242219 QMS. John Gerard Pye British Army Pioneer Corps John Pye was my uncle and the person to whom I was closest growing up in the post-war years. Before and after the war he worked for the Co-op, first as a 'bread-lad', later a shop manager and then a senior manager.
He was born in 1909 and died in 1985. From time to time he talked about his wartime experiences in the Pioneers. His first overseas posting was to Iceland. Then he trained for D Day. He assembled at Haywards Heath and left, I think, from Shoreham. He described how each man had to learn a map off by heart for a distance of, I think, about two miles behind the beach. One of his friends jumped into the water with a bicycle around his neck. They had to put up signposts. They were bogged down before Caen - the fighting there was the worst of the lot.
Eventually, he found himself at Fallingbostel which appeared, from his account, to have been a POW camp for German troops.
He was quartermaster sergeant and this clearly enabled him to 'barter' with the prisoners. He have me a small wristwatch with a black face and strap which he obtained from a female SS officer. He brought home another watch and a large and beautiful lute.
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