Hi. This, is one time, I would love to hear your reactions to this bit of history? For it sounds daft! Do you think it is true?

The Garden Roller Man!
Oh God! What next?

We were now billeted in a former Dutch youth SS training camp. Somewhere in the vicinity of Overloon and Venriaj, much of it had been shelled, but what was left, provided a bit of shelter. All the time the casualties from mines and booby traps had been coming in. Schu mines in particular, previously, I had described the injuries that these mines inflicted.

The sight of mangled, and blood soaked young men, with their lower half’s torn to shreds as they were stretchered in every day, was sickening. It was the terrible nature of the injuries that was so frightening, to lose ones legs is bad enough, but to lose ones genitals, was catastrophic. For these men there would be no happy marriage and the joy of family, and children of your own.

Something had to be done to stop this carnage, and the terrible injuries to our young men. Then someone came up with the idea of using a long handled garden roller. (Please do not stop reading this, thinking this is too far fetched) because it is perfectly true! A garden roller was obtained that had a long handle fitted, spikes had been welded on the drum, the operator had a cut down gas mask to protect his eyes, then, a woven rope protector was fitted round the groin, with the addition of long sleeved gauntlets to complete the ensemble.

The idea, was to push this contraption along in front of you, and as the weight of the roller set off the mine, the roller would be blow up and jump up in the air on its long swivel handle, and drop down again, without causing injury, believe it or not, this did actually work, but how often are you likely to find a bit of ground flat enough to successfully use it? At this point you may think "What a load of rubbish" and that is just what it sounds like! Rubbish. Apart from the fact that I was one of those soldiers who pushed this blasted thing.

Imagine if you can, a cold and wet battlefield in Holland with all hell let loose, and this lonely soldier bravely pushing this “bloody garden roller” all by himself. Much to his mates amusement. No! No! We knew the best way to remove them, get a huge armoured bulldozer, drop the blade and cut a deep furrow in the ground, when the mines exploded they did no damage at all against the blade. If, dear reader, you think this is a bit "way out" then let me tell you that to counter the threat of these mines, they also tried running a bren gun carrier up and down over the mines, all that succeeded in doing, was to blow its tracks off. The garden roller device was demonstrated in front of the Deputy Commander in Chief. Air Vice Marshal Tedder.

Now at this point, many of you are going to think “What ever is the old boy talking about?” This is so silly, and over the top, that it must be rubbish! Well, yours truly, fed up with side-long, and unbelieving glances, sent for the company war diaries.
They cost me £76, but in there, for all to see, is the following; The war diaries of the company state. Result: "The garden roller experiment was a washout"!
Next. Deception, deep behind the enemy lines.
Sapper Brian.