13 March 1943 was the first date I can remember for certain and when we arrived at ‘B’ Echelon in the morning. They were in a very thick cactus grove; cactus in that part of the country is not of the flower pot in the hall variety – it grows to twelve foot high. The plant (we can’t call it a tree) has no trunk, but each leaf grows out of the side of the previous leaf; it produces flowers about six inches long, also growing out of the sides of leaves; the flowers or fruit were covered with spines, and are eaten by the natives.
This was the place all unwanted kit was left, so after sorting out what we really needed, we left in a 15 cwt for the line. I suppose it was not very far, but the roads were bad and in the back of a truck, there is always exhaust fumes. I have often wondered how troops, continually travelling in the backs of trucks, do not get poisoned, but it took us a couple of hours. We had to wait for some time because anti tank guns were zeroing across the road.
At Bttn HQ, we were firstly given some lunch. I sat in the Pioneer Officer’s shelter as he was out. It was not a proper dug out but just two walls about two feet high built out from the bank, and a groundsheet over the top. It faced the command post, and I sat there not knowing anyone. I thought I had never seen such a funny looking crowd. Corduroy trousers were the rage, very useful during the winter when the Bttn was in the cold and wet, but at the time, I was stewed in battledress, although I cooled down considerably that night.
We were taken into the ‘Holy of Holies’ one at a time and had all our particulars taken. This was done immediately because a previous draft had arrived and been sent straight up the line without particulars being taken. Subsequently, there had been some casualties, and then nobody knew who was there. Then we were all brought in together and the CO, Lt-Col Allen, interviewed us. He did not say very much, and, in fact, I believe he never said a single word. John Norman was Adjutant and Major McCann was 2nd in Command (2.i.c.). John Kerr, I can remember, sitting in his shelter. He was a Lieutenant at the time having been commissioned for about a month.
The 2.i.c. took us up to the ‘OP’, on the way warning us about a piece of skyline, which was to be avoided, as the CO had caught an NCO walking there a few days before, and he had stripped him of his rank on the spot. There were other warnings about things to be done and things to be avoided, and various offences for which the CO would strip one on the spot; I had only one pip up and I didn’t expect to keep that long.
There was a long trench leading up to the ‘OP’ and we had to walk bent double. The place itself, when we reached it, was a circular hole about six feet deep and the same in diameter; there was an ammunition box at one side. Standing on the box, one at a time, we saw the enemy lines. I don’t know what I expected exactly, but I was disappointed. There were no Germans to be seen anyway. We spent the afternoon reading the intelligence files, which Sgt (then) O’Connor produced for us. There was no Intelligence Officer (IO). Ashe fancied the job, but didn’t get it.
After the evening meal, we were allotted to companies. I was the only one of the four going to ‘A’ Coy, and I had to go to the RAP to go up with the ration truck. A guide took me down there, which was about a mile. The rations had to wait until dark to leave, part of the road being under observation. ‘A’ Coy was on the right hand end of Grandstand. I arrived at Coy HQ in the dark and was led through a shed, through several blankets hung over doors to keep the light from showing and finally arrived in another dimly lit shed. Major Bunch was commanding the company at the time and he was sitting on a compo box behind a small table.
There were other forms flitting about but it was too dark and I was too new to this sort of thing to notice anyone in particular. Major Bunch, who I afterwards knew as Sam, was wearing a tin hat, which seemed to perch on the top of his head – it was a really good fit, but he always kept a face veil folded inside his camouflage net. He did not say very much either; I suppose nobody had very much to say after spending a winter as they had. Then he said ‘I had better show you to your platoon.’
We went out into the night and picked our way between several slit trenches; then we came to a long trench and scrambled down into it at a place where it was not very deep. I followed Bunch along for about fifty yards, stopping every now and then, while he spoke to unseen persons, who were inside trenches. I was very surprised to see such a trench system, parts of it built up with rocks and other parts cut through almost solid rock. There were deep pools in places. A figure materialised out of the darkness and was introduced as my platoon sergeant, Sgt Robinson. Then Bunch left us.
Robinson took me up to the end of the trench and pointed out the general direction of the enemy and where our wire lay, then he showed me where the various posts were, and where there was a slit trench with a roof on it that I could use, and where his dugout was. The platoon was on 50% stand to, so he suggested that I do the first four hours, and promptly disappeared into his dugout. I found a part of the trench that was more or less dry and out of the wind, and discovered a corporal there who inquired who I was. He, of course, did not know that a new officer had arrived, so I told him I was his platoon commander, and we then talked quietly.
When the time came for me to turn in, I had some difficulty finding my slit, which was outside the platoon area. It was the first time in my life that I had slept in a hole in the ground. I did not sleep very soundly, partly, I suppose, because of the discomfort, but more so because I had very little idea of Jerry’s whereabouts and habits in the patrolling line. I had no idea of how I would organise the platoon in case of an attack. I have, since that time, always had a fear of being ‘winkled out’ in my sleep so I was always careful to sleep insider the area, and near a sentry. When inside a house, I always insisted on a sentry on the door unless it was securely locked.
Settling In.
In the morning at ‘stand to’, I inquired where the platoon sergeant was, as I was unable to recognise him from our meeting the night before. After we went round the positions together and he pointed out the section commanders, we went into his dugout, where there was some tea ready. There was just room for the two of us and Cpl Swarbrook, who had been acting platoon sergeant. We had to keep our legs tucked up, as there was just room to sit up straight. The chief difficulty was that the entrance was only wide enough to get inside sideways; thus one had to stoop double and turn sideways at the same time: this takes practice. I don’t remember what we talked about, except one part about anti louse powder.
