A Record of the BAGE Family History
This story about my dad was featured in the Evening Chronicle publication 'Remember When' Issue 8, May 2005, under the heading 'A Lifetime of Painful Memories for Geordie War Hero'.
Now
we are into the year 2003 there aren't many people left who grew up just prior
to the Second World War, and who went through that War, whom we can talk to face
to face. At 84 years of age Tommy Bage still clearly remembers what it was like.
What happened to him should be recorded, as it is not something we should
forget. There is a lot of archive film footage that shows the battles and the
destruction that took place but nothing can quite compare to the recollection of
the memories of someone who actually went through it. Many young men and women
went off to war, and many of them never returned. What some of these young
people went through is almost beyond the imagination of most of us today.
This is the
true account of the life of that ordinary 'Geordie' bloke, Tommy Bage, who
survived the difficult years of childhood like so many others who lived in the
poor, industrial areas of Tyneside, but who, in his teenage years, was drawn
into a terrifying and destructive war. A war that quickly made the boys into
battle-hardened men, and gave those that survived chilling memories that they
would never forget.
The Early Years (1919 - 1939)
Tommy was
born on the 23 July 1919 and christened Thomas Philip Fisher Bage. His father
was George Heslington Bage and his mother was Sarah (nee Clasper). Tommy was the
first one of twin boys, his brother Christopher Johnson following behind him
into the world. They had an older sister Margaret Smart Bage who was twelve
years older than they were. George was in work and Sarah kept house and looked
after her family as best she could in those difficult years.
Tommy
They survived
through those difficult years when poverty often led to disease that could so
easily strike and wipe out whole families. George Bage had been through the
Great War with the Durham Light Infantry and had been wounded in action. He was
a very quiet, reserved sort of man, and his hearing wasn't very good, perhaps
damaged in the war. Little did George and Sarah know, at the birth of Thomas and
Christopher, that their twin sons would have to endure the ordeal of a long and
bitter war when in the prime of their lives.
The lads grew
up in the poor, rundown riverside area of South Shields. They attended St.
Stephens Junior School and later went on to Baring Street Seniors.
Tommy liked
his school and did well in the Higher Grade Exams at St. Stephens gaining a
Merit. The staff had encouraged him to go to Westoe Secondary School but his
parents didn't want to split the twins up and the opportunity for a better
education was missed, something he was to regret for the rest of his life.
During his
spare time Tommy took part in his favourite sports of football and cricket, and
he joined the local Harton Cricket Club, and this led to many enjoyable outings
to places like Horden Colliery, Boldon and other Tyneside places. The Harton
Colliery Club had a good ground and there was often tea and cakes supplied by
members' families for everyone to enjoy.
Cycling was
another pastime that he enjoyed and Tommy would often cycle to Boldon Colliery
to meet friends there. On leaving school Tommy got a job on a building site next
to Harton General Hospital where he worked with his dad and brother Chris for
two years. He considered this quite a reasonable job that gave him enough money
for an occasional visit to a pub, or more often a visit to the local cinema.
Unfortunately there was trouble on the building site and all employees were told
by the Company to leave. The cinema was where he met his wife-to-be, Peggy
Morrison, whom he met there with her sister Jean and their friend Nellie. He
promised to meet them again at the cinema to see stars Nelson Eddy and Jeanette
McDonald in the film 'Rose Marie.'
Signs of War
The year was
1939 and it looked like war was imminent. Most plans made at that time would be
drastically changed in the months ahead. Tommy and Chris were of eligible age
for call-up to the armed forces and were very apprehensive about the situation.
War was
declared and shortly afterwards the air-raid sirens sounded in South Shields for
the first time, causing all the people to run for cover in the newly-built
Anderson Shelters.
Call to Arms
About January
10th, 1940 Tommy was called up into the army and told to report to the Training
Camp at Auchengate, Troon, Ayrshire in Scotland. He took the train to Newcastle
and then another to Troon were he spent about 12 weeks in training before
joining the Highland Light Infantry. He was first of all sent to Ireland to a
Transit Camp to join a battalion before being posted to join the British
Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) in Rouen, France.
