Brian So it was you who created the shortages - the liars told us that a shipload had been sunk leaving Australia - couldn't trust anyone those days.. Cheers
Combover There was always a laugh to be had - although can't imagine Sapper laughing for a long time afterwards...we had a few....there was one nurse who was a real knock-out- and the south wall of the ward was all glass top to bottom and the sun streamed in all day long - she would bounce in in her uniform and very obviously little else - she would proceed to the glass wall- and do her stretching exercises ..... one man in particular had a tough time as he had been shot in what is known politely as the private parts...his groans were loudest ! Later when most of us were fit once more and awaiting transport back to Italy- while still living in the Hospital - a small civil type war broke out in Catania and as there were few soldiers about - we were elected to be a fighting patrol to quell this uprising - during the course of which a Sergeant in the "Skins" was shot in the stomach - so we dragged him back to the hospital and as the surgeon was inspecting him - he said "bloody hell Paddy - that bullet went in the same place as the last one- couldn't you have moved out of the way "? Cheers
Mike L .........then there was the one about the guy in the next bed to me at the 98th Gen(?) at Bari - who never flinched when three Doctors each stuck a 2 inch needle in the back of his knee - every day for more than three weeks.....one day after Doctor's rounds a nurse sidled up to both of us and whispered that we were on the next Hospital Ship to Blighty - but don't say a word as not all are going home...the great day arrived and we were in adjoining cots - so I asked him how was the needle treatment - "hurt like hell he said- but I'm not going back up there" - next morning the ship berthed at Catania instead of Liverpool and I was thrown off to be patched up ...he stayed on ... I was speechless ! Cheers
Brian, How did your wounds affect your relationships with other people later in life? Did they treat you differently than before? What were your employment prospects like? Cheers Tom
Anything to oblige Combover. You're a danger to yourself and others. Eventually I was discharged from military Hospital care, to continue my treatment in civilian care, with my demob suit and my calipers still fixed to my army boots, and with my crutches I must have looked a pitiful sight, then, I was thin and wasted, just like a concentration camp victim. When my discharge came through I had to make my own way home from Salisbury to home, hardly able to walk and then only with stops to recover, it was an absolutely wicked journey and I still do not know how I managed it. When I applied to get my old job back they would not have me, they told me I was a danger to myself and to others. To be honest, I was. Here we go again, this time I was sent to Egham rehabilitation centre in Surrey, that was in 1945. I must admit that I did not want to go to Egham, all I wanted to do was to get back into my job in Engineering. Egham, was full of very severely disabled ex-service men like myself, but one should count ones blessings, as I shall illustrate! The day I arrived, fed up and choked that I had to spend time at this place, I noticed a man sat at a piano in the main room, desperately trying to play a tune, and in fact it sounded pretty awful, that is, until I got up close to him where I could see that his hands had been very badly burned, so bad that the bones in his hands were barely covered in tight shiny stretched skin, the side of his face towards me looked perfectly normal, but when he turned round the other side of his head had been burned and very badly disfigured....Lesson one! There is always someone worse off than yourself. The man in charge of Egham at that time was a blind, so I started to get things in perspective, most of my time was spent pottering in the garden with treatment every morning by the physio ladies who concentrated on trying to get some movement back into my legs, and damned painful it was! But partially successful. I cannot remember all about that place, but there was a small bar outside called "Smoky Joes" if I remember it was at the bottom of the garden area, though I could never get there myself. I did befriend a man there who had two false legs, he would set off for a walk to Virginia Water every day, and was out of the gate before I could travel 20 yards with my calipers and my crutches. TBC PS the unequal struggle to get back to work began to tell. Here it was a matter of being treated like a youth, while I had seen the most ferocious actions, with death and destruction of a massive scale. NOW I was to be treated like a callow youth...LIKE F** I was... I became very stroppy indeed, with a quick temper that would flare up in an instant. If they did not like it? I was always willing to rearrange their teeth for them...... That is due to my driving force that no one, or nobody, was going to stop me in what "I" determined to do....No One .......!NEVER! If you got in my way TOUGH. TBC PS I am still stubborn and determined
Brian - couldn't agree more that there was always someone worse off than yourself - the amount of people in the CCS at Ancona with no legs - no arms - blind - the place was packed...we had an ENSA concert one day with Patricia ??? and her pianist- Jim Brown - she sat alongside a guy with no legs and singing " you'd be so nice to come home to" and other songs for two hours - the place was swimming in tears - one beautiful girl in from the partisans in Yugoslavia- at least she was beautiful from one side - there was no other side of her face...... Cheers
Brian/Tom Have either of you ever been back to the scene of your demise or has just thought of what happened put you off contemplating a return. From reading your stories both of you are very strong on the time it happened and with such clarity and we are grateful that you have shared these experinces with the forum members
