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ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES

I was called up and joined the 10th Essex Holding Battalion. We moved around Essex to several places but only for short stays. Then some of us were transferred to the 4th Battalion Royal West Kents. We were sent abroad to Africa and landed on the EI Alamein front. In a short time, we went inland approximately 40 miles to straighten the line (I presume) because the Germans might try the hook movement. We were all spread out walking across the desert then suddenly shells started dropping amongst us, I could see men falling all around me. Night fell, I was crawling around and there were tracer bullets flashing all around. Come the morning, I do not know how it happened, but I arrived at the New Zealand Gunners area untouched. I was sent to an area to reform. There was hardly any of us there, then we heard that the Americans had arrived in North Africa. The 5th Indian Division from India was already there. They told us 'You will not be going forward with the rest, you will be joining the 5th Indian Division and going to India and then on to Burma.�

We left Egypt, went through Palestine. We then started to climb in trucks all day to get on to the flat plains of Iraq. We called in at Baghdad. From there we went on to Basrah, then down the Persian Gulf and crossed over to Bombay. We then went on trains to Calcutta. Once there we were moved up to Dimapur Railhead. We were there a short while when all of a sudden an order came "Get on the trucks you are going up to Kohima", which was a convalesence centre. As we went up the road leading to the centre the Indians were running down shouting 'Jappi, Jappi" and looking very frightened. We got on to the road that rounds Kohima, we all made a rush to get on to Kohima, self presevation being uppermost in our minds. The Japs were already on that part of the road. I ran up a track to the rest centre, a shell came from over my head and landed in front of me, therefore the whole force of the shell was going forward. If it had landed behind me, you would not be reading this now. I got into position which were bunkers covered at the rear. I had the backs stripped off the bunkers immediately so that we had all round vision. There was firing going on all around. The Japs were close enough to hear us talk and us them. A little while after that I found myself in a trench with three others facing one way which meant only one man at the front was firing at the enemy.

During the night a Jap had got very close to us, all of a sudden a grenade came into the trench and landed at the back of me but being like the Italian grenades it was bacolite which gives you more of a chance. The three others in the trench left very rapidly. I obviously had to make my own getaway so 1 threw myself down and rolled over, and as I was rolling I could see flashes from a Jap gun. When I landed out of the trench on top of the other three men, they were amazed I was still alive.

From there we went to the flank for a while. Then, myself with three, and another chap with three were told to go down this flank as it was beginning to get dark, (he went to the right, I went just off the track into a bunker). The bunkers were facing downwards. We heard a large bang to the right of us then we heard the Japs walking right next to and over the bunker, they didn't know we were there, luckily. We sat tight until it bacame light. At that particular time I was carrying a rifle and 150 rounds, six grenades, a Tommy gun, half a dozen magazines and a Gerka knife.

At first light, two Japs came down, from our forward positions, having been close to our position all night, and stood looking at us. I fired with my Tommy gun and down they went. Then another slides down and lands in the trench. I fired across and he was no more. Then a little while after that we could hear the Japs talking very close by. We stopped talking and they stopped talking. I had to make a decision. My decision was to leave as quietly and quickly as possible, with me leading and should I encounter any Japs I would spray them with my Tommy Gun. We ran up the hill in single file as quickly as possible. I got to the top and one of the chaps said he had been shot. I hoped he could keep running, he said he could so we carried on as quickly as we could. We all got to the top safely, somehow. Then I thought the Japs might make an attack, being mad at us escaping.

There were two bunkers on the right of our position and a bren gunner on the left. I decided to get into the second bunker. The Japs charged, the bren gunner swept the area. I was right to have gone in the second bunker as the first came off worst. The Japs then retreated back to the bottom of the hill. I was left in the trench with the young chaps. I put one of them on guard, in less than no time he slid to the bottom of the trench fast asleep.

I got hold of one of the other young ones and put him on guard, then, like the other he too slid to the bottom of the trench sound asleep. So I decided that there was only one way out of it, that was for me to stay on guard until it was light.

Every thirty minutes to an hour I would throw a grenade out the trench just to let the Japs know that we were not asleep. For several nights this happened, and I had no sleep. I dozed when possible in the day and told the young chaps to wake me immediately anything happened. Approximately a week later we were relieved. As we were walking off we were coming round a comer and a chap in front of me was shot dead. I therefore cut inside this point as I did not want to be shot next as it was of course a sniper.

Before I knew it I was down on the track. I thought at that time we would be going back for a rest, but after a short break, because of the shortage of men, we had to go back in.

The sil churd track which goes around Kohima carried on up into the hills. We were pushing forward all the time, then a short while later the monsoon started. All supplies then were supplied by air. During that time I went forward with an officer and a man to try to locate the Japs. We got up the side of a track on to a ridge and looking through the foliage we saw a Jap having a bath. Then he must have heard us because we started to move back and a shell came screaming towards us. The officer was hit, the other man carried him while I kept at the rear. We got back to our position safely. As soon as the monsoon had finished and the roads were open, we got on trucks and headed for Rangoon on the main road. We got to the junction with Pegu, we stopped there. There were four of us with a bren gun and a launcher, we were in a bad position so I said pick up the bren gun and we will go to a higher position for safety. We carried on the road to Rangoon, stopping to rest at night. Then we came to Pagu Yomas which is about forty miles from Rangoon. We went into this Bamboo Jungle to relieve the unit already there. The Japs who were starving had already attacked them. We stayed for a while, then moved on to Rangoon.

Whilst there I did guard duty. On walking round the basher one night, I went the wrong way, down I went, saw stars and woke everyone up. We were there for a little while longer and then we came home to Tilbury.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

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