His brother
Chris had been called up to the Army Medical Corps (R.A.M.C.) in December 1939.
Off to the Front
Tommy joined
the 4th Battalion of the Black Watch. Arrived at Dieppe, France for transport to
Rouen Transit Camp about March to join forward units. He proceeded to the
forward lines to join the 4th battalion, the Black Watch but it was impossible
to reach them as the German offensive was in full swing. The best plan was to
return to the coast as the allies were virtually unarmed against the German
tanks and planes. Allied machine guns had been over-run. An English officer and
several N.C.O.'s made the decision to make for the nearest coastal port. Many
brave men died trying to stop the avalanche of German forces bearing down on the
Allied lines. On one occasion during the retreat stuka dive-bombers attacked
fleeing French civilian refugees on a crowded road causing many casualties. The
soldiers’ rifles were useless against the planes and Tommy felt completely
helpless in the situation. The soldiers were unable to give much assistance, but
did what they could using the supplies they had with them.
Tommy
thought to himself, "This isn't war, it's cold-blooded murder." On
their trek to the coast many French civilians supplied what food, wine and water
they could spare as the retreating soldiers made a slow march back to the coast.
Tired, footsore and very weary they arrived at Dunkirk. Unfortunately the German
pincer movement was cutting off their escape route, so the officer decided to
try for Cherbourg. The soldiers were very relieved to reach the port, but also
saddened to know that the Germans would capture many of their comrades. All
remaining vehicles had to be destroyed before the remnants of the army were able
to board the ships and boats waiting for them in the harbour. It was with great
relief that Tommy arrived back in Bournemouth and on English soil once again.
They were sent to a casualty clearing station to rest and then moved first to
Perth in Scotland, and then on to Caithness for furthur training.
Gibraltar
Tommy
embarked once again mid 1940, with the Black Watch, aboard the passenger liner 'Athlone
Castle' from Southampton for the Middle East. Two destroyers escorted the liner.
Nearing the Spanish coast they were attacked by German long-range bombers using
bombs and machine guns. The ship wasn't damaged in the attack but the Captain
decided to change course, as the bomber crews would have informed their base of
the course that the ship was on. A few days out from Gibraltar the ship came
under attack again, this time from submarine torpedoes.
The ships
officer later informed them that 3 torpedoes had narrowly missed the ship. They
disembarked on the Rock to boost the defences, and within a few hours were under
attack from Italian planes.
The date was
well remembered by Tommy as the 23rd July 1940 was his 21st birthday. A convent
was hit during the raid and several nuns were killed and a number of others
injured.
Tommy
sheltered in a pillbox as yet another attack took place shortly afterwards and
bombs rained down but fortunately little damage was done.
At this time
there was much German submarine activity in the Mediterranean and many allied
ships were lost. The aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal' was one of those casualties.
Tommy was on duty on the quayside helping with the casualties and the dead, and
heard from those who had survived their journey from Malta as 'a journey through
hell.' All this time air raids hampered the rescue operations but they had no
option but to see it through.
Peggy Bage
A Time to Wed
Back home in South Shields, on
much needed leave; Tommy and Peggy decided to get married. So on the 25th March
1943 they 'tied the knot' at St Mary's Church, Tyne Dock in South Shields. Tommy
was just 23 years of age and Peggy was 24 (see photo above). Sadly, and
disappointingly for Tommy, neither of his parents attended even though they were
invited. Guests were Peggy's sister Belle and her husband John Watling along
with their daughter Joan. The reception was held at the Green Bar at Tyne Dock
and music was provided by Isaac on piano and his wife along with others, and a
tea was provided at Peggy's mother's house in Eldon Street, which was just a few
minutes up the road.
There wasn't to be much of a honeymoon though, as a few days later a telegram arrived from the War Office to report back for embarkation to the Middle East. Tommy delayed and eventually turned up at camp just before his unit was about to leave. He was in big trouble. He had to appear at H.Q. and was punished with 6 weeks loss of pay and 6 months confined on other tasks.
