Jock's War

My father, Charles Harding, joined the 2nd Battalion of the Welch Regiment on Christmas Eve in 1929, when he was 18 years old.

I think that he joined as soon as he was able, to get away from a violent and abusive father, who during the childhood of his 6 children had regularly beaten them with a leather belt, after first hosing them down in the back yard with ice cold water. All 6 children left home as soon as they could, some emigrating to Canada!
I think it is telling that Dad put his mother down as next of kin in his service papers.

His Battalion was posted to India on 5th January 1932, and he stayed there until 15th November 1937. He was known to his Army friends as Jock for some reason...?

On 1st April 1932 (something prophetic in that date) he was appointed Lance Corporal, until in March 1934 he was "deprived of Lance stripes for Misconduct". I would have loved to know the reason, my guess is he was either the worse for drink ( he liked a glass or two), or challenging unfair treatment (he hated any wrong-doing).

He was discharged back in Britain on 14th February 1938 as a Private on the expiration of his Colour service, and placed on the Reserve.

Then Dad was recalled to the Colours on 26th August 1939 and posted to Palestine on 18th September 1939 with the Welch Regiment.

Between then and 7th January 1941 he was promoted to Sergeant. He was so experienced that his value was recognised and that rise to Sergeant took just 16 months.

Then on 20th July 1943 he was commissioned to be Lieutenant....quite a meteoric rise from the ranks!
During these four years he served where the fighting was at its hottest in Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Crete and the Middle East.

He spent a lot of that service with the Eighth Army and for a period of time after his commission was a Staff Officer with Field Marshall Montgomery.

He was very good with languages, speaking Urdu after his Indian service and Italian after his service there.

He was temporarily promoted to Captain on the battlefield during 1943, and was then wounded and sent home from North Africa to recover.

After recovery he trained for the D Day landings, but caught pneumonia, followed by tubercolis, and spent a long period in hospital before being medically discharged in February 1945. I think he must have been exhausted after nearly 5 years of continuous war service!

During that period in hospital he related a story of being placed in what was known to the sick soldiers, as the Death Ward, in Sully Hospital, near Barry in South Wales!....and he vowed he was not going to die in that ward!

Dad was known as a charming individual, but I think he felt that his best years were behind him and he tended to drink and gamble too much, probably to try and forget his current circumstances. I know that he and Mum managed the Embassy Club in Central Cardiff during the 1950's, and they hosted a 16 year old singer called Shirley Bassey! Dad was working as an Instrument Attendant at Guest, Keen and Nettlefold in Cardiff Docks when he became ill.

Dad died in 1963 from throat cancer when I was 6 years old, leaving a wife my mum Edith Harding (nee Brennan) and two children, Michael and myself Philip, in very difficult financial circumstances.

Our wonderful GP, Dr Petty, successfully argued with the Army Board, that Dad's death was largely due to the physical toll caused by his war service and Mum was eventually awarded a War Widows Pension, which was a financial life-saver for the family.

Jock's war is an incredible story of the journey of a young Catholic boy from a Canton slum in Cardiff to Private in the Welch Regiment, and then to a battlefield promotion to Captain in the Middle East.

I think the war years gave my Dad an opportunity to shine in adversity and be the best person he could be, and I am proud of his achievements and his service to his country!