Desert Christmas

We came from some of the men of the 8th Army and it was sung from the borders of Tripolitania. We are here, we just pulled off the coast roads that goes along there towards 30 and ultimately to Tripoli and over by our recording trucks they've come one or two men of the 8th Army

and they're led by a corporal I can see them there and great cohes and tin hats they carry in at it we've just heard and they've just been having a bit of a sing song and we've recorded this bit of it.

As a matter of fact, they've been singing all kinds of songs with a bit of difficulty in getting them to sing a carol at all, to be quite honest. And I don't want you to get the impression that the eight armies, just having a nice picnic and he's going gaily singing carols up the coast road after Rommel.

They're not at all. They're too far too busy fighting this war and a grim enough business it is and all this STEM and very desert and they're very little time for singing at all. We are a good way at the moment behind our forward troops who certainly won't be going about caroling tonight. And Christmas, although it will be remembered and celebrated in the

desert, won't to be quite honest be an affair of thumb-putting and merry crackers and parties and good feasting for the men of the 8th Army.