Hello all. I'm the son-in-law of James Wolstenholme, who was in the Manchesters from 1948-58. I'm hoping to find out more about his service from the men who served with him, or from their children.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm hoping the detail may help me connect with others who may have served with him. Before he died in 2005, I talked to him about it and he told me this:
"Joined British Armed Forces at age 17 1/2, was stationed at Chester and given opportunity to be 2nd Lieutenant. Turned it down because 2nd Lt. were known to be cannon fodder, and because it would entail money his father didn’t have, and was sent back and re-joined with all of the young men of his neighborhood. Because of his education (was in his first year at what is now Salford University), he was assigned to the QM (Quartermasters). All the rest of his friends eventually ended up dying in D-Day; he didn’t because as a QM he was assigned to supply. Was assigned later to “the Manchesters”, which his uncle had been a part of, and continued in the QM. Near the end of WWII was posted in Africa (Gibraltar, Cairo, etc). Was in battles along the major route of Japanese movement...as a QM his job was to keep the machine gunners supplied with food and ammo, so he was continually running to the front armed with only a sidearm, delivering whatever was needed. After the end of the war he was stationed in India and later Malaya as part of the British occupying forces (about 1000 British soldiers were the entire force for Madras). In 1946 or so he was involved in a riot in Madras, India, where a company (about 140-160 men), led by a green Lt., were surrounded by rioters and were getting pounded with Molotov cocktails, bricks, stones, etc. Standing orders were to fire three rounds over the heads of the rioters; the rioters knew the procedure and took no notice. His unit, including the cooks and mechanics, were called in to rescue the company and were to do so “at all costs”. They arrived in Ford trucks with machine guns mounted in the rear, the ammo belts draped on the side of the trucks so that the rioters could see as the ammuntion was loaded into the gun (so they knew it was live ammo). They were ordered to lock and load, and then to level their weapons and fire one round into the front line of the rioters. There were three of these trucks/machine guns, with James being one of the gunners. “You just tried not to think about who you were shooting--men, women, and children--and hoping that the rioters in the back saw what had happenend in the front. In normal circumstances we’d have been court-martialed for what we did, but we were ordered to get that company out at all costs. We killed about 150 people. Each burst released 25 rounds. Back home in England all the reports were how peaceful it was, but it wasn’t.” After that incident, he was stabbed in another riot in 1950 in Malaya; a rioter used a machete and cut him down the left side of his chest; his ammunition kept the blade from cutting through bone."
Just yesterday I sat down with my mother-in-law, who gave me some more information:
“Called up when he was 18, did 3 years national service. That was 1944. Did 12 weeks of training and then immediately posted to India. Didn’t see much action until the “clearing up”. Fought pockets of Japanese in Burma. He was not stabbed in the chest in Malaya, but in Somalia. He was stabbed in the wrist and leg in Malaya. In Aldershot, he was with the Medical Corps training medical doctors how to shoot to defend their patients. Trained Roger Bannister. He won the army team shooting medal, in Aldershot. He was the only non-medic on the team.
He was posted to Italian Somalialand in Africa (Somalia) in 1948. He was there for 18 months. He got stabbed just below the heart. In October of 1950, was posted to Barnard Castle in Durham. Moved the family, which lived in the Cattrick Garrison. At this time he was with the Border Regiment. Then he was posted to Chester, England. Moved to Malay in April 1953. His wife and daughter followed on The Chesire, a troop ship. He was stationed at Butterworth, Malaya. Married quarters were on Penang. He was on the mainland and came home on the weekends. James was in the Quartermasters. There was an uprising. He joined the Manchester Regiment. Stayed there until 1954. His wife (my mother-in-law) remembers Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Aspinall, Mrs. Wamsley, next door neighbor whose husband was the drum major in the band. Every time he came to Panang, he was picking up ammunition to take to the troops. That was a worrying time. Came back to England in May of 1954. And then they moved to Berlin in August of 1954, guarding Spandau Prison where Rudolph Hess was held. Lived in a flat overlooking olypic stadium. There about 12 months, then moved to Aldershot in 1955/56. James finished his service in 1958. He had signed on in India, for 7 and 5. He did 12 years, and did 15 years all tolled (National Service was part of it). "
Thanks for any information,
Mark Britt
North Carolina, USA
