This page is part of the fuller description of Ray Rigg's early life and his war time role and experiences, to return to the shorter version click here.
Travelling Home
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Pamphlet- The Road Home
Like many of the Eighth Army, in 1945 Ray travelled home overland by lorry convoy. The extracts from his copy of the small pamphlet 'The Road Home' describes the route and points of interest in the towns and cities along the way. In a rather dry tone, the preface includes the following paragraph;
"There is one small point which should be borne in mind. The R.A.F. has been rather active over Europe during the last five and a half years. Hence, description of a 'fine handsome building' may occasionally not quite agree with the facts as you see them. However, we can assure you that they did, until a short time ago, really stand as we describe them."
His handwritten notes on the reverse of the map show the point to point distances and a total distance to Calais of 960 miles.
The Way Home
Ray's caption says 'Last Glimpses of Greece' taken from HMT Empire Pride - July 1946.
In July 1946 he finally travelled home on board the HMT Empire Pride from Piraeus to Toulon and then onward overland to the UK.
The Rigg Family of Southwestern Lakeland © Michael Rigg 2021