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The Champion • Wednesday 2 October 2013
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‘Desert Rat’ shares
wartime memories
91–year–old Joseph can still recall the
horrors of combat 70 years later
Report by Danielle Thompson
THE veterans running a historic
display stand in Southport last
weekend welcomed a very special
surprise visitor – one of the famous
‘Desert Rats’ who fought in the
Second World War II North Africa
Campaign.
Joseph Norman Bamtton, 91, from
Ormskirk, surprised former Corporal
Harold Hartley and former Lieutenant
Corporal Malcolm Vickers at the Loyal
North Lancashire historic photo
boards stand at Tesco in Kew.
The Friendly Loyals Veterans historic
display boards show photographs of
men from Southport, Ormskirk, and
other parts of Lancashire that are only
usually seen in museums or libraries.
Mr Bamtton is one of the last
remaining Veterans from the Second
World War who fought all the way
through the North Africa Campaign.
Brought up in Chapel Street,
Ormskirk as a child and now living in
Burscough, he was conscripted when
he was just 19 years old.
He joined the 1st Battalion The Loyal
Regiment in 1942 – but can still
remember his number, 3865874, at a
moment’s notice!
After being conscripted, Joseph was
sent to Houghton Hall near Kings
Lynn for six weeks of initital training
before being sent to Ayrshire,
Scotland for 10 days of special
invasion training.
He was then sent to Algiers before
going to ‘The Basin’ in North Africa.
Recalling the big ‘push’ during the
battle for Tunisia that started at the
Gab Gab Gap on April 23, 1943, he
remebered how, in one week of hard
fighting, the 1st Loyals lost 22 officers
and 446 men.
He said: “We were attacked at the
Gap by German tanks. Word came
through to get into the cornfields, the
barrage was coming – and it was some
barrage.
“A shell dropped within a yard of us
and a tank came within 100 metres of
us.
166,000
more people read
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each week
than all Trinity
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combined
throughout Sefton
& West Lancs
Source: Interviewing Services, August 2013. 670 face-to-face interviews.
The Friendly Loyals veterans gave
Mr Bamtton a new Loyals cap
Code NA
“The war was horrific. When you tell
people about it they cannot
understand, you can’t really
understand unless you were there.
“It was sheer hell.
“We were being shelled and you
could hear the shells over your head.
“We did hand–to–hand fighting
with bayonets and it was so terrible.
“I can still hear men screaming, can
hear them asking me to kill them.
“You see the most terrible things,
men with legs blown off and faces
streaming with blood.
“I was one of a few of Ormskirk lads
who were called up together.
“I was called up with my closest
friend Basil Vincent Spencer MM, and
we ended up fighting in the same
regiment together.
“I was also called up with James
Nightingale who was killed at the Gab
Gab Gap, James Bracegirdle who was
very badly wounded there and James
Middlehurst who came back
1122884
unharmed.”
Mr Bamtton’s grandfather, Edwin
Henry Bamtton set up the family
business EH Bamtton Ltd, which his
father, Joseph snr., who was one of
nine children, joined as a painter,
decorator and signwriter.
Joseph junior joined the business as
a joiner/carpenter at the age of 14
before he was conscripted.
He married when he came back from
the war in 1946, although he later
divorced, and has a daughter, Valerie,
63, son Brian, 62, six grandchildren
and nine great–grandchildren, as well
as a sister, Barbara, who is 99 years
old.
“There’s a few of ‘em now, it’s
costing me a fortune!”
When he returned from the war, he
went back to work at the family
business before starting work at
Ormskirk Urban District Council as a
building foreman in April 1959.
He then went to work sorting out
mortgaging issues and converting
empty premises into flats in Liverpool
until 1974, when he joined Lancashire
County Council as a building
maintenance officer, where he stayed
until his retirement in 1985.
Mr Vickers said: “Since we have
been touring with these photo boards
we have had hundreds of veterans
from all branches of our military stop
by and mention to us about their
experiences in the service.
“Mr Bamtton has retained a very
detailed memory of events that
happened during the battle for
Tunisia.
“He recalls that his regiment the 1st
Loyals were included in the big push
along with the 2nd Battalion the
North Staffs, the 6th Battalion the
Gorden Highlanders, the 1st battalion
of The Irish Guards, 1st Scotch
Guards, and the 5th Brigade of Irish
Guards.
The 1st Army Brigade was under
General Anderson.
“The Divisional Commander was
Major General Clutterbuck and the
Brigade Commander was Brigadier
Moore.”
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Concern for missing man
POLICE are concerned for the
welfare of a 59–year–old man
who has been missing from his
home in Ormskirk for nearly
two weeks.
Anthony Connell (pictured)
was last seen at about 9.45pm
on Friday, September 20 on
Wigan Road, Ormskirk.
He is described as white, 5ft
1in tall and slim with blue eyes,
grey receding hair and a beard.
At the time of his
disappearance he was wearing
a red and dark–blue jacket,
black trousers and black
walking boots.
Inspector Christina Shorrock
said: “We believe Anthony is
still likely to be in the West
Lancashire area so would urge
people to be vigilant. Anyone
with any information about his
whereabouts is asked to contact
Lancashire Police on 101.”
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