207966 Bdr. James Norris British Army 24th Field Regt Royal Artillery from:Northampton (d.4th Dec 1944) An excerpt of a censored letter to the Northampton News (Post Office Newsletter) from Bombardier 1058316 Jim Norris, 24 Field Regt, R.A. in Italy, late 1944, shortly before he was killed on 4/12/1944:
Since I last wrote I have been on some interesting and tedious journeys which eventually brought us face to face with our old adversary - Tedesci (sic)
We realise that since that great achievement of the Allied Armies in France, we in Italy have been pushed into the background a little but I am going to say right now that no Army in the whole world has ever had to face such difficulties as those our Generals have had.
All my life if a man says "I served in the infantry in the Italian Campaign", I shall say: "Pal, What are you drinking?". If ever any men had the right to say they were browned off, those men are in the infantry. I have been a member of an S.P. gun crew and though we usually operate well behind them, we have at times been up with them and on one occasion we were in front. That was at Anzio; I swore that the infantry should get a special campaign medal; he is the man that has to meet the enemy face to face. As I write this there is a terrible din going on among the grape vines of the Lombardy Plains. Our planes are dive-bombing his forward troops relentlessly. Our bren gunners are opening up every minute or so. The horrible whine of his sobbing sisters shatters the air. I believe that sound is the most horrible of all. Every time they open up I gnash my teeth and curse because we can see them falling on our infantry positions. Gerry is a crafty old fox but he is being pushed steadily back. His Gothic Line was a tough proposition. It is a marvel he was ever ousted out at all. Pay tribute to the infantrymen for getting them out. As I passed by one of his Panther turret strong points, I saw chalked "Captured by Cpl............Infantry Regt." Said I to my comrades: "The Infantry has done it again." "Aye" said our Yorkshire Sergeant,"They are t'lads."
Rat-tat-tat, the bren guns are at it again. The spandau replies in short bursts, his artillery is silent, perhaps he is making another strategic withdrawal. We shall soon know. The planes are going in again, four spitfires, down they go, hell for leather - are they all up safely? Yes, here they come, heading for our lines. They have given them hell! One thing, the prophecy Mr Churchill made about Italy in 1940 when Musso attacked us, has come true. Italy has paid the price, she has paid in full. Never in all history has one country suffered so much destruction. It is appalling. Roll on that blessed day when I can come back to my native land but the task is not yet complete. No relaxing anywhere must be permitted. I shall have to write another long letter soon as airmails are scarce, only one a week. We have been extremely busy of late forging a way through the Gothic Line. What a line it was, no sooner had one strong point been liquidated than another and another barred the way. I have nothing but the highest praise for our infantry, who have to take these positions in fierce fighting. All the way up Italy you will see the signs of these struggles, let us therefore praise them, and remember those they leave at home. The grand advance of the boys in France has made our own campaign look small in comparison but the ring around Germany gets smaller and, whoever gets to Berlin first, will have our best wishes.
Bdr Norris is remembered on the Memorial at Cesena War Cemetery.
C.W.G.C.: "Most of those buried in this cemetery died during the advance from Rimini to Forli and beyond in September-November 1944, an advance across one flooded river after another in atrocious autumn weather. The cemetery site was selected in November 1944 and burials were brought in from the surrounding battlefields. Cesena War Cemetery contains 775 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War."
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