I wondered what reply I was going to get for that comment. BTW , I've edited the word 'photo' to the thread title as last night a couple of us wondered (for a second or two) what news we were going to read in the thread. Glad that Tom is still posting & giving as good as he gets still.
Wonderful photograph Tom,a glance back in history. I am assuming that there was a little ice cream discount......perhaps the ice cream business is still with us. As said the sloppy beret attire....relaxation at its best. Kind Regards
Harry thank you - we didn't look for discounts as we knew the Italian people were in dire needs so we generally paid more than they asked - was only fair as we had virtually destroyed their Country - the Monastery at Cassino for example was paid for by the Italians with a small contribution from the Germans - NOTHING from the UK nor the US Cheers
Tom, I remember the wartime newsreels showing the siege of Monte Cassino by ground and the air....It seemed as if it would never fall.Of course in those days the news was only made available through attendance at cinema or the main news of the day....the 9 o'clock news on the Home Service. What I have seen of Monte Cassino,the Italians have made a superb job of its restoration....same can be said of the rubble of Warsaw.
Harry No doubt the Monastery is a fantastic restoration - the town itself was moved as it was flattened and no point in restoring- we always tried to catch the BBC nine o clock news - especially Saturdays for the football scores….kept us in touch - especially as the Villa had a real team even in those days… Cheers
So who originally 'found' the photo? I see 'Condie' put it up here in 2009: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/15414-7th-oxs-bucks-monte-camino-november-1943/?p=175096 And Ron shared it here, 2006: http://2ndww.blogspot.co.uk/2006/05/previously-un-published-picture-of-tom.html And who took it, Tom? Can you recall?
VP That photo certainly has been around a fair bit - mind you it's a good one …we conned some passer by to take the photo as I recall - he did well…! Cheers
Great photo Tom. You have covered a lot of ground since that pic was taken. Would love to hear more on the accuracy of WEE WULLY. Did you stay in touch with him after the war?
Tim No we drifted away - but his gunnery was something else the day after he was allocated to the Churchill CS with it's 95mm he gave a demonstration of it's effectiveness by firing at an enemy held house about 400 yards away - we expected the shot to go up and down within a few yards - not so - it landed a few feet from the front door- which opened and a German came out and was looking up as he couldn't hear a bomber - it was only WEE WULLY showing off - his next shot demolished the house - to much applause from the rest of us … he was a bit better than my gunner - who was ordered to kill a Faust carrying German with his Besa - and I watched his hand move over to the six pounder trigger - he fired - short time later we found the German with an 8 inch hole in his chest…that was real shooting… Cheers
Tom, Many vets have told me that the image of at least one dead person haunted them afterwards. Often, it was someone they had killed but not always. Did you have that expereince? Was there an image that persisted with you?
Tim - Can't recall any images to bother me as I had - and still have - the capacity to laugh at the stupidity of it all - but the two images I have quoted were more in admiration of the skill in gunnery of one who was a butcher and the other a carpenter doing things well in extraordinary circumstances - then presumably going back to their real trades… Cheers