4th Bn INT SECTION IN PATRAS,
GREECE, 1946
A LITTLE KNOWN ASPECT OF 4 R NORFOLK
Frederick W Munns,
sent the article below on disc (what a good chap!) and the
photograph
below concerning the little known fact that there were
Royal Norfolks on Active Service in Greece, more than a
year after the 4th Bn was disbanded in Patras in 1946.
Occasional references have been made in the Newsletter of
the 4th Battalions. There have, of course, been a number
of 4ths over the history of the regiment, but I would like
to relate something about a little known aspect concerning
the 4th Bn 1946-48.
When the 4th Bn was being re-formed at Morley Hall,
Wymondham, in early 1946, many were sent from other
regiments, eg I and others from the Devons in Northampton.
We went to Patras, Greece, in May that year on the
troopship Duchess of Bedford.
(See extract below from
Britannia Aug 46.)
I distinctly remember a number of people at Wymondham
station waving us off on our overnight journey to
Liverpool Docks.
The Bn was in Patras for only a few months when it was
disbanded and many of us were sent on yet again to new
regts and units.
What may not commonly be known is that many of us were
still serving in Greece, as Royal Norfolks, a year or so
after the 4th was broken up.
We were sent up to Salonika to join the British Military
Mission (BMM) and housed in the main Greek army barracks.
We were sort of bodyguards for the British specialists
training the Greek Royal Army.
We retained our regimental titles and badges as Royal
Norfolks but also wore the badge of the Greek blue and
white national flag.
There were many regiments and service units of the British
army represented in the BMM, whose job it was to liase
with the Greek Army, fighting a particularly nasty civil
war against reactionary forces keen on taking over the
country.
Little is known, or ever been mentioned officially about
our part played there on behalf of the Allies and of the
infant UN, and certainly never officially recognised,
despite the casualties.
One example is when a supply column, sent by a mountainous
route to a BMM outpost in Alexandropoulos near the Turkish
border, was attacked by terrorists. The driver of one
lorry was killed and the others taken prisoner. They were
marched through the mountains until found by a Greek army
patrol.
They were not all Royal Norfolks, although I believe the
dead driver was and I seem to recall that our OC, Capt
Ford of the Royal Berkshires, was also involved.
After that tragedy, it was decided to send the supplies by
armoured train - guess who went on the first one?
We slept on the floor of goods wagons with packing cases
for tables. The rest of the train consisted of sandbagged
flat-tops with Bofors and Vickers Guns manned by troops of
the Greek army.
Our two Sgts' Messes were in villas in the town near the
Royal Yacht Club premises. While there we had a break-in
one night and my uniform and AB64 were stolen. The uniform
with its Greek badge would be useful to the terrorists.
One of the felons was caught and I was invited by the
Greek Gendarmerie to beat him up in his cell, as was the
custom. Our civilian night watchman did the honours
instead.
September 1947 saw the running-down of the BMM and some of
us were transferred to the very under-strength 1st East
Surreys. We were stationed just outside town in Sobraon
Barracks, a former prison camp for Allied prisoners of
war.
In February 1948 we had some disturbing moments yet again
from the terrorists when on guard near the seafront. They
shelled the town, with the Greek army replying from the
other side of town. 'Just like the Blitz!' I told the new
boys. One terrorist mortar went through the roof of the
British Army Town Car Park guardroom, killing some Royal
Engineers or RASC men. A lucky escape for us as we had
been on guard there a few nights previously.
My time there as a Royal Norfolk cum East Surrey ended
when I boarded the Arundel Castle bound for Blighty a
couple of weeks later.
Incidentally it was especially interesting for me to be in
Salonika because my father, who died in 1933, had served
there with the 2/15th London Civil Service Rifles in
1916/17. (Webmaster note - my Grandfather was in Salonika
with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in WW1.)
I was in the Intelligence Section of HQ Coy while in the
4th Bn in Morley Hall and Patras. Perhaps some of those
Royal Norfolks with me in the BMM and E Surreys (remote as
we were from our Mother Regiment) might remember those
days as well?
(Frederick
Munns was demobbed in Feb
1948, was housebound since 1987 and died
on 4 Aug 2004) 
Int Section, HQ Coy, Old Barracks, Patras,
Greece, Sep 1946
Back, left to right: Frederick
W Munns, Ginger Mullard, Cpl
Jeffs, Pete Bryant
Front: Sgt Topper Brown, Major ?, Capt RE Selby,
CSM ?
And see Stanley
Marjoram on Corfu 1946 in B&C 105
Dec 05. |
B&C Norfolk Editor