大象传媒

It was May 1940, and the lighted sign in the middle of the street read "Persil Washes Whiter"; it looked familiar yet strange to us. Why? It was in Icelandic. We had landed from tenders off the troopshil Lancastria, which was anchored in Reykjavik Bay. Origilnally bound for norway, it was decided that we were too late to help the troops there as they were being evacuated. Sonw and Polar bears we expected, but not Persil!
The Icelanders were independant, but mostly por-german' it was after all aroind the time on Dunkirk, and the germans were winning the war...!
We set up camp on some high ground overlooking Reykjavik near a football pitch. It was the devil of a job hammering tent pegs into the lava-like ground! We found it difficult to sleep when Lights out was sounded because of the noise from the footbal pitch- they played until midnight as it was light until then in May.
We caused some amusement when they saw us unloading Motorcycles- there were only about 10 miles or proper roads in the whole counrty. The rest was just dirt tracks kept in rapair by a machine called a road Scraper. This was a large Heath-Robinson cantraption like a tractor, with a large blade similar to a plough inderneath. This tried to even out the road surface...
Rations for the first few weeks were scarse; hard biscutsand machinchies- a tinned stew which quickly earned a few choice nicknames. Tinned Rice Pudding made a change, and Teas and Cocoa made with condensed milk was OK. Later on, our diet included Mutton Stew and , when an Army Cookhouse had landed, Fresh Bread.
Nissen Huts arrived during the first summer- these we had to erect ourselves. They had a lining of Selotex and a lobby entrance. They also had a small coke stove in the centre. The huts were difficult to anchor down in rocky terrain, and in some situatiuons we had to have wire strainers over the top to keep them on the ground.
Some troops were dispatched to Akuarari on the North coast. Getting there was an expedition in itself.
Gradually, we settled into a routine. I was in the Trasport and Quatermasters section, so i was kept fairly busy. The toughest work of all was done by the signallers who has to go out in all weathers laying and repairing landmines between the various capms.
All the civic settlements on Icaland are o the coast. Inland it's mostle glaciers and extinct volcanoes. Some costal areas can only be reached by sea and the main industries are fishing and sheep farming. Up to the srat of the war, there was a ragular run of fishig boats from iceland to Fleetwood, taking fish and returning with consumer goods.
The local people dried fish for winter consumption, sometimes on racks or just laid on the lava rocks. The dried fish looked like an old washleather and was as hard as rock.
Many houses and nearly all the roofs were corrugated iron and were often brightly painted. Public buildings were built of concrete. Farmhouses were often covered with turf, and wood was very scarse.
Apart from isolated green areas, the countryside wa mountainous. There were extensive lava fields; hot springs and geysers performed regularly. The Icelanders had plans, delayed because of the war, to centrally heat all the houses in Reykjavik with pumped hot spring water. We often came across the concrete ducting which was menat to hold the pipes.
There are three things the Icelanders are very pround of. One is the Sgas, another in the Althing- a meeting place where the elders used to meet in the 10th Century- it claims to be the oldest parliament in the world. The e other is that Greenland and North Ameria were discovered be an Icelander, and there is a statue of him in Reykjavik.
We wre in Icland for two yeard, thereby denying the Germans a shipping and submarine base. From the small airfild there our planes were able to support the Atlantic Convoys. these convoys sometimes use the many fjords around the island to hide in. Mr Churchill met Mr Roosevelt on a warchip off the coast, and they came ashore to inspect the troops.
Eventually we were relieved bu American troops and for a short time we were on their rations. What a difference from Mutton Stew and Rice Pudding! Just before we were relieved, the grey army blankets were replaced by sleeping bags- these became known as Bug bags.
I think the Icelanders were sorry to see us go; after all, the fortuned of war were changing, and they had go to know us.

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