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A contribution of Ron Goldstein People in the story Ron Goldstein location history Trieste Army history Background Article number A2166130 Contribution 1 January 2004.
October 1945 On board a minesweeper in Trieste Harbor.
The regimental diary for October 1, 1945 Major O Brien left to take a course in the UK, as 14 days notice to leave given that the Regt will travel to Trieste to become Recce Regt on 56th Lon Div instead of 44th Recce rgt.
In October, we moved to the Trieste region in a small town called Opicina, who was sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the Bay of Trieste view from the top was great the area was known as the line of Morgan and acted as a buffer between the Yugoslavs and Italians, who both claimed the territory.
The barracks, we moved into had once belonged to a unit of the Italian Army and are spacious enough overnight, stones were whitewashed, poles were erected and the bull was on the agenda.
The army release system at that time was based on a combination of age and service time This then gave a group number, and over the next year so that each group number came in turn, and the members of this group have received their discharge larger the group number is faster you out of my own group number was 48, quite high because I was only 19 when I was called.
As the oldest and most active members began to leave there was a desperate attempt by those of us yet to enter into a reasonable position that we should not be forced to take part in the demilitarization, which was held by few chance to that point, I was given a choice of two options that I could either go on a ski holiday in Cortina, or take a course as a technical storekeeper If I took the first option that I might miss the chance to secure employment - but on the other by cons, when another opportunity would learn to ski.
Being the coward that I am, I took the course, and therefore was promoted lance corporal and later full corporal In a short time, I was charged full all technical stores in the squadron's necessary work organizing expertise rather than the experience of engineering, and I was soon well above the situation and take advantage of my new responsibilities sometimes found when I found myself signing up for a half-dozen tanks at a time, I told myself to hold out there that art 180,000 pounds of equipment value that you just become responsible but I do not remember losing sleep over the matter.
The regiment was heavily involved in keeping peace in Trieste itself, as there were many political parties and even many states that are trying to take control of the Venezia Giulia area It was common to sit in a cinema in the city and have a notice flashed on the screen that says all troops must return immediately to their units we arrived back at camp, we would find ourselves armed and returned to the city in convoy to control riots occurred.
While we were billeted here, I am my first home leave in England, discussed briefly in my story My Welcome Home.
Back in Trieste after I leave, I found that the riots were still booming and many other old had left some of my friends, I also discovered the joys of gracious living I hasten to explain .
The YMCA in Trieste took over a leisure center which offered, among other facilities, a chance to have a laundry's done on Friday night my friends and I would come into town and make straight for the YMCA here a shower, haircut, change our uniform khaki drill clean all left the week before and then, all neat and clean, we could head for one of the best restaurants in town.
We would go through the menu, including wines with each course, followed by cognac and cigars But the best part was yet to come instead of paying money for these blessings which we sell each one pack of 50 cigarettes in server and the money received was more than enough to pay for all the evening entertainment, including language previous visit to YM strictly, of course, the authorities would not approve of our use of emission army cigarettes this, but the result was that after our evening out we used to shine all the way back to camp.
We moved to Villa Opicina and Eddy Patman resumed work running the canteen.
A word about Eddy In civilian life he was a film critic for the trade magazine Cinema Cinema He loved all aspects of the film and when we were in Rome I went with him to see The Song of Bernadette and sent a critique of it back to his old farm and later showed me the article in the magazine When he finally returned to civilian life, he achieved the highest rank for both MGM and later Fox, and we had to stay true friends until his untimely death in 1993.
On one occasion, the Navy decided it would be a good idea if they were to send some of the sailors stationed in Trieste in our barracks to leave one day, we showed them around, let them drive our tanks, etc., in short they had a good day's fun to turn the navy invited some of us to their own units and I chose to spend a day on a minesweeper in the port of Trieste.
It was a beautiful day and all was well until we pointed out that the degaussing equipment on board which neutralizes the magnetic mines in the port has developed a fault for the rest of the day, boat was surrounded by floating and very deadly German mines and we ended up pushing them and take pot-shots at them.
Among the cultural treats available in Trieste was a former Roman Castle called Castello San Giusto In the summer months right used to organize opera performances there in the open, and I had the chance to see a show Carmen with an orchestra and distribution of several hundred audience numbered 12,000 and the performance went on until the early morning hours.
April 16, my very good friend Leslie Gilbert and I attended a Passover service Marittima ballroom on the waterfront of Trieste An amount of local civilians attended and the service was organized by an Austrian who had been released from a concentration camp, and his two daughters, who all worked for AMGOT Allied military Government for occupied territories.
