A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
(18 sept 2004 – Benedendorpsweg 194)
AFTER LANDING INGLORIOUSLY IN A WRECKED HORSA GLIDER ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18th AS PART OF AN A.W.D. R.E.M.E. UNIT AND SUBSEQUENTLY ENDURING A WEEK OF SATANIC EXPERIENCES AS A INFANTRYMAN IN OPERATION “MARKET GARDEN”, WE WERE ORDERED
TO LEAVE OUR POSITIONS AND REPORT TO OUR BASE UNIT FOR AN EVACUATION ACROSS THE RIVER. ON REPORTING TO MY O.C I WAS ORDERED TO IMMOBILIZE THE BREN AND BIND SOME STRIPS OF CLOTH AROUND MY BOOTS AND JOIN A.S.M. REED’S PARTY WHICH WERE READY TO MOVE OFF, WE WENT OVER TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PERIMETER AND STARTED TO MAKE WAY DOWN TO THE RIVER, THE NIGHT WAS DARK WITH A DRIZZLE OF RAIN WHICH WAS IDEAL FOR OUR PURPOSES BUT WE ENCOUNTERED CONSIDERABLE TROUBLE NEGOTIATING ALL THE TREES WHICH HAD BEEN BROUGHT DOWN DUE TO THE MORTARING.
WE FOLLOWED A PATH THROUGH THE WOODS WHICH MADE PROGRESS A LOT EASIER AS MY LEFT LEG STARTED TO STIFFEN UP AFTER MY ARGUMENT WITH A MORTAR BOMB ON THURSDAY, BUT WITH THE THOUGHT OF SAFETY IT WAS OF NO CONSEQUENCE,WHAT I THOUGHT WAS GOOD PROGRESS WAS SUDDENLY INTERUPED BY A LONG BURST OF M.G. FIRE AND SUPPORTING RIFLE FIRE, EVERYONE DROPPED BUT MATTY REED SHOUTED TO GET UP AND KEEP MOVING, WE THEN FOUND WE WERE ON A TARMAC ROAD RUNNING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PATH , MATTY REED TOLD US TO START GOING UP THE ROAD WHEN ANOTHER M.G. OPENED UP FIRING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD, WE ALL DROPPED DOWN IN THE GUTTERS WHEN WE HEARD A GRENADE GO OFF AND THEN COMPLETE SILENCE WE LEARNT LATER THAT SGT TERRY LOVELL HAD GOT ONE GRENADE LEFT AND HAD SILENCED THE M.G WITH IT.
MATIY REED ORDERED EVERONE UP BUT THE FELLOW IN FRONT OF ME HAD BOUGHT IT AND ALSO ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD HAD BEEN SHOT DEAD, WHEN WE WERE IDENTIFYING THESE TWO CASUAULTIES WE FOUND THAT BOTH OF THEM WERE FROM THE BORDERS REGT.AND WE ALSO HAD HALF A DOZEN MORE MIXED IN OUR PARTY WHICH, WE DID’NT KNOW OF, BUT MATTY REED GOT US ORGANIZED AND OFF WE WENT ON OUR WAY, WE WERE MAKING QUITE GOOD PROGRESS WHEN THE LINE STOPPED, WE WAITED ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND AS THERE WAS NO SOUND OR SIGN OF A PROBLEM WE WERE GETTING ANXIOUS ABOUT THE DELAY WHEN WORD CAME BACK THAT WE HAD LOST THE TRAIL, WE GOT TOGETHER AND FOUND OUR LITTLE BAND ONLY CONSISTED OF CPL BONTHRON, L/CPL GRAFHAM, MORRISON, CUBBERLY,MYSELF ALL OF R.E.M.E AND WYNN OF THE O.F.P. AND GALLAGHER OF THE BORDER REGT. WIH CPL MURPHY FOLLOWING ABOUT 30 YARDS TO THE REAR, WE HAD A QUICK “CONFLAB” DURING WHICH I LEARNT THAT A BO FORS WAS FIRING TRACER TO GUIDE US TO
THE EVACUATION POINTS HAVING MISSED THE BREIFING I KNEW NOTHING OF THIS, SO WE MADE OUR WAY TO THE EDGE OF THE WOODS BUT ALAS NO SIGN OF THE TRACER SO WE WENT BACK TO OUR PATH IN THE WOODS WHICH WE WERE PRETTY CERTAIN WAS THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO THE RIVER.