Egypt
He was soon
back into the war and arrived at the end of December 1943 for Myrna Transit
camp, Port Said, Cairo via the Suez Canal with the 2nd Battalion Cameron
Highlanders.
Italy, Monte Casino and the death of a friend.
By 1944 Tommy
was on Italian soil and going into battle at Monte Casino. This battle was not
for the faint hearted. Some divisions of allied troops were almost wiped out in
the fierce fighting that took place. The death toll was estimated to be about
fifty percent of the allied troops and 20,000 Germans lost their lives.
The German
army had fallen back to defend a line across the centre of Italy just south of
Rome. The allied forces advanced up to that line in January 1944 but were held
for months at Monte Casino. This was a mountain top monastery overlooking the
route to Rome and it was easy for the Germans to shell anything they could see
that moved in the wide valley below. There was also a fast flowing river, the
Rapido, separating the two armies and many allied troops were lost in failed
attempts to take the German position.
Tommy
can remember long before he reached this area, the smell and the silence. There
was no sign of any natural life and everywhere the trees had been destroyed by
the shelling. The transport lorries had to be left behind when they reached the
foot of the slopes and the soldiers joined the mule supply train for the rest of
their journey. From the H.Q.'s in Reserve they were moved to forward positions,
sheltering in bunkers known as Sanger’s. These had been built to protect the
men from the relentless mortar shells which rained down on them day and night,
for weeks on end, and which caused great loss of life. Tommy and his mates were
there to relieve a party of the famous Ghurkhas of the 8th Army, 4th Indian
Division. Tommy realized
straight away that the Ghurkhas were more used to face-to-face fighting than
sitting around being shelled. The weather deteriorated and their positions were
covered in thick snow and ice for four weeks. During daylight it was impossible
to leave the Sanger as enemy snipers were causing a lot of casualties. Only when
darkness had fallen was it possible to move about, but complete silence was
important, as enemy patrols were present in the nearby area. Tommy went out
under cover of darkness on one occasion when nature called. In the inky
blackness he caught his tunic badly on barbed wire, and then two days later he
realised he had cut his arm and it had swelled up so much that he had difficulty
taking his tunic off. That night his temperature soared and he reported this to
his Captain who sent him down to the casualty station to get it seen too. The
conditions at the casualty station defied description. Medical orderlies were
working non-stop treating the wounded and dying in very poor conditions. An
orderly spotted Tommy and he got a doctor to take a look at his arm. He was
given an injection that knocked him out. When he came round his arm had been
seen too and was bandaged up. The surgeon told him that if he had been only a
half-hour later in being attended too he would have lost his arm. He was then
transferred to another hospital since he was temporarily unfit for duty.
Later his
unit was moved down the mountains, to be relieved by a fresh British Regiment.
Arriving back at base camp he discovered that his best friend had been killed by
a direct hit on the sanger and also that his company had lost at least a third
of its officers and men (45 from 120 full company). Their appearance on arrival
shocked even the people there. They had grown long beards and were fatigued and
hungry. They were instantly given hot showers; their clothing was destroyed and
after a hot drink they were left to sleep, which must have been at least 24
hours. The aftermath of this was diarrhoea, sickness and vomiting amongst the
group and some men had to be sent to a special camp in Southern Italy for
treatment. After discharge from Rest Camp they went back to normal duties.
The town of
Casino at the foot of the mountain had been the scene of heavy fighting. Troops
from England, New Zealand, France, India, Poland and the U.S. were involved. The
Ghurkha Regiment 4th Indian Division made many attempts to take the monastery
with heavy casualties. Heavy rain caused the ground to turn into a quagmire and
the allied tanks were unable to move and heavy skies prevented the use of
aircraft. The conditions for the troops were intolerable. It was cold, wet and
the shelling never ceased. Food, water and other essentials were almost gone due
to non-arrival of back-up supplies. When the skies did clear hundreds of allied
bombers pounded the monastery into rubble. The Germans still fought on but the
Monastery eventually fell to Polish troops after fierce fighting, forcing the
German forces to fall back to new positions. The allies kept pushing north
through the mines and booby traps.
