大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Eric Middleton with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

TOWARDS THE END OF APRIL IT WAS DECIDED THAT TROOPS IN FRANCE COULD HAVE HOME LEAVE. IT WAS DECIDED THAT FOR A START ONE PERSON FROM EACH SECTION SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO. THIS WAS MANIFESTLY UNFAIR SINCE SECTIONS VARIED GREATLYIN SIZE. A TELEGRAPH SECTION HAD OVER THIRTY PERSONNEL WHILST HQ SECTION HAD ONLY ABOUT FIVE: CSM, CQMS, A CORPORAL AND TWO CLERKS. OTHER SECTIONS SUCH AS DESPATCH RIDER SECTIONS AND LINE SECTIONS HAD TWENTYOR MORE.
I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO BE DRAWN TO GO FIRST FROM COMPANY HQ SECTION. THIS AGAIN WAS UNFAIR AS I WAS ONE OF THE LAST TO ARRIVE IN FRANCE IN THE WHOLE UNIT. IN DUE COURSE WE SET OFF. JUST THAT DAY WE WERE TOLD THAT JERRY HAD COME ROUND THE END OF THE MAGINOT LINE AND HAD INVADED BELGIUM. OUR TROOPS WERE ENGAGED IN DRIVING HIM BACK. THE GENERAL OPINION WAS THAT IT WOULD BE ALL OVER BY THE TIME WE GOT BACK FROM LEAVE.
AS WE WERE SAILING UP THE SOLENT A PLANE CAME OUT AND STARTED SIGNALLING BY ALDIS LAMP. SOME OF THE TROOPS WHO COULD READ MORSE BETTER THAN I COULD SAID "HE IS SIGNALLING FOR US TO GO BACK!" AND, SURE ENOUGH, THE SHIP JUST TURNED ROUND AND HEADED BACK TO FRANCE. WHEN WE LANDED WE WERE TOLD THAT NO FOOD OR ACCOMMODATION WAS AVAILABLE FOR US AS IT WAS THE SHIP THAT WAS WANTED BACK, NOT US. EVENTUALLY WE WERE PUT ON A TRAIN CONSISTING OF THE USUAL FRENCH TRANSPORT WAGONS EACH FOR 40 HOMMES OR 8 CHEVAUX EN LONGUES, AND EACH WAGON WAS PROVIDED WITH A TIN OF DRY ARMY BISCUITS. WE MADE OUR SLOW WAY BACK TO LE MANS.
SHORTLY AFTER THIS I BROKE ONE OF THE LENSES IN MY SPECTACLES. I HAD MY PRESCRIPTION WITH ME AND WAS ABLE TO GET A REPLACEMENT FROM A FRENCH CHEMIST CUM OPTICIAN THE SAME DAY WHICH WAS CERTAINLY MORE SPEEDY THAN I COULD HAVE HOPED FOR IN ENGLAND. IT WAS THEN QUERIED WHY I WAS NOT WEARING ARMY SPECTACLES, THE ANSWER BEING THAT I HAD NEVER BEEN ISSUED WITH ANY. IT WAS ARRANGED FOR ME TO GET SOME AND ON 8 MAY 1940 I WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO 9 GENERAL HOSPITAL WHICH WAS LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE LE MANS. TO GET THERE WE DID PART OF A LAP ON THE LE MANS 24 HOUR RACE CIRCUIT, THE AMBULANCE GOING AT FULL SPEED. I PICKED UP MY GLASSES ON 2 JUNE.
ABOUT THIS TIME WE BEGAN TO HEAR STORIES OF DEFEATS IN THE NORTH AND OF TROOPS BEING WITHDRAWN TO ENGLAND. (THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK BEGAN ON 26 MAY) A FEW STRAGGLERS KEPT ARRIVING AT THE COMPANY OFFICE AND THE MILITARY POLICE TOOK THEM FOR INTERROGATION TO A HOLDING CAMP WHICH HAD BEEN SET UP ON THE 24 HOUR RACE TRACK.

