From Liverpool to Palestine, following the account on page 51 of the family booklet. Tap a numbered stop or step through the journey.
From page 51 of the family booklet, transcribed as written.
JIM NAISH attended a Driver/Wireless Operators course at Catterick, after which he went to Infantry OCTU on the Isle of Man, fighting numerous battles around the TT course.
He was commissioned in the Middlesex Regiment in September 1943 but sailed with the 9th Manchesters from Liverpool on the liner “Otranto”, landing at Algiers on Christmas Day 1943. After training in Sicily, the unit drove up to a mountainous part of the front north-east of Cassino. One of the positions was later handed over to a unit of the Italian Army which had by then been admitted to the Allied side.
9th Manchesters was a support battalion comprising machine-guns, heavy mortars and 20mm AA Oerlikons, but at that stage of the war it was decided that the threat of low-flying aircraft had largely disappeared and the Army had superiority of artillery anyway. As a result the establishment was drastically reduced and Jim, along with many others, was posted to an infantry battalion.
Jim was lucky going to the 1/4 Hampshires in 46 Division, which had a fine reputation, and he served with them in Italy until the end of 1944.
However, Jim fell ill and had a month over Christmas in hospital near Rome. In the meantime the Division went to Greece and he was not able to rejoin it until about VE Day.
This was spent at Forli in the north of the country, along with the Polish Corps, who seemed to loose off any remaining ammunition into the air in celebration.
Three months were then spent in Austria. All good things come to an end and the younger generation was destined for the Far East.
Whilst waiting at Naples for a flight, VJ thankfully intervened and Jim then spent a further 18 months in Egypt and Palestine.