Sgt. William George Andrews
British Army 43rd Reece Regiment Reconnaissance Corps
from:Gloucester
My father Bill Andrews was a member of the 43rd Recce Regiment, here is a bit of information that I have managed to glean. He enlisted in the 5th Gloucestershire Regiment, he had told them he was a year older than he actually was, saying his date of birth was 20th of Jan 1919 (really 1920 as he was under the minimum age to join up at that time). My cousin Tony Cocks told me that dad was rescued from Dunkirk. The boat he was rescued by was torpedoed and he was then rescued by another boat.
On D-Day, he landed at Sword beach and went through Normandy (through what was called the Falaise Gap to Seine) and was involved in heavy fighting around Vernon, a little town on the Seine between Rouen and Paris. They were the first to cross the Seine and had to build three pontoon bridges because the Germans had blown up the bigger bridges to stop tanks coming across. They battled there for 3-4 days before they managed to take the town, this happened around 22nd of August 1944. They were a group of around 40, which included Gilbert Folley (who provided this information in an article in The Citizen newspaper in August 2000). Other persons that Gilbert remembers in the group were Sammy and Bill Moreland, the quartermaster Major Benny Vigrass, Hal Bagwell (the boxer from Gloucester), Walt Critchley, Douglas and Desmond Scarr (from Cheltenham), Jumbo Gardiner (from Dursley)and Tom Carter from The Forest.
Dad was released from service on 2nd of April 1946, his testimonial on the release document was: An extremely hard working and conscientious man who can be relied upon not only to work on his own but to get others working with him. He has a good practical knowledge of M.T. A man of clean and sober habits he has a pleasant personality and is a good athlete. Military Conduct: Very Good. Dad went on to serve in the Territorial Army, enlisting on the 25th of May 1948 and being released on 24th of May 1950.
