An Englishman at War

by James Holland

  Stanley reveals here a steely determination that lay at the core of his character. Once again, there is evidence that the Sherwood Rangers were gradually shedding their old, amateur, pre-war skin. Stanley was among a core of officers who were resolved to transform the regiment into a highly trained and efficient unit, no matter what role they were given.

  Tuesday, 29 July

  I think there is a very good chance that I may get A Squadron, as Stephen may go to HQ Squadron when he returns from his course. If that does come off it will be rather hard on Stephen as HQ Squadron is a very poor command. That also might mean being made a major, but that is looking rather far ahead.

  In the evening a lot of us went down to see my movie films. I had them developed in Cairo.

  These films have survived and, although amateur and unedited, show many of the characters and places Stanley writes about in the diaries.

  Thursday, 31 July–Wednesday, 13 August

  In the past week I have been so busy that I have not been able to find the time to write each day. Life at Allenby Barracks has been extraordinarily pleasant, especially after Tobruk. In spite of being midsummer the climate is extraordinarily pleasant. We work very hard all through the day, training on gunnery, signalling, D&M in preparation for becoming tanks. I understand that our first vehicles arrive about 21 August, when we shall move from here and proceed to Karkur Camp where we spent a few months last year.

  I am now a major; the colonel has given me command of A Squadron. I am most thrilled as it has been my one ambition to have a squadron and I am most attached to A Squadron. I think my promotion has been pretty rapid because I was a second lieutenant a year ago, but my pay is still that of a second lieutenant! But before long I hope to get a packet of back-pay. Of course, promotion has been due to casualties in Crete, but I suppose that is natural. It certainly will be an interesting time now that we are to get tanks. We shall all be starting from scratch.

  Life here continues to be quite gay in spite of hard work. I went to one very good open-air dance at the Jerusalem Country Club. It was full moon and most delightful. We went in a large party of about 10, dining first at a restaurant in Jerusalem. I sat next to a girl called Ruth. She has a job out here and her husband is in the army in Syria. She was quite the nicest girl in the party and I danced most of the evening with her. It really was rather pleasant as it was full moon.

  Another evening I dined at Government House and we all went on and danced at the King David. At dinner I sat next to Araminta MacMichael, the high commissioner’s daughter.

  Hermione Ranfurly, wife of Dan, who is now a prisoner of war, has got a job as private secretary to Lady MacMichael. I asked her about Dan but she has heard nothing.

  I played a good deal of cricket and one day made 50 not out. Haven’t enjoyed myself so much for a long time. There were also excellent hard tennis courts at the club of which we made full use, and the barracks had a squash court, so life at Jerusalem was altogether very pleasant.

  Thursday, 14 August, Karkur Road Camp

  At 9 o’clock we left Allenby Barracks, Jerusalem, and proceeded by bus to Karkur Road Camp. A Squadron and HQ Squadron were the first to leave; the remainder of the Regiment will follow tomorrow. It proved a very easy move and we covered the journey in 2½ hours. We take over the camp from two squadrons of the Yorkshire Hussars and they go to Jerusalem.

  How strange it is to be back here again. We left here almost 14 months ago after handing in our horses at 24 hours’ notice, and what a lot has happened since then.

  Friday, 15 August

  The remainder of the Regiment arrived today. We spent the day in cleaning up the camp, which is in an absolutely filthy condition. It is a disgrace that the YH should have left the place in such a condition.

  In spite of not being the senior Yeomanry regiment (actually, I think we are No. 4), it is rather creditable that we, with the Greys and Staffordshire Yeomanry should be the first brigade to be mechanized, and to be known as the 8th Armoured Brigade. The Staffs are now at Karkur Sea Camp, which, according to its name, is on the sea and most pleasantly situated.

  We spent the day clearing up the camp. At five o’clock in the evening we had a squadron leaders’ conference. Training will start in earnest on Monday.

  We heard today that Sydney Morris was a prisoner in Germany. We have also heard the same about Jon Abel-Smith.

  The camp now possesses a new garrison cinema, which will hold 700 people. After dinner we went to see Grace Moore in a film, which was quite good.

  Saturday, 16 August

  We are gradually getting settled in. Geoffrey Brooks, our doctor, one of the best men in the world, is running the officers’ mess. We have dispensed with the contractor and we are cooking and buying our own food. John Walters is doing the financial side, but he is due to go away on a course.

  Some Dragoons arrived today for training purposes, also some 3-ton tanks, and each squadron has been issued with two 15-cwt trucks for training purposes. In the near future each squadron leader will have a car of his own, and we expect to get our first tank in a few days, which will be named Robin Hood. One officer and six NCOs have arrived to be attached to the Regiment for instructional purposes on the tanks when they arrive.

  It really is most thrilling having a squadron of my own, especially now we are all starting from scratch and training on something new. I am making my squadron office pretty smart.

