Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(Special Edition Mid-March 2003)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
b) Personal involvement in World War two.
1. QUESTION: Did you fight the Germans
and if so what part of the military were you in?
ANSWER: Yes. As a very young man I volunteered to become
a soldier and after basic training I joined the newly
formed Parachute Regiment and started to learn how to
parachute out of airplanes.
To cut along story short, I parachuted into Normandy,
France, on the night of the 5th/6th of June 1944 and due
to circumstances beyond my control was dropped behind
German lines. After thirteen days my small group got themselves
into a position where we were pinned down by machine gun
fire and suffered the indignity of being captured.
2. QUESTION? How did you feel about
the Germans?
ANSWER: I was a prisoner of war in Germany for nearly
a year and have been asked many times, "Do you, or
did you, hate the Germans?"
Please let me explain, although life was tough in a German
Prisoner of War camp, we had very little food and we worked
long hours, I never hated the Germans. In fact when ever
I go back to Normandy I visit the French, British, American,
and German cemeteries . The youth of Germany, as with
other countries, had to do what they had to do when they
were committed to military duty like the youth of most
of the European countries.
3. QUESTION: Do you have a favorite
story about the war?
ANSWER: War is no laughing matter, but there are two stories
that I will tell you. Many of the invasion army were given
certain devices for friendly identification. One was a
little tin gadget which the troops named as a “Cricket”
because when pressed it emitted a clicking sound. The
idea was to click once and a friendly would reply with
two clicks or something like that to identify themselves.
I won't go into details but when I landed in Normandy
and got rid of my parachute and other items, I thought
that I would click my cricket to see where my fellow parachutists
were, but the response that I got was not very friendly
and I threw the thing away.
We also had a yellow scarf which we were supposed to wave
to friendly forces for recognition purposes. A few days
after parachuting into Normandy an American jet aircraft
flying very low took a passing interest in our small band
of conquering heroes and so we waved our scarves. Unfortunately
the pilot had not been briefed as to the purpose of the
yellow scarves and he came in at tree top level and attacked
us with rockets and machine guns, so guess what, if that’s
what happened when you wave to friends what was the enemy
going to do. Consequently we never waved to any one ever
again.
Comment: My apologies for such a long answer, as
I’m sure that you what you really wanted was just
a few words. Unfortunately questions about war cannot
be answered in just few words.
4. QUESTION: Did your life change when
war broke out?
ANSWER: It certainly did. Gas masks, rationing, older
friends going off to war and never coming back, barrage
balloons floating up in the sky on the edge of every town
and city, and anti-aircraft guns firing at intruding German
aircraft, hot shrapnel falling in the streets, the constant
wailing, day and night, of air raid sirens. The remnants
of the British Expeditionary force being evacuated from
Dunkirk, France, by an armada of small boats, The war
in the north African desert, and the magnificent Royal
Air Force defence of England in the Battle of Britain
against overwhelming German air power. Yes life was very
different under wartime conditions.
5. QUESTION: Did you know any refugees?
ANSWER: Not personally. But I remember young children
being put on trains to take them out of the large cities,
by their grief-stricken families and sent away from the
bombing, into the countryside. I also remember, with much
sorrow, a large group of children who were being evacuated
to the United States on board a ship, which was torpedoed
by a German submarine and the ship was sunk with the loss
of all lives.
6. QUESTION: How were the evacuees
treated by their host families?
ANSWER: The majority of the evacuees became active members
of their new families, and their new communities. I would
bet that they still remember the kindness they were shown.
Friendship is forever, especially in a wartime situation.
7. QUESTION: Did the evacuees go to
school or help in the home?
ANSWER: They did both. They went to the local schools
and helped with the family chores, especially in the farming
communities. Being from towns and cities it was a completely
different life style to what they had been accustomed,
as many of them had never seen a real live cow.
8. QUESTION: Were the evacuees lonely?
ANSWER: Just picture yourself in a similar situation.
I’m sure that they did get lonely and were very
confused and couldn’t understand why they had to
leave home. But young children are very resilient and
gradually adapted to their new surroundings.
9. QUESTION: Did any of the refugees
get homesick and return home?
ANSWER: Unfortunately a small number of evacuees preferred
to risk their lives and returned home to face the continuous
bombing and the loss of family members.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents
of these newsletters. Please send all correspondence to
bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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