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After all the formalities with my paperwork I was given a railway warrant to take a train to Aldershot where I was to join ‘A’ Corps of Signals. I had some work to do because in a ‘down’ time during my time in China I had broken off my engagement to Doris, so reconciliation was the order of the day. Things at Aldershot were very different to China; less relaxed which meant I had to revert back to the original concept of soldering.

During the summer of 1938 we had plenty of opportunity to prove our abilities as we were in involved in manoeuvres all over the country as the crisis in Europe was beginning to fester. Hitler had threatened many of the smaller countries and our government was so concerned about this that they decided to introduce a conscription. When this happened it became more apparent by the commanding officer that more physical training in the unit had to include everyone as the opinion was that if there was to be a war at least everyone would be fit for duty.

I was sent on a 6 week Physical Training (P.T.) course at the local garrison gym and passed with distinction. I returned to the unit to find the commanding officer; Colonel Smelt, wanted everyone (this included officers and senior ranks), to do PT every morning at 6.30am! I was responsible for these sessions which were led by the Commanding Officer! Everyone passed the necessary physical attainments and after a few months we had a very fit unit and strangely enough the majority of them now enjoyed it.

My sporting reputation flourished and I continued to involve myself in many sporting activities in the unit for the next year or so. On March 4th 1939 I married Doris at Hatfield Registry Office; just at a time when the whole nation was becoming concerned about the world situation. Despite the situation we carried on with our plans, I was promoted to Corporal (nice wedding present) and we had a lovely wedding day. Because we were married I was entitled to more rations from the butcher in the barracks, which meant that every Thursday we had some good cuts of meat which lasted us throughout the week. My elder brother Jim returned at this point from China and was also stationed in Aldershot along with my younger brother Len. They often popped in to see us on a Thursday evening to join us for a meal, but with wages of just £2.00 a week we couldn’t afford much.

Later that year I was promoted to Lance Sergeant and continued to organise the section, carrying out military chores and continued to get very involved in physical education. I attended some more courses and qualified as an assistant instructor.

Now the clouds of war were hanging over us and war was declared on Germany on 3rd September 1939. Well the transformation in the attitude of people and their activities was incredible. After a few days the shock of the seriousness of war hit and all married families in rented accommodation had to evacuate. I arranged for Doris, my wife to return to her parents in Welwyn Garden City, which was quite sad, after having had such a short happy time together, we were now packing our suitcases and travelling back home.

About 6 weeks after war was declared I was on the move again, to where? I had no idea! We travelled to Dover and went by boat to Cherbourg and then by road to a small place, which I think was called Echerchen. We were based on a farm, in fact as we moved in the cows moved out. We slept on the cold cobbled floor on a groundsheet and with our overcoat on top — this was no picnic. Our job at this stage was to re-group and be ready in reserve to any action taking place ahead. The French were up in the front line which didn’t give any of us a great deal of confidence.

We stayed in this position for about 16 weeks and the troops were getting very bored. Morale dropped and it became increasingly difficult to motivate them and keep them keen to get on with the job in hand. So Major Harris decided we should do something a little more active and I was asked to organise an inter team competition. We started with a game of football in the meadow wearing army boots. I was supposed to be refereeing but there was one man short on one of the teams so I decided to make up the numbers. Big mistake! I entered into a tackle and the next thing I knew there was a sharp pain and my knee was locked. I was desperately disappointed at this point because I was ordered to go back to base, which meant leaving my unit and most likely not returning. They stretchered me out protesting the whole time, and eventually sent me to hospital in Dieppe. There as I queued in line on crutches someone tapped me on the shoulder ‘Hello Fred, remember me?’ It was the husband of Doris’s sister Ethel! I nearly collapsed with excitement. He whisked me away and found me a comfortable bed. I was really keen to get back to my unit, but Bill had other ideas, and after the doctor looked at my leg he put me on the emergency list, which meant I would be returned to the UK for an immediate operation.

I returned to a hospital in Epsom and within 36 hours they operated. My wife Doris was anxious and made the difficult journey to visit me from Welwyn Garden City. I was discharged after 4 weeks, had 2 weeks leave, then I had to report to the holding battalion, Royal Signals which was based in Catterick. I made a couple more trips to France, and then I was summonsed along with Tony Graham, who was in china with me to an interview where we were given the option of a Commission or to join the Army Physical Training Staff. I decided to choose the latter and Tony took the Commission. Unfortunately after his cadet training he was lost at sea, which could have so easily been me!

By now Doris had moved up to be with me in Yorkshire, which was great as I could get home at the end of my duties. Having elected to join the A.P.T.S I had to go through a probationary period in the gym of the holding battalion and one of the assistant instructor there was Len Hutton, who later become Sir Leonard Hutton the Yorkshire and England Cricketer. I also worked with Dennis Compton who later became a Test Cricketer and Arsenal Footballer. I remember trying to teach him a forward roll — not a pretty site! There was also Tommy Lawton: Everton and England Footballer, Billy Wright: Wolves and England Footballer, and Matt Busby: later to become Sir Matt Busby, Manchester United and International Footballer.