GRAFHAM WANTED ME TO LEAD BECAUSE I STILL HAD A RUSSIAN CARBINE WITH ABOUT 30 ROUNDS IN THE MAGAZINE WHERE AS EVERYONE ELSE COULD ONLY MUSTER HALF A DOZEN ROUNDS BETWEEN THEM, BUT DUE TO MY GAMEY LEG I SUGGESTED HE LEAD AND I WOULD BE No TWO BEHIND HIM, SO OFF WE WENT AGAIN AND MADE GOOD DISTANCE WHEN THE PATH PETTERED OUT AND THERE WAS A LARGE OPEN FIELD AND ONE HUGH WALL OF A MANSION STILL STANDING WITH THE REST OF THE BUILDING DEMOLISHED, BUT WHAT BOTHERED US WE COULD HEAR GUTTERAL SOUNDS COMING FROM THE PLACE, SO ANOTHER “CONFLAB” WHEN GRAFHAM VOLUNTEERED TO DASH ACROSS THE FIELD WITH ME COVERING IBM, EVERYTHING WENT TO PLAN HE GOT AGROSS SAFELY WE NOW FOUND ANOTHER WOOD ALSO A PATH GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND WAS PROGRESSING WELL ALL OF A SUDDEN WE COME TO A SWATH IN THE WOODS ABOUT THREE YARDS WIDE, RIGHT ACROSS OUR PATH.WITH A SMALL CLEARING AND IN THE CENTRE WAS A SIGHT NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN, ONE OF OUR PANNIERS WITH THE LID OPEN AND A YOUNG DEAD GERMAN ON HIS KNEES WITH ONE OF OUR FOLDED CYCLES WEDGED OVER HIS SHOULDERS, HIS HEAD WAS IN THE PANNIER WITH HIS HELMET TIPPED FORWARD EXPOSING HIS LONG BLOND HAIR, WE WERE TEMPTED TO SEE
WHAT GRUB WAS IN THE PANNIER SINCE WE HA VE HAD NO FOOD FOR SIX DAYS BUT WE THOUGHT BETTER OF IT AND PUSHED ON.
WE MADE GOOD PROGRESS FOR ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES WHEN WE HEARD A SHRIEK AND THEN ONE ALL MIGHTY CRASH WHICH MADE THE EARTH SHAKE, WE FLUNG OURSELVES DOWN, THIS WAS THEN FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER HALF A DOZEN MORE ERUPTIONS, TREES WERE BEING TOSSED ABOUT LIKE MATCHSTICKS, THE NOISE WAS EAR SHATTERING THERE WAS SMOKE AND DEBRIS ALL AROUND AND FORTUNATELY IT STOPPED AS QUICK AS IT HAD STARTED, WE PICKED OURSELVES UP AND TOOK A COUNT AND TO OUR AMAZEMENT WE HAD ALL SURVIVED, BUT IT TOOK A WHILE TO SETTLE OUR NERVES, WE GUESSED THAT THIS ONSLAUGHT WAS FROM OUR OWN GUNS AT NIJMEGEN SO WE NEEDED TO TAKE A HALF TURN TO THE LEFT AND PUSH ON OUT OF THIS BANDIT COUNTRY.