Service was halfway when there was a clamor to one of the gates Some other victims of the concentration camps had arrived in the area and had heard of the service that was held in our shame, the local Jewish army chaplain , who was present, wanted to keep them away, insisting that the army rations had been issued for those expected Fortunately for common sense, it was easy to say unequivocally that all persons refuse to eat if newcomers are not allowed to enter, and the evening proceeded without further problems.
Among the few civilians that I knew in Trieste was Austrian AMGOT worker I met in the service of Easter, I was home one night and one of his daughters was about to leave to visit another friend Because Trieste streets are not quite sure at night, he asked me to escort him to his destination and I am happy to oblige.
We had just entered the street outside his apartment when we literally stumbled on a body in the curb The girl, I do not remember his name, was very distressed, but able to identify the deceased as another Jew who lived in an apartment above herself, she asked me to call the police from a nearby bar, because she had no phone in her apartment, and I escorted to the house we had just left, I called the bar, do not let my name or any information other than that there was a dead body in the street near the bar - because I had no intention of being involved with the Italian police when I was so close to go home on leave a few days later, I called her back home to find out what had happened and was told that the police believed that dead man had committed suicide by jumping from the roof.
On June 8, I was on leave again, and this time it coincided with the celebration of the official victory, I am feeling good and early to a Whitehall perspective and was pleased to see a contingent of the 4th hussars past march in the magnificent parade that included transportation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth photos in my album grasp everything.
When I got off, it was clear that our barracks were shared with the Royal Fusiliers Northumberland.
Trieste was a very interesting place to be at that time and it was not unknown for many black market to be underway between troops and civilians cigarettes in particular were in demand by the civilian population, we, the troops a free issue of 50 per week, plus we were able to buy at least a hundred a week in the NAAFI they used to look for a fair price in the street and there was at least a scam that some of our own MPs said practicing.
Apparently, members would focus on British troops make a deal in a side alley, and then leap, confiscated all the cigarettes and the money offered and that offenders are going on a promise not to offend Needless to say, once the culprits had fled the evidence was preserved by MPs for later sale to their own pet buyers.
I was overseas since April 1943 and it was therefore to approach the time for me to be sent home to England as part of the Python system It was a system in which, if we had served three years and nine months abroad, you qualify for the display of the house.
My time was getting closer, I'm more on the edge and lived in fear of being involved in a situation that could postpone my house allocation of such event possible was held because of my position responsible Tech Corporal squadron technical blinds stores themselves were in the barracks, but just outside the store, I kept several large items that were too big to be kept inside these items were two huge Staghound Armored car tires these, I would say, were worth at least book, 100 to anyone who could provide them with Yugoslav forces one morning just before the call, the boy who was my assistant and I formed to take charge me came to me in a panic both tires were stolen.
I reported the matter to Busty Thomas and a few minutes the whole camp was sealed The short story is that the tires were never found, but all the evidence pointed to a Trooper X The question has never been proven , however, and for about two weeks, I was sweating to be kept back in Italy as a witness of the court martial potential coincidentally, when I finally returned to England the same Trooper X was on the same project for my own peace of mind, I asked him to tell me, in confidence, how ada organized this massive theft, but he just laughed and said, it was not me t mate.
From Opicina we have now moved to the Dockyard area of Monfalcone, just a few miles down the road, but still in the region of Trieste The barracks, we took were in a very bad condition, especially sensitive after living Opicina for so long time, and he said good for the morale of the squad that we could turn it into something that was at least bearable.
For some time my rank in the army was full corporal or corporal Tech I know in the squadron My responsibilities were twofold First, I am responsible to see that all the shops were held necessary for the performance a squadron of Sherman tanks up to date and I was the link between the mechanical and the base store Depots My second responsibility was to keep the squadron leader, Major Loopy Kennard fully informed at all times the readiness of all vehicles under his command.
Every morning I set up the board of the regime in his office projection, if necessary, the vehicles were on the road this information was essential, at the drop of a hat squadron could be called in streets of Trieste to maintain peace Loopy, or to give it its full title, Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Arnold Ford Kennard, 3rd baronet, was a character then and even now, his biography titled simply Loopy makes very good reading.
At the time in question, he was quite satisfied with my services to him and the squadron to ask me to stay in the army after that I had to demob to make me stay, he offered as a bribe if you want very rapid promotion, mentioning that it was quite common for a Quartermaster Sergeant to an officer in a very short time, I was not to be tempted, however, as the delights of London called and I was looking forward to life as a civilian after the war, I wrote to him and his response is delicious in the back of my album.
