My War and Peace

By Smashwords

It is over sixty years since I was regarded as one of Lady Astor’s D-Day Dodgers in sunny Italy.

In Sicily and Italy over 30,000 so called D-Day Dodgers sleep on, victims of a most harsh and fiercely fought campaign which involved troops of many nations whose main task was to draw enemy troops away from the landing areas in France and the Russian Front. Areas like Salerno, Cassino and Anzio were just three of the many battle fields that chewed up thousands of Allied Troops who because of the Normandy landings were never to have their casualties replaced.

Germany’s best troops always fought from prepared positions and there is no doubt with every defensive line that was taken there was another one behind in the next range of hills. Regardless of the regime the German man in the sharp end in Italy was a formidable enemy who without air support never admitted defeat. Kesselring was, with his men, a worthy opponent.

Being over 80 my family asked me to put pen to paper so that they may further understand why I volunteered in the first place, why I stayed on after the war and then left the country I had fought for.

Stanley Buckmaster 2004

• Language: English
• Publisher: Smashwords
• Release date: Feb 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005755607

Book preview

My War and Peace.

By

Stanley Buckmaster QAM

Edited by

Carole McEntee-Taylor

Copyright © 2021 Carole McEntee-Taylor. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without either prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Contents

Foreword - 4

Buckmaster Tree - 5

1. Growing Up - 9

2. Training - 20

3. Sicily - 28

4. Italy - 35

5. Minturno - 40

6. Anzio - 48

7. Egypt and Palestine - 59

8. Victory in Europe - 63

9. Post War - 69

10. A New Life - 77

11. Cracow - 81

12. Work, Retirement, Work - 88

13. Final Words - 95

Foreword

It is over sixty years since I was regarded as one of Lady Astor’s D-Day Dodgers in sunny Italy.

In Sicily and Italy over 30,000 so called D-Day Dodgers sleep on, victims of a most harsh and fiercely fought campaign which involved troops of many nations whose main task was to draw enemy troops away from the landing areas in France and the Russian Front.

Areas like Salerno, Cassino and Anzio were just three of the many battle fields that chewed up thousands of Allied Troops who because of the Normandy landings were never to have their casualties replaced.

Germany’s best troops always fought from prepared positions and there is no doubt with every defensive line that was taken there was another one behind in the next range of hills. Regardless of the regime the German man in the sharp end in Italy was a formidable enemy who without air support never admitted defeat. Kesselring was, with his men, a worthy opponent.

Being over 80 my family asked me to put pen to paper so that they may further understand why I volunteered in the first place, why I stayed on after the war and then left the country I had fought for.

Stan Buckmaster 2004

The Buckmaster Tree

Great Grandfather – John Buckmaster was born at Tring, Buckinghamshire April 14th 1835. John Buckmaster was a soldier in the 7th Regiment Hussars in the British Army, service number 119. John attained the rank of Colour Sergeant and took part in the fight against the Indian Mutiny 1856-57. He married Emily Annie Jessop in Calcutta, India on 9th December 1865. After his service in the army they returned to England and John joined the L&NWR Railway as a railway servant. He died August 27th 1907 and is buried in Bugbrooke Churchyard, Northants. They had four sons, Ernest, Edward, Walter and William. Their eldest son Ernest was born at Allahabad India on 21st February 1868. Ernest died in Wellingborough Northamptonshire in April 1956. Walter was born in 1871 and died aged 4 in 1875. William was born in 1873, emigrated to Canada in 1911, married Gladys Netta Jenkins on 24th January 1925 and died in 1949 in Kettleby, Ontario.

John’s second son, Grandfather Edward Arthur Buckmaster was born 25th August 1870 at Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire, died in 1946 at Leicestershire Royal Infirmary and is buried at the Northampton Road Cemetery, Market Harborough. Edward married Louise Elizabeth Lane at St George’s Leicester in 1895. She was born on 1st July 1872 and died in 1969 in Lincoln. Grandmother Louise was born out of wedlock, her father being a draper by trade and her mother a coachman’s daughter. She was brought up by foster parent Amos Lee in Swinford, Warwickshire.