WE WERE NOW ANTICIPATING A QUICK RUN DOWN TO THE RIVER WHEN OUR SHEILD OF WOODS EVAPORATED AND THERE, 50 YARDS IN FRONT OF US STOOD A BLOODY GREAT PILL BOX AND A TARMACED ROAD RUNNING RIGHT A GROSS OUR LINE OF ADVANCE, ANOTHER “CONFLAB”, WE DID’NT WANT TO GO OFF TO THE RIGHT TO SKIRT IT BECAUSE WE MIGHT RUN INTO THE GERRY LINES AND WE COULD NOT GO THE LEFT BECAUSE IT WAS ALL OPEN COUNTRY AND COVERED BY THE PILLBOX’S FIELD OF FIRE, WYNN SUGGESTED THAT IT MAY BE OUR LADS IN THERE AND WHEN WE “POH PORED” HIS IDEA HE SAID TO PROVE IT HE WOULD CREEP UP AND GET BEHIND A THICK TREE TRUCK AND THOW STONES AT IT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS, HE CARRIED OUT HIS
IDEA AND SURE ENOUGH HE GOT NO RESPONSE SO HE CRAWLED UP TO IT AND DECLARED THAT HE HAD CAPTURED A PILLBOX, ALL ON HIS OWN.
IN FRONT OF US ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD WAS A RUN OF ABOUT A DOZEN SMALL TERRACED HOUSES FRONTING ONTO THE ROAD WITH A LARGER HOUSE WITH A GATEWAY TO THE REAR, WE SLIPPED OVER THE ROAD AND OCCUPIED A DOORWAY EACH, MOVING DOWN THE ROAD TO GO THROUGH THE GATEWAY OF THE LARGER HOUSE WHEN AS CUBBERLEY WAS PASSING ME A SHOT RANG OUT AND CUBBERLEY WENT DOWN AS I WAS PULLING HIM INTO MY DOORWAY HE SAID HE WAS BLIND, THE BULLET HAD GONE ACROSS HIS EYES AND THROUGH THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE, AS THERE WAS NO MORE SHOTS I PICKED HIM UP AND DEPOSITED HIM JUST INSIDE OF THE GATEWAY ON A SMALL GARDEN AND THEN ON LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD I COULD SEE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A SMALL VEHICLE ABOUT 50 YARDS A WAY THE REST OF OUR PARTY CAME ROUND AND JOINED US, WE HAD ANOTHER QUICK “CONFLAB” WHEN IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WITH MORRISON AS BACK UP WOULD DO A QUICK RECCE” AROUND THE BACK TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY MORE SURPRISES IN STORE AND IF IT WAS SAFE TO PROCEED DOWN THROUGH THE BACK GARDENS, WE HAD GONE NO FURTHER THAN 20 YARDS WHEN WE SPOTTED A SMALL BRICK OUTBUILDING I IMMEDIATELY WENT BACK TO OUR PARTY TO ADVISE THEM TO BRING CUBBERL Y DOWN AND LAY HIM ON THE STRAW INSIDE THIS OUTHOUSE, ON RETURNING TO MORRISON WE PAUSED AND RUBBED OUR FACES WITH THE RAIN TO LIVEN US UP FOR THE JOB IN HAND AND THEN WORKED OUT THAT HE WOULD FOLLOW ME TWO PACES BEHIND WITH THAT WE MOVED ALONGSIDE OF THE OUTBUILDING UNTIL WE CAME TO THE CORNER, WE COULD SEE NOTHING OF SUSPICION SO I PEERED AROUND THE CORNER AND LOOKED STRAIGHT INTO THE FACE OF A “GERRY” THE RAIN WAS GLISSENING OFF HIS HELMET