On 19 October the same year, I had the chance in what should be a ballot vote serial Regimental Association was about to hold its first post-war meeting, and Winston Churchill was Colonel Honorary of the case should be made in the style Twenty men drawn from all ranks were sent home from Italy to be present in the night, and wonder of wonders, I was one of four corporals travel a total of six days to attend the dinner.
We left Monfalcone Wednesday, obtained in London on Friday night and arrived at the dinner on Saturday by Monday we were on the way home, arriving back at camp Wednesday night course, I am able to adapt some time at home, and the dinner itself, held at the Connaught Rooms in Holborn, with Winston Churchill presence was quite an experience.
Diaries of regimental October 8 Rgt was inspected by General Lt corps commander Sir John Harding.
The regiment was visited by the corps commander, Lieutenant-General Sir John Harding, and the photo in my album, it brings all of me because I am in my office at the time, as I had a look of window to see what was happening, I actually saw them take the picture it is particularly interesting for me today because it shows Busty, Loopy and Chesty Reed, the SMR.
On New Year's Eve, we were still in Monfalcone and a photo album shows seven guys, including me, the local fairground We were in a rifle range that took your picture if you hit the target and, to our surprise, it actually worked.
In l947, January, just three months to four years from the time I sailed in North Africa, ME was published in Barnard Castle in Northumberland I arrived just in time for the worst winter in memory living of some people and spent a lot of time digging drifts trains for nearly three months, I can kick my heels until March, I was finally released to return to civilian life.
England was in a state of crisis as fuel was almost impossible to get ground travel by train to stop heavy snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures have made our barracks a place of purgatory and there was no one toilet that worked in the barracks We spent all day digging snowdrifts trains and like almost everyone in the camp was about to be de-mobbed, rank meant nothing at all to the first time in my military career, I saw officers under the rank of captain was ordered to join the parties of snow with shovels and published to some of the widening.
The last three months of my life in the army was boring to say the least, and I welcomed any chance to do something different This probably explains the fact that I had to have volunteered for the work of the escort prisoners, the details of which will follow.
While I was fighting in Italy, someone who shall remain nameless had apparently been a naughty boy in England and had been sentenced to jail It Lincoln with just finished his sentence two years and I Corporal in charge of the escort plus another trooper was to meet with him to prison and escort him to the army in Darlington.
The former prisoner living in London and we had to change stations in Cross King I agreed to let him visit his people in Caledonian Road before finally brought him back to camp Bearing in mind the fact that if I losing a prisoner was a court martial offense I took a chance and we kept in handcuffs all the way to his house and after all the way back to the barracks.
The long awaited day has finally arrived from Barnard Castle I went by train to York, where my official demob held the great hall where I bade farewell was packed with hundreds of men trying to last Montague Burton had to offer, although if I remember rightly you have a color suit provided it was navy or brown and any style provided it was single-breasted or double-breasted j ' had been in the army for four and a half years, and as a father, God rest his soul, would have said, it is enough it was time to go home.
Three months after being demobilized, I received a payment from the War of six and fourpence This was accompanied by a form of compensation which explained that the money in question was two days rations allowance for escorting a prisoner back to Darlington a Lincoln prison.
And so I come to the end of this saga unlikely that I had packed a lot in the years between 1923 and 1947, at the age of 24 was ready to start my life all over again.
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These messages have been added to this story by site members between June 2003 and January 2006, it is no longer possible to leave messages here For more information on contributors of the site.
Most articles I posted on this site began life in the Goldstein family book that we published privately in 1988.
Blighter lazy as I am, in most cases I have just lifted the stories of my computer on this site without checking for any obvious chronological errors.
Take this story and references to my dear old friend Eddy Patman.
I clearly say when we were in Rome, I went with him to see The Song of Bernadette.
On recheck my diaries that I now find that after joining the 4th QOH I never returned to Rome, even though I clearly visited there twice while in both 49th LAA June 21 and again on July 10 it must have been the second time when I saw the film with my op wireless comrade, Peter.
It is now, and only now, sixty years later, I realize that I should have recorded in the book of the family.
I WOULD Eddy wrote and I saw the film in Italy on various occasions, but sent a return examination at his former company, etc, etc, etc.
It can happen to some people that the above additive is not necessary, but it must be a sign of my years that I felt it was appropriate to set the record straight.
Never trust your memory and do not forget to keep a journal.
Published March 25, 2005 by Audrey Lewis - Help Site WW2.
BBC WW2 People's War Trieste from October 1945 to January 1947, people TRIESTE, october.