Description
Mr. Dingwell describes his voyage from England to Naples, Italy aboard
HMS Duchess of Bedford.
George Dingwell
George Dingwell was born on February 21, 1925 in Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland. His family later moved to Corner Brook, where his father and brother were employed by the railroad. After a short time working for the railroad himself, Mr. Dingwell decided to enlist in April of 1942. In England, he trained as a truck driver and was assigned to the 166th Battalion, which was then deployed to Italy. Mr. Dingwell’s draft remained in a holding unit through the winter of ‘44-‘45. The day he joined his Battalion in Northern Italy, it was coming out of battle and was soon disbanded. Mr. Dingwell then volunteered for the Japanese theatre, but that theatre ended before he saw action.
Transcript
My mind was set for the 166 but at that time the 166 was in action in North Africa and Italy and the 59th was just sitting idle in England. There were no action see, the second front hadn’t started. So I was quite pleased and that’s where I wanted to go and join the 166.We were put on a troop ship, the Duchess of Bedford. Now that troop ship, the Germans they tell us, I’m only quoting from someone else. That ship was torpedoed in the harbour in Liverpool and they refloated her again. She was a cruise ship, you know, in peace time. And they used her, of course they used all the ships in those days, even the Queen Mary, for troop carrying boats. So they put her on the, on that run from South Hampton, England to Naples. Now our regiment was way up Northern Italy then, at that time, fighting, in action, you know. We disembarked in Naples and then they transported us over to the Allied holding depot.