258773 Tpr. Albert James "Mick" Hagger British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Tank Regiment from:Pampisford, Cambs My father Albert joined the Army in March 1939 aged 20. He enlisted in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and became a trooper driver. He escaped from Dunkirk after sabotaging his truck by draining the sump and running the engine until it seized. Later he was posted to Egypt and fought in the epic tank battles, gaining and losing ground whilst driving a Matilda tank. He mentioned harrowing stories of recapturing ground and having to extract his dead comrades from destroyed tanks in desert heat conditions. That was all he ever told me and would say nothing more of his experiences there. He ended up in the Qattara Depression in the Western desert of Egypt where his battalion was surrounded by superior German forces and his CO ordered a surrender. He and others spiked their tanks with grenades down the barrels to the anger of the Germans! They were treated well and told to take all they could for a long march into captivity. Unfortunately, they were marched away and handed over to the Italian army as prisoners and were promptly robbed of all their belongings. I never found out how dad got to Sudetenland (now the Czech Republic). He was interred in Stalag 4C in Wistritz Bei Teplitz as POW No. 226596. He was put to work in the coal mine and told me they sabotaged the coal wagons by putting sand in the axles, but the Germans then made them carry on using them as a punishment! The only other story about camp life he spoke of was how for cigarettes from a friendly guard they offered to teach him English. After many months of coaching and cigarettes he proudly addressed his colleagues and declared in English, Me Gerry bastard! He was demobbed in January 1946 and earned the 1939-45 War Medal and Africa Star.
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