Homeward Bound The End of World War Two for 40 RM Commando
by Philip Lloyd, Secretary 40 RM Cdo Association
Mne Laurie Southall
When World War Two ended in Italy, Marine Laurie Southall and a dozen or so of his comrades from 40 Royal Marine Commando’s P Troop were in a POW camp near Bolzano, in the Italian side of the Brenner Pass. They had been taken prisoner in the Comacchio battle, some three weeks earlier. This is Laurie’s account of their liberation, last weeks in Italy and return home.
‘We were all standing by the wire one day, watching these Germans working on vehicles, repairing them and at the far end of the courtyard a Jeep came round. Those who were nearest to it shouted out ‘The Americans are here; there’s a Jeep just come in!’ It turned out to be a German driving it; it was a captured Jeep.
‘Standing next to me was a soldier from the Army, who said to me ‘What’s a Jeep, mate?’ I looked at him and said ‘Where have you been that you don’t know what a Jeep is? It’s an American vehicle, four-wheel drive.’ He replied ‘Well I’ve never seen one or heard of them. I was taken prisoner at Tobruk.’ (That was mid-1942, before American supplies had begun to arrive in North Africa).