Rommel_ Gunner Who__ A Confrontation in - Spike Milligan [30]
We were the first vehicle out. Here is another excerpt from Edgington’s letter with his version of that occasion:
Monkey-Two was bumping out of a wadi and gathering speed as I came at it, with Bill Trew, Pedlar Palmer and Jack White reaching anxiously out over the half-up tail-board, (all the equipment had just been slung in) and I finished my run with the most blood-curdling hurdle-jump to clear the tail-board sufficiently for Bill, Pedlar and Jack to grab enough of me to hold on to, and nearly tearing me cobblers off.
I watched as the Battery pulled out. We were retracing tracks we had originally taken from the El Aroussa road, when we reached it, Bdr Sherwood, swerving, braked his left track and turned on to the tree-lined road leading towards Bou Arada. A company of infantry were digging in along the railway bank. They were second-line defence, this was the direction Jerry wanted to come. The guns were now well across the field but, as they turned onto the road, 88 mm shells started to burst among the convoy. It was deadly accurate and miraculously they didn’t hit men or charges, I watched fascinated as scarlet and purple flashes exploded under the lumbering lorries and guns.
It was a lovely warm clear day—pity someone was spoiling it. Up the line comes Sgt Dawson on his motorbike.
“I was in the middle of that bloody lot,” he said.
“It suited you,” I said.
“Anyone hurt,” said Goldsmith.
“No sir,” said Dawson.
“Well anyone annoyed then?”
The shelling stopped, we had gone half a mile when Sherwood turned right off the road, into a copse of Acacia trees, the first thing I saw was a grave, a crude cross on top, a helmet with jagged shrapnel holes. A 15 cwt truck is leaving the site, the driver stops. “You’re not staying here are you? We bin shelled out, Jerry’s got this place zeroed so he can drop ‘em in yer mess tins.”
“Oh good, I’ll get mine ready,” I said.
The guns hove to, gunners grinning, giving thumbs up signs, behind comes Major Chater Jack, unruffled, smiling, and returning the stopper on his whisky flask. “I’m sorry we had to move gentlemen.”
While all this had been happening, at Waggon Lines a critical situation had arisen. “I say Soldier what’s that arising, over there?”
“That sir is a Critical Situation.”
Orders for them to move had arrived at the same time Jerry tanks infiltrated from ‘Tally Ho’ corner; to give the vehicles a chance to get away, Captain Rand, BSM McArthur and Bdr Donaldson went north to a crest to hold off a tank attack, with pick handles, lucky for them, as the Panzers came into view, Churchill tanks of the Derbyshire Yeomanry came through the waggon lines at speed, counter attacked, knocking out 7 Mark III’s.
My Diary:
Waggon lines evacuated south of El Aroussa. Telephone contact with Waggon Lines was down, so I was sent to open up wireless contact. I threw my gear into Doug Kidgell’s lorry (who was up with the rations).
Driver Kidgell, sans tin helmet, showing utter contempt for the Germans whilst 75 miles from the front
“Mind if I drive Doug?” Of course he didn’t, I took the wheel, put my foot down.
“What’s the bleedin’ hurry?” says Kidgell hanging on grimly.
“I want to live,” I said raising one eyebrow like John Barrymore and crossing my eyes. “I’m young! Lovely! I want to feel the wind of this giant continent blowing through my hair,” I laughed “Happy darling?” I said as Kidgell shot two feet up, hitting his nut on the roof.
“Slow down! Per Christ sake!!!”
“He’s not in the back is he?”
“Milligan, stop! Or the child will be born premature.”
“If you saw Jerry’s artillery back there, you’d realise I’m not doing this for fun!”
“I didn’t say it was fun,” he raged.
We hit a large pothole, Kidgell goes up, while he’s up we hit another pothole, so while he’s on his way down the seat is on its way up to meet him, this time he does a semi-somersault, I have to brake suddenly and there on the floor in the shape of a granny-knot is Kidgell.
We raced past El Aroussa station—now we were safe from Jerry’s artillery, I slowed.
“Who taught you to drive?