how lucky can you get

The attached WW2 experience is of my uncle G.J. Walker from the start of the war to present time. I can remember my uncle telling his war experience to many people from an early age and everyone listened with great interest. All the family appreciate that for all my uncle went through he has not had any lasting physical or mental problems. As a special treat I have arranged to take my Aunt and Uncle to this years Edinburgh Tattoo which has a naval theme. I know he will thoroughly enjoy the Tattoo, but with mixed emotions.

For any further information please contact Mr George Walker at the address below or by telephone.

[Personal details removed by moderator]

HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET

I was born in Aberdeen on the 8th November 1920. I was working with John M Henderson as an apprentice engineer when I volunteered to join the Navy.

I joined the Royal Navy on the 1st November 1938, reporting to Portsmouth Barracks where we formed a class of 20 under the instruction of Petty Officer Webb.
During the next few months we did the usual square bashing we formed 4 in those days after which we went to sea on HMS COVENTRY for Gunnery, HMS DESPATCH for seamanship and Whale Island for Gunnery where the team for ‘field guns crew’ was chosen ,and completed our training in Aug 1939 and the class drafted to HMS Royal Oak.
I missed my draft as I was in Hazlar Hospital Portsmouth having broken my ankle in the gym.
Most of my class perished in Scapa Floe when the HMS Royal Oak went down with about 800 killed.
When I was fit again I received a draft to HMS HOOD which I joined in Scapa Floe from then on we patrolled the Artic Ocean and were there when war was declared.
Most of the time was spent at sea apart from a few visits to Loch Ewe.
On April 12th we were in dry dock, half the ship’s company were on leave but I was 2nd part of port watch and they chose a landing party for Norway of which I was one.
On arrival 19 of the party were chosen as field guns crew which meant we loaded our guns onto a railway carriage and went inland to where 30 or 40 German Para troops had landed.
Reaching a place called DOMBAS set up our guns and started shelling the barn where the Para’s were hiding as we were rigged out in white suits we were able to approach the barn and about 20 Germans surrendered and we handed them over to the Norwegian Army.
On the way back to the railway station the German Bombers arrived and dropped a few bombs on the station where I was wounded on both legs. The three of us who were wounded were left behind as the rest of the party returned to the BLACK SWAN and joined the HOOD again.
While we were in hospital the main German army arrived and took us prisoner. We had been treated well in the hospital especially by head nurse JODETH GAM SKARLAND who had given me jumpers etc., but all that changed when we went to Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo they took all our warm clothing from us.
We then sailed for STETTIN and finished up in THORN POLAND .
It was not very funny being a prisoner of war in those days, about a month later the army from St Valery marched into our fort and I was sent to various work camps in Poland and finished on mobile work doing work all over SILESIA and 4 months on a farm in East Russia.
The worst part of being a POW was the hunger and two spells of having lice.
During 1944we were sent to build a chemical factory in a town called HYDABRICK in SILESIA the work almost completed after weeks of hard graft when we experienced the first 1,000 Super Fortress raid followed next day by 500 raid. We lost quite a few prisoners over the two days ,the factory was no more so we were moved again to a camp near BRESLAW by which time we were up to our eyes in snow. The Russians were getting closer and we marched nearer to Hanover district, but we marched for days until a few of us took frost bite and we finished up on cattle trucks about 60 of us.
At the beginning of 1945we shunted into a siding near HANOVER when American fighters started firing at our train the person next to me was killed he had been a submariner and been a prisoner since 1939.
The guards opened the doors so we spilled out onto a field, someone suggested we form a POW with our bodies, we got as far as P when the yanks came back again we finished up with 20 dead so one of our trucks had to be used as a morgue..
We then moved to canvas camp next to BELSEN we could hear the tiger tanks (German) fighting with our own. There was a lull about 9am on a Monday morning then our tanks came past the barbed wire after 5 long years it was some sight, what made me weep was the next day a Salvation Army van arrived with tea and biscuits.
General Monty came to the camp and announced the longest there would be the first home.
I was liberated on a Monday morning at 9am and was in Aberdeen Scotland a week later on the Monday at 9am.

SO HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET

After 3 months leave I was given a draft to HMS BACHANTE ( Station Hotel Aberdeen) which was the naval base for Aberdeen and worked as a comfort officer. I had to finish my 7years service and 5 years in reserves , finished my time as an engineer.While working at HMS BANCHANTE I met my wife and we were married on the 1st Feb 1947 married the same year as our Queen (58yrs).
In 1952 I was called up for the Korean war on HMS VANGUARD where I did a med cruise, home cruise, and a visit to Norway where it all started.

MY LUCK STILL HOLDS

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