My Dad's war

[Jonnybiscuit]

My Mum died last November leaving my Dad who's now 93. He had lived in Ramsgate all his life, except for the duration of the war (He's just moved round the corner from me now). He was doing his National Service at the outbreak, though too young for the BEF.
Initially in the Buffs, after Defence of GB duty, he was shipped off to N Africa with the RA serving on searchlights. He was at the liberation of Tunis and then up to Italy (so he could "dodge" D-Day ).

Anyway....He's become a little bit confused at times since my Mum passed away, so he's entrusted me with his war scrapbook (he's worried he may chuck it away, or give it to someone else in a daft moment). I'm slowly scanning the contents and thought maybe it would be of interest to some on here I'm sure there's nothing exclusive about any of it, but it means a lot to me.

Here's my Dad in 1940. Stationed at Sharpness docks (DoGB). He's 3rd from Right on the front row. Quite a few of the others are "still in Italy" BTW.

I'm aware I've posted this photo before, but I hope it gives context to this thread. Incidentally, he met my Mum within a few days of this photo being taken. They married in 1946.

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

So....1st up are a full set of propaganda leaflets, dropped by the Germans while he was in Italy. They're inviting Allied troops to surrender, because life with the Nazis was so good

BTW...don't know why some are upsidedown

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

Some more....then have to finish today. It's Wednesday, so I'm off down the pub with the old fart

 

[Ogmios]

This is intriguing!
Thank you.

 

[Sunny Jim]

Thanks for taking the time to share that Johnny - hope you enjoyed buying the old boy his beer

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

Had a couple of pints of Pedigree, so he was when I took him home to his bed.
Here's some more propaganda leaflets, complete with Italian mud.....

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

This one's a bit personal, but it's photo's they exchanged around June 1944

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

8th May 1943 ....Liberation of Tunis

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

One of the SL crew was a keen photographer. This one's of Dad's battery in Italy undertaking "Artificial Moonlight" (and no, that's not my Dad...or Clark Gable). The idea was to illuminate the front to stop counter strikes and to piss the Germans off. Not too successful at first, as it made them a brilliant (literally) target. I believe latterly they reflected the light off clouds to better effect.

 

[oblertone]

Fascinating stuff, thank you: My Dad was also RA in North Africa (forward observer) and then Italy and somewhere we have a similar collection of propaganda leaflets, the one with the stockings was very interesting to a young lad ! I also recall 'The road to Monte Cassino' one, which wasn't quite as edifying. My old man was eventually demobbed in Salerno and due to a bit of 'woman trouble' at home he joined the Palestine Police until things cooled down.

Apologies for the hijack.

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

He'll have been de-mobbed through Lammie Camp then (?). So was my Dad. Next job to scan is a copy of "Lammie Camp 'X' Special Weekly News" for week ending 28th October 1945. It's like a little weekly brief paper from the time. Bear with me for a while ...

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

Had a bit of spare time so here you go.....

Page 1 ...

Page 2 ...

Page 3 ...

Page 4 ...

Hope this adds a little "meat" to your Dad's memory ? ...(sorry, not sure if you're lucky enough to still have him around like me?)

 

[Ogmios]

What kind of 'departure' is a python?!
Love the camp map

 

[Posh Pete]

Ummmm ... I posted a YouTube clip on this thread which I thought your dad would enjoy. It was "the D day Dodgers" written by Hamish Henderson. It's long been a standard among the folkie community but Henderson was an officer with the 51st Highland Division and fought alongside your dad in Sicily and Italy. He wrote the song as a riposte to a comment made by Lady Astor that the 8th Army in Italy were "D Day Dodgers". The lyric fair drips with venom and sarcasm directed against Lady Astor and ends with a tribute to those who would never come home. The song was taken up by the squaddies in Italy as their own ironic anthem and of course they would have relished the line where Henderson says ... "Your mouth's too bloody wide!".

The clip seems to have been removed? I hope it was not misunderstood?

Edit: Apologies. Just realised that there are two threads!

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

Not misunderstood at all Scotbox. My Dad (like all his "Lot") hasn't forgotten the slur. He always says the cemetaries in Italy are full of "Dodgers". Some years ago he went on holiday to Italy with some friends. One day trip included a visit to B&CWG just outside Rome. According to my Mum, he wouldn't go in and actually cried when the others had gone in. VERY VERY unlike my Dad. The only reason he gave was that "there were too many of his Mates in there and not a holiday destination".

Wasn't it Lady Astor to whom Churchill reposted "in the morning I'll be sober, but you Madam, will still be ugly" when she accused him of being drunk ?

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

Band of Brothers....Brit style.....some leaving Tunis for Italy (they didn't go to Sicily btw) and some just before de-mob. Scruffy lot. Hardly a complete uniform between the lot of them at the end.
You can see why he was called "Titch"

The dog was called "Podge" BTW. Stayed with them right up the length of Italy, to Klagenfurt (Austria) and then back down to Lammie.......where they had to shoot it.

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

On leave in Rome 29th March 1945. Taken at the Vatican. Bet they didn't have to queue like we did last year

Blessed by the Pope. Not that it did them much good. Dad's leaning his L shoulder against a column. The Chap leaning on the other side of the same column was my Dad's best Mate through the whole lot. 1 week after this photo, Dad had to pick up the top half of him from the side of a track, after his Jeep hit a mine.

 

[oblertone]

Cherish the time you have with him, mine died 13 years ago; great pictures.

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

I do

 

[Jonnybiscuit]

What kind of 'departure' is a python?!
Love the camp map

A little bit of searching came up with this ....

Q. Python = (Code name for leave after 4 years service abroad)

Q. ‘Python’ leave was, for anyone serving overseas for longer that four years, on return to England, had only ‘home postings’ and did not return to Europe. There was another form of leave called ‘Lilop’. This was leave in lieu of ‘Python’. In this case, service personnel came back to Britain, but had to return to Europe before demob.

Q. The length of overseas duty one had to perform before triggering PYTHON rotation back to the UK changed throughout the war, and it depended on which theatre you were in. PYTHON was originally set at six years, and by the end of the war it had been reduced to four years and nine months in Europe and the Middle East and three years eight months in the Far East.