Just past
Rome, during an attack on an occupied village Tommy was blown off his feet by a
shell. When he regained consciousness he was suffering from concussion and had
lost his hearing. A medical orderly was talking to him but he couldn't hear a
word. He wrote this down on a piece of paper and showed it to the medic. He was
taken to a cave that was being used as a shelter where he was injected with
something which knocked him out. Tommy had been in hospital for four weeks when
one day he became aware that he could hear a nurse talking. After another four
weeks recovering he was sent back into action and finally reached San Marino. He
was given traffic duties along with an officer, a sergeant and another private.
They were to control the heavy traffic moving to Northern Italy that was
pursuing the retreating Tadeschi and Italian Forces. At about this time Italy
capitulated and called off the war.
After leaving
San Marino he embarked on a tank landing craft for Patras, Greece where they
were to try and restore order amongst the supporters of rival political parties.
The Germans had abandoned a lot of arms in their haste to flee and the rival
Greek factions had taken these up.
Patras, Greece (1945)
While Tommy
was in Greece hostilities against Germany came to an end. There was much
rejoicing in the Greek villages and many parties were held, and to which the 2nd
Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders were invited. When he first went to one of
these celebrations he was confronted with lots of food on the table but couldn't
find a knife or fork by his plate. Seeing the confused look on his face one of
the women asked him what was wrong. She said they didn't use knives and forks,
and took a large carving knife, sliced off a huge piece of meat and handed it to
him to eat with his fingers.
While
billeted in the barracks he contracted malaria and was removed to a Greek
hospital suffering a high temperature. He was laid up for four weeks. British,
Greek and other medical people staffed the hospital. Later he made his way to
Athens before leaving the Cameron’s, who were heading for Palestine, to travel
home to England on board the 'Dunnotter Castle'
The Aftermath
After a short
break back in England, in January 1946 Tommy was sent to Vienna, Austria for
Occupation Duty with the 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on
general duties as an Assistant Store man. While there they occupied a large
building for their barracks. Vienna was split into four areas, British,
American, Russian and French.
Tommy, 2nd from the left
When off duty
he toured the City to see the wonderful buildings, visited the opera, the huge
ice rink and large cinemas. Much damage had been done to the City. He spent a
lot of time at the NAFFI cafe and went to a local dance with two of the lads.
While there he met a Hungarian girl who worked at the British Headquarters as a
typist. She offered to show him round the well-known parts of the City. She told
him she was married and had a little boy. Her husband was on the Russian Front
but had been reported missing in action. Tommy offered to make enquiries about
him but nothing was heard. After six months was up he was demobbed, and made his
way through France by train to the coast.
Homeward Bound
Tommy arrived
at Market Rasen in England and shortly afterwards decided to celebrate in a
local pub with his mates. When they went in to the pub the landlord saw their
uniforms and told them that they could have what they wanted for free. Having
consumed quite a considerable quantity of free alcohol they made their way back
to their huts to get freshened up. Tommy was at an open window having a shave
when the sash window dropped down hitting him on the head. It knocked him out
cold. He can only remember coming round with his mates asking him if he was all
right. Once cleaned up they then travelled to Scotland.
Back to Normal
Could anyone
really get back to normal after going through years of deprivation and horror?
Anyway, Tommy returned to his native South Shields and got himself a job at a
timber yard at Tyne Dock and settled down to lead a normal life with Peggy.
Many
years later due to a query from his grandson David, Tommy decided to apply for
the medals he had never received. After the war had ended he was just glad to be
back home and wasn't bothered about getting the medals he was entitled too. He supplied as much information as he could in
a letter to the War Office and about four weeks later a parcel arrived which
contained The Italian Star, The Defence Medal, The
1939 to 1945 Star and The African
Star. Tommy entrusted these to his proud grandson for safekeeping.
As well as having the medals Tommy has
kept all the documentation he received, such as passes, menus, ship boarding
passes, prayer book & First aid booklet.
