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February 2009 Edition
Five Days and Nights at Anzio by William Heard - A Sergeant in the 7th Battalion of the Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. In the
February of 1944, we were in Italy, being hammered by the Germans on the Anzio
bridgehead, south of Rome. This is my account of what took place there.
The Mules of Cassino - the story of a trainee vet sent to Cassino and to be put in charge of the Mule
trains.
Years in Captivity by Reg Pope - The story of the retreat from Maginot in April/May 1941 - a ferocious battle
in which I was captured and ended up at Fort Rauch in Posen (Stalag XXID).
Escorting the Bostons - by Ken Trott - was a fighter pilot with 195 Typhoon Fighter Squadron, stationed at Fairlop. On
22 October we flew down to Manston and were given the operation details of
time, place, etc, to meet the Bostons over Belgium......
A Kine Theodolite Operator by Margaret Rogers - I was eighteen when I volunteered for the ATS. After training, I worked with
the CAEE (Coastal & Anti-Aircraft Experimental Establishment) Royal Artillery.
A Week in Belgium by Vic Canter December 1939 - I joined the flagstaff of HMS Edinburgh and in March 1940 we
were transferred to HMS Galatea. Following the German invasion of Norway in
April, we became the first British force to operate in that area....
From Russia to Loch Ewe by Len Phillips - Convoy, RA53 was now ready to set sail for their home ports in the UK, the
date was 1 March 1943. It was known that submarines were already in position to
attack the merchant ships, but the Allied escort forces would be on full
alert....
A Night to Remember by Ray Pinchin Towards the end of October 1942, we had one of Montgomery’s ‘pep’ letters sent out to each pit. At the time, I was a Corporal serving with ‘A’ Company, 8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry. On 30 October we were called
together by companies and told that we were to be used in Operation
Supercharge....
Dogfights over Rye by Joy King - In 1943 I was a teenager living in Rye, Sussex. We had survived the Battle of
Britain, watching the ‘dogfights’ taking place above our heads.
Red Tape-ism! by Lawrence Whealey After three years as an Armourer (Bomb) with XI Squadron in many parts of the
Middle East, Ceylon and India, our Blenheim IVs were replaced with Hurricane
IIcs, and I was posted with a Sergeant Armourer to 312 Stores MU at Cochin in
southern India....
PLUS Readers Letters - Newspaper clippings of 1944 and Finders Seekers....
May 2009 Edition
Spearheading the Invasion by David Brook - The capture of the Orne Bridges by gliders in the early hours of the morning
of D-Day was one of the most outstanding flying achievements of WWII. Those of
us who flew what the Americans aptly described as ‘Combat Gliders’ will understand and doubtless agree with this statement.
Long Road to Cassino by Albert Price By January 1944, I had served four long years with the 2nd Battalion Royal
Fusiliers.... We disembarked at Naples, then at 7 pm climbed aboard trucks
heading north.....
Follow Your Leader by R Carter - Few people are aware of the early attempts to get up-to-date fighter planes to
Malta. The RAF was desperately short of aircraft and any aid to the island
could not be considered until well into 1940....
Twitching Sticks by Peggy Allard - My contribution to the war effort came when I joined up and trained to become
an RDF operator.
The Fate of the Foylebank by Ron Walsh - A new ship was being commissioned, and soon learned I was to be part of the
crew of HMS Foylebank....
An Eventful Day by Eric Westrope Following my early days at Warmwell, Dorset, I was posted to RAF Chelveston,
Northants, in September 1941 to join 819 Defence Squadron, later renumbered
2819 Squadron RAF Regiment during 1942.
Recalling D-Day 1944 As an Army driver, I recall that first week in June 1944 so
well. There were flags all the way, with cheering crowds yelling “Good luck, boys!” and handing out cups of tea.
Recalling D-Day 1944 by H John Butler - I was just 19 years old and in 7th Battalion (Light Infantry), Parachute
Regiment, ‘C’ Coy. We were to be the assault company to reach the coup-de-main party on the
bridges over the Caen Canal....
Survival at Pear Hill by Stan Shortridge - We moved to a camp on the border of India at Chittagong. Our arrival was not
met with a good welcome. There had been some fierce fighting with the Japs and
so they’d had to retreat.
The Sinking of the SS City of Benares by Colin Ryder - "There was a worry that the suction of the sinking liner would draw us down
under, but this did not happen"....