Oldman - I went back in 2005 in order to visit the seven cemeteries where my friends are buried in the Gothic Line area - first day was at the Coriano Ridge cemetery where some 28 are buried and so I spent many hours just sitting and thinking about all of them - then found each grave and paused for a short prayer at each - taking photo's of many including the C.O. and squadron leader's graves of Gerry's North Irish Horse. Sadly I couldn't recognise any of the conflict areas as progress had taken over and a great autostrada went clean through one of the main battlefields- as it should ! The next day - the monsoons set in with a vengeance and I was Hotel bound in Riccione until the departure day when the sun finally broke through again - but the overwhelming thoughts I had were of the generosity of the Italian people in donating the land for this cemetery - and the annual allocating each section of the 2000 graves to each class of the local school for them to look after their section and keep it weed free in conjunction with the regular groundskeepers - not one weed is to be seen - anywhere - a truly beautiful and peaceful spot for our lads. Hopefully I shall return in 2011 to complete my task - but not this time at the anniversary as that is too close to Monsoon time - and I especially want to see my best friends grave at Cesena ! His last task was acting as gunner in a captured Panther MkV Tank and delighting in throwing their own ammunition back at them...until November 11th 1944 when refuelling he tripped a schu mine and died in agony some two hours later - Walter Pollard from Yorkhire.R.I.P. Cheers
Tom, I hope that you have better luck with the weather next year. Like I've said many times we owe your generation so much. Regards Tom
No I have never returned. I have had several offers to go for free, with a nursing help. Last year I had an invitation to return to Normandy in the Company of the REME officers... totally free, collect from and to home. In the company of 70 REME Captains. Thanks REME Lovely men... Could not go, I don't think I would be able to cope. Hitler buggered me undercarriage and its getting rusty ... But I can never show my appreciation to 6 Battalion REME Tidworth .... Sapper
Brian - I can understand your wish to show your appreciation to REME for their kind gesture as I tried to do to the people I met on my jouirney to Riccione - first was the young lady at the rail cashiers desk at Ancona when I asked for a return to Rikkione and she smilingly corrected my Italian to RITCHI OWNEY - another young lady who led me to the correct seat on the train -and alerted me to my station - and the young man who helped me with my bags when alighting the train - obviously they recognised my pilgrimage and graciously assisted a senior who had been there before ! Totally different treatment in the UK .... Cheers
No I have never returned. I have had several offers to go for free, with a nursing help. Last year I had an invitation to return to Normandy in the Company of the REME officers... totally free, collect from and to home. In the company of 70 REME Captains. Thanks REME Lovely men... Could not go, I don't think I would be able to cope. Hitler buggered me undercarriage and its getting rusty ... But I can never show my appreciation to 6 Battalion REME Tidworth .... Sapper How did the public as a whole treat you after the war? Did you eventually get back into work?
You may find this of interest? The Best and the Worst. One of the first men that I met in my ward, I had known in Normandy, he was just learning to walk again with an artificial leg when I arrived. The Gods of war deals some very odd hands at times. This man had been on patrol when he came face to face with the Enemy, the German let fly with an anti-tank weapon, (A Panzerfaust. Tank Killer) the projectile hit the corner of a farmhouse wall and showered him with shrapnel, he dived into a foxhole alongside of a burning haystack that promptly fell on top of him, getting out, he badly burned his hands. Now, badly injured, with burns to hands and face and lots of shrapnel wounds, he made his way back to get aid and trod on a schu mine blowing his foot off. While in that Hospital I received a very nice letter from an old pal in the company. Corporal Ford, who sent me a complete set of my company badges and insignia with the message "don't want you looking like a rookie, Brian" What a lovely thought from one who was in Hospital himself with double pneumonia, having taken a dip in the Rhine while forcing a crossing. I wrote back, but never heard anymore from "Ginger Ford" I do not know if he was invalided out of the army or if he returned to active service, try as I might I have never heard from him again. It's a great pity, I have not found more than a handful of my former company that made it through to the end. Not surprising really. Third British Infantry Division was the only unit to take part in all of the battles in North West Europe. While at the same time taking into consideration their very high casualty rate.
To be honest,we were treated worse than dogs.No one wanted us we were outcasts.... This old buzzard developed a temper to go with it! Say the wrong thing? DUCK.... To show how badly we were treated, let me relate a little story. I'm classed as 100% very severely disabled. With the added "exceptionally severe injuries" Its a tough regime believe me! When I was discharged I attended a military assessment board . Their purpose is to assess the extent of your war injuries from Nought to 100% and that was what your pension would be based on. Now I know this is personal but it must be revealed to understand the treatment we got. I had been in a whole body cast for a long time with fractured spine. I had lost the top of my left knee. Nearly all my bones were cracked and my left leg was smashed so badly that there was no bone left to join. To save me from amputation they bone grafted by taking the hip bones that your pants rest and then I was plated, but with one leg shorted than they other.. A bloody awful mess. With all those injuries the assessment board gave me 18% out of 100... That was a real shocker. WE had nowhere to live and others were housed before us. We had no help of any kind what so ever NOTHING from anyone ...Absolutely Nothing. My time in hospital meant that I looked like a concentration camp victim I was thin to the point of my bones sticking out.... The one thing that I had on my side is a fierce determination to get where I wanted to go,no matter what,or who...I have not changed much! Over all of this, I have to thank Major after Sir John Charnley, for his genius in saving me from a life in a wheel chair and saving me from amputation. A real genius. The man that gave us the Hip joint op. Cheers sapper
Tom/Brian Thank you for your candid views on my question, I think I can understand Brian's view point not going back even to Normandy, my father said he would never return either. Tom I appreciate your return details and wish you splendid weather in 2011 and the time to reflect in peace, please if you make the trip let the forum members share it with you . As always thank you both for sharing your experiences with the forum members
Brian, thank-you for answering my questions. I suppose my ultimate question is, if you had your time over and had the choice of going to war or not, would you still have done what you did?
