L.S. NICHOLLS. Taken in Cairo Egypt. 1940.

"KEREN" March 1941.

Having spent several weeks in a field hospital just outside Khartoum with a small wound in my left knee and and a dose of dysentry which I would not like to experience again I was discharged from the hospital and went to the station ready to go back to my battery.
The train was just sat there I thought we were never going to move, so I got off the train and jumped on a taxi went into Khartoum started to drink glasses of rum they had no beer, the next thing I remember was waking up in the guardroom feeling like nothing on earth, of course I had missed my train back to my battery.
So it was in front of the O.C. I found myself being charged with striking two Redcaps resisting arrest and the O.C. said I was lucky not to be charged with desertion and shot,but I got away with 48 hours hard labour .In the glasshouse every prisoner had to do everything at the double,and when were locked in our little single cells, after tea we were given a stack of dirty pots pans and dixies and had to polish them until they shone like silver with just a bathstone and a cloth.
Released and marched under an armed guard to the station again put on the train and started my two day journey back to my battery at Keren.

February 14 Eritrea.

We had made our way through the Sudan after three or four times of being in action and we went straight into action out side Keren,We were under heavy gunfire on 14 feb and it was my turn to go to the cookhouse for a meal,there were about thirty of us sitting in a circle having our bully and biscuits when a shell exploded amongst us.
the man next to me had a piece of shrapnel through his right eye and out by his ear his right leg had been shattered I was half carrying and half dragging him away from the cookhouse where shells were still exploding. and first aid men came rushing up to render help,a young highland soldier lying close to me had his stomach torn open and he was trying to hold his entrails in he was asking for water which we could not give ,then he started crying for his mother, a very short time later he died.It was then I looked at my left leg and there was blood running down my leg I had sustained a wound enough to put me into hospital for a month.
But the very next day my gun got a direct hit, one gunner was killed instantly and three more gunners off my gun came into first aid but
they died the following day.
If I had not gone to the cookhouse on the 14 feb I would have been killed.

Autum 1940.

After we left Freetown we headed south through the tropical seas and the crossing of the Line Ceremony took place, some unfortunates were grabbed lathered up with a very large brush and shaved by King-Neptune who used a six foot razer.they could'nt catch me I was half way up one of the mast.We used to shower on the open deck mainly at night in sea water and we never ceased to be amazed at the many coloured sparks
which used to cover us from head to toe.when we looked over the side the
ocean was alive on the surface with colour. After zig-zagging for about two weeks we docked in Capetown.We were mobbed by the residents taken to their homes and treated like royalty
Two days later loaded with fresh food and water we set off around the cape through very stormy weather reached the Indian ocean and headed
north, finally after seven weeks and four days we landed in Egpyt.
,

Summer 1940

After a few months of hard training we heard rumours of going overseas, we had been stationed just outside London and we used to watch the nightly bombing and also could see in the searchlights the occasional dog fight.
The next thing that happened we were all sent on embarkation leave and sent up to Liverpool my home town put into a very large dock shed with an armed guard on and two days later we set sail , after a couple of days we had very rough weather about 90% of the troops were really sick for days, we very glad to see Free town in Africa were we stayed for one day for fresh water and vegetables.
Very shortly we were surounded by bum- boats trying to sell us fruit native trinkets and even monkeys, the young negros were diving for coins but only silver ones.
The next day we set off for a new destination

Tattenhall 1940.

One day when we were still in tattenhall myself and a few of my gun-crew decided to slope off to Chester,we were marching along the road trying to thumb a lift we were not having much luck when a car stopped but who was in the car but the Troop Captain Captain marshall,
Right said the Captain! Bomadier Nicholls you and your merry men are on a charge I will see you when you get back to camp.
Later we were running around the the Gun-park with our large packs full of bricks which was not very nice.
The very next morning we had a really heavy fall of snow.I woke up to find my bed had been carried outside.
Of cause I made them carry me back into the Billet then we had a laugh about it.

3 sept 1939.
I was a full bomadier in a artillery regt from liverpool in charge of the regimental guard, and at 11am we heard the prime minister announce that we had entered into a state of war with germany.
Of course all the troops were cheering little knowing what we were letting ourselves in for.
After a few months intensive training the regt went up to a bleak spot some where in the UK and we did a few weeks firing with live ammunition
We saw near the firing range a small group of grave-stones when one of the guns that were there earlier had a premature and exploded,
hence the graves.
By a strange stroke of fate the the same thing happened to two of our guns eighteen months later in north africa.

Early Days WW2

I was ninteen years of age and the date was 1 September 19 39.
I went to work that morning as usual but when lunch time came every one on
The building site where I was working at the time was given the sack.
So off I went home and found waiting for me my calling up papers to report
To my regiment
My brother and myself were really excited threw our uniforms on and dashed
Round to the barracks where all our comrades where waiting.

The following day we went to Tattenhall were we all split up into various
billets.
Some where put in a cowshed a few where put in a Manse and we finished
up in a stable called the Rookery.
It was a severe winter and be had snowdrifts several feet high.

One day just after christmas we had to march to a railway station in Tarporley
which was about ten miles to see our parent Regiment off to france,
After seeing them off we marched back to Tattenhall, and the Colonel
bought us all a half pint of beer