4RGJ fi re team in Belize

used for both formal and informal learning activities. SOFO is often now out and about with talks, hands on session and workshops for all types of audiences and is developing its handling collection and activities all the time as we focus on some of the key stories, from the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen to the lifelong connection Winston Churchill had with the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Both county r egiments will be pleased to see their timelines in the Garden Gallery, due to open during the summer of 2015 and this promises to be an innovative and engaging display area which will clearly underline the importance of the stories of ‘Confl ict and County’.

A photograph from Capin taken in February 1997. Left to right: Stone, Fender, Anderson and Connell. Happy Days, Swift & Bold!!!

Who Would Have Thought?

Chris Louca and Chris Androlia.

Quite recently I was at a campsite with 2 other couples who I served in the Fire Service with in Birmingham. One of the couples was talking about going to visit the war cemeteries and in particular the airborne landings in Germany. I got out my Swift and Bold journal 2014 and showed them the article on Operational Varsity. Chris Androlia the other friend looked at the article and the plan of the area and then left my motorhome. He returned a few minutes later. He had a laptop and opened up a fi le and started to read from it. “Sgt Androlia was fi ring his machine gun when it developed a stoppage. He cleared it and began to fi re the gun again. However, within a short burst, it stopped again, Sgt Androlia reported the stoppage and then waited several minutes for the gun to cool down, He started to strip the gun down and on removing the barrel there was an explosion which blew Androlia to the ground. He received severe injuries and he was casavacked from the front line. He was then fl own to England for medical attention.” “Sgt Androlia who was with the Canadian Army Lost his right eye and was totally blind in the left eye. He had steel plates put into his head and both his hands were disfi gured. ”Sgt Androlia sustained his injuries on 24th March 1945 at Rue. Who Would have Thought?