  Sunday, 17 August

  Old Stephen (Mitchell) arrived back from his course in Egypt. It was good to see him again. When he arrived he hadn’t heard that I had taken over A Squadron and he was taking over HQ Squadron. I was afraid the old chap would be terribly disappointed as he was attached to A Squadron and HQ Squadron is not much of a job. I simply had not the courage to tell him when he started talking about A Squadron and declaring that he wouldn’t part with me as second-in-command, even though we both were majors. I dashed down to Lawrence Biddle, the adjutant, and told him to break the news to Stephen.

  I can’t get over having a squadron. It seems all too good to be true. I dread that something will turn up and spoil it all.

  I read in the paper that Tobruk has had 1000 raids in the last four months. I am glad to be out of that place.

  Monday, 18 August

  Donny Player arrived back yesterday. He has been on a senior officers’ tactical course in Cairo. He had some very interesting lectures, one from Freyberg on Crete, and here are some interesting points about that campaign.

  1. The Germans expected Crete to fall in two days and if that had been the case the whole force of the German attack would have been through against Turkey, and then on to Syria and Palestine. For this attack they relied mainly on their airborne troops.

  2. The fact that Crete held out so long and inflicted such severe losses on their air troops and troop-carrying planes, frustrated this plan.

  3. Cyprus would also have been attacked had Crete fallen.

  4. The Germans expected the Russian campaign to be over in a fortnight. If Russia holds out until the end of this month, this will prevent Germany starting another campaign against the Middle East owing to weather conditions.

  5. If things had gone according to plan, Germany would have simultaneously made a drive through Spain and Portugal with the object of capturing Gibraltar and so completely cutting off the Middle East.

  6. I gather the Turks at the moment are hopelessly unprepared.

  It was true that, despite their victory on Crete, the Germans had suffered high numbers of casualties – out of 22,000 airborne and mountain troops used, some 6500 were casualties and 3352 were missing or killed. Also, more than a third of the transport aircraft used had been lost too. The British, in contrast, suffered 3500 casualties, of which 1700 were killed – fewer than the German invaders. It is also true that, after Crete, Hitler vowed never to use his paratroopers in a major airborne operation again. Even so, it sounds as though Freyberg was attempting to put a good spin on what had happened.<
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  By mid-August, Germany had conquered vast swathes of the Ukraine and was closing in on Leningrad in the north and Odessa in the south on the Black Sea. Among the German High Command, confidence was high at this stage, even though there were signs that Russian resistance was not as broken as they thought. There was no German plan, however, to drive through Spain and Portugal.

  It wasn’t going entirely awry for the British. A mutual assistance pact had been signed with the Soviet Union, and the last Vichy French troops in the Middle East had surrendered; British troops had entered Beirut on 15 July.

  Wednesday, 20 August

  Three tanks arrived today, the first to reach the Regiment. Tanks all the way from America. They will be called Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and Little John. The colonel, Donny and the adjutant went across to Tulkarm and drove them back. They arrived this evening while my squadron was playing a football match against C Squadron. Flash drove his tank right across the ground, much to the excitement of the players. The officers will start training tomorrow.

  Thursday, 21 August

  We spent the day training and had our first drive, under RTR instructors, on the new American tanks. They are a wonderful bit of work and certainly most thrilling to drive. What a difference it is spending ½ hour on maintenance instead of possibly 2½ hours grooming, feeding, etc., in the case of a horse.

  Friday, 22 August

  One gets a great thrill driving these tanks, which can travel up to 40 m.p.h. It will be even more so when a complete crew is trained. It is so strange training now with tanks over the same ground on which we trained before with horses.

  Saturday, 23 August

  After lunch I motored up to Jerusalem with the colonel. Each squadron leader now has a staff car allocated to him and they have just been issued to the Regiment, brand new from Canada. Of course, they have not been run in yet. I went in the colonel’s car and mine followed. He is spending four days in Cairo, staying with Oliver Lyttelton. We had quite a long talk about Peter. He told me that in getting rid of Peter he and Donny had made an enemy for life. And I am afraid he has. Personally I think he has had the courage of his convictions and taken the dead right course.

  As it is, Peter and Michael are making out that the colonel got rid of Peter because Peter always stood out against him, and he (the colonel) wanted squadron leaders under his thumb, so that he could completely run the Regiment without interference from squadron leaders. Which, of course, is completely untrue and a rotten thing to say.

  Sunday, 24 August

  I didn’t get up very early after spending a most comfortable night on the couch in the sitting room. An excellent breakfast – two fried eggs and bacon.

  At 11 o’clock, after writing some letters, I went out. Jerusalem looked lovely bathed in sunlight, especially the garden of the YMCA where I spent quite a time. I then made my way to the 60th General Hospital and saw Henry Trotter, who is there with a bad leg. He didn’t look too happy and expects to be boarded home in the near future. I ran into Charley Eardley in the hospital. He has almost recovered from a face wound received in Syria from a piece of bomb. He was commissioned into the Staffordshire Yeomanry from the Inns of Court at the same time as I was commissioned. We were at Edinburgh together. He is such a nice person.