PLUS Readers Letters - Newspaper clippings of 1944 and Finders Seekers..... (in
every edition)
November 2009 Edition
Sinking Hitler's Beast by Frank Tilley - The Tirpitz was one of the largest battleships of WWII. At displacement of
42,900 tons and 824 feet in length, it was the pride of the German Navy and was
said to be unsinkable....
The Enemy Below by Doug Lloyd - Just after Christmas Day 1943, we joined a huge convoy which was forming up in
the Clyde, off Gourock, to head for Japan. This convoy was protected by four
aircraft carriers, six cruisers and many destroyers and corvettes...
U-453's Final Hours - The German crew's perspective to the action above....
The Essence of Army Life by Isabel Eakins - In March 1943 I decided to join up, so I volunteered for the ATS and was
accepted as a driver...
The Long Tow by Charles Embury - The 9th Flotilla ‘B’ Class MLs formed up at Troon in Scotland in February/ March 1941. When this was
completed, the flotilla headed for Devonport prior to being sent to Gibraltar.
Four Encouters with Monty by the late Col Paul Randall - I spent four years at 8th Army Headquarters in the Signals Office, finishing
as Chief Signalmaster. Hence I had ample opportunity of observing the Great
Man, Montgomery, at close range.
My War behind the Wheel by Ken Durston - I was only 16½ years old at the time, so with the help of the Recruiting Sergeant I falsified
my age by 14 months. I received my call up papers in mid-January and was
instructed to report to the 29th Volunteer General Service Battalion at Blacon
Camp, Chester, railway warrant provided.
The Other Dunkirk by Stanley Naylor - No matter when Dunkirk is mentioned, everyone thinks of the enormous
evacuation of British troops that took place in 1940. Although this was an
historic event that saved many lives, there was a second Dunkirk in which I was
involved....
Christmas in Valburg by Len Oliver - The battalion had just moved back into Nijmegen for a well-deserved rest just
prior to Christmas 1944 when we were put back into the line at the village of
Valburg.
As War Was Declared -a selection of short accounts from several readers writing about their
experiences on the 70th Anniversary of the start of WWII.
News of Yesteryear - A regular feature of short articles from a Wartime
Newspaper...
PLUS Readers Letters - Newspaper clippings of 1944 and Finders Seekers.....
August 2009 Edition
Return Ticket to Holland by Ken Nolan - Our mission was to drop supplies to the airborne troops we had towed by glider
to Arnhem in Holland in Operation Market Garden the week before.
Atrocity at San Polo by Leslie Newman - 4 Troop on the north-eastern road, penetrated beyond San Polo to the first
main feature where they were machine- gunned and shelled and ordered to
withdraw to San Polo...
A Lucky Escape by Fred James - In May 1943, my RASC company was in a transit camp in Egypt. I was sent with
my water truck on detachment with a unit of the 50th Division based not far
from Bur Tawfig, known to the forces as Port Tewfick.
Discipline and Friends for Life by Joyce Dean - My training as a Clerk SD (Special Duties) began with signing the Official
Secrets Act and orders not to write a diary....
Rescue in the Desert by John Parker - My Unit had been in action in all the major desert battles, like Sidi Rezegh,
El Azeilha, Knightsbridge and the siege of Tobruk....
Journey into the Unknown by John Gibson ....The first shoot or test of rockets meant steaming west along the Bristol
Channel with another LCT(R) which was to be the first to fire
Blowing the Troarn Bridge by Harry Barnsley - I was in the Royal Engineers and our instructions were to blow the Troarn
Bridge in Normandy in June 1944....
Market Garden by Gil Taylor - It was stalemate for the rest of the winter and we settled down on ‘our’ side of the River Maas, watching Wermacht troops digging their slit trenches on
their side of the river.
Tragedy at Betheniville by Frank Authers ...It was a scene of complete devastation and my first experience of death and
destruction....
Things Remembered by Ken Muncer - We learned a lot in the Royal Engineers. How to build bridges. To know the
different explosives....
Hidden Heroes by Alec Gleed - There were many hidden heroes in the last World War who gained successes by
virtue of skilled control of their forces.
An Old Soldier Remembers by Ian McCormack - I enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps as a Supply Clerk and embarked for
India on the Dutch ship MV Ruys......