Book 3

September 1943, once again he was with the first assault to attack Italy (Calabria) with The 231 Brigade and experienced further ferocious front line action along its south west coast for one hundred miles or more until his unit was relieved and the survivors were brought home in preparation for D-Day.

Mid 1945 Dad was discharged from the Army. He went into the forces A1 fit, but came out a physical and mental wreck. Many disabled service people were treated harshly by government bureaucrats. Every effort was made to dissuade veterans from claiming their rightful entitlement; this injustice continues to be hidden and appears to be overlooked by historians. Finding suitable employment became extra difficult as disabled ex-service people received below the accepted rate of pay as they were looked upon by employers as a liability. Many veterans who had fought in the war were at a total disadvantage. Amongst those who were able to avoid enforced military service some managed to secure good incomes with career prospects. Returning war veterans were viewed as a threat to their livelihood; some veterans, including my Father, faced rejection, humiliation and poverty through no fault of their own.

Those, along with my Father who had survived the Malta Siege and invasions of Sicily and Italy were obviously far from fit. The authorities overcame this problem by grading everyone A1 fit without giving them a medical examination. It was later revealed that military planners were prepared to loose the entire 50th Division in order to gain a foothold for following troops. June 6th 1944, Dad was amongst the first ashore with, 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment, 231 Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division on Gold Beach, Normandy, adjacent to where the film “Saving Private Ryan” is depicted. His landing craft grounded prematurely and as he jumped out he plunged into deep water. After almost drowning, Dad continued on and eventually reached the beach where corpses of fallen comrades were the only available cover against the relentless enemy bombardment. After being pinned down for some considerable time his unit eventually managed to get off the beach and began to push deep inland where they faced further ferocious front line battles. About six weeks after D-Day, Dad was returned to England suffering from serious illness including Malaria and Shell Shock. After minimal hospitalisation, he was put on a draft for Burma.