206447 Cpl. Kenneth Baldry British Army 660 Tank Support Services REME from:Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire At the time of writing I am 91 yrs of age (2010) and although I do not speak very often of the 5 years I spent at war, I do try to keep some of the more positive images I remember. I attended the Colchester Barracks to train up on welding and was subsequently attached to REME 660 tank support services. About 200 men were chosen to provide support to Italy and I remember we were dispatched a little way from the beach and had to wade with our loaded rifles above our heads, hitting the beach to lie flat upon on arrival. I do remember feeling not scared, but very apprehensive about what lay ahead. Luckily the coast was clear and we marched into the village and spent our first night in a large barn. For the next 5 yrs I remained in Italy travelling from the toe up to the top (Trieste). I have fond memories of the Italian people who were very friendly. I was asked by a young boy if I would visit his parents' house after I finished my guard duty and did so. I was made very welcome and in total ended up visiting 6 houses on the street partaking of a glass of wine with each visit. I returned to barracks slightly tipsy! Another memory which can make me smile is that it was often my job to round up the men at the end of the night to get them back to barracks. Many of the young men had been visiting the local brothels in the area. Being a young recently married man myself I spent many hours waiting around (true) drinking coffee and chatting with the 'madam' owners. I have to say being relatively newly wed and a baby daughter at home I did not partake of these pleasures, but I fully understand that the young men needed some comfort during those difficult years. I also remember, at the end of the war, staying behind to dismantle equipment - a few of us from the 660 tank support team visited the Isle of Capri. We located where our beloved Gracie Fields lived and proceeded to shout and ask Gracie to come down. True to form she appeared at a top window and said "Hang on a minute lads, let me put my face on and I will be down." Gracie did come down to meet us, signing autographs and we all received a lovely photograph taken with her. To conclude, the war was won. On my return home (having left a new baby girl) I was met by my daughter (who was almost 5 years old) running down the street shouting "Dad Dad!" She had been watching out for me coming along the road and had run into the house saying "A man with a big bag on his back was coming down the street, do you think that is my dad ?" I had lost those early years of watching my daughter grow up, but remain grateful to this day that I was one of the lucky ones who did return home from WW2.
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