大象传媒

Chapter Two.
Desert Training was intensified with the usual rifle and machine gun firing on the ranges until eventually life became normal again. Competitions were arranged between the R.A.F. The Engineers, and the Camerons, one of which was the Rowing Event on Lake Timsah which the Camerons won with me as Cox.
Several changes were made to our daily routine with the emphasis on physical fitness and skill in the use of several types of weapons. The morning road walk and run was changed to a fixed time for a given distance with an increase of a portion of equipment added until each man was carrying fighting gear within the same time scale. Inter-company sports competitions came into being with points allotted for each event on the basis of catagory A, B, or C. C being a failure.Similar points were given to skill with rifle, machine gun, or pistol tests.All points obtained by each man were related to his efficiency pay. It was during this period I think we got the new Bren Light Machine gun. and disposed of our old WW1 Lewis Guns.
November 1938. In three years we had moved three times at the whim of Higher Authority and now we received orders to be on our way. Off to India this time, on a troopship sailing through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean for Bombay. Most of the trip we spent watching sharks, flying fish, and porpoise, as we tried to find a shady spot on deck. We arrived at Bombay in humid heat, loaded our gear on to a train en route for a place called Ahmednaggar, about two hundred miles south in an area known as The Deccan. We arrived at Sandhurst Barracks, which were isolated from any large town. The barrack rooms were totaly different from those we had been used to. These were well spaced out with a door between every two beds from floor to roof. A number of electric fans were suspended from the high ceiling, which was essential during the very hot humid days and nights. In the centre of the room were rows of racks containing our rifles, which were securely locked at all times. Military routine continued as before with perhaps more sporting activities during the evenings when it became cooler. We spent many hours training with Indian Troops when the latter set out to prove they were every bit as good as the British when it came to digging trenches at the correct depth and size. I hated these training schemes for I had a revulsion for the different types of "creepy crawlies" and snakes of which there were many. Centipedes could be up to ten inches in length and snakes such as the Cobra could grow to a length of twenty feet, although the most dangerous called a Krait was only about two feet in length, but could make a lethal strike with great rapidity. One day when I was on Guard Duty at a Fort which was our Brigade H.Q. I encountered another hazard. In full uniform including kilt etc, I was climbing the flagstaff ladder at sunset to lower the Union Flag. The ropes had jammed so I gave them a good shake. The movement aroused the attention of a nest of large hornets under the "crows nest" platform on which I was standing, about 50 feet above ground looking down on a dry moat infested with snakes. Immediately I was surrounded by an angry swarm of these large bee like insects.As I was wearing a kilt, I descended the ladder rather quickly as I received several stings. Fortunately one of the Indian cooks called me to the kitchen, and with great presence of mind gave me raw onions to rub over my face, neck, and arms. I felt very sore the following day with the swellings to my body during the Guard Dismounting ceremony.
There were several unusual services provided by Indians in barracks, which at first seemed strange to us new comers. Of course we had the Tea Man calling round the rooms at all times during the day with his large urn of hot sweet tea as we did in Egypt. We also had a dhobi who collected our kharki drill shirts, shorts, etc at daybreak, and for a modest sum returned them washed, starched, and pressed in time for the 9 am parade. Two other services were in great demand. First, the Corn Remover man who placed a paste over a corn, then a bell shaped piece of horn, tipped with wax. This was ignited to produce a suction I think to enable the removal of the corn - not always successful. The Travelling Barber caused some consternation. It was most disconcerting to be awakened in the early morning to see a bearded figure poised over a sleeping form further along the barrack room, with a cut-throat razor in his hand, gleaming in the first rays of the sun. He had arrived to shave his client who always remained in bed ! Scottish Pipe Band personnel were in demand from Indian Regiments who wished to learn the new pipe tunes and drum beatings. I was chosen to go with the Pipe Major to a Punjabi Regiment stationed at Poona. Our journey was of short duration compared to other members of the band who went to the far corners of the Continent. We were having a pleasant stay with the Indian soldiers who made us very welcome but after a few weeks we received a telegram ordering us to return immediately to Ahmednaggar. On our return the barracks were in a state of tumoil as all our private possessions were packed away and all ceremonial gear put into stores, to be replaced with war-like stores and equipment. The Camerons were preparing for battle but our destination was unknown. Once again we found ourselves back at Bombay where a troopship together with a Naval Escort conveyed us to Egypt, where to my dismay we arrived at our desert camp adjacent to those hated Pyramids. This became the home of the 11th Infantry Brigade, of the 4th Indian Division for the next few months from April 1939 and once again desert exercises became the daily routine although by now we had our own transport. Those who could afford it spent visits to Cairo, but it was a relief to get away from the ever present sand and dust in a tented camp.
3rd September, 1939. The outbreak of war did not affect us as we remained here, but our thoughts were with our families at home. Troops and material began to arrive in Egypt, the colourful accents of Nationals swelling with those of the British, crowding the bars and hotels of Cairo. The exuberance of a group of Australians racing each other in horse and carriage either side of the trams was a sight to behold !
