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“This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Jan Hewett, a volunteer from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Three Counties Action at The British Legion on behalf of Jim Boddington and has been added to this site with his/her permission. The person fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.â€�

Name: Jim Boddington
Location: Sebastopol.
Title An Heroic Count on my fingers.

Royal Navy
Royal Marines Portsmouth Division.
February 1945.

I was a young marine of some 18 ½ years. We were anchored in Sebastopol harbour. Before we left we entertained some Russian sailors and marines. One of the marines, noticed my cross rifle badge on my uniform sleeve, which, in reality signified I was a marksman. In trying to explain, through an interpreter, that I was up to scratch on the rifle range, I was showing my score by flicking my fingers so he could see the count. When I had finished, through the interpreter he replied, “I, too have killed 50 Germans.
At this point I decided to leave him with this false impression and leave it in his mind that I was a hero.

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