So quoth Lord Baden-Powell. One day, on the notice board, appeared an invatation from Captain F.Ward (Brigade HQ) asking ex Boy Scouts to attend a meeting to determine the feasibility of forming a Rover Crew. The idea was enthusiastically received and the A.M.8 Rover Crew was established following approval from Imperial HQ in London. To the best of my knowledge the Crew was the only one, of the many Crews formed during the war, to be in a combat unit. While in Ain Mokra, the Crew met regularly at the Salvation Army facility that had been set up between the south side of the Bône/Phillipeville road and the dry lake.

Preparing for War - 1943

Lest it be thought that our sojourn in Algeria was nothing but fun and games, let it be known there was much to indicate otherwise and the rumour that the Regiment would be going back to the UK was soon put to rest.

No more compelling evidence, that something was afoot, was seeing the build up with huge stocks of war matériel on both sides of the Bône/Phillipeville road. British dumps being sited on the north side and American on the south. Arabs, dressed in overalls supplied by the two armies, provided much of the labour extensively employed.

One day, when returning from a day pass to Bône, our driver was thumbed-down by a GI. Shortly, after he had hopped in the back of the Bedford 3-tonner, we were driving past the ammo dumps. On seeing so many locals dressed in US fatigues he announced to one and all, "Just look at those Yankee Ayrabs!"

Rumours about our next destination certainly started to fly when, in the early days of September, enough Churchills arrived to re-equip two Squadrons. Also, on a Sunday, later in the month, came the word that we were shortly moving to a new theatre. As the Sicilian campaign was over we assumed it was to be to Italy, although Greece was the subject of much speculation. The rumours grew even stronger when the word trickled down that Friday 8th October was the date set for the Regiment to be prepared to move. The rumours slowly died down when the 8th came and went but were strongly re-ignited when, on Saturday, October 23rd, we were told that the Regiment had been given three days notice to move. However, move we did not, for over five more months Ain Mokra was to be our home!

Field Training

During our stay in Algeria, only on one occasion were our tanks engaged in exercises with other units. Over a period of five days, towards the end of August, the Regiment participated in firing exercises, as part of Exercise Concord, with components of the 2nd North Staffs and 1st Loyals (North Lancashire) Regiment.