Eric Postles writes:
"On 3rd February 1945 we officially disbanded and posting orders came. Three troops were lucky, going intact to another Recce Regiment. Jack Reed, my pal from Berwick days, managed to get a job as a driver with a rear unit. Jack came from Whitehaven and we kept in touch until he died in the 1970s.
With some from other squadrons, I was sent to 49 Recce and back to “The Island” in Holland. The Deschermaker family saw me off in a tearful scene. They kept in touch with me for several years after the war. 61 Recce had been a good regiment to be in and particularly within the squadron and 10 Troop. There was great comradeship even though over time there were changes. 10 Troop still retained a core of people, including myself, who had been with it since Loughgal days in Ireland. We could all trust each other. Unfortunately I never met with any of the troop after Iseghem.
In the period from D-day to disbandment the regiment lost 48 killed, 144 wounded and 23 missing. It captured over 4,000 prisoners from D-day. 50 Division suffered 6,701 killed, wounded or missing. Of the 18 men of 10 Troop who landed on D-day only 6, including one armoured car crew and my carrier crew of three, survived by the time we were disbanded. We were very lucky. After the war I attended a service at All Hallows church, by the Tower in London, to dedicate a memorial window and a book of remembrance for all the Recce dead. I renewed my acquaintance with Sergeant Charlie Wells who was also there.
The memorial window at All Hallows by the Tower Church in London
© Francis Mullan (WMR-47491)
49 was a Territorial Army division, raised in West Yorkshire and was a follow up division during the Normandy campaign. The Division had an inauspicious start during the Normandy campaign but after a brigade was replaced did well in the capture of Rauray and Tessell Wood. It then came under the command of the Canadians, clearing up the Channel coast, capturing Honfleur and Le Havre. The Division sign was a Polar Bear on a black background and our cap badge depicted a white rose in the centre.
On arrival at the regiment I was posted to C Squadron and, after interview with the Squadron commander, was assigned to 14 Troop carriers. It seemed like joining the army all over again as they were all strangers. However, I was made welcome by all in the Troop. “The Island” was just as depressing as when we left it in December but the flooding was worse. Our job was still the same – operating observation posts, recording V2 rockets and patrols. We were billeted with a family named Beck and we lived in their barn loft where they were drying tobacco leaves.
It was announced that UK leave would commence with those who landed on D-day being given priority and as I was the only one in the squadron who fulfilled the conditions I was in the first party…. It was a slow journey because of the precarious state of the track and bridges……Arriving at Dover we were given repeated warnings by the ship’s tannoy not to take German weapons into the UK and Dover Harbour must have hundreds of pistols dropped in as soldiers decided not to risk being caught and sent back…."
(Extracts from ‘My War Years’ by John Eric Postles ISO used by kind permission of the author.)
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