The Kettering Desert Rat who fought battles in Africa, survived D-Day and ended up in Berlin - liberating St Nicholas along the way

A family heirloom that has been passed to two Kettering brothers has led to the pair finding out how their uncle ‘freed’ Saint Nicholas.

Neil and Buddy Bridgstock grew up knowing their grandad, uncle and dad served in two world wars but researching a family bible revealed more secrets.

The First World War bible, once owned by their grandad Tom, had been passed on to his son Sid, Buddy and Neil’s uncle, when he too went fight in the Second World War.

Family archivist Neil discovered that after the family bible made it through the trenches, it was carried by his uncle Sid, known as ‘Slim’, through North Africa and Italy via the D-Day beaches to Berlin.

Neil said: “It’s a story that could be called from sand to Santa Claus. He was very proud of being a Desert Rat and his relationship with Sint-Niklaas (a town in Belgium).

"Uncle Sid never got injured but he got very hot in Africa, and very wet on D-Day plus one as he waded ashore.”

Slim enlisted into the army in 1940, ending up in Montgomery’s legendary 7th Armoured Division – The Desert Rats – seeing action across Europe.

After the North African campaign, he was sent back to the UK to prepare for the invasion of mainland Europe.

Neil, 78, said: “He was at El Alamein. When he was in the 101st, they were basically wiped out in the minefields, but uncle Sid survived. They went backwards and forwards in Africa, then to Italy, then they were withdrawn. Monty wanted battle-hardened troops (for D-Day). Uncle Sid said they were on boats in the channel for 12 hours. They weren’t told where they were going until just before they landed.”

Slim waded the ‘several hundred yards’ onto Gold Beach at Arromanches in Normandy, one of the more than 160,000 Allied troops that landed.

After slowly pushing back enemy troops fighting a rear guard action, Slim and his pals finally arrived at Sint-Niklaas in Belgium.

Sint-Niklaas was the first big settlement they had encountered. Residents were delighted to see the troops, hanging Belgium flags from windows. British troops were invited into their homes for baths and a rest.

The city was so grateful that Slim returned with his comrades to be honoured by the mayor. They were awarded medals bearing the town’s coat of arms featuring the original ‘Santa Claus’. A liberation memorial was unveiled and the returning soldiers paraded through the streets. Slim was one of the ‘liberators’ who signed the ‘Golden Book’ in Sint-Niklaas town hall.

Throughout the war, Slim wrote notes in his bible and on scraps of paper, carefully stored within the pages. As well as a timeline, there are poems covering his time in the desert and the Normandy landings.

Slim’s war didn’t end in Belgium. After Sint-Niklaas, he saw more action in Operation Market Garden, helping to keep the road to Nijmegen open. Eventually he reached Germany, getting to Hamburg. He was then sent to Berlin.

Neil added: “He was proud and we are so proud. This bible connects us – think how far it travelled and what it’s seen.”