AND GROUNDSHEET AND WITH A FLICK OF HIS HAND HE DROPPED A GRENADE AND DISAPPEARED, I TURNED MY FACE TO THEW ALL THERE WAS A BLINDING FLASH AND I WAS LITERALLY BLOWN UP THEW ALL COMPLETELY PASSING OUT. WHEN I REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS I WAS SITTING PROPED UP AGAINST THEW ALL BY THE DOORWAY OF THE OUTHOUSE, MY FIRST REACTION WAS TRYING TO BREATH, THE EXPLOSION HAD BLOWN ALL THE AIR OUT OF MY LUNGS AND LEFT ME GASPING AND THEN AS MY HEAD CLEARED I COULD HEAR ANOTHER BANG AND THERE WERE RED FLASHES PASSING MY HEAD ABOUT TWO FEET A WAY WHICH WAS “GERRY” FIRING A M.G. INTO THE DOORWAY, WHILE I WAS TRYING TO MAKE SENCE OF ALL THIS ACTIVITY I STARTED TO CHOKE ON MY OWN BLOOD WHICH WAS FILLING MY MOUTH, AL THOUGH I KNEW I HAD BEEN HIT IN SEVERAL PLACES FROM THE PAIN I COULD FEEL, I CAME TO THE CONCLSION THAT I MUST ALSO HA VE AN ENTERNAL WOUND AND FROM THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD BUBLING OUT OF MY MOUTH I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER
IN MY MISTY EYES I THEN SAW A “GERRY” CRAWLING TOW ARDS ME WITH HIS BAYONET GLISTENING BUT I REALLY COULD’NT HA VE CARED LESS EXPECTING HIM TO SLIP IT THROUGH MY RIBBS ANY MINUTE BUT SOMEONE IN THE OUTHOUSE MADE A NOISE AND HE QUICKLY RETREATED BUT AFTER ANOTHER COUPLE OF MINUTES HE SLID BACK TO ME I LOOKED HIM IN THE FACE AND SAID COMRADE HE THEN GRABBED MY ANKLE AND DRAGED ME AW A Y FROM THE DANGER ZONE, BUT WITH THE PAIN OF BEING DRAGED I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS
AGAIN AND WHEN I CAME ROUND TO FIND THAT I WAS BEING CARRIED DOWN SOME STEPS ON A GROUNDSHEET INTO THE FARMHOUSE ON TAKING STOCK I SAW THAT EVERYONE OF THE GROUP WAS WOUNDED EXCEPT CPL BONTHRON, THEY HAD PUT ME AND CUBBERLEY INTO A CORNER A WAY FROM THE LADS I COULD SEE THAT CUBBERLEY WAS IN A BAD WAY FROM HIS MOANING AND ONE OF THE LADS TOLD ME THAT HE HAD CAUGHT ONE OF THE GRENADES WHICH HAD COME THROUGH THE DOOR AND HAD BLOWN A CHUNKOUT OF HIS SHOULDER I WAS STILL COUGHING UP BLOOD AND WHEN THEIR MEDIC ARRIVED HE DISREGARDED CUBBERLEY AND ME SO THIS CONFIRMED MY BELIEVE THAT WE WERE BOTH GONERS WE THEN HAD THE ATTENDANCE OF THEIR LO.WHO JUST KEPT ASKING THE SAME QUESTION “WHERE WERE YOU GOING”HE DID’NT EVEN BOTHER TO ASK US NAMES OR ANYTHING ELSE WHEN HE CAME OVER TO ME HE ADVISED ME IN ENGLISH THAT A DOCTOR HAD BEEN CALLED BY THE MEDIC WHO WAS NOT CAP ABLE TO TREAT US TWO,.WE THEN HEARED A LONG BURST OF M.G. FIRE AND THE GERMAN SGT IN HIS PIDGIN ENGLISH EXPLAINED THAT THEY HAD JUST SHOT A “TOMMY”.WE WONDERED IF IT WAS CPL MURPHY.
