Galaher Family

We made the jump over the big pond in eight hours and landed in Dakar. Here we had quite a wait before going north, but enjoyed a wonderful beach with playing and swimming and getting a suntan every day. The flight over the Sahara Desert was impressive. In Algiers we had quite a wait as the British Mountain School in Lebanon, which we were to join, had closed when the desert drive was over. Captain Burton arranged a ski meet, sponsored by the Stars and Strips. We took off in a six by six and finally arrived at a French winter resort above Bilda in the Atlas mountains. The snow conditions and the equipment were poor and we had quite a time skiing with G.I. shoes, ash skis with leather bindings, trying to dodge flags, rocks and grass and keep the skis going in the right direction. It was a sight for sore eyes to see Gordy Wren racing down in his customary flashy way to win the race. Finally orders came and we hopped over to Naples to join the newly formed British Mountain School at Sepino. In Naples we first really found what a war means - people starving, buildings smashed to the ground, people begging for food and air raid sirens blaring for people to take cover.

We had quite an exciting drive from Naples to Sepino in a six by six driven by a colored boy. We took detours, as all the bridges were blown out. A usual two and a half hour drive took something like seventeen hours, and it was a hungry and frozen bunch of americans who finally drove into Sepino.

We got the British Colonel Scott up from bed, and what a swell person he was, a real skier and mountaineer. He got out his Scotch, gin and beer and it did not take long before the whole gang was singing the old 87th songs.

At Sepino we trained all kinds of nationalities in the Allied forces mountaineering skill, rock climbing, living in the snow, taking advantage of nature, and also mule training. While stationed here at Sepino we made three first ascents on three mountain peaks with skis. High up we found some wonderful skiing and real powder snow. Our equipment was mixed British and American. We had very good American skis but here at Sepino we could not get any steel edges, and it really was a great handicap, as we found much windblown crust and icy conditions.

The winter training was over and our three months were up. Then Col. Scott, when the summer schedule was to start, asked for the American detachment to work with the school for three more months. It was mostly rock-climbing, mules and rough terrain training. It was an all-round course which covered most of the principles of taking care of oneself in the high mountains. Of course, two weeks was not enough, but it is surprising how glad the troops were to get some of the good points. Even those who had been in the field four or five years fighting always thanked us, wishing they could have some more training. We worked with Americans, English, Scots, Indians, Gurkas, Poles, New Zealanders, South Africans, Canadians and were also sent out several times on "circuses" and worked with the troops in the field.

Italy was a problem for using waxes, as we found all kinds of snow from ice to powder and slushy snow the same day, starting form 1000 to 7000 feet.

During our time here some of the men worked almost up on the front lines, some of the men went up to Anzio when it was damned hot around there. Some of us went on reconnaissance patrols when the terrain was too rough for the gang we had trained. It was very interesting work and we gained much knowledge and made good friends with men from all over the world. And then our three months were up and we were sailing for home. The British School really held a wonderful goodbye party for us and we left Sepino and our new good friends.