Pte. Mervyn Basil "Muff" Tooke
British Army 4th Btn. East Yorkshire Regiment
from:Hull, East Yorkshire
Dad, Mervyn Tooke joined the Territorial Army before the War began & had very happy memories of training at Stow-on-the-Wold. He married mum Irene (Pet) on a 3 day leave in April 1941. He was captured in the Middle East in June 1942, spending 6 months as a prisoner in the desert (in a cage according to mum) before being taken by coal steamer to southern Italy, where he spent time in a holding camp. He was moved to northern Italy by cattle truck in dreadfully hot, cramped conditions, several men dying on route. When the Italians surrendered he was moved to Stalag IVB until liberation by the Americans I think in May 1945. He said there wasn't a dry eye on the ship as the men saw the White Cliffs of Dover on their return, something many hadn't ever expected to see.
Post war he had a happy life with mum, daughters Sally, Beryl, myself & six grand children ("I love you double" he used to tell them.) Sadly he died in October 1992. A hard working lovely man, he kept his bad memories of the war to himself and only told us amusing tales "We hid behind the same blade of grass on Dunkirk beach!" He didn't have a bad word to say about the Germans, enjoying practising the German he remembered with German tourists in Mallorca in the late 70's early 80's. He wasn't so fond of the Italians, the men that is, he said the women were all right! They threw apples at them sobbing when they were marched through villages after working on the land as they were such a pitiful sight. He spent time in hospital in Naples with dysentery and survived despite losing half his body weight. He is much missed and we will always be very very proud of him.
