War Memories of Leonard Young

War Memories of Leonard Young (Desert Rat in the Second World War)
El-Alamain TUNIS May1942
We had been in the front line for about five weeks and were due to have 2 nights rest. During that period of rest the colonel informed us that we were going to attack the Germans the following night. He ended his speech by saying ‘good hunting’.

The next night we marched one mile in a semi-circle to get to the place from which the attack would take place. A thousand men spread out along a straight line in the pitch darkness waiting for a signal.

At 12 o’clock a whistle was blown and suddenly all hell was let loose with bullets whistling back and forth close to our heads. After the attack we all gathered along the line.

Sergeant Major Fennings ordered another sergeant to take three soldiers and myself to follow the waddy with fixed bayonets. We had only gone about 30 yards when there was a blinding flash. Another blinding flash followed killing two soldiers. The sergeant had a hole in his back, the other soldier had flesh wounds in his leg and as for myself my boot had blown off badly tearing my foot. Indeed it seemed to be hanging off. I tied it up as best as I could using my pullover. We were in a minefield.

When we came to we tried to help the man with a hole in his back. He was crying out for water so we offered him some from our water bottles. We were horrified to see the water pour out from his back. He died before dawn. When dawn came the remaining soldier and I decided t ‘play dead’ in this ‘no man’s land’. On the second day we decided to risk getting out. We had to go carefully feeling for wire that might be attached to a mine or even for mines themselves.

We heard an infantry carrier further down the waddy. When we reached it we were helped inside. There were many other soldiers on board. When we started up all hell was let loose on the carrier but we made it to an ambulance which took us to a field hospital, a fag and a cup of tea. The good news was that the German’s had given themselves up in droves.

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