In 1944 my grand father, Frank Birch, was a British citizen soldier. He left his job on pre-war South London Bus routes with colleagues from London Transport when their entire depot was called up to the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) during WW2. Of his many assignments with the British Army in Europe he spent most of his time driving Scammel Pioneer bridging trucks. From the French coast through Holland toward Germany, he built the bridges that allowed the armour spearheads to advance. He died when I was a child, but not before engendering a lasting impression with his photographs and real life experience of the war in North West Europe during 1944-45. This photo is fundamentally identical to the many portraits of our relatives I have seen on the living room mantle-pieces of my friends over the years. Our fathers and grandfathers, and now great grandfathers - those generations who downed tools in civilian life to pick up the tools for Victory. His wartime ‘snaps’ began a fascination with the photography of the period. The stories relayed to me as a child were full of conscript humour, but edged with a certain pathos, a sense of witnessing history in the knowledge he was playing a minute part in it all. His humorous recollections were partnered by tales of great tragedy, especially when recalling the columns of DP’s (Displaced Persons) he saw strafed by enemy aircraft at the roadside. Perhaps a child should not have been told of such things but the effect was to make his war stories REAL.
He gave me an appreciation of an entirely different age, a period in history which will continue to capture my imagination and that I will always continue to try to comprehend.
I also thank: Brigadier Henry Wilson and the team at Pen & Sword Books Limited for their support and fruitful suggestions throughout the project. Hilary Roberts and the staff at the Photographic Archive, IWM, & BCMH members Mr Chris McCarthy, Mr Mike Taylor, and Mr Alan Jeffreys for historical and compilation advice. Friend and fellow graduate Mr Paul Billington for accompanying me on a research trip to the Ardennes region of Belgium in 2003 where we spent many fascinating days covering the ground on which the Battle of The Bulge was fought, and for our investigation of the Remagen Bridgehead during the Sixtieth Anniversary of its capture in March, 2005 - it’s simply imperative to see the lay of the land when trying to understand how a battle played out. I also acknowledge the private owners around the world who have endeavoured to save and exhibit many original Sherman Tanks in running form. It is through their commendable efforts that the generations of tomorrow will not only view photographs like these, but will hear, smell and touch something tangible of the experience of crewing the Sherman Tank in wartime. Finally, I thank Vicky.
Gavin Birch (c) 2005