DURING THE NIGHT WE HEARD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OTHER PARTIES MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN TO THE RIVER WITH BULLETS COMING THOUGH THE BOADED UP WINDOWS BUT NO MORE PRISONERS CAME IN, THE DOCTOR ARRIVED HE PATCHED UP CUBBERLEY AND EXAMINED ME AND FOUND THAT ALL THE BLOOD WAS COMING FROM A WOUND ON THE INSIDE OF MY LIP WHICH HE SOON STOPPED WITH A ROLL OF GAUSE PACKRD INSIDE MY TOP LIP HE SAID WE WOULD BE PROPERLY LOOKED AFTER IN THE MORNING I WAS SO RELEIVED THE DOCTOR FOUND A SOLUTION TO MY BLOOD PROBLEM AND IN SPITE OF HAVING MY MOUTH ALL BUNGED UP I MANGED TO SPLUTTER OUT THE SONG “ON THE BONNY BANKS OF LOCK LOMAND” JOCK MORRISON DID’NT THINK MUCH OF MY SINGING, HOWEVER I TRIED TO COMFORT CUBBERLEY AS BEST AS I COULD BECAUSE HE WAS LAPSEING IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND IN MUCH PAIN, IT WAS DIFICULT WITH ALL THE TOILET PAPERWRAPPED AROUND ME BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE GERMAN ARMY WERE REDUCED TO, HAVING NO BANDAGES, THE LADS WERE KEPT TOGETHER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM WITH A COUPLE OF GUARDS WITH FIXED BAYONETS.
WHEN DAWN EVENTUAL Y BROKE THE SGT DASHED IN TO TELL EVERYONE THAT THE BATTLE WAS OVER, THE GUARDS WERE MOST JUBILANT, A MILK CHURN OF TEA ARRIVED AND AS WE WERE ALL SUFFERING FROM ACUTE THIRST WE HAD TO WAIT FOR THE GUARDS TO BE SERVED FIRST AND THEN WE WERE OFFERED SOME, BUT THE GUARDS WOULD’NT LET THE LADS HELP CUBBERLEY AND I AND HAVING NO MUGS IT WAS MOST DIFFICULT TO TRY AND DRINK FROM THE INSIDE LID OF THE CHURN HAVING ONLY THE USE OF ONE ARM AND A MOUTHFULL OF PACKING I SPILT MOST OVER ME TO THE AMUSEMENT OF THE GUARDS, I SAY TEA, BUT IT WAS MY INTRODUCTION TO TULIP BULB TEA WHICH TASTED AWFUL, BUT IT WAS WET AND WARM.
THE SGT CAME IN AND ORDERED EVERYONE OUT, CUBBERLEY HELPED ME ,WE WERE ALL AMAZED HOW QUIET IT WAS, IN FACT WE COULD ACTUALLY HEAR A BIRD SINGING, BUT WHAT A REVELATION TO FIND WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GERMAN FRONT LINE IN FACT
THE FARMHOUSE WHICH WE WERE IN WAS THEIR SECTION HQ AND SLIT TRENCHES EXTENDED FROM THE BACK OF THE TERRACED HOUSES DOWN TO THE GAS WORKS, THE VEHICLE WHICH I THOUGHT I SAW ON THE ROAD THE PREVIOUS NIGHT WAS ACTUALLY AN ANTI TANK GUN, THE AIR WAS THICK WITH SMOKE BUT WE COULD NT WORK OUT WHY THE PILL BOX WAS NOT MANNED, 50 YARDS DOWN THE ROAD THERE WAS A TRAM ON ITS SIDE STILL SMOLDERING AND THEN A VEHICLE ARRIVED SIMILAR TO OUR 15CWT WITH A RICKERTY WOODEN STRUCTURE WITH FOUR STRECHER PLACES, THE BOTTOM TWO WERE OCUPIED WITH TWO WOUNDED GERMANS AND CUBBERLEY AND I WERE PUSHED ON THE TOP TWO STRETCHERS BUT IT HAD NO COVER OR A RED CROSS, LEAVING THE LADS ON THE ROADSIDE A GUARD WAS