But for him the toughest battle of all was Monte Cassino. He was involved in five bayonet charges and regular hand-to-hand fighting as he and his comrades tried to drive crack German troops out of the monastery on top of a virtually sheer mountain. Even now, aged 95, he feels he and his comrades were a forgotten army, with the eyes of the world by then firmly on the D-Day landings in Normandy.

They were very, very good and never gave up

John Clarke

John said: “I fought in North Africa and landed at Salerno in Italy and fought up through Italy including in Florence and Venice.

“But Monte Cassino was the fiercest of the lot. We were opposed by their best. They were very, very good and never gave up.

“We were opposed by the cream of the German Army. German paratroopers, Panzergrenadiers, Herman Goering Division and Austrian Alpine troops, far superior to those defending the Normandy beaches.

“The battles were hard and nasty with a lot of vicious, close quarter hand-to-hand fighting with small arms and bayonets against a tough and ruthless enemy in a very difficult terrain.”

Mancunian John recalled how British soldiers were killed as a result of phosphorus in the soil which got on their uniforms.At night they glowed, making them easy targets for German snipers.

He also told of a desperate charge encouraged by the pipers of the Black Watch.

John, OFWARE, Herts, said: “When you had a bayonet charge, which we did at Cassino, our sergeant said: ‘We are all born to die.’ “Then the pipers started up and it was walk, trot, charge, and somehow you felt like a million dollars doing that.

“It was something unbelievable, the pipes seem to fill you with courage. Strangely you were enjoying it in a way.

“I think I made four or five charges in my time, and if you are charging the enemy who is dug in on a machine gun, and you are above him normally, and he gets frightened when he sees you coming.

“He doesn’t know whether he’s going to kill all of you or you are going to get him. It’s the heat of battle after all and in the end it’s you or him.”

John, who was unable to attend yesterday’s commemoration, tells of his experiences in the book, The Last Heroes.

The Last Heroes by Gary Bridson-Daley, The History Press, £20.00. To contact the author email [email protected]

Source: Read Full Article