Two members of 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) sit astride a knocked out German 88 mm gun in Italy, 1943

Photograph by Major Wilfred Herbert James Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), World War Two, Italy (1943-1945), 1943.

The two men, named as Mike Carter and Arthur Cook, were crewmen of the Sherman tank that destroyed the gun. Originally designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, when it was used to engage ground targets the 88's unparalleled penetration and range took a heavy toll of Allied armour.

Corporal Michael Carter fought through the campaigns in North Africa and Sicily but his luck ran out near Termoli on mainland Italy. On 6 October 1943 the Sherman tank he was commanding was knocked out and Michael died of the wounds he received, aged just 20. Two other members of the crew were killed in the action. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records Carter's burial at the Bari War Cemetery.

From an album containing 246 photographs compiled by Major W H J Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).