Cpl. George Arthur "Jim" Harvey
British Army REME
from:London
My parents, George Arthur Harvey and Georgia Mary Hall married by special license at The Parish Church in Doddinghurst, 21 February 1942. He was on 10 days embarkation leave prior to departing for India 16 March 1942. Their witnesses were Dad’s sister Florence and her future husband Herbert Pipkin.
Dad said he served with the Engineering Corps in India, (REME) servicing an artillery unit. He said that they weren’t near any of the fighting, but one night Japanese soldiers sneaked into their camp and stole all their weapons. Dad laughed when he told me that, but it must have been serious because he said they were all nearly court-martialled! He said wasn’t wounded during the war, but did get a snake bite on his back and said that one of his mates had cut it and sucked out the venom (he actually had a scar in the centre of his back, so it may be true). I think he told me he was invalided home with malaria and dysentery. When I asked him what his thoughts were after the war and he was back to normal life, he said “how boring and ordinary civilian life was!!” I have recently received, after almost twelve months waiting, a copy of his service record. I will update his story once I have deciphered the very lengthy document.
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