[Ron Goldstein]

Brian

What a super photo...........many thanks for that !

Whilst replying, I also send both Tom and yourself my very good wishes.

It does appear that, as Bill Shakespeare was wont to say, "This happy breed of men" are getting a bit scarce on the ground so we "vets" must surely stick together and try to explain to the younger generations exactly what it was like in those eventful years between 1939 & 1945.

To revert back to the original theme of this thread, i.e. "Being frightened of what you do in war" I tried to throw my mind back to my days in action and to analyse what my main emotions were.

Unlike Brian & Tom, I was what would in the line be considered as "dead lucky", i.e. I survived unscathed.

During the last few weeks of the war in particular I saw other men being hit and killed and yet I was left to fight another day.

I remember one particular event that still stays with me and perhaps epitomised what we, as young men had to face and accept on a daily basis.

I was with the 4th Hussars and we were advancing along the narrow crest of a river bank when a dispatch rider drove towards us waving frantically for us get over to our left.

As we tried to pull over we saw coming towards us about half a dozen tanks each one bearing severely wounded men piled up on the rear of the turret casing while their comrades were trying to staunch the severe bleeding that was taking place.

For the first time in my life I realised that ahead of me lay possible untold terrors and that I would be asked to face the same dangers that the poor buggers on the backs of the tanks were now retreating from.

Surprisingly I felt little or no fear, my feelings were more of wonderment, anticipation of how I would cope and concentration on the messages pouring through my radio headset.

We lived very much for the day then and were grateful for small mercies.

What, I wonder gentlemen, were your feelings like ?

Cheers

Ron