10th, June 1940. The day Italy declared war against Britain and her Allies we were on our usual training routine in the desert near to the Pyramids. A spurt of activity again with members of the Pipes and Drums sent to new sections such as Transport, Carrier Platoon, and Intelligence group.The lads in the Military Band were already undergoing intensive training as stretcher bearers. Eventually the whole Brigade of The Camerons, Mahrattas, and Ghurkas, together with units of Signals, Engineers, Artillery,Ambulance and supply moved on their transport through the sandy wastes of the desert towards the Frontier with Cyrenaica. The whole thing at this stage was thought to be another large exercise when we were joined by units at Divisional level. The Italians, eager to get into a share of the spoils of war now most of Europe had been occupied by German forces, advanced through the Frontier Wire of the Western Desert and occupied a place on the coast called Sidi Barrani where they halted. Preparations were made for an immediate counter attack - which I missed. I was sent back to a Dressing Station Truck for treatment to a painful rash on my face due to shaving over a sand impregnated skin, which resulted in a mass of large infected blisters. The Indian doctor ordered me to hospital via the Ambulance Train which travelled back and forth on the coast to Alexandria. Feeling ambarrassed classed as "walking wounded" with bandages over my face, I travelled with badly wounded men first to El Daba to collect more casualties from the Field Hospital where we were bombed that night by Italian planes. Luckily we escaped injury during this prolonged attack. The treatment at the hospital lasted for over six weeks from which I was sent to our Base Camp on the banks of the Great Bitter Lakes on the Suez Canal. Within days I was ordered to take charge of a group of about thirty men and proceed to the prisoner of war camp up the road. Here I was put in sole charge of 800 Italian prisoners in one cage, being part of about twenty cages in all. Eventually I moved up to Mersa Matruh on the coast to carry out similar duties at the Railhead. This was rather short-lived as I received a signal to re-join the battalion who were withdrawing from an action. The Camerons moved back to the Canal Zone area to carry out amphibious exercises with Landing Craft and the Royal Navy in anticipation of what we understood would be a landing on the coast behind enemy lines. One of my section had a brother serving in the R.A.F on the nearby airfield which rumour had it, contained a supply of bottled beer in their canteen. Three of us found our friend's brother who showed us all their comforts including spring beds, and a well stocked canteen.With three bottles each we all went to watch a film showing that night during which we had a "Red alert" so we raced off to the slit trenches. Within minutes we were being bombed by German aircraft setting hangars and buildings on fire. We kept our heads down as the rear gunners fired at the area around us but all was well afterwards as we had not spilt any beer !! The amphibious exercise with the Navy was cancelled then we were ordered back into the desert due to a German advance in strength. In May of 1942 the temperature was about 110 degrees F. The 11th Infantry Brigade then moved into the desert spread out like a convoy of ships at sea but with all the swirling dust which covered everything and everyone until we halted at El Duda ridge. Although I was an N.C.O. I had not seen infantry action, it was at this hard rocky area where it was impossible to dig in, I was sent with my section to give covering fire to the Indian Sappers and Miners who were laying a minefield in front of our defensive positions. I reported to the Officer in charge, who invited me to join him on the top of the cab of his truck for a view of the area. In a typical "County voice" his said "We shall start laying mines over there" pointing to my left, which at that moment an enemy shell exploded at the exact spot as if to emphasis the situation. Again he pointed to the right indicating the limit of the mines when another shell arrived in that spot too. Of course he remained perfectly calm as he said" All clear Laddie ? Off you go then" !! But it was hard not to show fear as I took my section to the front. Lying in the open with no cover was the first time I'd experienced enemy shellfire which had our range. Then after a while the shelling stopped. During the night, while listening to the dull thuds of hammers striking the metal fence posts, I thought to myself how do we defend ourselves against those enemy tanks we could hear moving about in the dark ? All we had was a rifle and fifty rounds each.
During the next few days the sounds of battle could be heard approaching together with increased air activity overhead during which I recall going on a "Jock Column", so called after it's it's creator - Jock Campbell. Such a column consisted of a company of infantry, supported by anit-aircraft weapons, and artillery, plus Signals, and perhaps a few armoured cars. The column halted, spread out and took cover, as many dark moving shapes were seen on the skyline. We lay sweating it out in the sand dunes for a long time, expecting the enemy to attack, until the dark moving shapes were identified as camels - part of an arab encampment. Someone had a red face somewhere !!
20th, June, 1942. The Camerons with the Mahrattas, and Ghurka battalions had moved into Tobruk and occupied trenches and dug-outs, previously held be Italians in earlier battles, and defended the south eastern perimeter of the port behind a tank ditch and minefield of unknown quality. We had completed the usual "stand to" before dawn, then with two of my section I went to collect breakfast from the cooks situated in the sand dunes about two hundred yards away. On our return loaded down with containers of tea, porridge, etc Tobruk was attacked as we rushed for cover, by over 600 aircraft including Stuka Dive Bombers, which continued throughout the day, together with a sustained bombardment from enemy artillery. Fortunately so far, we had no casualties in our trench. A column of six Itaian tanks approached along a track and halted about 100 yards from our position. Sgt J. Cameron DCM, MM was firing grenades from a discharger cup when a shell from the leading tank exploded a few yards along the top our trench wounding him with splinters to his chest. His wounds were attended to and I was pleased to see the destruction of this tank by one of our anti-tank guns dug in nearby. Stuka Dive Bombers made continual attacks on our artillery a few yards away, but seemed unaffected by the machine gun fire from our section as they pulled out of their dive flying low over our trench. The noise of the explosions and screaming flight of the bombs was deafening, which affected my hearing for several days afterwards. During the day, a concentrated bombing attack on the Indian regiments on our left flank, gave the Germans and Italians a breakthrough into the area behind our battalion positions. The bombing and shellfire continued throughout the day, and by dusk we heard that our Headquarters commanded by a South African General Clopper had surrendered. We were still intact, and carried on although surrounded on all sides and by the following morning we were the only Unit still in action.

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