South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 22 January 1944
South Yorkshire Gun Crew’s Two M.M.S
Bombardier L. Cooke, who is with the Central Mediterranean Forces, and whose home is in Sprotborough Street, Denaby Main, has sent us this picture of a Bofors fun crew, six members of which are from Denaby Main, one from Royston and another from Maltby.
Bombardier Cooke comments that‘ it is almost a South Yorkshire team and mentions that it is the crew in which two Denaby lads won the Mllltary Medal. They are Gunner Wheeliker and L/Bombardier Pass, who can be seen on the left of the ‘ back row.
The snap was taken in ‘the Tunisian desert while the gun crew were flghting alongside the Free French.
“We had quite “an exciting time,” states Bombardier Cooke, “‘once being surrounded for a whole day by a German motorised column. During this engagement this gun crew had the pleasure of destroying the first armoured car to fall to the unit’s credit.”
The boys in the group, who Include Sergt. Les. West, of Cusworth Street, Denaby, Driver Wood, Gunner Davies and Bombardier Cooke, also of Denaby, Gunner Miller of Royston, and Gunner Scott of Maltby, are now in Italy. They are seen in the act of brewing tea, and from the clothes they are wearing it is obvious, as Bombardier Cooke points out, that winter does find its way to the desert.