Don Aiken told the story of 61st Recce (and 52nd Recce) on the BBC People's War website for their Millenium Project. He has very kindly allowed me to use his writing on the Chotie Darling blog and now this Epilogue:
“After the huge gamble by the Germans to break through the Ardennes, which came to a disastrous failure, the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment was broken up during January 1945.
I was then posted to C Squadron of the 52nd (Lowland) Scots Recce Regt.. They had trained in Scotland for most of the war and bore a 'MOUNTAIN' flash on their tunics.
Strangely they had only seen warfare in mountainless Holland before I joined them on my birthday 6/2/45. I was then employed as Driver/Operator in a 'Dingo' armoured car - which was great fun.
In March 1945 the Allies made a massive attack over the Rhine, in which we took part, and successfully entered Germany on a broad front.
The 52nd Division progressed through the Ruhr until we reached and over-ran Bremen. Our Squadron was then quickly re-directed to Stalag XB, which was a prison camp that had been converted into a concentration camp. I won't describe the terrible conditions in that place. Whilst we were there the unconditional surrender of the Germans took place and the war in Europe was at last ended.
We spent the next 11 months or so in doing duty as an occupation army with most of it spent in keeping the peace between rampant ex-POWs and the largely unprotected population.
Then in April 1946 we were merged with the Lothian & Border Horse until July when they were disbanded and we were used to reinforce the 14th/20th Kings Hussars - part of the Regular Army, and now housed in an ex-German barracks in the town of Wuppertal. Now, instead of armoured cars, we were equipped with light tanks which were also great fun.
Then, in June 1947, after another long year of waiting, it became my turn to be demobilised.
After I got home I spent a couple of months in getting acclimatised to civvy street before finding that I had been fortunate in being accepted back into the Blackpool Fire Service.
I spent the next 30 years in the Service, rising through the ranks to finally achieve the position of Divisional Officer.”
Thanks very much for this Don.
Chotie's Daughter
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