  I walked back to the King David Hotel and dropped in for a drink, which I had with Reggie Bush. He was struck off the strength of the Regiment many months ago (in fact, almost as soon as we arrived in this country) to become billeting officer. We compared the amazing changes which have taken place in the Regiment since we were last at Karkur Camp. We have another colonel, we have lost our horses, become gunners and now have tanks. Poor Toby Wallace is dead, six officers are missing and 150 men. It would have been absolutely unbelievable had we been told that all this would happen to us within 14 months.

  Monday, 25 August

  A very busy day. During the morning the officers are on a D&M course from 9 o’clock until 12 o’clock. From 4 o’clock in the afternoon until 6 we have wireless instruction. We had rather fun this afternoon and practised the new R/T over the wireless set, which had been placed out over a large area. Donny was control and we had six out stations. We stuck strictly to procedure but the conversation was most amusing.

  Friday, 29 August

  Squadron leaders’ conference at 09.00 hours. Nothing very important discussed. Lectures for the rest of the morning. At 4.30 in the afternoon we had R/T practice on the wireless sets. Lawrence Biddle, the adjutant, made up a small scheme, which went off very well.

  Most difficult on the news today. Tehran has ceased all opposition. The Vichy prime minister, Laval, was shot yesterday in France. Don’t quite know how bad he is. Russia still continues to hold out, is counter-attacking at several points, but is also being pressed at several parts of the front.

  Would like to have some more mail.

  There had been a large number of German nationals in Iran, many of whom were working in government services, and which the Tehran government refused to expel. This made it a hot-bed for both espionage and potential incitement against Britain, and threatened the crucial supply line from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, through which Britain hoped to send aid to the Russians. A joint Anglo-Russian demand was sent to the Persian government on 17 August, which was rejected. Persia actually fell under Wavell’s remit as new C-in-C India, and with co-operation from Moscow, a joint Anglo-Russian invasion was launched on 25 August. It was entirely successful and by the end of the month the Persian Gulf was secured.

  Sunday, 7 September

  I did think about going to Jerusalem for this weekend. Michael Morris is leaving for Alexandria and was having a farewell party, but both the colonel and Donny were away and the other squadron leaders so the colonel asked me to remain behind in charge of the Regiment.

  We had a service in the cinema. The padre gave us a most excellent sermon. He tried to explain why it was that we had so much to suffer in this world, especially now that we are entering the third year of war, by reminding us that Christ’s teaching always showed us the difficult and long way round, and that he refused to perform miracles, especially when he had the power to save himself from all that suffering. As he refused to perform miracles to save himself, could we expect him to do the same for us? Which to me was a pretty conclusive argument.

  A mail from England. Letters from Daddy, Bridget and Daisy Akers-Douglas.

  Monday, 8 September

  Training as usual during the day. At 11.30 I gave a lecture on map reading to our squadron signalling class. In the evening the colonel gave us our first lecture on tank tactics.

  Tuesday, 9 September

  We had a lecture from the divisional signals officer on regimental and Brigade signals organization. Haifa had a raid last night, or I should say early this morning. We could see the flashes of AA guns from here.

  At the mess tonight we heard that the Russians had destroyed eight German divisions in the Smolensk area, and driven them well back, killing thousands of men and capturing a great deal of matériel. The Germans claim that Leningrad has been surrounded but the Russians are holding out well.

  The Germans have sunk two American ships, one in the Red Sea and the other just off Ireland. Top this with the fact that a German submarine fired at an American destroyer: this might bring her into the war.

  Whether we actually want them to come in at this moment is a questionable point because if they do the tremendous supplies that we and Russia are getting from America would be cut down and, furthermore, Japan would immediately enter the war and would direct her attention against America and Australia. On the other hand, Japan is still very occupied with China.

  The colonel also told me that Turkey would probably come in against us as it appears that she is receiving more war matériel from Germany than she is from us.

  He also passed a remark that we shouldn’t be too surprised if old Mike Parish suddenly turned up again! That, of course, would be terrific. He wouldn’t s
ay any more than that but he has obviously heard something.

  We have had confirmation from their families that Sydney Morse, Tony Holden and Mike Riviere are prisoners, and probably in Germany.

  Stuart Thompson came back today from his intelligence course in Cairo. He had met one of our officers captured in Syria by the Vichy French and handed over to the Germans. When the armistice was signed in Syria we kept General Dentz and certain other French officers as hostages until our officers were returned. Paul Boswood in the Warwickshire Yeomanry was among our officers who went to Germany. They had a most interesting time, travelling right across Europe into Germany, and then, when they were released, coming all the way through France, both occupied and unoccupied. He said that throughout the whole journey their German guards were most courteous and that they were never really short of food. But the Germans took very great care that they should see nothing. They never entered an industrial centre by day, always by night. On the way through some places they had a chance to talk to some of our prisoners who were working on the fields and found that they were rather short of food. I understand that Paul is still rather cut up about having lost most of his troop when he was captured. They were surrounded and had to surrender and when they came out with a white flag they were fired on and shot up.