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To Italy
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Anti-typhus injections and the taking of atebrin tablets were part of the embarkation preparations for Italy. On 12 October the Battalion moved to a transit camp at Ikingi Maryut. Ian remembers one trip into Alexandria, a clean spacious city, when he and some friends visited a brothel. In Cairo they were all in one area which was out of bounds but the British army ran at least one in Alexandria. Being early afternoon it was quiet so they ventured in for a look. An army corporal had an office inside the door and for 20 piastres (20 cents approx.) he issued a condom and a ticket for a lady. Upstairs two women in dressing gowns were chatting outside their doors while a third was washing. The two started an invitation and when they declined one grabbed Ians hat and shot back into her room. He had a few anxious minutes before she relented and returned it.
Shortly after, the Battalion divided into three groups, each consisting of one-third of Battalion Headquarters and HQ Company and one platoon from each company, embarked on board the transports Llangibby Castle, Nieuw Holland and Letitia, one group to each ship. The march along the wharves at Alexandria was not easy as the men were well burdened. Ians group had an American ship, two meals a day, across the Mediterranean to Italy, landing on a beach near Taranto where we camped in the olive groves and waited.
Although Taranto itself was not very impressive, the men were delighted with the green countryside, the pine and olive trees, the abundance of grapes, pomegranites and the other items which marked such a pleasant change from the desert. Of course, the new surroundings also spelt rain and mud, but, at first, everyone was prepared to accept such things as part of life in southern Italy. When out of action each man carried half a two man tent so two could get together and lace up the halves along the ridge. They were crawl in height so at Taranto they dug a pit in the centre to be able to stand. Then each tent made its own stove from water or petrol cans to keep warm.
Heavy rains in the Taranto area meant rain and mud, more rain and worse mud dampened the enthusiasm with which the green Italian hills had been greeted. Nevertheless, life was good and morale was high. Italians supplied two dixies full of grapes for one shilling and, later, nuts and figs were available. Wine was also available. One of the lads, (Ian thinks it was Pte. Pope,?, who was later killed in the Jittery ridge raid) was drinking with a group & fell with his face in a puddle too drunk to move & was nearly drowned before the others realised what was happening to him. The wine therefore became rationed.
In early November, the New Zealand Division was ordered forward from Taranto. This move was slower than anticipated, partly because the single road, often in a bad state of repair, could not carry heavy traffic quickly, and partly because the late arrival of ' third flight' transport caused delay. The journey north gave the troops an excellent view of the southern Italian landscape as they moved, first by the Taranto-Bari road and then by an inland route, through the villages of Locorotondo, Alberobello, Gioia del Colle and Altamura on the first day, and through the towns of Corato, Andria, Canosa and Foggia, and then through San Severo via the main coastal road through Termoli to the Furci staging area. One province passed through was a bit of a fairyland. Lots of trees and small villages on top of hills each house like a group of stone igloos or oat stacks, joined together. Called trillos, each room was circular with a conical roof and all the same size, some houses with two rooms some with three or four.
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