenir isn鈥檛 it. My bullet wound is very near healed up now. You know it鈥檚 a big scar, I had ten stitches in it, and those were taken out at the 71st. My wallet has a hole drilled through it by the bullet.

Yesterday I went down to the 鈥淧icture House鈥� at 9:30 and was an hour there. I was watching his fingers and he said, 鈥測ou鈥檙e a bit nosy look the other way.鈥澛� Don鈥檛 worry dear he won鈥檛 turn me out of here in my condition.

By the way just incise you don鈥檛 know, it was a sniper who shot me. I can鈥檛 tell you much about it, but we were advancing through long grass towards 鈥榡erry鈥� with Churchills of the 6th Armoured Division behind us. We were 200 yds off his trenches, which were on a mountain side, and we were held up by the heavy machine gun fire, and it鈥檚 no joke to have them firing at you and to hear your pals shout that they had been hit.

Well our tanks opened up 鈥� boy what a sight. You could see the long lines of tracer making their dugouts etc 鈥� and then bouncing up into the air. Well we were lying in the grass, waiting for the order to go forward and then jerry opened up on us with his (6鈥� Mortar). He鈥檚 very good with those, you can feel the explosion rip the ground up and the noise is awful. Well he dropped two smack in my section. God what a mess he #made of it too. I used to have 8 men without myself now there is only Tommy left. I just hugged the ground and hoped for the best. After he had finished bombing us, I crept around to see how the lads were. Believe me I wasn鈥檛 feeling so brave. I was pleased to see old Tom was okay, but Doug Schaller my machine gunner was screaming his head off. He was in a mess covered in blood and Tommy was trying to comfort him.

Then I looked for the rest. I heard someone crying and I knew that from his position it was Charlie Croft. I went to him but he wasn鈥檛 crying, instead he was dying. I spoke to him but he didn鈥檛 know me. They had blown the top of his head off. It鈥檚 not very nice to talk about things like that, but he was a lad who wouldn鈥檛 hurt a fly 鈥� and was the comedian of our platoon, just a flaming lad. I couldn鈥檛 help but cry.

Then I jumped up and shouted for the stretcher bearer 鈥� and boy I felt the biggest bash in my chest. It was, just like a kick from a mule. It picked me right off my feet, and flung me on my back. I just shouted Tom they鈥檝e hit me, and he came. Tom and Ted Emmerson(?), cut my equipment off me, then put dressings on the wound. They told me a lie too. They said don鈥檛 worry, it鈥檚 only a scratch, some scratch, I had seen it first, and I had a big hole in my chest, but somehow I wasn鈥檛 worried, I just lay there and thought of you darling. Then the company went forward and Tommy stopped with us. Not because he was scared to go, infact he was very brave. He just wouldn鈥檛 leave us because the stretcher bearers wouldn鈥檛 find us in the long grass.

Then a very queer thing happened. I lay there helpless and couldn鈥檛 move, and one of our tanks came right at me. I was full in its path, and would have been killed. Tommy was further down helping Doug Schalley, so he didn鈥檛 know. Now this sounds a tall story dear, but it鈥檚 the gospel truth. I said I lay helpless, and I was, that鈥檚 why they cut my pack off, because when they moved me the pain was awful. Well I saw the tank, but he couldn鈥檛 see me, God knows how I did it, but I got up and dived out of the way. Then I walked about 50 yds away, and I fell down again. Someone, maybe it was you, gave me strength to do that.

Another wounded lad came up and we helped each other along. There we was staggering along and the jerries fired on us with a machine gun so he helped me to the ground, and he sat down beside me. I had a watch and the time was 8:15, or just after 8:00 in the morning. Well the stretcher bearers came at 1 o鈥檆lock, even then they wouldn鈥檛 have seen us if we hadn鈥檛 of shouted. Some Germans carried us down to the road, and put me in a 鈥渏eep鈥� to our R.A.P. then ambulance to the first hospital.

Well dear I suppose you鈥檒l be browned off with all that, but if you want to hear of more experiences let me know. I鈥檒l tell you about the two battles of Ledjenian and Long Stop Hill. I suppose you have seen those reported in the papers. Perhaps you don鈥檛 want to know? Well duck, don鈥檛 forget to keep on loving me, and wanting me. I love you very much, and I shall always want you, and want to be near your side. If I didn鈥檛 want that I wouldn鈥檛 have had the strength to pull through. It鈥檚 only you that has done it, you and the orderlies and doctors, but mostly you sweetheart. Goodness how I want to see you and to see you smile. You know I really am crazy about you. Don鈥檛 forget to remember me to all at home. By the way how did you first get to know I had been wounded? Did you get word from the War Office or what? I鈥檒l close now Mary so goodnight and God bless you.

鈥淎lways I鈥檒l think of you.鈥�
鈥淎lways I鈥檒l be true.鈥�
I.K.O.L.W.L.A.N.N.D
(MIZPAR)

Always Yours,

Fred

xxxxxx

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