Pte. Thomas George "Old Man" Turner
British Army 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment
from:Reading, Berkshire
Before World War Two my great granddad, Thomas Turner, worked as a bricklayer living in Whitley to the south of Reading. Meaning once war was declared his job was protected and he did not have to join up which is why from 1939 to 1943 he worked for the Government and helped build military structures and buildings for the war effort. During this time he also was an ARP warden before he left this position and became an independent Whitley firewatcher with many of his colleagues who had fallen out with local ARP officials in 1941.
He was called up to the Royal Berkshire Regiment in 1943 and when his papers came through he was working on a building site near Oxford so his wife had to take a bus to give him the papers. He was aged 36 when he was called up which meant he was one of the eldest in his company which was why he was given a nickname "The Old Man". He served throughout the 2nd Battalion's campaign in Burma and was part of the force that stormed Mandalay Hill from the 10th to the 12th March 1945.
He returned to Britain towards the end of 1946 and my great aunt remembers him being one of the last soldiers to return home and how he greeted her at the school gates in his military uniform, slouch hat and satchel over his arm to give her a hug. When asked about his military service he said that "he enjoyed his time in the Army" probably due to the experiences of a new country, culture and the feeling of togetherness within his company. He also said that "I was never really one for fighting to the death for my country" and my great aunt says that "if he could of avoided being called up to the Army he would have done". He also told my dad that when his company came into contact or engaged the Japanese forces he would always try and "avoid getting too involved" and "do his best to just stay alive". He was awarded the Burma Star, Defence Medal and British War Medal. He sadly passed away in 2000 at the age of 94. Thank you great grandad and all those that served in Burma and the Far East whose names have sadly been overshadowed by the war in Europe. We will never forget.
