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Lance-Bombardier Leonard Charles Thomas Smith
Unit : "E" Troop, No.3 Battery, 1st Airlanding Light Regiment
Army No. : 1155845
The following is a compilation of extracts from various letters written by Len Smith in later years.
When we came back from Italy we landed in Perth Scotland, as a lot of our comrades were Scottish there was a rumour Scotland was our new home. We piled on the train and we kept going on and on eventually we were told we were going to Boston. That day I learn't some new Scottish swear words. Boston was very good to us. We were very welcome in homes and pubs, the peas and mash at the little cafe near the bridge was a good start for a night out. My two mates were A. Howard and Jack Cruise (Bdr) they were older than me and as the song goes "they learn't me to smoke and drink whisky" (beer in those days). I remember the sinking of our winter supplies in Barry harbour, this made it a very cold time as we had no winter clothes. I also remember the blizzard very well, we all crowded into a church with a big fire in the middle, next morning we had to dig away at the snow to find the guns and jeeps. My job was a stretcher bearer and I carried a lot of my friends to Command Post and each time I was fortified with a tot of rum. On orders to move we spent days digging our way back to the main road. My 21st was spent on a day and night exercise, it rained hard the whole time, all we had were trees and hedges to shelter under, but in the morning a parcel came for me in it was a birthday cake and other luxuries, what a feed the gun team had that morning...
I joined the Regt in 42 on Salisbury plain from Shawburyness A-T school and went all the way with the regt. I was in the glider that crashed at Portsmouth...
This incident probably took place in May 1944. To gain more flying experience, fully loaded Horsa gliders were routinely towed around the country before returning to their airfield, where the glider would land with the passengers disembarking and unloading as if they were taking part in an operation. Smith, Bombardier Leo Hall and three others were passengers aboard this particular Horsa, carrying a Jeep, a trailer of 75mm ammunition, and a motorcycle. Suddenly the glider cast-off from its towing Dakota for an unknown reason, and following two steep dives to regain speed it made a successful albeit tail-heavy landing in a field alongside a main road. A Home Guard unit was quickly on the scene, while the Dakota circled overhead before, much to everyone's alarm, it ditched the tow rope with its very heavy shackle. All present took cover wherever they could find it, but the rope fortunately came down harmlessly on the other side of the road, straddling a telephone line. They then discovered that they were in Devon, 100 miles from their airfield, but as luck would have it one of the party lived in nearby Taunton, and so rather than doing as they ought and immediately heading home, they made use of the motorcycle and spent the evening in a pub. The Lance-Sergeant in charge of the party naturally neglected to mention this on their return, and despite the suspicions of an officer they got away with it.
...we also crash landed at Arnhem. We had to cut the side away to get to the 75 [mm Pack Howitzer] and jeep out.
[On 20th September 1944] Sgt Wyatt and his team were killed when a glider pilot walked in front of his gun. We were on a night shoot and everyone was busy, the pilot was looking for canisters, not being trained with guns it was unfortunate he walked in front. As a stretcher bearer I helped to carry the dead and wounded to the FAP [First Aid Post]. I was transferred by Noel Farrands to Sgt Watts gun with Bdr Knight he was also another gunner but I cannot remember his name.
Sgt Marriott was my No.1. There was no man better on the last day [25th September 1944]. Bdr Knight and myself were blown out of the gun pit and we had concussion... You must feel very lucky, Lofty [Marriott] said at the time; if the blast had come our way it would have killed us all...the next thing I remember was someone calling for a stretcher it was then I found my No.1 [Marriott] had been shot in the neck, with Bdr Cruise we carried him to the first aid post, the medic came and looked at him but it was too late... I think he was dead by the time we got there as we were told to leave him outside.
From the sands of North Africa and mud and snow of Italy, Arnhem was the tough one. I was lucky to get away in one of the last boats, we used our rifle butts as paddles to move the boats along, reaching the other side and walking a mile or so till the transport picked us up. All this in daylight, how lucky can you get.
Then we went to Norway with so many new faces the Regt was not the same.
I have been a carpenter all my life married with a son and daughter and four grandsons. I spent a lot of my life renovating old buildings in King's Lynn, there were a lot of them and it was very interesting work... My Red Beret was blown away years ago by the wind when I was working on a high building.
See also: The Lance-Bombardier Leonard Smith Collection.