STANDING ON THE RUNNING BOARD WITH HIS PEAK CAP BACK TO FRONT WATCHING FOR AIRCRAFT BUT MY BIGGEST WORRY WAS STAYING ON THE STRECHER AND WATCHING CUBBERLEY BECAUSE IT WAS SO UNSTABLE AND WHEN WE WENT ROUND CORNERS THE COMPLETE STRUCTURE GROANED AND LURCHED RIGHT OVER THEATENING TO COME ADRIFT AND DEPOSITING US WITH IT INTO THE ROAD, WE HAD GONE ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES WHEN THE GUARD GAVE A SHOUT, THE DRIVER IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND THEY BOTH MADE OFF INTO THE FIELDS I LOOKED UP AND SAW THE “TIFFY” SWOOP AFTER TIIAT SCARE WE PROCEEDED TO GET CAUGHT UP IN A LOT OF REFUGEES AND GERMAN TRAFFIC AND WHILE THREADING THROUGH ANOTHER SHOUT AND THEN I SPOTTED ANOTHER “TIFFY” HE CIRCLED ROUND ,OUR DRIVER AND GUARD DISAPPEARED A LOT OF SMALL ARMS ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE ERUPTED AND THEN I SAW THE SMALL WHITE ROCKET PUFFS AND FELT SURE THEY WERE COMING FOR US BUT THEY PASSED OVER AND LANDED FURTHER UP THE ROAD WITH A MIGHTY BANG WHICH CAUSED CHAOS,BUT WE WERE WAIVED ON AND THEN WE PASSED THE TARGET, A TANK BURNING FURIOUSLY, I WAS GETTING VERY WORRIEDABOUT CUBBERLEY WHO WAS THRESHNG ABOUT AND ON SHOUTING TO THE GUARD TO ALERT HIM TO CUBBERLEY’S CONDITION WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION. AND WHAT A SIGHT TO BEHOLD, IT WAS A MEDICAL CENTRE, BUT OUTSIDE THEIR MUST HA VE BEEN FIVE HUNDRED CIVILIAN BICYCLES ALL SHAPES AND SIZES JUST THROWN IN A LARGE HEAP AND ALONGSIDE WAS SOME HUNDRED DEAD GERMAN DEAD SOLDIERS COVERED READY FOR BURIAL, CUBBERLEY AND I WERE CARRIED ON OUR STRECHERS INTO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A CIRCULAR CHUCH HALL. WE WERE DEPOSITED ON OUR STRETCHERS BY OURSELVES IN THE CENTRE OF THIS HALL,.THERE WERE CHAIRS LINING AROUND THE HALL
OCCUPIED WITH GERMAN WALKING WOUNDED AND TO MY ASTONISHMENT THEY ALL SEEMED VERY FRIENDLY EVEN OFFERING CIGARETTES AND CHOCOLATE WHICH THEY CLAIMED WAS A PRESENT FROM Mr CHURCHILL,BUT WHEN THEIR M.O ARRIVED HE INSTRUCTED THEM NOT TO CONTACT US, THE ORDERLY WITH HIM THEN PRODUCED THE LARGEST INJECTION NEEDLE I EVER SEEN, I THINK IT WAS FOR HORSES, HE STOOD ASTRIDE CUBBERLEY GRABBED HIS SHOULDER STRAP, TURNED HIM OVER AND PUSHED THE NEEDLE THROUGH ALL HIS CLOTHING AND THEN TURNED HIM BACK CAUSING CUBBERLEY GREAT PAIN, HE THEN DID THE SAME TO ME, I THOUGHT THE NEEDLE WAS GOING STRAIGHT THROUGH ME, HE DID A QUICK EXAMINATION OF US.AND LEFT,I ASKED THE ORDERLY IF WE COULD HA VE SOMETHING TO DRINK BUT HE INDICATED TIIAT WE WERE NOT ALLOWED THE EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING ON TH M.O.’S ORDERS, WE LAY THERE FOR SEVERAL HOURS WATCHING THE ORDERLY ATTEND THE GERMANS WHO AFTER THEY WERE TREATED WERE SENT SOMEWHERE ELSE .
