Pte. Frank Malcolm Machin
British Army 2nd Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment
from:Kamptee, India
My father Frank Machin was born in British India in 1922. His father was WO2 in the York & Lancaster Regiment. My father joined the battalion as a boy soldier in 1936 at the age of 14 years. he served in Iceland, Norway, Greece, Crete, Tobruk, France Belgium, Holland, and Germany.
He met my mother in Nijmegen (Holland). After Market Garden, he was billeted at my mother's home in September 1944. They were married in 1945. I believe that my father served with the Chindits in Burma, but cannot confirm this. After the war he was stationed in Germany, and then was stationed at Pontefract Barracks the regiments depot. I was born in the barracks, at No6, B Block. We then moved to Colchester where my brother Ian was born. We were then posted to Brunswick in Eastern Germany. After 2 years we returned to Pontefract, where my father was now the Provost Sargeant.He did tours in Sudan,Egypt, and Palistine. On his return, he was promoted to CSM (WO2), and was in charge of training recruits. In 1954, we moved to Dover Castle. Whilst there, he took part in the Suez Crisis. The battallion were also extras in the film Dunkirk. I also remember standing in the school playground, watching thousands of Hungarian refugees walking past with all their worldly goods on their backs. This was 1956, the battalion had just received their new colours. We returned to Pontefract for the last time before it was closed down. Late 1958, we had our final posting to Queen Elizabeth Barracks at Strensall near York, where again my father was training CSM. He retired after 26 years service, in 1961. He passed away in 1988.
