Attack Survival, Traumatic Injury, Volcanic Eruption, and Loving Crafting of a Child's Desk: The Wide-Ranging Wartime Experiences of Charles Shakespear

This concerns the story of contributor Janet Francis's father, Charles Thomas Shakespear (1916-2002) who was born on February 24th, 1916 and passed away on January 29th, 2002. During World War Two, he was in the Royal Engineers, where he trained as a sapper. He received notice for army service in 1941, and he reported to the Derby Medical Board on December 19th, 1941.

After joining the army, Charles was transferred to Tunisia as part of the North Africa Campaign in 1942. In Tunisia, he survived a mortar attack ""while he survived, his fellow mates and colleagues from his group did not. The incident left him badly injured, essentially paralyzed on one side of his body with stroke-like effects: this rendered him very traumatized and unable to write, but he was being nursed back to recovery. Indeed, the contributor has a poem written by her father in 1942 as he was recovering after his severe injury; a poem that was only discovered after his passing, and which he evidently kept private during his life. Eventually his condition improved to the point where he could be sent to Italy to resume non-combative work. Charles was initially sent to Sicily with other forces fighting Germany; he was eventually sent to Naples where he worked in the docks.

Meanwhile: from the time of his injury in Tunisia until about eighteen months later, his wife (Janet's mother) was unaware of Charles's situation, circumstances, fate. Due to the lack of updates and communication, she thought he may have died; however, she became aware that her husband was alive as he worked in the docks at Naples. During his spare time in Naples, he made a child's desk for his daughter, Janet; and arranged for it to be sent over to England in 1945. Janet remembers the desk arriving; and it remains in use by the family today, specifically by her grandchildren. She brought in a picture of the desk in its current state, which should be included in the accompanying photos of memorabilia.

During Charles's service in Naples, Mount Vesuvius erupted on March 17th, 1944 (the contributor has a contemporaneous newspaper clipping from the time which should feature as part of her accompanying objects). When the war finished, he was retained there to continue working for a further eighteen months. Charles returned to this country on September 25th, 1946, specifically to Aldershot; he was thence discharged from the army the following month. His rank upon discharge was as sergeant.

After the war, Charles lived a full, active civilian life distinct from army service. In addition to Janet, Charles had another son after the war, Janet's brother. He did not attend military reunions, simply moving on with civilian life. In these subsequent chapters of his life, Charles owned a painting and decorating business, and would eventually serve as mayor of Ashby Woulds Council, Leicestershire.