This army issue known as AL 63 was a necessity in a position where baths were infrequent and was used by all. Cpl Swarbrook had had the misfortune to misunderstand the use of it when the first lot arrived; instead of putting it on the seams of his clothes as it is usually used, he used it on his body, including his privates and had a deuce of a time when he began to sweat.
I had breakfast with Bunch in Coy HQ: my first compo meal. Compo rations are made up of boxes containing rations for fourteen men for one day. Everything is canned. There are biscuits, chocolate, bacon or sausages, meat and vegetables ready to be heated or steak and kidney pudding, also duff of some kind and seven cigarettes each. The tea is already mixed with sugar and powdered milk; the last thing to be packed and first out is a supply of Army Form 000, a necessary addition when there are no newspapers. Also included are butter and jam. After breakfast, I returned to the platoon area, where I was surprised to see nobody about, as they were all in their dugouts, so I went into Robinson’s dugout and we chatted for hours. Later, he showed me the ammo dump and where a piece of shrapnel had hit a box, but luckily it had not set off the grenades inside.
That night was very much like the previous one. Next day, I was detailed to go as a company representative on an advance party as the Bttn was to move out next day. They had been on this hill so long that everyone was glad to be leaving it at last. I packed what kit I had, which was not very much and tramped to the RAP. This was about a mile and just after I left the company, the rain came down like a deluge. It ran down my neck and off the corners of the groundsheet I was wearing as a cape, my legs were soaked and I felt miserable. I reached the RAP and waited there.
There was a burner going, cooking some meal so I stood near it and got a bit dry. There were some graves around the back of the house and we went round to see them. The other representatives had arrived too and we were all told that the move was off. The rain had so bogged things that the transport could never get to the company areas to pick up the kit. We all returned to our companies. My trench was full of water so I had to move to another.
Next day, the advance parties were called again, so I had to tramp down to the RAP. This time, the trucks came and we moved off. I don’t know the name of the place where the lying up area was; we arrived there about two in the afternoon and were given our company areas. This was the first time I had recced parking space for a company, so I went into it in great detail, to ensure that I knew where each truck would go and which way it would face. Also, of course, areas for the platoons. Then we hung around as the Bttn was not due to arrive until the early morning. When we got word they were on the way, we went down the road to meet them. Each rep was to pick up the first truck of his own company.
When ‘A’ Coy came along, Bunch was in front of the leading vehicle, which was a TCV. I prepared to stand on the side as we had not far to go, but he insisted I should get inside and sit on his knee as there was only one seat; my head kept bumping the roof and it was very hard to see. When we got to the side road that we had to go up, there was a chap with a torch waving us in; he asked what company we were and said something to Bunch. When the company reached the farm below the area, the troops got out of the TCVs and marched the rest of the way. Everything was all right, and I sorted out the platoons into the areas that I had picked, and Bunch was pleased enough. The company vehicles arrived after the troops and I got them parked successfully too.
Next evening, the whole Bttn moved on. It was nearly getting dark when we left and at that time, no lights were used on vehicles because of enemy aircraft, so it was a slow move. We finally de-bussed and then had to march about two miles to a gully where we were to spend over a week. Two things happened during that march. First, Sgt Robinson was removed without warning to go home on a job as an instructor, and second, I engaged a batman, a lad called Diggle, who had been the platoon anti-tank rifle man. He was glad to get rid of that job and he looked after me for over a month. He seemed to have a knack of being first in the food lines and always had my meal ready before the other officers of the company.
The gully, which I mentioned, was a broad one and the companies were spread out along it for some distance. At every time that a unit laid up anywhere in North Africa, it used a gully. They soon came to be given names; this one afterwards was called ‘Melody Gully’, because of the number of sing songs we had there.
‘A’ Coy were located near the way into the gully. There was a slant down, and then a large flat port on which the trucks were parked, then the slant continued down to the stream, across which the men lived in bivouacs. The officers slept in bivvys near the trucks, and used to collect to feed in the back of the truck that Major Bunch used to sleep in. We could all fit in except one of us, so the last to arrive had to stand and eat off the tail board.
There was at that time in the company, Major Bunch, Lieut Basil Hewitt, Lieut George Stevens and myself. Tony Clarke was there for a few days and I shared a bivvy with him. We dug it down about two feet, which gave us a lot more room, but made it hard to keep the rain and mud out. He then got a job at division. The aforesaid truck was parked nose into the bank and commanded an excellent view of the company latrines. Sam Bunch had a wooden tin whistle, which he used to play. He caused great amusement to some soldiers, who saw him playing it by blowing through his nose instead of his mouth.
There was a sing song nearly every evening, organised by Captain Ronnie Ablett, and the music was supplied by the Pioneer Officer, Chips Burton, on a clarinet or uke. It was here that I first saw and heard the Bttn character Sketch McGrath with his poem, said to have been written by himself, about manoeuvres in Hong Kong etc. Sgt Riggett used to sing ‘Trees’ and a corporal used to shout himself hoarse imitating Hitler.
Down in the gully, about half a mile away, there was a rifle range. There were shooting matches, pool bulls etc every day and in the evening’s officers v sergeants, or stake matches.