Memories and photos from Wilf Shaw - WW2 vet - Green Howards

I’m writing to let people know of some new additions to my web site. Wilf Shaw, of Oldham, has been in touch with me and has provided a bucketful of war photos and memories. He was at Dunkirk, Alamein, Tobruk, Wadi Akarit, Sicily, D-Day, Holland and more! He was wounded twice and still returned to battle. He is 92 years of age.
Of particular interest to me are some photos he sent in of many comrades Qassasin Camp in North Africa. Dad mentions Qassasin in his war memoirs and describes Qassasin as follows:
" We ended up at a large, tented camp about a mile west of the Suez Canal, which was the main British military base in Egypt, Qassasin Camp, and it was indeed just that, there were very few brick-built buildings. Qassasin was described as ‘that bugbear of all British troops newly arrived in the Middle East.’ It was alleged, if you hadn’t already got ‘jippy tummy’, this was the place you could expect it. There were swarms of thousands of flies and when we were eating or drinking they would settle on our lips and we had to constantly wave them off our food." - Bill Cheall
It was great for me personally to see some pictures of it for the first time. Some of the comrades are named so may be of interest to genealogists researching their family history.
Read more about Wilf and see his super photo set at this war diary link. I’m attaching a few of his photos for you to see.
Many thanks Wilf!
Paul

 

A follow-up to Wilf’s story – this fabulous anecdote about a gold ring which he sent me – the anecdote, not the ring!
In Wilf’s words, ‘How do you like this story and photograph? To this very day I find it so hard to believe but it's so true. I still have the ring and God, how I treasure it! I never wear the ring, I just take it from its little case from time to time just to look at it with wonder. I could be offered the earth for it and it would be "No Sale". ‘
Wilf Shaw, October 2011

I’m attaching a photo of Wilf wearing the ring. To read the full story, please click on this war memoir link.
(www.fightingthrough.co.uk/#/wilf-shaw-4/4556286864)

Regards
Paul

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