204774 Lt. Ivan George Thornton Pinfield MID.British Army 1st Btn. Royal Fusiliers from:Warlingham I joined in 1939, did basic training at Hounslow, and was then the first wartime volunteer to go to Sandhurst. I was there at the time of Dunkirk. Then I was posted to the Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment, 1st Battalion, 4th Indian Division and we embarked for Suez. I saw action in Eritrea, the Western Desert and Palestine, and was seriously wounded whilst in Syria.
After a year in hospital in Jerusalem (nearly losing my right leg - as well as my life), and convalescence in South Africa, I was shipped back to England where I spent the rest of the war on home defence duties. These included: guarding the oil pipeline to France (Winchelsea), counting buzz bombs as they came over, and operating camp facilities for troops in the New Forest during the invasion period.
Whilst I was at Winchelsea, we made sure that every member of the crew took home a fresh Dover Sole when they went on leave! Top Brass used to visit in the expectation of wonderful hospitality (eg fresh eggs and fish)! The country was still heavily rationed at this time. Finally, as the war ended I had great fun organising open days at Guildford Barracks. I was demobbed and sent up to Olympia to collect a demob suit: these were so awful that the first thing we did when emerging from Olympia was sell the suits for £2.50 to black marketeers lined up outside!
I wish I knew what happened to my unit in Syria after I was wounded, and would love to know their stories.
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