Frank J Mason Christmas Menu Italy

My father joined the army on 12 August 1939 so he could choose to join the Royal Engineers rather than wait for conscription, which he said would have meant being sent to any unit needing manpower.

He was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force on 19 December 1939. As the army retreated to Dunkirk he was evacuated aboard HMS Worcester and landed back in England on 30 May 1940.

Frank was then posted to North Africa to join the 8th Army on 29 March 1942. Following the defeat of the Germans there his RE unit was transferred to Italy on 21 March 1944. On arrival in the Bay of Naples on a troop ship the Fort Connolly the soldiers were quarantined on board because of fears of an out break of typhoid. When they were eventually landed Frank joined the 'A' Assault Squadron of the 25th Armoured Brigade. This was a coposite RE and RAC unit consisting of equipment such as Petard tanks, Churchill Crocodiel falme thrower taks Sherman Bulldozers and similar. Initially Frank was assigned as signaller inthe squadron Major'Daley's tank. Major Daley was known by the men as Dagger Daley and he was the only officer Frank ever spoke highly about. He operated a 'three set' Which was apparently three main channels one for communicator within the unit, one to speak to the Northern Irish Horse and the third to communicate with elements of the Polish Brigade. The unit fort its way up Italy and ended the was on the River Po.

I inherited all of Frank's archive on his army career including a Christmas Menu signed by members of the officers and his friends from the unit. The meal was a belated one after they were pulled out of the line and quartered in Faenza. Frank was always proud of the squadron's motto at the foot of the menu.