Spike Milligan

A few anecdotes from his first 6.

Adolf Hitler
'At Victoria station the R.T.O. gave me a travel warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler marked "This is your enemy". I searched every compartment, but he wasn't on the train . . .'

'Rommel?' 'Gunner Who?'
'Keep talking, Milligan. I think I can get you out on Mental Grounds.'
'That's how I got in, sir.'
'Didn't we all.'

Monty
'It's all over, Von Arnheim has surrendered and he's very angry.''This could mean war...'

The third volume of Spike Milligan's laugh-a-line account of life as a gunner in World War Two resumes on the eve of victory in North Africa.

Mussolini
'A voice is calling across the land, 'Bombardier Milligan.' 'Bombadier Milligan is dead,' I replied in a disguised voice. The voice replied, 'Then he's going to miss his breakfast.'

Where Have All the Bullets Gone?
'Back to those haunting days in Italy in 1944, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, with lava running in great red rivulets down the slope towards us, and Jock taking a drag on his cigarette and saying, "I think we've got grounds for a rent rebate."'

Goodbye Soldier
'My namer is Maria Antonoinetta Fontana, but everyone call me Toni.''I'm Spike,' sometimes known as stop thief or hey you.'Yeser, I know.'

The sixth volume of Spike Milligan's off-the-wall account of his part in World War Two sees our hero doing very little soldiering. Because it's 1946.

 

I thought for a minute we were going to take him on a season long loan from Luton!

 

Back in the day my Auntie and Uncle were watching Spike on Parkinson and he read out a poem called The Bloody Battle of Longstop Hill. My uncle who went through North Africa and Italy turned to my Auntie and said he's right it was a bloody
battle. That was the first thing he had ever said to her about his time fighting through that campaign in which he lost two good friends. I can't find the poem anywhere but here's a link to a description of the battle. Sorry for getting serious.

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Longstop_Hill_(1943)

 

Nowt wrong with being serious mate. Hope this helps.


22nd April 1943.

LONGSTOP HILL

That April day
seems far away
The day they decided to kill
Lt., Tony Goldsmith R.A.
On the slopes of Longstop Hill

At Toukabeur
The dawn lights stir
Who's blood today will spill?
Today it's Tony Goldsmith's
Seeping out on Longstop Hill

One can't complain
Nor ease the pain
Or find someone to fill
The place of Tony Goldsmith
Lying dead on Longstop Hill

In Germany
There still might be
A Joachem, Fritz or Will
who did for Tony Goldsmith
That day on Longstop Hill

Steve m

Thanks Steve.

Certainly very moving, concise and short but mraningful
________________

Some comments and background:

Spike fought in the Battle of Longstop Hill, where his artillery unit played a part in victory. Along the way Spike lost his first close friend to enemy fire.

 

I read the war memoirs at school too. They are brilliant and very moving
Spike was a true legend in times when the word is used far too often. Pure genius of comedy
Some of the Q series was too good for words