South Yorkshire Times, December 18th 1943
Back From Salerno
Wombwell Man Invalided Home
Having been invalided home from Italy suffering the after effects of malaria, L/Cpl. Thomas E. Hewitt (35) R.A.S.C, rejoined his wife and three children at 2 Jardine Street, Wombwell, this week.
L/Cpl. Hewitt was formerly employed as a traveller in the Wombwell district by a firm of provision merchants and was prominently associated with the local branch of the Shop Assistants’ Union. He joined up in April 1943 and within six months was drafted to North Africa. He has seen service in Tripolitania, Algeria, Tunisia and finally in Italy, being in the Salerno landing. He had two attacks of malaria and was in hospital two months.
L./CpI. Hewitt set foot in Italy at 6 a.m., on September 9th, being attached to the group. They followed the infantry after a lapse of two hours. It was his job to get round the gun emplacements, delivering rations. The men of his contingent worked the clock round (day and night) for ten days and until the main forces established their positions.
“Jerry was eventually pushed back out of the hills,” he said, “and things gradually became more normal.” He said the Germans were using big guns so mounted that they could be retracted into caves or holes in the hills. This explained the difficulty of blasting them out. It was, in fact, necessary to get round before they could be moved. L/Cpl. Hewitt belonged to a unit which was given little respite. He says he had only two one-day passes in ten months.
Speaking of his experiences in North Africa, he said they contrived to find some amusement. They had cinema shows every week, the screen being mounted on one wagon and the apparatus on another. The “plush” chairs consisted of holes dug in the sand. They also had boxing matches, sing-songs and religious services every Sunday. He says there is a great need for books in the hospitals.
In the ward in which he was being treated there were only six books for 42 men, and when they had read them over and over again, they started discussion groups. These had to be stopped because they got too “heated.” g L/Cpl. Hewitt has seen service with the 1st, 5th, and 8th Armies.