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BOB MOSLEY
I joined the Sherwood Foresters
I was born in Withall Hollywood, Birmingham in 1915. I was called up and joined the Sherwood Foresters Regiment in 1941.
I was sent to Huthwaite in Nottinghamshire for square bashing training and then on to Mansfield where I went into a soldiers billet.
I was then sent to Yorkshire with the 9th army on anti-tank training, when I caught pneumonia. I went to Peterborough to convalesce and then on to a holding company in Guildford. When in Bedford I remember the WAAFs were stationed next door and I met Peggy and we danced the Anniversary Waltz together.
I then went to Dereham in Norfolk with the 1st Infantry and from there to Scotland where I embarked for North Africa on the SS Firefly.

I met Monty
When we reached Algiers we joined up with Montgomery and we fought our way to Tunis, until the war in North African finished. We had a quiet period then and to keep us occupied we started a tug of war team.
Next it was Pantolier a little island, where we joined up with the Italians, fired about three shots and that bit of the war ended too. The only three people to get killed were some dispatch riders who hit a mine on their way back to camp.

Naples here we come
We reimbarked on an American boat for Naples and were in Italy when Vesuvius blew up. People were starving there and we saw many living in old factory buildings. The only food we had was in our mess tins. The Italians used to shout Johnny, Johnny, give us food - we're starving. We re-imbarked in Naples again, this time on a landing craft, but we were not told where we were going. We landed in Angio Italy, and the Americans were in Netunia. We waited until the Yanks went in - they thought it would be a piece of cake and they would be in Rome in one day, but it was not to be.

Retreat
General Alexander was in charge and after standing for three days in a wood the Germans attacked us and we were pushed back into the sea. The 67th Field artillery was with us, and we were firing until we were as deep into the sea as we could go.
We had a unit of Gerkas with us who attacked the Germans soft footed and with one blow.......!
The fighting was so fierce that a waggon took over 20 English people to grave yards every day.
My friend John Coneili who is now buried in Rushford, Tenbury was awarded the VC in Italy.

Rough medicine
When we took casualties to the clearing station many had died, and some had to endure amputations of their legs - while their boots were still on. There was blood everywhere and the surgery was very rough.
On January 21 1944 General Alexander came to the now famous "what we have we hold" dug out until May.
Just before D Day we were sent to walk or drive, back up through Italy bypassing Rome to Bolzano and Morezno. We passed through the mountains with mules, where Indians troops helped us, on to the Gothic line with the 1st Infantry Division.
When next in The 3rd Infantry we were in Palestine, and from there went to Heifa, Cairo, Beirut, and then on to Egypt for demob.
I remember one Corporal in North Africa who had fought to the finish went on a white wine bender and got so drunk. When it was time for our inspection we hid him under a camouflage net until the officers had gone.

Back to reality
The day after I landed in England after my demob - I was back on the farm haymaking, earning just 2s and 6d a day and giving my Mum 10/- for my board.

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