I am trying to find out about John Emmett whom I believe served with the Manchester Regiment as a regular, from the following info you can see his service ran for about 21 years.
John joined the Manchester Regiment as a Drummer Boy as soon as he was old enough, about 1925 he went on to play a fife and maybe became a bandsman. His service ran until 1946/7.
A most amazing story. John was in the Manchester Regiment and his brother James (an engineer by trade) in the Royal Engineers. Both saw service in Italy.
James relates:-
When the Germans began to retreat the Engineers would go into any villages or buildings to check for booby traps, one such was my task, it was a barn on an Italian Farm which seemed totally deserted. The barn door was slightly ajar and creaked when a light breeze caught it, feeling very scared I approached the door, every nerve jangling and stopped just inside, I thought I heard a movement in some straw not too far in front of me, with the hair standing on the back of my neck I took careful aim with my rifle and yelled �Come out with your hands up or I�ll blow yer bloody brains out.� Very slowly with hands up rose our John, I don�t know who was the more surprised me or him.
It turns out that John�s outfit had been taken prisoner during their advance but when the Germans started their retreat any P.O.W.�s were put under the command of the Italians and the Germans retreated. No sooner had the Germans gone then the Italians followed, the P.O.W.�s decided to hide in and around the area until their own people got there. In the case of John Emmett his brother was first on the scene.
Unfortunately the photograph isn't dated but the inscription is in John's handwriting, I believe it was taken on the Northwest Frontier.
Looking at the picture John is seated second from the left. Can anyone tell me anything from the uniform or insignia i.e. the inverted chevron on the left cuff of the seated John Emmett?
