Issue 86, 26 October - Barking & Dagenham

10 26 October 2012 26 October 2012
11
REMEMBERING EL ALAMEIN
Second World War’s turning point
IT’S only two weeks
since we asked for your
memories and stories
about the Battle of El
Alamein – but your
responses have flooded
in, by email and on the
phone.
And among the
emails and phone calls
we received were some
from ex-servicemen
who fought in the battle
itself.
El Alamein is
widely seen as the turning
point of the Second
World War. The borough
is marking its
70th anniversary with a
tree-planting ceremony
at Dagenham’s Civic
Centre this week.
Battles
Two battles took place
in the region, about 150
miles from Cairo, the
Egyptian capital.
It was the second
battle – which began
on 23 October 1942
and lasted for 13 days –
that eventually secured
the Allied victory in
North Africa.
Here are some of
your stories. We’ll be
printing some more
next issue.
Thanks from
thenews to everyone
who got in touch and
shared their memories
with us.
PRECIOUS MEMORIES:
Frank looking through
old letters and photos
of his dad
FRANK Jackson, who lives in
Barking, was only eight months old
when his father, also called Frank, was
killed at El Alamein aged just 26.
A matter of days before his death,
Frank senior wrote to Elsie, his wife
of three years. He said he was “still
alive and kicking” and asked about
Bob and comrades thought a lot of Monty
the newborn son he never got to see.
Frank, of the Queen’s Royal
Regiment, was wounded in the desert
and died on a ship as he travelled back
to England. He is buried at the El
Alamein cemetery in Egypt.
His son, now 70, said: “My mum
was a war widow. She lived at Welling
SMART: Bob
scrubbed up
and ready for
action during
the war
THE GENERAL: Bob’s photo of ‘Monty’, who was later
promoted to the army’s highest rank, of field marshal BOAT TRIP: A photo of Joan and Bob, taken around 2000
in Kent and had to move to East Ham
because she couldn’t afford to live
there anymore.
Recognised
“The women in the war were unique
and I don’t think they are recognised
enough.
DAD IN UNIFORM: Frank’s
father wearing his khakis
Just days after Frank was born,
battle cost his father his life
“They just got on with things back
then, with a lot of humour.”
Frank’s mum remarried and went
on to have two more children. He said:
“We never really spoke about the war.
But it’s lovely that there will be a tree
in Dagenham and something is being
done for those who died.”
RoBERT Welstead, who goes
by Bob, was a soldier in the
Eighth Army.
Bob, now 91, joined the
army in 1939 when he was 18,
and served for the whole of
the war.
He married Joan in 1960
and they have two children,
four grandchildren and one
great grandchild.
Bob worked at Ford in
Dagenham for 25 years, until
he retired aged 65. He still
lives in the borough.
Due to his ill health, Joan
spoke to thenews on his
behalf.
Desert Rat
She said: “He never really
speaks about the battle. But i
know he fought on the front
line and was a Desert Rat, as
they called themselves.
“i remember him telling me
about being in a lorry that
was blown up.
“Five men were killed and
he survived. He wasn’t
seriously wounded – in a way,
he was lucky.
“All the men thought a lot
of Field Marshal Montgomery,
or Monty, who led them in the
desert.
“i feel quite proud of Bob,
and i’m glad there will be a
memorial tree.”
FAMILY TIME: Frank as a boy,
pictured with his mum, elsie
WRITING
HOME: A
letter from
Frank’s dad
MARILYN Meadway’s father,
George Collier, was called up
in 1939.
George didn’t see his eldest
child – or his wife, Mary – for
another five years.
Served
He served in the Rifle Brigade
at El Alamein and in nearby
Tobruk, another important
battle site.
George, originally from
Poplar, spent most of his life in
RECORD: George Collier’s medals and,
inset, a picture of the man himself
My dad’s years away
Dagenham and went on to have
five children and 10 grandchildren.
He died in 1995, aged 76.
Mary passed away a couple of
years later.
Marilyn, who lives in
Dagenham, said: “I think it’s
nice the tree planting will recognise
ordinary men like my
dad for what they did.
“When the war began,
a lot of the men were taken
away from everything they
knew and went off to a com-
The closing
date for all
applications is
31 October
2012
pletely different environment.
“They were all promised
they would go back to their jobs
– Dad trained as a plumber – but
he found it hard after the war.
Difficult
“I know my mum said it was
difficult when he came back
after five years away.
“He never really spoke
about what went on. He used to
tell us funny stories, but I think
he just wanted to forget.”
gEoRgE Borham, now 92,
was a driver in the Eighth
Army. it was his job to get
supplies and ammunition to
the troops in the desert,
often facing dangerous
roads and driving
conditions.
george joined the army
aged 17 – he pretended he
was 18 – in 1937. He served
until 1943, when he left
service for medical reasons.
After marrying in the
same year, George had five
children with his first wife,
who later died. He remarried,
Starting secondary school in September 2013
If your child was born between 1 September 2001 and 31 August
2002, they will be transferring to a secondary school in September 2013.
This move is not an automatic process and you will need to make an
application for the secondary schools you would like your child to attend.
If your child is attending a Barking and Dagenham junior or primary
school you should already have received a full information pack about the
process. If your child is attending a school outside the borough but you
live in Barking and Dagenham, please pick up a copy of the information
pack at the One Stop Shop within the Barking Learning Centre or
Dagenham Library.
For more information phone 020 8215 3004
or email 3000direct@lbbd.gov.uk
It’s 70 years since the Battle of El
Alamein, and SUSAN WHITEAR has
spoken to people with local connections
who were touched by the conflict
George’s truck under fire
SHARED TRANSPORT: George,
bottom, and his unit travelled to
the Middle east with ANZAC troops
and he and his wife Joan
have three children. george
also has 39 grand and great
grandchildren.
Born in Fulham, he has
lived in Dagenham since the
1970s.
Supplies
He said: “i was an original
Desert Rat, driving the
desert roads in North Africa
with supplies. When the
shells went off, it was
terrible.
“But it wasn’t as bad as
the First World War, which
Apply online at
WITH HIS
MEDALS:
George
Borham
my father served in.
“Sometimes we didn’t
have much chance to eat,
and we slept in the lorries or
on the ground.
“if it was really hot, we
would clean the bonnet
of the lorry and cook eggs
on it.
“it was frightening at
times, and it wasn’t nice for
those firing guns at the front.
it wasn’t easy, and i was
wounded slightly, but i
always said i had god on my
side – and the best running
shoes in the army!”
REMEMBERING EL ALAMEIN