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The Herald Scotland
08-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Veteran who lied about age to join up tells of ‘relief' at learning war was over
'I did lie about my age. I pushed it up a bit, gave all the right answers, and I was in. I was happy,' he said. 'I was 17. I told them I was 18. I wrote a letter out saying that 'To whom it my concern, the bearer of this letter is my son, Donald Turrell blah, blah, blah'.' He explained he had always wanted to be a soldier and that like 'all the young lads' he had wanted to play his part in defending his country. He joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and in the ensuing months was stationed at various places around the UK, including Bury St Edmunds, Newquay, Newcastle and Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. His battalion crossed over to France in June 1944 in the days following D-Day, and Mr Turrell landed on Sword beach before taking part in fierce fighting against occupying German troops. The veteran described feeling 'excited and apprehensive' during the crossing, and said his 'introduction' to the war was seeing bodies from earlier fighting washing back up on the beach as he landed. His war came to an end a few weeks later on July 10, when he was seriously injured during fighting near the town of Eterville, and later medically discharged. The 99-year-old recalled that his unit had been fighting a group of Germans who he said had been 'leading' them to an area of woodland, before finding themselves pinned down by heavy fire. 'They put up a heavy barrage of bullets, machine guns, mortars and everything,' he recalled. 'We were static. When all that's going on, you're not looking around seeing where it's coming from. 'You keep down (in a) foetal position, and that's when I got walloped on the left side.' He explained that using his rifle as a crutch he had 'staggered' back to platoon headquarters where 'carriers' were sent to evacuate them. He continued: 'And while we were laying on the carriers, more shells came down and hit us there. 'One driver I knew … went up in the air. Well he was dead before he hit the ground. And that was another shock. 'I'm waiting for the next one to come for me, but no, I said to the driver – his name was Cameron – 'Let's get out of here''. He added: 'And that put me out of the Army. That was my Army career gone.' Mr Turrell spoke movingly of the close friends he lost during the campaign, some of whom he buried in the field, and who are now buried in Commonwealth War cemeteries on the continent. The war also claimed his older brother Leslie, who had been a telegraphist on HMS Penelope and died when she was sunk off the Italian coast near Naples in February 1944. The veteran has since been out to visit his friends' graves with the aid of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, and said he hopes to return to Scotland with the charity later this year. As well as visiting sites linked to his war service, including the Cameronian barracks in Hamilton, he said he wants to see places associated with his Scottish mother. 'My mother came from Scotland', he explained. 'She came from Dunfermline, and she always told me about how Scotland is, and there is a photograph in a family somewhere where she's doing the Highland fling. 'I'd like to go up there and see how she lived and all that, and Scotland itself.' Asked about his memories of the original VE Day in 1945, the 99-year-old said with a chuckle: 'I was in a pub, naturally'. 'I never heard a Churchill speech or anything, but I knew the war was over. 'So I met all the local lads who were in my class, and those who were on leave, etc and we had a damned good time. 'But I wasn't going to go up to London to Trafalgar Square because I was on crutches. 'I'd been wounded and I'd been pushed and shoved about, so I stayed local and (had a) really good time.' He added: 'It was a relief, because I was alive.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Veteran who lied about age to join up tells of ‘relief' at learning war was over
Veteran who lied about age to join up tells of 'relief' at learning war was over A 99-year-old veteran who fought in the Normandy campaign after lying about his age has spoken of his 'relief' at learning the war in Europe had come to an end. Born in London in 1925, Donald Turrell was just 17 when he enlisted in the Army having forged a letter from his parents. 'I did lie about my age. I pushed it up a bit, gave all the right answers, and I was in. I was happy,' he said. 'I was 17. I told them I was 18. I wrote a letter out saying that 'To whom it my concern, the bearer of this letter is my son, Donald Turrell blah, blah, blah'.' He explained he had always wanted to be a soldier and that like 'all the young lads' he had wanted to play his part in defending his country. ADVERTISEMENT He joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and in the ensuing months was stationed at various places around the UK, including Bury St Edmunds, Newquay, Newcastle and Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. His battalion crossed over to France in June 1944 in the days following D-Day, and Mr Turrell landed on Sword beach before taking part in fierce fighting against occupying German troops. The veteran described feeling 'excited and apprehensive' during the crossing, and said his 'introduction' to the war was seeing bodies from earlier fighting washing back up on the beach as he landed. His war came to an end a few weeks later on July 10, when he was seriously injured during fighting near the town of Eterville, and later medically discharged. The 99-year-old recalled that his unit had been fighting a group of Germans who he said had been 'leading' them to an area of woodland, before finding themselves pinned down by heavy fire. ADVERTISEMENT 'They put up a heavy barrage of bullets, machine guns, mortars and everything,' he recalled. 'We were static. When all that's going on, you're not looking around seeing where it's coming from. 