Edward and Louise had ten children, five boys and five girls. The eldest, Ernest William, was born in 1896. The eldest surviving son, Percival Alfred was born 31 December 1898 in Lubenham, Leicestershire. By 1911, aged 12, Percival was living at 10 Laundry Terrace, Little Bowden, Market Harborough and his older brother Ernest was working as an ironmonger’s assistant. When the Great War started in 1914 the family had moved to 6 Caxton Terrace Market Harborough and Ernest was working as a porter with LNWR at Glenfield. Ernest enlisted into the Leicestershire Regiment as Pte 203253 until he was transferred to 2/4 East Lancs. This was a territorial battalion which had remained in the UK since 1914, but in 1917 it was bought up to strength ready for overseas service in 6th Division. When he transferred to 2/4 East Lancs Ernest was given a new number, Pte 235078. Ernest died on 8th October 1917 of wounds received during the Third Battle of Ypres.

Percival enlisted into the Northumberland Fusiliers in the latter part of the war as Pte 60256 and saw action in France.

Of the remaining children: Beatrice Emily was born 1898 and died in 1903. Eleanor Elizabeth was born 17th December 1899 and died December 1977, Cyril Edward was born 27th Feb 1900 and died January 1982. Winifred May was born January 1903 and died in September 1905. Constance Annie was born in July 1906 and died 28th November 1984, Sydney was born 25th February 1910 and died March 1915 aged 5. The youngest son, Stanley Arthur, was born 11th March 1915 and died 1983. The youngest daughter Florence was born in May 1911 and died 8th March 1948.

Father- Percival Alfred Buckmaster married Frances Mary Harris, daughter of Walter William and Mary Harris of Pinxton, Derbyshire. Frances Mary was born 2nd October in 1901. The wedding ceremony was performed by Rev Canon Jerwood at Little Bowden Church Northamptonshire on 27th October 1923. Two sons from this marriage are Stanley Edward Buckmaster, born 9 September 1924 and John Buckmaster, born 1st September 1939.

Ernest; 2. Percival; 3. Nellie; 4. Cyril

Ernest prior to WW1

Chapter 1

Growing Up.

My father, Percival Alfred Buckmaster, was a lucky survivor of the 14/18 war which was to end all wars. He was a Veteran of the Northumberland Fusiliers and the second eldest of ten children. The eldest son, Ernest William Buckmaster, who prior to enlistment had been a porter with the LNWR at Glenfield, had died of wounds near Ypres on 8th October 1917 whilst serving with the 2/4 East Lancs.

The family lived at Market Harborough, Leicestershire. At this time those of working age worked at the two factories in the town, one manufactured food items like jellies, table creams etc and the other corsets and liberty bodices, (one to fatten while the other thinned down the figure!). Prior to enlistment Percy, my father, worked in the up and coming industry as an assistant for Speights the photographer. At the time this was mostly studio work and wedding groups, army activity did not render Percy a likely subject to return to such mundane employment even if it had been open for him on his return.

I am not able to describe what life must have been like on returning from the army to civilian life other than to say it must have seemed hopeless, no work and plenty of others just released from the forces in the same predicament.

1919 left my father, like thousands of others, with little to get out bed for in a morning, and when one ventured into town it was only to congregate with other demobbed men in groups wondering what to do to pass the time. I suppose most were a bloody nuisance to their relatives. To Grandma he became an unemployed nuisance and to the rest of the family a layabout.

Grandma Louisa made up her mind that this was about to stop. She arrived outside the office of the General Manager of the LNWR and refused to leave until she was given an audience with the top brass. Her logic was that her son Ernest was not returning to his job with the company as a porter therefore it was only right that her second son, who had also done his bit, should be considered as a replacement. Eventually she was ushered in only to be told the position had been filled long ago but that he would advise her within the week if anything else was available within the system. True to his word advice was received that my father should attend a medical board with the company’s doctor. Unfortunately, the job was miles away and would involve lodgings and working three shifts. Yes, yes that will be fine, said Grandma (the further away the better). Medically ok, gear was packed and he was off within the week to Westhouses in Derbyshire where he was to work as a shunter at Blackwell Sidings. The job was to shunt full train loads of coal for delivery to the various sites from Manchester in the north to Birmingham in the south on the LMSR (London Midland and Scottish Railway). These sidings collected wagons of coal from A and B Winnings and Blackwell Collieries and also loads of coke from Blackwell Coke Ovens. Trains of 70 to 80 wagons were made up for despatch from the sidings. Dad was now permanently employed on 50/s a week with lodgings (one room) in Westhouses close to the sidings. He found the area rather boring after work hours so travelled into Nottingham several times a week where the entertainment of cinemas, pubs and girls was more to his liking and the train journey was free.

It was while visiting Nottingham