so that's how my war started, in a church at lancaster castle. at october 1942...t embarkation leave, and we all went home for a week, a week's leave. and then we sailed for north africa... ..early november. our division was put in, told to capture the range of hills to the north of tunisia. and, ..we captured hill after hill. but it took time. it took a month of solid fighting. you were attacking probably twice a week... ..another hill. and we were never out of the line at all. we were in action the whole time. and when you captured one hill, you peered over the top of it and there was another hill in front of you. so you just went on and on for a month. you were shot at, shelled, bombed... ..mortared, everything. and you got that dreadful feeling and sickness in your tummy. "oh, god, is this going to be the last time?" and you didn't know. and... sometimes you were lucky, sometimes you weren't. i was lucky. i think i should have been killed five or six times. i don't think i should be talking to you now. i think i should have been buried in a north african field,