'You keep down (in a) foetal position, and that's when I got walloped on the left side.' He explained that using his rifle as a crutch he had 'staggered' back to platoon headquarters where 'carriers' were sent to evacuate them. He continued: 'And while we were laying on the carriers, more shells came down and hit us there. 'One driver I knew … went up in the air. Well he was dead before he hit the ground. And that was another shock. 'I'm waiting for the next one to come for me, but no, I said to the driver – his name was Cameron – 'Let's get out of here''. ADVERTISEMENT He added: 'And that put me out of the Army. That was my Army career gone.' Mr Turrell spoke movingly of the close friends he lost during the campaign, some of whom he buried in the field, and who are now buried in Commonwealth War cemeteries on the continent. The war also claimed his older brother Leslie, who had been a telegraphist on HMS Penelope and died when she was sunk off the Italian coast near Naples in February 1944. The veteran has since been out to visit his friends' graves with the aid of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, and said he hopes to return to Scotland with the charity later this year. As well as visiting sites linked to his war service, including the Cameronian barracks in Hamilton, he said he wants to see places associated with his Scottish mother. ADVERTISEMENT 'My mother came from Scotland', he explained. 'She came from Dunfermline, and she always told me about how Scotland is, and there is a photograph in a family somewhere where she's doing the Highland fling. 'I'd like to go up there and see how she lived and all that, and Scotland itself.' Asked about his memories of the original VE Day in 1945, the 99-year-old said with a chuckle: 'I was in a pub, naturally'. 'I never heard a Churchill speech or anything, but I knew the war was over. 'So I met all the local lads who were in my class, and those who were on leave, etc and we had a damned good time. 'But I wasn't going to go up to London to Trafalgar Square because I was on crutches. 'I'd been wounded and I'd been pushed and shoved about, so I stayed local and (had a) really good time.' He added: 'It was a relief, because I was alive.'
Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
WW2 veteran, 99, says 'incredible friendship' with man, 28, 'stopped my nightmares'
A World War II veteran aged 99 has formed an incredible bond with a 28-year-old man whose great grandfather died at the very same battle his new 'best friend' survived A war veteran has told how his 'incredible friendship' with a 28-year-old, whose great grandfather died in the same battle as he survived, has stopped his nightmares. Don Turrell, aged 99, from Essex, was badly injured and repatriated back to the UK during World War II. For decades he didn't open up about his ordeal until he met Callum who encouraged him to talk about it. He'd met Callum Reid, 28, in Normandy during a visit to the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Callum was in the region to visit his great grandad's grave for the first time who was killed during World War II. The two hit it off immediately and they went on to become the very 'best friends'. The veteran told how the friendship has helped him heal from the 'hell on earth' he lived through during World War II. He said Callum encouraged him to talk about things he had buried for decades. 'We never spoke about the war, we'd come home on leave and never spoke about it with our families. But he encouraged me to talk about things and I haven't had a nightmare since,' he said. Don's older brother Leslie Turrell, 21, was killed on HMS Penelope in Anzio off the coast of Italy aged. His ship had been nicknamed the 'pepper pot' because it was hit so many times. The pair have now been pals for six years despite living on opposite sides of the UK but Callum cares for him during trips with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Don added: 'He's my best friend. I'm lost without him, put it that way. I miss him because I live on my own." Callum, who now lives in Scotland, said of their special relationship: 'It's helped, just having a chat. When he told me about the mortar bombing and how scared he was, it makes me understand what my great grandad would have experienced. It has given me a greater appreciation of what they went through and it makes me sad that he has experienced it.' Both Don and Callum's great grandfather Sg James Dargie, 33, were involved in the battle of Hill 112 in Normandy, a strategic position because of the vital view it provided. Don was wounded first on July 10, 1944, but survived during the battle for Eterville. At one stage he was under siege and took shelter and braced himself in a tree trunk, with his comrades trying to make themselves as small as possible. As the bombardment eased, he called out for people around him and only heard back from one man, who then went to get up and collapsed and died. Everyone around him was dead. 'I was in bed in hospital for three years after being wounded,' he said as his foot was nearly blown off and his left side and back were seriously injured. Chartered accountant Callum originally from Leeds explained his great grandad, Sgt James Dargie, died aged 33, six days later, trying to capture the same hill. He was in the 86th anti-tank regiment when he was killed on July 16th 1944 by a direct mortar hit. 'My grandma was nine years old when he died. I think that's why I am so passionate about what happened and the importance to learn," he said. 'I asked Don what it was like up there and he said it was like 'hell on earth' and another veteran told me it was 'the worst night of his life'." Five years ago Callum said how he took Don and 'introduced him to my great grandad" at his grave at St Manvieu cemetery where Don also has three friends buried. Callum said: 'I don't get emotional much but I was then because it was a moment I never thought I'd get to see. 'I'm so unbelievably lucky to have met Don, I do believe it was fate. I first met him in a bar in France and I was starstruck. He's now one of my best friends."
