When all had disembarked, the roll was called and it was all aboard the Bedfords for the short run to Afragola, about ten kilometres north-east of Naples, where the Brigade Transit Camp was located. The following morning it was off on the long journey, over the Italian Backbone, to the Brigade's Concentration Area at Lucera, a short distance north-west of Foggia, where we came under command of Canadian 1 Corps, resting from their recent brilliant victory at Ortona on the Adriatic coast.

Memories of our relatively short stay in the Concentration Area - one being hearing the constant roar of the engines of planes of the USAAF and Desert Air Force taking off and returning to the nearby Foggia Airfield. Another, and more important, we were drawing on the Canadians for rations, which brought back memories of the voyage to Africa in the Duchess of York. As far as grub goes, the grass is always greener!

As the Regiment was now part of 8th Army it was time to get down to business, we hadn't been shipped to Italy simply to enjoy Canadian hospitality and gaze upon contrails crisscrossing a very blue sky. Consequently, for three days, we took part in firing exercises with regiments of 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, 'B' Squadron with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. There was, of course, much speculation as to what lay ahead, the consensus being that our Brigade's task was to support the Canadians in a drive, up the Adriatic coast, to capture the port of Ancona.