'I was scared everyday': Italian campaign veteran Fred Mason recalls horror of war in documentary
“Anyone who says they weren’t scared – they were either telling lies or they weren’t there.”
The words of 95-year-old war veteran Fred Mason, from Rushall, about his experiences of serving during the Second World War.
Mr Mason was called up for service at the age of 19 – and sent to Italy, serving in the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment as a private.
He fought in the Battle of Anzio, a battle of Italian Campaign on the Second World War.
Fred Mason spoke out about his experiences in the Second World War on a BBC One documentary with Gary Lineker this week.
WATCH: A preview of the documentary here
But he has long been a hero of the locals including Springslade Lodge Walking Group, of which he has been made an honorary member.
The Rugeley-born former soldier said: “I was 19 and working for a baker.
A lot of people were being called up to serve. Some of my friends had already gone and I don’t know why I was later being called.
“I was called up to serve on July 15, 1943. I trained for six weeks at Copthorne Barracks and for 10 weeks in the Maltings, in Shrewsbury. I then did five weeks intensive training in Lincolnshire. Then they gave us two weeks to spend at home, then off we went on the ship. It was rough, we were nearly all sea sick.
“The first thing that happened when we got to camp, we were attacked by two German aircrafts. That was the first thing I saw of any action at all.
“Then we moved towards the front.
"A German aircraft, just on its own, dived and dropped these little bombs that spread out – it killed three and injured a few more.
"And then we moved up to the front line.
"The reason that they landed there [Anzio], on the Cassino front was static, they couldn’t move, they couldn’t get out.
"So the idea was to land us, the Americans and British, at Anzio so the Germans would bring some of their troops from Cassino to Anzio – but he didn’t do it.
"He brought his troops from the south of France and northern Italy.”
Mr Mason said the Battle of Anzio, between January and May 1944, was a scary experience for a teenager.
He said: “I was 19, what did I know. It was frightening. Gary asked me, if I was scared. I was scared everyday.
"Anyone who says they weren’t scared – they were either telling lies or they weren’t there. And I mean that.
"We landed on January 22, 1944 and it broke out May 23, 1944.
"Although I didn’t get a scratch, I contracted malaria just as we came out and I finished up in hospital in Rome.”
After recovering, his comrades had moved on to Palestine and he was left behind.
After the war ended, he was flown home a month before Christmas in 1945 in a Lancaster Bomber.
He was eventually demobbed in August 1946.
Mr Mason said: “That was it. It was good to be home – but my teenage years, I had no life, it was very difficult to settle down and to adapt to being back home.
"I got a job with an insurance company and made that my career. I also got myself a hobby, art. It was a bit like comfort for me.”
In 1949, he married Joyce, who died two years ago.
They moved to Rushall, near Walsall, and had one son, Robert, who is now 67. Mr Mason also has a 29-year-old grandson Joshua and six-year-old great-grandson Theo.
Every week he goes to Springslade Lodge, near Cannock Chase – and monthly meets the Springslade Lodge walking group.
Group members unfurled union flags and bunting were unfurled for the war veteran as the community showed their pride in his wartime bravery at their gathering this week.
He added: “I have been back to Italy six or seven times now, back to Anzio.
“It is important for me to tell the story, I don’t know why but people never talk about it. It is all D-Day, I have a lot of respect for those who did that job, but there’s lots of people who have seen what went on before.”
Gary Lineker: My Grandad’s War is available on BBC iPlayer.
