The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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260593 Gnr. John Mellard British Army 8th Survey Regiment Royal Artillery from:Nottingham John Mellard My father John Mellard was a coal miner and, as such, exempt from military service. However, he got a transfer from the pit face to a surface job and re-applied and was enlisted on 30th of October 1940 into the Royal Artillery. After completing his training, he remained in the UK until 5th of February 1943, when he was shipped to North Africa aboard a Dutch luxury liner that had been used as a troop carrier called the Johann van Oldenbarnevelt. I recall that he participated in battles in many places like Mersa Matruh, Medjez-el-Bab, Katmattyfoo, Wadi El Kabir. When Rommel had been driven out of North Africa and the war had essentially finished there, my father started training for the invasion at Salerno. His training was completed when Operation Avalanche began. My father had an old magazine which he showed to me as a child. It contained a photo of him running down the gang-plank from a landing craft. I still have that photo. The irony is that I have been doing some research into my father’s military service and recently found a book called Operation Avalanche which covers the Salerno landings, and the front dust cover is the very same photo of my father running down the gang-plank that he had shown me. My father has been immortalized in a book! Geoff Mellard Add to this record.  Related Content: 8th Survey Regiment, Royal Artillery SS Johann van Oldenbarnevelt Western Desert Campaign in North Africa Battle of Mersa Matruh Battle of Medjez el Bab Operation Avalanche - Salerno Landings Italian Campaign Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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