AFTER SOME DAYS WE WERE TOLD THAT WE TOO WERE TO BE EVACUATED AND, SO FAR AS POSSIBLE, ALL EQUIPMENT HAD'TO BE DESTROYED SO THAT IT DID NOT FALL INTO ENEMY HANDS. I THINK THAT THE TELEPRINTERS (THE SIGNAL OFFICE WAS LOCATED IN THE BOURSE IN LE MANS) WERE HAMMERED AND HAD SAND POURED INTO THE WORKS. THREE TONS OF STATIONERY HAD JUST ARRIVED FOR THE NEWLY FORMED SECTIONS AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO BURN IT SO I THINK THAT IT WAS JUST DUMPED BEHIND
THE BARRACKS. OUT OF IT I SALVAGED ONE ARMY STATIONERY KNIFE WHICH 1 STILL HAVE! FROM SOMEWHERE I ALSO MANAGED TO ACCUMULATE A 7 LB TIN OF MARMALADE WHICH EVENTUALLY FOUND ITS WAY TO MY PARENTS IN GRIMSBY. WE THEN SET OFF WITH WHAT TRANSPORT WE COULD GET (20 NEW MOTOR BIKES HAD JUST ARRIVED). I WAS ON THE BACK OF A 15 CWT OPEN TRUCK PILED HIGH WITH KIT AND WITH MY FEET RESTING ON MY FAITHFUL OLIVER TYPEWRITER.
ERRONEOUS RUMOURS WERE SPREADING THAT A JERRY PILOT HAD MANAGED TO DROP A BOMB CLEAN DOWN THE FUNNEL OF THE LANCASTRIA AND HAD BLOWN THE BOTTOM OUT OF THE VESSEL ON 17 JUNE. THIS DID LITTLE TO IMPROVE OUR MORALE. WE JOKED THAT WE WOULD PICK A VESSEL WITH A NARROWER FUNNEL!
WE MADE OUR WAY TO ST MALO SEEING NO OTHER TROOPS ON THE WAY. IT WAS SHOWERY AND WE SPENT THE NIGHT TRYING TO SLEEP IN A SIDE STREET. BY NEXT DAY A FEW OTHER TROOPS HAD ARRIVED IN THE TOWN. NEGOTIATIONS WERE MADE FOR US TO TAKE OVER A SMALL FRENCH COLLIER, WHICH SEEMED TO BE ABOUT THE ONLY VESSEL IN PORT, I AM NOT SURE WHETHER OUR TRANSPORT WAS OFFERED IN PART EXCHANGE OR WHETHER IT WAS DUMPED IN THE DOCK.
THERE WAS FURTHER DELAY WHILST STEAM WAS RAISED BEFORE WE SET SAIL. SO FAR AS I KNOW THE VESSEL WAS CREWED BY BRITISH ARMY PERSONNEL. WE HAD AN UNEVENTFUL VOYAGE SEEING NO PLANES OR OTHER VESSELS ON THE WAY UNTIL WE NEARED WEYMOUTH. THEN AN ALDIS LAMP STARTED FLASHING AND SOME OF THE LADS WHO WERE MORSE TELEGRAPHISTS SHOUTED UP TO THE BRIDGE "HE'S TELLING YOU TO STOP". WE SAILED ON. THE ALDIS LAMP CONTINUED TO FLASH AND THE LAD SHOUTED UP "YOU SILLY B* * * * *S! HE SAYS IF WE DON'T STOP HE IS GOING TO FIRE ". WE SAILED ON. WITH THAT A SHELL CAME SKIMMING ACROSS THE WATER IN FRONT OF THE BOWS AND THE ENGINES WERE CUT.
A PILOT BOAT CAME OUT AND STOOD OFF AT SOME DISTANCE. THE PILOT USED A LOUD-HAILER TO ASK WHO WE WERE AND WHERE WE HAD COME FROM AND SAID THAT WE WERE HEADING STRAIGHT INTO A MINEFIELD. HE TOLD US TO FOLLOW HIM AND HE WOULD COME ABOARD WHEN WE GOT NEARER THE HARBOUR. AFTER LANDING WE WERE ACCOMMODATED ON WEYMOUTH FOOTBALL GROUND. I HAD A HAIRCUT IN TOWN (PROBABLY AT A HIGH CLASS GENTLEMEN'S HAIRDRESSER'S RATHER THAT A BACK STREET BARBER鈥橲) AND WAS SHOCKED BY HOW THE CHARGE OMF'ARED WITH THAT OF AN ARMY BARBER. AFTER A FEW DAYS WE MOVED INTO RACEHORSE STABLES NEAR CHESTER RACECOURSE. PHEW! WHAT A PONG!

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