A Durham Light Infantry Bandsman.

John Robert Hood was a bandsman in the Durham Light Infantry. It surprised me when I was a lot younger, how a bandsman could serve in so many parts of the world. The photographs he had taken while touring? prove where he had been. I was told I should show these to people who might have known him. How was another matter? I built a website to point people towards at www.aocfotos.com/memories.html Then the B.B.C brought out this BBCi. Now I can tell the story to whomever it concerns.

In 1937- 40 The Durham Light Infantry was stationed? In Shanghai and Tiensin, China. I think the Japanese were about to invade Shanghai. Then they were in Burma and Malaya. Although I don’t know which first or how long in each. He didn’t like to talk about it. I know he caught malaria, which kept coming back. The next photograph is dated Cairo 1940. A group of them got separated in North Africa from the rest of the Regiment. I’ve seen photographs of them marked El Alamein, and Tobruk, and Egypt.
One particular photograph he showed me, he said “Do you know who that is?” To which I replied “It’s Field Marshall Montgomery isn’t it?” A lot of servicemen had cameras in the photographs. Which posed a question: where do you get film developed?
They were on a troop ship with supplies bound for Malta in 1942. They couldn’t leave Malta because it was being attacked by German Bombers.

This story may be a little disjointed as I piece together photographs, documents and stories. They must have got back to North Africa because he told me him and his mate were patrolling the streets, turned a corner, straight into about 100 Italian soldiers.
What seemed liked ages was probably only seconds, but 100 Italian soldiers surrendered to 2 British soldiers? Newsreels said things like that happened. However, things took a turn for the worse a few days later. While out on patrol they came face to face with a German officer with a number of German soldiers. They ended up being captured by the Germans and taken to the island of Kos, (Greece) There they imprisoned for 18 months until being liberated by the Russians. He mentioned Dunkirk, but I don’t know it to be his way home. We have medals that he got: ‘The Africa Star’ ‘The 1939-1945 Star’ ‘The Italy Star’ ‘The Defence Medal’ ‘The War Medal’

No doubt there were thousands of others in these situations, some worse. Which is a good reason for this BBC website? I only know my father was in the Durham Light Infantry. His brother was in the Navy. My mother and her sisters worked in munitions factory in Leeds. My father was fortunate to survive until just after retirement.

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