South Yorkshire Times, February 6th, 1943

Wombwell Man meets Pal in Desert

A least four Wombwell lads were attached to the famous Highland Decision, which smashed open the door to victory at El Alamein and sent Rommel scampering across the desert.

They were private Derek Oughton, elder son of Mrs P Oughton and the late Mr W Oughton of Wombwell Main , Private Reggie Figgis, whose home is in Park Street (opposite the post office), G Newsome and Lance Corporal Lloyd whose addresses are not given. All are in the Black Watch

Writing on January 1, Private Oughton tells of a lucky meeting with another Wombwellian in the desert.

He says, ” The other day I was scouting round for an old petrol tin to be used in lieu of a washbowl and I asked an R.A. fitter if he had a spare one on his truck. I guessed by his accent that he was Yorkshire, and when I asked where he came from he said ‘ Wombwell.’ Of course, that set the ball rolling. We discovered that we had many friends in common at home.

He is L/cpl. Lloyd, late of Mitchell Main. Like myself he is in the Highland Division. We have many men here from Barnsley, Conisbrough, Doncaster, York, Leeds and Sheffield.

Did you have a merry Christmas? We did. We had turkey, pork, peas, potatoes, Christmas pudding, beer, a little rum and nuts and cigarettes on Christmas Day.

Frankly I never expected it, being so far up the line.  I cannot tell you where we are, but the grass gets greener every day and civilisation is not far away.”

Pte. Oughton is an old boy of Wombwell Open Air School and prior to enlistment worked at Darfield Main Colliery.

His brother, Russell Oughton, who enlisted with him, was returned to reserve on the death of his father, which took Place after Pte D Oughton had embarked for the Middle East.