Chapter 5

1.This is an extract from an account by Peter Walker who emigrated to Britain in the late 1930s, He served in the British Army during World War II. Read it and answer the questions that follow:

I left Ireland in 1937 at the age of 15½ to seek work in England, in Birmingham and Manchester.
In 1939, when war was declared, I joined the British Army for the spirit of adventure and
also to see the world. It was also a job. I joined the Royal Enniskillen Fusiliers and I was stationed at Omagh. I was transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1940. I went to Woolwich to the main Royal Artillery headquarters.
I was sent abroad to North Africa with the regiment in 1942. My regiment served in North Africa with the Eighth Army, commonly known as the Desert Rats. From North Africa, we went to Sicily and next to Italy. Eventually we advanced on Rome, which was declared an “open-city”, which meant it was not fought over. After the war, we were sent to Austria as part of the occupation force.
We were using six-inch diameter guns capable of firing 100-pound shell with a range of fifteen miles. There were 10 men in each gun crew. We had to dig in the guns and ammunition to make sure they were protected. This had to be completed before we could make our own trenches.
There was great friendship with your comrades and it was very sad to see some of your mates being killed or injured. I remember a gun being destroyed and all ten of the crew being killed. We did not hate the Germans, as they were fighting under orders as we were. I recall the
columns of German prisoners being taken back behind the lines.”

(i)        Give one reason why the author joined the British Army.
(ii)       Name the two regiments of the British army mentioned in the extract.
(iii)      By what name was the British Eighth Army more commonly known?
(iv)      Where did he serve after his time in North Africa?
(v)       Why do you think that the soldiers had to dig in the guns and ammunition before making their own trenches?
(vi)      What do you think was the author’s attitude to the Germans? Give one piece of evidence from the extract to support your answer.
(vii)     Give one advantage of this type of source for historians
(viii)    Name one important American or British general during World War II.
(Based on Q2 Junior Certificate 2004)

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