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12'h November 2003

World War 2 Anecdotes

Anecdote 1. In the latter part of the war in Europe 1 was engaged as a cameraman in a special Photographic Unit in 2nd Army HQ. With the war over our small unit occupied a block of luxury flats in Luneburg,Germany. Opposite us across a wide road was a large mansion and a few Sergeants from there would socialise with us in our mess. They were all Intelligence Corps and when we asked what they did they were evasive, saying "all a bit hush-hush Old Boy." One afternoon one of them dashed in shouting "Bring cameras quickly!" 1 left at once with our senior cameraman Sgt,Arlow, Sgt.Harris our only movie cameraman plus his assistant and my driver carrying tripods, lights etc. In a large room, crowded with staff including several top brass who opened out to reveal a figure clad only in British Army trousers and a shirt and obviously dead. It was the Reichfuhrer SS - Heinrich Hinunler. During examining by a Doctor he had apparently bitten on a cyanide pill. Starting to take pictures somebody said "Where are the prisoner's glasses?" Another shouted "Sergeant Major." "Sir!" was the reply as a tall figure entered. He left at once and returned with the famous rimless glasses and put them on the body saying - "Found them in the field dressing pocket of one of my guard outside. 1 will deal with 'im later!" As we left for our darkrooms 1 looked back and thought what an extraordinary end for that once terrible senior member of Hitler's 3d Reich, Years later 1 saw in a book about the war 1 noticed one of the pictures obviously taken by us. It could have been mine or Sgt.Arlow's. But the glasses were still a bit askew where the Sgt. Major had roughly put them on all those years ago.

1 have other anecdotes should you be interested. My Army CV was-18 months with 8th Army in the Western Desert - 7 th Armoured Division (Original Desert Rats) Alamein-Tripoli-Tunis. 4 months in Italy - Salerno Landing then home and into Europe. 1 was in 5th Regt. RHA but in August 1944 joined Ground Photo Recce Unit, 2"d Army as a cameraman. 1 carried out a 2 day recce photographing enemy lines on the opposite bank of the Rhine. Much later 1 was Mentioned in Despatches - 1 believe this was for the Rhine recce.

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