Colour Sgt Eric Seal

In the early hours of the morning I awoke to the sounds of sten gun fire. Looking over the Arabic farmers wall 150 yards away on the Sidi N'sir Road six German armoured cars passed by moving towards Souk el Arba . We let them pass , it was a good thing that we had chosen to lie up in this abandoned farm, as it was an ideal position for an ambush. We knew those enemy vehicles would return this way and so we prepared an ambush .

The sappers from the Para Royal Engineers strung out a lace of Hawkins grenades across the road and my Platoon Officer and Sgt Sammy Steadman would conceal themselves under the viaduct with gammon bombs, whilst my men hid amongst the rocks facing the road. Sgt Tucker with his mortar covered us. The S Company Major Cleasby Thompson was in a rather vulnerable spot behind an haystack in open ground. While we waited for the enemy to return it was a nail biting few hours, but return they did.

The Para Royal Engineeers were magnificent as the first heavy armoured car went up with a bang then all hell broke loose. The Germans that did get out of their burning vehicle were hit immediately by a rapid hail of bullets from the sten guns, rifles and bren guns. Those paratroopers with the gammon bombs ran forwards lobbing their sticky bombs and a number of vehicles were put out of action. But the two last heavier armoured cars were giving us some trouble and a number of casualties had been taken. Splinters of rock from a ricochet bullet hit me in the mouth and I tasted blood which only added to the excitement of battle.

Sgt Tucker on the mortars came to our rescue and with his mortar rounds they hit the top of those armoured cars giving us trouble. They blew up immediately and the German soldiers surrendered. We finished up with three heavy armoured cars, two light scout cars one captured intact and a number of prisoners with the orders of battle from General Von Arnhem's secret letters.

After this, around Beja, we did a lot of patrolling and attacking enemy positions. One of our bravest Officers was Lt Philip Mellor MC and I would often go on patrols with him as he trusted me and we captured many of the enemy. Our Commanding Officer was Lt Colonel Alistair Pearson DSO *** who took over from Lt Colonel Hill who had been shot and badly wounded by the enemy at the Battle of Gue Hill. Both very fine Officers. Acting Captain Philip Mellor was a very brave paratrooper last seen holding the enemy at bay with his leg blown off, he went down fighting like a gunslinger firing his two Colt .45's from the hip , whilst his men withdrew. Sadly he was killed but what a brave man. Sgt Eric Seal 5 Platoon , S Company , 1st Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade Red Devils.