By ani and By Air

C OMMAN DO

Following my lost opportunity of studying at Oxford, we were sent to Sidmouth for a month’s Commando course. Only those who attended such a course would know what I am talking about. There was no walking; we always ran everywhere we went, and somehow we were always running uphill. The day after arrival, 500 of us had to go on a five mile cross—country run, which included going up a mountain. It was the only time in my life I got what is called a second wind; what a great feeling, as one feels he could keep running with no shortness of breath. Officer Spear and I kept together, and we came in 19 and 20 as we sprinted the last few yards - they took the names of the first 25. I rolled out of bed for the next week. I was stiff from climbing over roofs and trees.

Every way you went there was barbed wire. When you ran up a ramp and had to jump over a deep ditch about four feet across, there was that tangle of barbed wire and broken glass; well, you jumped. You climbed up 30 feet on iron rods which rolled, with your rifle over your back. The rods were three feet apart and then you had to roll over the top rod and come down on the opposite side. You had to crawl under a lace of barbed wire with about two feet clearance, and with sheep intestines 0n the bottom - one had to keep his head below the wire. We were urged to climb up on a 30 foot wall and jump off with parachute on. We jumped freely from 10 feet, and we were told that it was the same effect as a parachute jump. The instructor would put us in a covered van and after Circling the ground, take us out for about 10 miles and say, ”find your

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