Captured Gun: Peter Leacock (above right) on captured German gun in Germany with Stan Farrow (above left)

On Victoria Day, May 24,1944, the advance party of the Canadian 8th RCA artillery Field regiment raced up the Liri Vally in Italy, to reconnoiter gun positions for battle action. It was a hot sunny day. The Mount Cassino monastery, then in ruins, was atop the mountains behind us. Unfortunately we were on the battle floor, and the enemy were still occupying the mountains shoulders on the right.

We were shelled mercilessly by the rearguard of the retreating Germans. That beautiful sunny afternoon we suffered nine killed and sixteen wounded, which was excessive for an artillery regiment. That night when we bedded down we each dug our individual slit trenches under cover of the trees in several olive orchards. As was the order of the time, we hung our mosquito nets from the gnarled olive tree branches above. However, to our horror and inconvenience, during the night the enemy determined to have another crack at us, and launched an air raid on our sleeping troops in the valley.

There were flares, bombs and machine gun fire. The flares hit the sky and revealed scores of white mosquito nets, under which we had been asleep. There was a mad scramble within each individual mosquito net to tear the thing down and hide it under each bedroll.

The next day the cooks and quarter stories were emptied of tea, so that we could dye our mosquito nets a less conspicuous colour. The following night and thereafter all our mosquito nets were a dull brown, and much less observable by passing enemy planes.

"Thanks for Tea"