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26 July 1943 Again going on detachment. This time to the Island of Pantellaria. The MO and another orderly are also going. Left Sabala by DC3 and it took us about an hour to get there. Not a very interesting trip as it is for the most part over the sea. One of the first things we saw on landing was the huge dumps of enemy aircraft all around the drome. The hangars are built into the side of a mountain and they are a wonderful piece of engineering. The offices etc are built over the top of the hangars and it is a huge affair with roadways leading right to the top of the hangar. We are our MI Room up there but still have very little to do. Again feeding with the Americans. Food good. We also get our cigarettes from them and we do well as the issue is 100 British cigarettes each week. Free, some pipe tobacco, razor blades, gum and sweets all free. There is nothing to spend any money on except wine and women. One just goes into the fields and picks what grapes one needs and they are lovely big green ones. We are billeted in an Italian Barracks and one is absolutely bitten all over by the various insects. Met some very nice American fellows from the ‘Met’ Office. There is very little to do except go for walks, although the Yanks are organised with cinema shows which are held every other night. They certainly know how to get organised for their own comfort.

14 August 1943 Back to La Sabala by DC. The journey from Pantellaria was all the way at sea level until we reached the African coast.

16 August 1943 Went to the Rest Camp for four days. Had a very nice time although I was the only visitor there as they were preparing for the arrival of 323 Wing personnel who were to spend some time there before leaving North Africa. Used to go for walks along the sea front and bathed three or four times a day. Do not think that I shall ever learn to swim. Food good.

20 August 1943 When I arrived back at camp learned that I should have gone for a trade test but it was too much trouble for anyone to tell me. The usual RAF muddle.

22 August 1943 Once again on the move. Sunday again. We always appear to move on a Sunday. This time we are going to Bizerte en route for Sicily. Arrive at Bizerte by lorry and as usual no one knows how, when or why we are going. Stay the night at a Transit Camp and some of the fellows are called out in the night to help unload the lorries on to LST’s. Spend the day loading the boat with the biggest set of junk ever. Quite a lot of it found its way into the harbour.

Section 2

DIARY OF LAC 1497538 WILLIAM ERIC SAVILLE WHILST OVERSEAS
FROM 24 AUGUST 1943 TO 9 APRIL 1944

24 August 1943 Left Bizerte. Had to sleep on the deck under the lorries. Trip very good, sea calm and we had one scare when guns opened up at a ‘Fort’ and this certainly put the wind up us.

27 August 1943 Arrive Augusta, Sicily. Again unload the boat piling the stuff on the quay. Then we go to what is called a Transit Camp but more like a refuse dump. The place has been used by troops for quite a long time, with little if any supervision and each Unit has just dug latrines anywhere and buried refuse all over the place. We just lay down anywhere for the first night and slept under the stars. Following day erected our ‘pup’ tents away from the refuse. Spent about nine days here with very little to do but mess about. Wash our clothes and ourselves in irrigation ditches of running water.

29 August 1943 Own lorries move off in two parties and I stayed behind with the rear party.

3 September 1943 Panic again. Load up the stuff and reload it on to the train. When we get to the Station with the last loads find that the train has gone, so back to the Transit Camp and pitch ‘pup’ tents.

4 September 1943 Lorries loaded again and we set off for a place the other side of Catania, where we are to catch the train, which will take us to Palermo. The scenery is very much different from North Africa as there are plenty of cultivated areas. The main crops grown are oranges, lemons and olives.

Some of the towns are built on mountain sides and are made up of series of terraces.

Arriving at a small station, Portiere Stella, we boarded an American train and started our journey across Sicily. We are accommodated in cattle trucks and it is surprising how one can get comfortable in one of these, we even managed to get a few hours sleep. Passed the time on during the hours of darkness by singing hymns, etc.

On the way up we saw plenty of signs of the war with bridges blown up and derelict tanks. Some of the bridges had been made to take traffic but in a lot of cases we had to make detours.

5 September 1943 Arrived Palermo. This is quite a modern town, being the capital of Sicily. There are some very fine modern buildings and lots of statues about the place. One of the things that I noticed was the dress of the policemen. They were all dressed up in blue tunics with broad red stripes down their trousers, a Napoleon hat and a sword and they looked as though they had just stepped out of a comic opera

We are billeted in Italian Barracks and it is OK. The food is very good as we are on both British and American rations. Our Sick Quarters are situated in a house, which has only half a roof. Think that the place has never been finished.

Our Medical Officer has gone to a small island off the coast of Sicily so we have to take our Sick Parade to the Americans. Managed to get into Palermo about once a week and we go by bus which has been commandeered for the use of the Squadron. There are
plenty of goods in the shops and the prices are not too high. Of course the Americans have taken over several of the Cinemas and we are allowed to go to them. They also run an American Red Cross Club and they have the Yacht Club where one is able to go swimming and yachting. Have paid a visit to the Cathedral but was not very much impressed with it and it certainly could have done with a good clean. Have also paid a visit to the Cathedral at Monreale, which is a small place four miles outside Palermo, it is really a marvellous place. There are hundreds of mosaic pictures on the walls and ceilings, depicting scenes from the Old Testament, and I have never seen anything like it before. The whole of these was covered by fine linen to prevent the bombing doing any damage to them. We were lucky to see the place because as soon after we had visited it was placed out of bounds.

Bert Thomas, my pal, made friends with a guide at the Palermo Cathedral and we went several times to his house. He had been bombed out of his place at Palermo and was living near Monreale. He was a very nice fellow and spoke perfect English and had been to England several times. Before the war he had been a guide for Thomas Cook’s and had taken on the job as guide at the Cathedral as he had nothing else to do. He had a family of four daughters and two sons. His eldest son was in the Italian army and he was very worried as to his whereabouts. Whenever we went to his house the wine bottle was always going and one night we had just enough to make us merry.

Get on very well with the American Medics and I often go over to their place for a chat and a drink. One morning there was a terrific storm and we had to write off three Walruses as total wrecks. A Liberator and several spits were also put out of commission

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