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Safely ashore at Oran, no time was lost to march us to the “Duchess of Richmond”. It was moored alongside her sister ship “Duchess of Atholl”. Both ships had joined our convoy in the Atlantic and just disembarked United States forces. Immediately, all the survivors from the “Strathallan” were abroad we set off for our original destination, Algiers.
For we in the 8th Irish draft the overnight sailing was amazing. Majority of the crew were from Liverpool. John McInery, a classmate of mine in St. Sylvester’s School excitedly informed me, “Ned! Guess who’s on the crew?” Before I could venture a guess, my classmate, continued, “Winks.” A nickname for another classmate; Johnnie Williams. The outcome was, I was escorted to the crews’ quarters where a number of soldiers and Merchant Navy lads from Liverpool were having an impromptu and surprise reunion.
From Oran to Algiers was like an overnight sailing across the Irish Sea to Dublin. The dock at Algiers was a hive of activity. Vessels unloading tanks trucks, jeeps, crates of munitions and food supplies. All the vehicles had large white stars painted on them. Uncle Sam’s trademark.
We spent a few days under canvas at Fort de Leu before being conveyed in cattle trucks to Tunisia. Three days and nights on a train that any tramcar could travel faster than. From a railhead we marched some miles to an assembly point. Here we were told we were now joining the 6th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and allocated to a company in a different sector; the frontline. Random gunfire could be heard and the whistle of shellfire.
Those of us who had trained at Harrington Barracks, Formby were assigned to one of four rifle companies. Fellows who had joined the 8th Irish from its’ formation as a Territorial Army unit were in the 22 to 25 age group. They had specialised in transport, Bren carriers or signaller duties.
I with eighteen other lads was put in D’company. We joined the company in a gully aside the Medjez-Tunis highway. On our way to meet the Commanding Officer, a voice was heard to remark, “God. We wanted men and they’ve sent us kids.” A justifiable remark at the time.
In the early days of the Campaign, the Allies had swept through Algeria to Tunisia. The miscalculation by a U.S. commander, allowed the initiative to pass from the Allies to the Germans. In consequence, a strategic withdrawal took effect. The Inniskilling left the seaport of Bone where Captain Ronnie Ablett, from Wallasey had been the Town Major. With the approach of the rainy season, the military situation became static. Activity was mainly reconnaissance, fighting, snatch patrols and skirmishes. During which the “kids proved they were as good as the men.”
The big push came on April 15th 1943. The 78th Division of which the Irish Brigade was part of was detailed to attack the strongly defended enemy redoubts of, Hideous, Longstop Hill and Tanngouche. Longstop and Tanngouche were natural obstacles, now fortified by enemy fortifications. They formed the top of a triangular defensive formation. Capture these objectives and the last line of enemy defence before Tunis was shattered.

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