By Victor Iorwerth Lewis from Cardigan:
"My name is Iori Lewis, I live in Aberystwyth and I joined the local regiment which was the Pembrokeshire Cardiganshire Yeomanry in June 1939 and was called up on the first of September.
We stayed in Cardigan as a battery. There was one battery in Cardigan and one in Aberystwyth. The Cardigan battery took in people in Newport Pembrokeshire, Newcastle Emlyn, Llanybydder, Llandysyl. The Aberystwyth battery took in people from the Machynlleth area and Aberystwyth itself, Tregaron, Aberaeron.
We stayed in Cardigan from the 1st September until 28th December when we moved from Cardigan and joined the Aberystwyth battery and we finished up in Llandudno. At the time I thought we were in France but we weren't we were in Llandudno, where we stayed for about 4 months, training all the time.
Then we went to the Midlands to guard the factories and then on to Sussex where we did coastal battery work expecting the invasion of course which didn't come. We stayed there until June 1941. Then further training in Aldershot. Then we moved to Dorset to a place called Pidlington and from there we went abroad in June 1942 sailing from Liverpool.
We didn't know where we were going as usual the army wouldn't tell you. We finished up in Durban. We had a wonderful 25 days there, well looked after by the people there. We were well fed and then we finished up in Egypt in Port Tufiq. We had our guns back and then we were training in the desert and our very first action was in El Alamein on the 23rd October 1942."
Iori faces action at El Alamein...
your comments
Ceredig Hughes Leicester
My mother's brother was called Johnny Davies and during the war he served with the Royal Marines. After the war he travelled around the world as a merchant seaman (a very interesting character). He was born at treal mawr a farm near Llanon. Does any one remember him?
Tue Jan 22 17:07:13 2008
B. Davies, Aberystwyth
It would be nice if you could include some stories about your old comrade Jack Jones, MBE
Mon Jan 21 08:40:18 2008
Lindsey
David,
If you contact the local RAF in Aberystwyth they will get you in contact with Iori.
Wed Oct 11 14:59:50 2006
david kettlety pontyberem sa 15 5ad
My father Len Kettlety also served with the P&C Yeomanry despite being a Wiltshireman. He was with 406 battery and was at Llandysul and Piddlehinton. His friends were Jack Hughes and Jack Jones who was killed with Major Evans in the desert in 1942/3. I would very much like to contact Iori Lewis or any other members of the P&C Yeomanry with a view to swopping photos etc.
Thu May 4 09:35:17 2006
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Iori Lewis joined the Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire yeomanry in June 1939. After training on the south coast of England he saw his first action in El Alamein in October 1942.
