Dad's Navy Days: July 1943 - Sicily (4)

Seventy years ago during World War 2, from July 10 to August 6, 1943, Allied forces invaded and gradually occupied Sicily as part of the growing effort to uproot and ultimately defeat German forces in Europe.

["A map of Sicily; 80th Flotilla landed at Avola, July 1943"]

Men of the Canadian Forces were on hand, including my father, a Leading Seaman (attached to the 80th Flotilla of warships and landing crafts) with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and Combined Operations. In a book of his memoirs he recalls many of his experiences vividly.

     "We were never hit but six ships were hit in a sneak attack
     out of the sun by German fighters carrying a bomb apiece.
     At night they would drop chandelier flares with their engine
     motors cut off. Everything would be dark and then suddenly
     it was like daylight. The flares were on parachutes and took
     forever to come down. After the flares lighted us up in came
     the bombers. Fortunately our gunners got so expert they
     could shoot out the flares." Page 32, "DAD, WELL DONE"
     by Gord Harrison

["Combined Ops insignia on Gord's workshop door"]

Hot times in Sicily continued but not as intensely as the first four or five days. Easier work routines were adopted and men had a bit of free time during which they explored local villages. Reminiscences of a Canadian LCM Flotilla Engineer Officer offer the following:

     "An account of this period of our existence (on hard-tack
     and bully beef) wouldn't be complete without some mention
     of the escapades of the lads to nearby villages before they
     were put out of bounds. We had sufficient hands that after
     the big rush of the first week or so, we were able to put them
     into two watches and allow each watch every other twenty-four
     hours off. Curiosity is a dominant characteristic in C.O. Ratings
     (Combined Operation sailors) and it is made even more vigorous
     by the chance of souvenirs or 'rabbits'. If one returns from a
     village without something to show for the trip (no that isn't
     what I was thinking about!), one's prestige takes a great flop.
     I will admit that Vino was amongst the articles most highly
     prized at first and often we were drugged to sleep to the
     tunes of 'Vino vorblings'.
     Vino, the native wine, wasn't the only local product available
     to us in Sicily. We arrived just in time to cash in on ripe grapes,
     almonds and lemons in abundance." Page 96 - 97,
     COMBINED OPERATIONS by Clayton Marks, London

My father's first note (recorded in 1975) about finding a souvenir in Sicily is revealing. He didn't even have to step ashore to find his first treasure:  

     "Our LCM was fortunate enough to pick up rum destined for
     the officers' mess; but it never arrived there - we stowed it
     in the engine room. From then on we went six or seven miles
     up the beach at night, had a swim, slung our hammocks and
     drank ourselves to sleep, to awake in the morning covered
     with shrapnel, but never heard a sound." Pg., 33
     "DAD, WELL DONE"

["The Dancing Sailor, circa 1970, by Gord H."]

My father recalls more details about the rum in an article he wrote in 1992 for his hometown newspaper, THE NORWICH GAZETTE:

     "One day, about day three, a large net full of wooden cases
     landed on my landing craft. Stencilled on the side of each
     case were the words NAVY RUM; destination Officers' Mess.
     I decided that the Officers' Mess was in the engine room of
     our LCM. I never worked so hard and enjoyed it so much in
     my life... (later) a few miles up the beach we anchored our
     craft, took out our saltwater soap and went for a swim while
     all Hell broke loose down the beach. The word got around
     somehow that I had rum and before long I had more friends
     than you could shake a stick at. A fool and his rum are soon
     parted, but for a few nights we slept in the lap of the gods...
     we all slept well and although my head was splitting, I took
     it in good part. In the early morning it was back to the
     firing line...
     Since we remained on good terms with our officers and never
     heard anything about the rum, I concluded they didn't know
     where it went and I didn't enlighten them. On the next invasion,
     I was hopeful they would send food."

When I think of my father's time in Sicily (a period of four weeks) I usually recall three episodes: The NAVY RUM story; meals of bully beef, bully beef and bully beef; and days at The Lizardly Savoy.

More to follow.

Photos by GH

***

Please click here to read Dad's Navy Days: July 1943 - Sicily (3)