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Recorded Interview 1
by
Pte. Alfred Raymond Mason 466698
.....Can’t
think how it came about, we had a reunion at Brock Barracks, and I met Colonel
Hill there, well he was Major Hill then, he was in charge, a smashing chap
and that. They had the reunion up at Reading, at the Barracks; I was next to
him in the dinner queue and he pushed me in front of him, I said, no that’s
alright; oh a smashing chap, I got mine, he got his and he came and sat next
to me and we had quite a nice old chat about that. He was a good officer, and
a wonderful man all the way through, he was there for you if you got wounded
or that he was always about, and of course he was quite a very brave; he used
to lead, I mean there was no need to he could have been at the back, he had
his platoon or whatever in front of the company, but he used to lead them,
which you know was a bit dangerous, because you’re the first there, I
mean if you bump into the Japs, an ambush or anything you’d be the first
one they’d pick off, especially the officers. I can see him on this hill, ‘Hill
18’ I think it was called.
.....When my dad, he was in India, and he used to tell me when I was about 7 or
8, about Bashar and all these different places he’d been to. I always
used to be asking about his army career, various places, and Doolally and all
these different places, Doolally, you know it was like a second home to me,
because that’s the first place you go to, you land up at Bombay and then
you get your first stop, 60 to 90 miles away is Doolally. Unfortunately dad
died and I wasn’t able to tell to him about how things were for me. He
died after I came home, towards the end when he was getting older he got of
the Tram, as it was then, the Tram stopped at the top of road, he got off there
and went to cross the road and a coach come up, I think they’d been out
for the day, and I suppose he’s rushing to get back home and he hit my
dad and he carried him quite a few yards, and of course he was killed instantly.
I haven’t told my sister Joyce about any of this, I shall have to have
a chat with her sometime, my eldest passed away unfortunately.
.....I’m 90 now, I’ve got one of me cards in front of me now, wishing
me a happy 90th birthday. You realise when you’re 90 that all what you’ve
done, and after all that’s happened, you have survived.
Pte. Alfred Raymond Mason