Private Alfred Tighe's remarkable journey
Mar 24, 2012 0:07:01 GMT
Post by shred on Mar 24, 2012 0:07:01 GMT
In December 1941 Alfred had written to his parents stating that he was serving with the Long Range Desert Group. Two months later Mr & Mrs Tighe of Ada St, Pendlebury received a telegram informing them that their youngest son, Private Alfred Tighe, had been reported missing.
The following story was described as "one of the most moving of the war in the Libyan Desert".
Private Tighe, Trooper Ronald Moore, D.C.M., of Tahapi, New Zealand, Guardsman John Easton of Edinburgh, and Guardsman Alexander Winchester of Glasgow had been returning from a 700 mile raid into enemy territory across the Libyan Desert almost to the Algerian Border when their patrol was attacked by an enemy force aided by planes. The British commander of the patrol was captured, his second in command ordered the patrol to withdraw believing that Tighe, Moore, Easton and Winchester had perished in one of the destroyed trucks. The four men had in fact escaped to some near by hills. Moore had a shell splinter in one foot, Easton had a bullet wound to the throat, and Tighe was suffering from an old internal injury. When the area became quiet again the four men searched the scene of the fight for supplies finding a two gallon tin of water. They had two choices - they could walk 80 miles to the nearest Italian post and surrender or attempt to walk 290 miles to freedom. The four men chose the latter. Taking turns to carry the water the men started to follow the tracks of their patrol's vehicles On the third day they found a two pound pot of plum jam that had dropped from one of the trucks on the journey northward. They ate the whole of it that day.
Tighe became very tired on the fifth day and asked his comrades to leave him behind as he felt he was hindering them. The men agreed to commence without Alfred leaving him with a share of water which was poured into a bottle they had picked up. After the men had left Alfred found that the water was undrinkable due to a salty substance which the bottle had previously contained.
By the sixth day, due to a sandstorm Moore, Easton and Winchester had nearly lost the tracks that they had been following, yet still arrived at Sarra. Sarra proved to be abandoned and only consisted of a few huts and a "filled-in well". The men found some waste motor oil and bathed their feet, lit a fire, and moved on the next day.
In the meantime Tighe, fighting his exhaustion, had been trying to catch up with his comrades. He arrived in Sarra on the evening that the others had left. Finding a match in the sand, together with some oil he lit a fire. He later related that it was so cold that night that he may have died if not for the fire. Three days later a French Patrol found him while returning from a reconnaissance of Kufra. Despite not having any water for four days, Tighe reported the plight of his lost comrades to the French patrol.
Part two to follow soon...
The following story was described as "one of the most moving of the war in the Libyan Desert".
Private Tighe, Trooper Ronald Moore, D.C.M., of Tahapi, New Zealand, Guardsman John Easton of Edinburgh, and Guardsman Alexander Winchester of Glasgow had been returning from a 700 mile raid into enemy territory across the Libyan Desert almost to the Algerian Border when their patrol was attacked by an enemy force aided by planes. The British commander of the patrol was captured, his second in command ordered the patrol to withdraw believing that Tighe, Moore, Easton and Winchester had perished in one of the destroyed trucks. The four men had in fact escaped to some near by hills. Moore had a shell splinter in one foot, Easton had a bullet wound to the throat, and Tighe was suffering from an old internal injury. When the area became quiet again the four men searched the scene of the fight for supplies finding a two gallon tin of water. They had two choices - they could walk 80 miles to the nearest Italian post and surrender or attempt to walk 290 miles to freedom. The four men chose the latter. Taking turns to carry the water the men started to follow the tracks of their patrol's vehicles On the third day they found a two pound pot of plum jam that had dropped from one of the trucks on the journey northward. They ate the whole of it that day.
Tighe became very tired on the fifth day and asked his comrades to leave him behind as he felt he was hindering them. The men agreed to commence without Alfred leaving him with a share of water which was poured into a bottle they had picked up. After the men had left Alfred found that the water was undrinkable due to a salty substance which the bottle had previously contained.
By the sixth day, due to a sandstorm Moore, Easton and Winchester had nearly lost the tracks that they had been following, yet still arrived at Sarra. Sarra proved to be abandoned and only consisted of a few huts and a "filled-in well". The men found some waste motor oil and bathed their feet, lit a fire, and moved on the next day.
In the meantime Tighe, fighting his exhaustion, had been trying to catch up with his comrades. He arrived in Sarra on the evening that the others had left. Finding a match in the sand, together with some oil he lit a fire. He later related that it was so cold that night that he may have died if not for the fire. Three days later a French Patrol found him while returning from a reconnaissance of Kufra. Despite not having any water for four days, Tighe reported the plight of his lost comrades to the French patrol.
Part two to follow soon...