Name: Bill

When did you join up?

Born in 1920, joined up 28 August 1939.

Did you volunteer?

Territorial Army – called up before the war started. Third Survey regiment. Most of the time Royal Artillery. Rather odd title perhaps because we had no guns, plenty of theodolites, but no guns. Nevertheless we were an artillery regiment.

I served in Northern Ireland, England, North Africa, Sicily, Italy

Where were you on VE day?

Somewhere between Monte Carne and Trieste in a little wood. In the morning when everyone else was celebrating VE day, we were surveying new gun positions against the Yugoslavs. The Yugoslavs and the Russians were supposed to stay behind the lines agreed at Yalta so many miles east of Trieste, but in the event they came through Trieste and occupied part of Italy. Because his sea ports were frozen for much of the year, Stalin wanted a sea port in the Mediterranean and persuaded Tito to break the Yalta agreement and take possession of Trieste. I understand he had 6 divisions, how many men I don’t know.

We were at panic stations – we made a dash 140 miles towards Trieste; it took 12 hours with the 56^th division as well as a certain amount of  NZ armour.

Objective was to push Yugoslavs back behind our border which we did eventually – a tense situation, whilst everyone else was celebrating VE day we were going into a new war.

How did you hear the news that the war had ended?

There were rumours going around all the time. The war in Italy finished on 2 May. The eastern European war dragged on until 8 May

Have you had any contact with German people since?

Only immediately after the war in Austria and Germany

Have you any thoughts on Twinning?

Not particularly. I have never joined the Twinning Association. For those to whom it gives pleasure – jolly good idea.