Ken Potter's Army Memoirs

Chapter 4 - Part 1: The Abyssinian Campaign (Jan 1941 - Feb 1942)

Although capital of the country, all I remember of Addis at that time was the Emperor's palace which...

Chapter 4 - Part 2 - Addis Ababa

Pre war, the Italian Artillery officers stationed in Addis had been keen polo players and there were still...

Chapter 1 - Part 1: England to France with the BEF

The regiment consisted of the CO's regimental headquarters with its specialist officers in A, Q and G...

Chapter 1 - Part 2: Evacuation from Dunkirk and back to UK

An assortment of Army trucks and civilian lorries had been awaiting our arrival for some time and they...

Chapter 2 - Liverpool to Nairobi via South Africa and Egypt (Aug - Oct 1940)

At Capetown we had disembarked all the Indian Army officers and all the QAs that we had brought from home,...

Chapter 3 - Nairobi to Marsabit - Getting used to East Africa (Oct 1940 - Jan 1941)

Equally early on Saturday Major Stringer, with all my gear in his truck and Muindi on top of everything set...

Chapter 5 - Relaxation and a Bit More Responsibility (Mar 1942 - June 1943)

The group of buildings was "the hotel". It consisted of a very spacious bungalow with a veranda all...

Chapter 6 - Madagascar (June - Aug 1942)

Out of Mombassa on the 20th July, the five of us were the only passengers of the good ship...

Chapter 8 - Jungle Training in Ceylon (June 1943 - May 1944)

Several of the Planters had played for Oxford, Cambridge or their County before coming out to Ceylon and...

Chapter 9 - Part 1: The Burma Campaign (Jun 1944 - Mar 1945)

Rhino Hill was at the head of the Kaladan valley leading down to Kalewa, a bit north of Mandalay where the...

Chapter 9 - Part 2: Burma Campaign (Jun 1944 - Mar 1945)

Almost at once the field telephone rang and the chap who answered it called out to me " Ken, an African...

Chapter 10 - Back Home - Peacetime Soldering and Civvy Street (Apr 1945 - Feb 1946)

She later married one of my workshop officers Peter Dodd a released POW from Germany... The ATS officers...