My Dad's War

I cannot let this website close without a brief history of my Dad's escapades in WW2. He served in most of the theatres of War and should be remembered by future generations as 'one of the many'. He served his country well and was very proud to do so.

My dad was Albert Frederick Russell who was born in Birmingham in 1920. He was the son of Frederick Russell of Balsall Heath, and Mary Ann Connor of Ballycanew, Co. Wexford, Ireland. He married my mum, Beatrice Mary Feild who was an ambulance sister during the war and who was on duty in Coventry the night it was bombed. Dad had a very Catholic upbringing and regularly attended church but the war changed him dramatically and he never again stepped inside a church.

He joined the Territorial Army as No. 885158 Gnr. Russell in the 210th (Worcester Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Bty R.A. (T.A.) in May 1938 when he was aged 17, having lied about his age He later went on to serve in H.A.C. (Honourable Artillery Compay) and the 8th Army. He joined up with his friend whose name I do not know but I do know that his friend was killed. I would dealy love to know his friends name. I do have a photo of my dad and his friend when they joined up.

In 1940 he was part of the British Expedionary Force and was evacuated off the beaches at Dunkirk having run along the length of the 'Mole' (groin) to be taken off by a Royal Naval vessel. I believe he was taken off by a destroyer and not one of the "Dunkirk Little Ships". He often recalled running along the Mole under fire.

In 1941 he served in the North African campaign and was present at the battle of El Alamein where he was a gunner in a tank. He also saw service in Tobruk and Tunisia. Whilst serving in North Africa he almost lost his life when the vehicle he was driving took a direct hit. The lieutenant sitting next to him was killed instantly but dad was lucky and walked away with only slight injuries. His luck never ran out during the war and the only injury he came home with was a scar across his forhead where he had been hit by the recoil of a gun.

He served with Field Marshall Montgomery in the Italian Campaign when he was serving in the 8th Army in Scicily, Naples and saw action at the battle for Monte Casino. He was also in Rome and Venice.

At some stage during the war he found himself in the Paratroops but injured his back in training and was invalided out.

At the end of the war in 1945 he stayed on in Austria repatriating prisoners of war.

He was a member of the Honorable Artillery Company (H.A.C.) and attended regimental dinners at Armory House in London.

During the 1960's he left England to work in Cape Town, South Africa. When he returned he lived in Sussex.

Albert was always a very keen photographer and won many awards from camera clubs.

In 1974 my parents moved to Saltash in Cornwall, where Albert died in 1981. He is buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas' Church, Saltash.

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