THE M.O. RETURNED WITH A BUS WHICH HAD HALF OF ITS SEATS REMOVED AT THE BACK TO ACCOMMODATE STRETCHERS WE WERE LOADED FOR ANOTHER JOURNEY, BUT THIS TIME WE HAD A LARGE RED CROSS ON THE TOP WHICH WAS VERY HEARTENING, WE ARRIVED AT A TWO STORY BUILDING WHICH LOOKED LIKE A SCHOOL, CUBBERLEY WAS UNLOADED FIRST AND THEN I WAS TAKEN TO THE TOP FLOOR I LOOKED AROUND FOR CUBBERLEY BUT COULD NOT SEE HIM, THERE WAS ABOUT TWENTY MATTRESSES ON THE FLOOR BUT NO OTHER FURNITURE ALL THE MATTRESSES WERE OCCUPIED BY OUR LADS ALL WOUNDED, I ENQUIRED FROM MY NEIGHBOUR IN THE BORDER REGT. IF HE HAD SEEN ONYONE COME IN WITH ME, HE SAID NO I EXPECT HE WENT DOWNSTAIRS,IN FACT I DID’NT SEE CUBBERLEY AGAIN UNTIL
AFTER THEW AR, HE WAS SENT TO GERMANY BY HOSPITAL TRAIN WHICH TOOK ALL THE MOST SERIOUS CASES BUT THANK.FULLY HE MADE A FULL RECOVERY LA YING ON THIS MATTRESS WAS ABSOLUTELY BLISSFUL AFTER SLEEPING IN FOX HOLES FOR A WEEK, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I COULD RELAX AND CATCH UP WITH SOME SLEEP, WHAT WITH THE HYPER-TENSION, EXHAUSTING NIGHT PATROLS AND THE CONTINUAL MORTORING SLEEP HAD NOT BEEN AN OPTION BUT AFTER A WHILE I WAS WOKEN UP TO SEE A YOUNG DUTCH GIRL IN NURSES UNIFORM KNEELING DOWN SHE SMILED AND THEN DREW A HARD BOILED EGG READY SHELLED FROM HER APRON GAVE IT TO ME AND THEN PASSED ON TO THE NEXT BED, UNFORTUNATELY MY MOUTH WAS SO DRY I COULD ONLY BITE IT INTO TWO HALVES TO SWOLLOW,BUT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL THE FIRST FOOD FOR DAYS. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE ALL MOVED BY THE BUS AND TAKEN TO SOME BARRACKS AT APELDORN WHICH HAD BEEN SET UP TO DEAL WITH THE HUDREDS OF OUR WOUNDED, THIS WAS STAFFED BY OUR OWN MEDICAL STAFF,WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED TO GO INTO CAPIVITY TO LOOK AFTER US, CONDITIONS WERE A BIT PRIMA TIVE , I WAS IN A STONE FLOOFED STABLE WITH JUST STRAW TO LAY ON BUT I WAS AMONGST THE LADS OF THE DIVISION AND CAMARADERIE WAS MARVELLOUS, THIS IS WERE I MET UP WITH OUR LITTLE BAND AGAIN, I WAS PROPERLY TREATED THE NEXT DAY, THE DOCTOR HAD TO CUT MY LEFT BOOT,GATIER AND LEFT TROUSER LEG OFF BECAUSE THE BLOOD HAD RUN DOWN MY LEG, CONGEALED IN TO ONE SOLID UNIT BEFORE HE COULD TREAT MY WOUNDS ON MY LEFT LEG, WHICH LEFT ME WITH A ONE LEGGED PAIR OF TROUSERS FOR THE NEXT NINE MONTHS OF CAPTIVITY.
2572345 JORDAN R.G 1 st AIRBORNE DIVISION
