207959 L/Cpl. Henry William John Pettit British Army 298G.T.Coy Workshops Royal Army Service Corps from:London, England My Dad,Henry W J Pettit, never talked a lot about his war years, he was called up to service on the 9th of January 1941 and returned from Italy to join a surgical sterilizer firm, GU Sterilizers on Hendon Way, London. I know he was in the 8th Army, RASC in 298 G.T.COY Workshops from 1942/3 and did not return home to his wife, my mother Joan and their first son, until 1946, I think.
He used to mention the horrors of the trip by ship down to Tripoli and Benghazi and then the very rough crossing by landing craft to Sicily,where he very much understated the violence and the sights he saw. I know then that he saw Brindisi, Assissi and then arrived in Rome with his remaining mates. I do not know if he passed via Cassino or Anzio-I suspect the latter. I think he did basic training on Salibury Plain and was released via Aldershot. I have photographs of his team, and hope an old colleague or one of their family may recognize him.
I do know that his truck once slipped down a river gorge in torrential rains and at that precise moment, his photograph on his mother's mantelpiece in Paddington,London, fell off.
We owe him and all those great soldiers everlasting gratitude and respect and love and we would love to know more about his war years.
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