Once a Hussar by Ray Ellis

Author:Ray Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783830169
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-08-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The Battle of Knightsbridge

On 21 April 1942 the 107th Regiment (SNH) RHA was ready once more to move into action. There were now three batteries, making twenty-four guns. It was quite an impressive sight to see the whole regiment in line abreast, pulling off one at a time until the whole convoy of over one hundred and fifty vehicles was on the move. We wound our way out of the camp at Beni Yusef, turned along the Mena Road, watched the Great Pyramids disappear away to our left and then set off along the desert road in the direction of Alexandria. The first night we halted at Amariya, and the following day saw us back on the old familiar desert road heading in the direction of El Alamein and Mersa Matruh.

As we made our way further westwards into the desert, it became prudent to sit on the roof of the gun-tower hugging a loaded Bren gun in case of a sudden attack from the air. We were fortunate in having a relatively uneventful journey and after three days of travel we were able to meet up with other elements of the 22nd Armoured Brigade in the vicinity of Fort Capuzzo. We then moved more deeply into the desert.

We began to operate very far inland in close support of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry (‘The Sharpshooters’) and the conditions were extremely harsh. It was stiflingly hot, there was no shade whatsoever and the parched land reflected back the dazzling glare of the sun so that the desert shimmered in the intense heat. To make matters worse, we were very, very short of water and constantly thirsty, which was most distressing under such conditions. It was also irritating because the lack of water was solely due to negligence. The British Army, after two years of campaigning in the desert, had yet to provide suitable containers for transporting water to the forward troops. The Germans had solved this problem by using strong, purpose-built containers that we called ‘jerrycans’. We still used tins that were so thin that they regularly burst in transit with the result that when our water ration arrived many of the containers were empty. We took to sucking pebbles in an attempt to alleviate the tormenting and ever-abiding thirst, but the effect was more psychological than practical.

The temperature range in the desert is quite remarkable. A blistering heat can accompany the daylight hours, but during the hours of darkness the temperature often falls almost to freezing point. We were not equipped to deal with either of these extremes of heat and cold and as a result we roasted by day and shivered by night. Although by now most of us were well used to such privations, it was something of a trial for the reinforcements for whom this was an entirely new experience. It is very often the case that soldiers in combat are exasperated by the fact that their equipment does not match up to the conditions under which they are expected to serve.

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