A Fateful Encounter

This story was submitted to the People’s War web site by Ron Steer, of BBC South East Today, on behalf of Fred Barton, and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr. Barton fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

A Fateful Encounter

I was injured in Italy and was transported to Algiers by hospital ship. On arrival, we were unloaded from the ship on stretchers by Prisoners of War; coming out of the darker inside of the ship and being carried down the gangway into very bright sunshine made it very difficult to see. A red Cross Nurse was standing at the bottom of the gangway; as each stretcher went by her, she put a packet of cigarettes and a bar of chocolate on your chest.
That little thought really made one feel wanted.
A little bit further on there was a Naval C.P.O with a clipboard who was checking us off. When I got to him I was still not seeing very well and wasn’t taking much notice, till a voice said, ”What the b****y hell have you been doing?” It was my cousin
Until then, we didn’t know where we each were. I was taken to the 96th General Hospital where, needless to say, I was one of the very few to have a visitor.

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