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| Sergeant Jim Jeffery |
How did you feel after all these dreadful things you had been through, you came back and had to just carry on with your normal life, was that a hard thing to adjust to?
I kept in touch with the Regiment but I must say I was happy and proud to have served nearly 7 years in the 2/5th Queens and met some marvellous people there, not least of whom was J Y Whitfield who was our CO for several years and then left us and commanded the 169 brigade and then ultimately 56th Division all of which were our divisions anyway and when he was demobbed, left the army, he, they went home to Chiddingfold where he lived and sadly lost his sight there. He had diabetes, lost his sight and died and is buried in Chiddingfold churchyard. One of the old comrades Sergeant Major Steadman was 90 and I made arrangements to take Arthur Steadman, to collect John [McDunkley] who was an old friend of ours, a 2/5th man and Len Gibbs who was an old 2/5th man and we all had lunch at Chiddingfold Golf Club but then leaving the Golf Club John [McDunkley] directed us to the back of Chiddingfold churchyard and the four of us old 2/5th comrades stood around J Y’s grave and paid homage there to a great soldier and a magnificent man, a really wonderful man. That is much of the feeling that I have always had for the regiment. A wonderful regiment for which to have served and happy to do so and that is about it.