Whicker's War

[Owen]

I know it came out a few years ago but started to re-read this yesterday.
Very intertaining.
Just ordered the DVD too.
I thought I'd look up his photos on IWM site.
There's 20 by Photographer Whicker.

IWM Collections Online: Search Photographs Archive

Search in this box that says "photographer" on that page.
Some great images there.

[von Poop]

Well you live and learn.
Seems he took this classic of a Scorpion in action:

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/dbt...0&BG=0&FG=0&QS=

[Owen]

One Gerry Chester might know, on pages 31 & 32 Alan Whicker describes being at Longstop Hill with a Churchill unit. See one of his photos.
The CO of that unit , un-named, was going to put Whicker & the cine cameraman Sgt Radford in for "gongs" but the next day the CO was killed.
Any idea what unit they were with and who the CO was?

[Gotthard Heinrici]

These look good and the book certainly looks like it might be worthwhile. Everytime I see Alan Whicker I keep thinking of the Monty Python sketch "Whickers Island"!!! . His programmes were brilliant too.

[Gerry Chester]

Originally Posted by Owen D

One Gerry Chester might know, on pages 31 & 32 Alan Whicker describes being at Longstop Hill with a Churchill unit. See one of his photos.
The CO of that unit , un-named, was going to put Whicker & the cine cameraman Sgt Radford in for "gongs" but the next day the CO was killed.
Any idea what unit they were with and who the CO was?

Hi Owen,

Killed was Lt. Colonel McNabb, C.O. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. Major J.M.Anderson, who took over command, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the action. The North Irish Horse was in support.

Just placed an order for Alan Whicker's book. Thanks for the posting.

Cheers, Gerry

[Owen]

Gerry,
So Alan Whicker got it slighty wrong then?
As he was saying it was the tank units CO.
This is one of his photos.

A Churchill tank in the Medjez-el-Bab area, 23-25 April 1943.
Photographer: Whicker (Lt)
No 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit

McNabb's entry on CWGC is from that date.
CWGC :: Casualty Details

Thanks for your help from one who was there.

[Gerry Chester]

So Alan Whicker got it slighty wrong then?
As he was saying it was the tank units CO.

Owen,

The battle for Longstop Hill cost the lives of three chaps (when their Churchill was struck by lightning) our CO was not one of them. Lt. Col (later Major-General Sir) David Dawnay, was recognised as the foremost authority on Churchill tank deployment. He left the NIH, just before we sailed to Italy, to take command of 21st Tank Brigade.

It was the performance of Churchills in Tunisia that resulted in the ordered cancellation of further production of the tanks to be reversed - much to the PM's satisfaction!

Cheers, Gerry

[Owen]

I loved this quote from page 109.
sapper will like it too.
It refers to the Americans putting signs up on all their bridges, liberated villages , etc etc

On one mountain road where as usual the Germans had blown every bridge , the first replacement had a large sign saying proudly,

'You are Crossing this Bridge by Courtesy of the Fifth Army Enigneers who Built it in
3 Days 14 Hours and 26 Minutes!'

At the next blown river-crossing the familiar British Bailey bridge had a small notice:

'This Bridge was built by the REs in 9 Hours and 42 Minutes'

Underneath in brackets and small print :

('There is nothing unusual about this bridge.')

Well I thought it was funny.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Owen It was funny mate!

[Owen]

DVD arrived today.
Had a quick look at the extra footage.
It's Alan in his study with his Army Photo album talking us through some images for 23 minutes, which appear in the book too.
The album is huge, about 2 inches thick and looks about 18 by 12 inches with every page crammed full of photos .
I'd love to have a flick through that album.