Dougie Fowles “A” Squadron 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards Interviews - March/April 2023

Dougie was born in 1923 in a little village called Shocklach, 5 miles from Malpas near the River Dee. He worked on a farm and remembered having to take a small boat out during the floods and rescue stranded sheep on the hills. Also remembers having to cycle to the local dances in Malpas.

He joined the British Army at the age of 18 (circa 1942) choosing the Border Regiment (Cumberland) who were based in Carlisle. Their HQ was Carlisle Castle and the troops were stationed in Nissen huts in Bitts Park. He did his basic training (ITC) in North Berwick and said that on their breaks they would go and watch the Convoys sail past on their way to re-supply Russia. He stayed with the Border Regiment until he transferred to the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Once a part of the regiment, he became a tank gunner primarily but said that they all trained to do each other's jobs pretty much. The Dragoons did their gunnery training at Bovington where they would fire shells out to sea – only pausing to let Royal Navy ships sail past.

TANKS. Dougie said that his crew were given a Sherman tank – a ‘Firefly’ - which had a specially fitted 17 pounder gun. There were normally 5 crew to a tank but due to the size of the gun they only had 4 – the co-driver seat being used to store the larger shells. (This was great for them as they still got a 5-man ration pack!). He said that his squad was comprised of the Sherman and 3 Cromwells. The Cromwells had a much smaller main gun than the Sherman but they were so much faster than the German Tigers and Panthers that they would zoom around them in circles, trying to keep them occupied whilst dodging their shells. I asked him if he remembers painting the barrel of the 17 pounder to try and camouflage it from German tank/anti-tank crews. He said he did remember but couldn’t attest to its success – other than that he was still here!

NORMANDY. The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards arrived at Arromanches in Normandy in July 1944 and became part of the 7th Armoured Division under Field Marshall Montgomery. Dougie said he met Monty and thought he was a decent chap and that the men under him would follow him anywhere. (He also said that he was the first person he ever met that wore cordurouy trousers and that he thinks Monty started a bit of a fashion as lots of blokes followed suit).

Dougie remembers his first action was during Operation Goodwood and that as they pushed through France, locals would come out of their houses with biscuits and drinks for them. He also recalls seeing another tank hit by an enemy shell and the tank commander trying to get out of the hatch but being swallowed up by the flames and perishing.

Dougie said that rations and ammunition would be brought round at midnight and they were pretty bland although sometimes they would get the odd newly baked loaf of bread and he recalls bumping into a mate from Northumberland who gave them some cheese and fresh onions to go with it.

After Normandy, the tanks moved North through Belgium to act as support for the allied airborne landings at Arnhem (Operation Market Garden). Dougie recalls seeing the airborne armada flying over and going on seemingly forever. He also sadly recalled seeing dead paratroopers hung up in trees and on buildings and their CO, Major Gibson, telling them to ‘cut those boys down’. During the Allied push through Belgium and Holland, Dougie’s tank was hit in the tracks and they were forced to wait until midnight for the supply truck to come through and take them back to HQ. They slept outside that night but were then sent to Brussels for 4 days and stayed in the lush Hotel Des Colonies right opposite the statue of the ‘peeing boy’ (Mannekin Pis).

GERMANY. He recalls going through German houses looking for food and also making money by selling Lugers to American GIs – they couldn’t get enough of them. He also said he remembers VE Day very well but did not elaborate...

POST WAR. *Some of Dougie’s recollections may not necessarily be in chronological order – but then he is 99!

After the war, he served in Libya until Colonel Ghadaffi arrived and ‘kicked us all out’. He also lived in Cyprus near the Troodos Mountains. He said he met his wife whilst on holiday. She was from Nijmegen and they lived together in Germany – Sennelager/Paderborn area. His final posting was in Yemen where they were a defence force against the Front Liberation of South Yemen (FLOSY).

He served in the army for 25 years.

AFTER THE ARMY. Dougie worked for Securicor once he left the army and carried out audits on banks and places like the Humber Bridge to work out how many guards were needed for patrols.

Link to Dougie singing Fare Thee Well >

(Excuse camera work – he didn’t wait for the ‘action’ command!)

More info on the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Royal_Inniskilling_Dragoon_Guards