I then returned to Aldershot to complete a gruelling course that automatically transferred me to the Army Physical Training Staff (later becoming a Corps) plus I became a Sergeant Instructor. Doris had to now return to Welwyn Garden City and I was posted to Dorset. The troops here were in a bad way because they had lost their equipment, clothing etc in Dunkirk.

After a falling out with the Officer Commanding I was thankfully posted back to Aldershot — they were getting used to me by now! There were now rumblings of another posting abroad but I managed to convince the Lieutenant in charge that this was not a good idea and I was eventually posted to the Technical Training Establishment in London.

Their headquarters was at Finchley Road Hampstead N.W London working under the Commanding Officer Major Merrett. He was a delightful man and just told me to just get on with the job, which I did happily. By this time the Blitz had started in London and Doris moved to a flat in Hampstead and was expecting our first child, Donald. While bombs were being dropped by the Germans all over London I continued to be responsible for the physical fitness of the unit and tried to keep up moral by organising concert party’s and the like. At this time at the stroke of 5 pm civilians in London would queue up with their bedclothes at the underground stations to seek shelter for the night. I remember being with Doris in the High Street in Hampstead with German and British planes in ‘dog fights’. That day 186 planes were shot down and pilots who managed to bail out, were picked up and transported to units to board another plane and go up again. They were absolutely brilliant and so brave. Every night the sirens would sound and there would be a blackout, which meant we could only sit and wait for the bombs to start dropping. I recall a bomb landing quite close by and sending me flying from one end of the hall to the other. The flat that Doris lived in got a direct hit, and when I arrived I was convinced she was in the ruins, but fortunately she had been taken to a shelter earlier — what a near miss!

I began to get concerned for Doris, so made arrangements for her to be evacuated to digs in Breach wood Green, Hertfordshire, and then onto Stagenhoe Park in readiness for the birth of Donald our first child. It was just 10 miles from her family in Welwyn Garden City, which I cycled quite regularly.

I continued to work in London during the blitz, which was extremely difficult. I kept focusing on the moral of the troops and eventually organised a boxing show. I put on a P.T display first, and then followed that with a half a dozen bouts in our improvised boxing ring. It was a great success during a difficult time.

I enjoyed my job with the Technical Training Establishment and was promoted to Warrant Officer Class II after only one year on the staff. I continued in the job for another 2 years; to 1942, by this time our second son, Graham had been born.

In 1943 I was recalled to Aldershot only to be told that I was being posted overseas again! This was now a real worry to me because I would be leaving Doris again with the two boys and our third child, Bob on the way. We were sent to Southampton (again) with no idea where we were going. We boarded the troopship and moved out on a zig zag journey to avoid the German U Boats. We arrived in Durban and stayed 3 weeks in camp. It was no holiday because no sooner had we settled in when we were required to organise P.T for the troops and keep them occupied. After three weeks we once again embarked on the troopship for the next part of our journey. Still unsure of where we were going, we guessed that we were probably heading for Burma or India — it was India. We arrived at Karachi and boarded a train which was crammed packed with Indians, on the floor, on the roof, just about anywhere they could hang on. It took a couple of days to arrive at our destination which was a desolate hole which seemed absolutely deserted. We boarded a ramshackle bus to camp which was a horrendous journey.

There are many stories to recount of my time in India which I hold dear to my heart; too many to recount in this piece, however our job whilst there included the rehabilitation of the sick and wounded and physically debilitated troops over a period of 6 weeks and then to return them to their units in Burma to continue the campaign.

When I eventually left India a great leaving party was put on and I interestingly returned on the same troop ship that had taken me to China eleven years earlier. It was now 1945 when I reported to Aldershot where they decided that my experience in convalescence was ideal for a posting to a convalescent home in Essex: not one of my luckiest postings!

After the war I moved on to chief coach to the Army boxing Association (1947) I coached 5 Olympic boxing probables for the 1948 Olympics games from the unit I was with. I then personally coached or was involved with the following success of boxers: Jack Gardener, Arthur Worrall, Peter Tuch, Joe Erskine, Henry Cooper, Bruce Wells, Peter Longed, Peter Ludlam, Terry Gooding, Nicky Gargano, Darkie Hughes, George Martin, Ron Hinson, George Whelan and George Dormer. I helped coach those who represented Great Britain in international matches and eventually in the Olympic Games in 1948. I also started to do boxing commentaries for the ´óÏó´«Ã½.

I finished my service in the army (after 26years service) as a warrant officer and with a fistful of memories and adventure, which is documented in full in my autobiography.

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