A few short days before the 75 years since VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day on 15th August, and only a matter of weeks until the 75 anniversary of the official end of WW2 on 2nd September when the Japanese delegation formally signed the instrument of surrender on board the USS Missouri.
I am proud to write a brief record of service of my late father who, although serving in Royal Marines, was seconded as an NCO with the 2nd/2nd Field Artillery on Crete and later a POW. Here then is a brief extract of service of Cpl. Stanley A Munns RM.
Born in 1918 my father was 21 when war broke out in 1939, a Master Bookbinder by trade, he worked in a printers and publishers W. E. Baxter in Lewis, Sussex. He joined up with the first consignment of “Hostilities Only” recruits, in H. M. Royal Marines for the duration of the war and posted to Deal in January 1940. He was part of the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation (MNBDO) trained to land ahead of the main troops and set up a defended naval base.
During the Battle of Britain (Sept.1940) drafted to Folkestone as part of the garrison protecting the south coastline of England with a continuous line of communication in case of invasion.
Lucky to get one nights full sleep in nine at SHORNCLIFF and using a Martello tower (a watch tower used during Napoléon's time), as a fully operational signal station. Telephone exchange, radio, dispatch riders, even carrier pigeons used as a last resort, this Martello tower & garrison was the front line of defence around the cliffs of Dover and surrounds.
In 1940 posted to HMS Northney a dockyard facility for landing craft repair and maintenance also hosting a top-secret reconnaissance unit code named COPP, or Combined Operations Pilotage Parties.
January 1941 his garrison had orders to form part of the escort to the Middle East with a convoy of merchant ships. Operation Excess was a series of British supply convoys to Malta, Alexandria and Greece. The operation encountered the first presence of Luftwaffe anti-shipping aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. To avoid the German U-Boats the convoy changed course almost every 5 mins, the longest route being often taken to confuse the Germans.
After convoy duties, posted up the Suez Canal to El Casosin a transit camp for some days then to Cairo which was under threat from the Italian forces. Before arriving in Cairo, diverted to Crete fighting back the German drive. Intelligence showed the Germans intended to continue from Greece to Crete a halfway stage to Egypt.
Landed on Crete in Suda Bay, slept under canvas and began defences to hinder the Germans advance. Days later, on their way to inspect defences, they saw gliders and German parachutes. Crete (from a military point of view) was a shambles. Troops with little or no weapons and ammunition. New arrivals tried to create order in the chaos but were beaten back by overwhelming odds.
A few days after the Germans attacked he was drafted as an NCO with 3 others to an ANZAC company who were short of personnel, 2nd/2nd Field Artillery Unit.
Within 48 hours the signal came to withdraw. A problem, there was one road, all troops had to use it. Movement only at night to reduce risk, from one side of the island to the other (North to South). Taking about a week, and very short of food they made the south coast.
Put in groups of about 30 under an NCO, one by one sent onto the beaches hoping that they would be rescued and taken back to Alexandria. Without a pick up his section had decided to swim for it, but while swimming were shot at from above and were made prisoners of war as they left the water.
His section was marched back the way they had come, rough going with no food provided only promises of it to Skines, heavily guarded and housed in flea ridden tents and fed lentils with some vegetables.
Then moved to Suda Bay, loaded onto the boats and shipped to Greece at Serknica and marched to Camp Masaden near the Greek border. This camp was far from hygienic, if you stuck your head out of your hut window at the wrong time of day you were shot. From Greece a long train journey to Germany and a permanent working POW camp Stalag IVC at Wistritz. Food was very scarce, 80-90 kg man dropping to 50-55kg.
The remainder of the war spent in Stalag IVC at Wistitz near the border, trying to hinder the Germans as much as possible. In Sept 1944 it comprised of 4334 from UK, 986 Cyprus, 710 Sth Africa, 44 Australian, 29 New Zealand, and 45 British territories, a total of 6148. Freed initially by the Russians, then by American soldiers, finally reaching the French coast having been part of the organising teams getting ex-POW’s home. Eventually flown home over the Channel in small aircraft.
Washed, deloused, de-briefed and fed, provided with new clothes and sent home on leave, by the time this was up, the war was over, he was demobbed in late 1945. He married my mother, who served in the Fire Auxiliary during the war, having been engaged pre-war, merely 30 days after arriving back in England, she had waited for him for the duration of the war, not knowing for months if he was alive or dead. They lived a long and happy married life of over 50 years, He passed away in 1997
My father always wore his Regimental Badge with great pride, and spoke highly of his time with the 2nd/2nd Field Artillery. On a visit to Australia in 1987 we attended the Anzac Day March together, recognising the 2nd/2nd as they passed by.
Posted in his honour and in recognition of his service.
Rest in Peace Dad.
No comments:
Post a Comment