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"

OUR NEXT MOVE WAS TO REVIERS, VERY CLOSE TO COURSEUILLES. WE DID NOT KNOW IT, OF COURSE, BUT WE WERE TO BE STATIONED THERE FOR MONTHS.
WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED WE WERE BILLETED IN THE LOFT OVER A BARN IN WHICH CIDER APPLES WERE STORED. THE PLACE WAS OVERRUN WITH RATS AND WE USED TO SLEEP WITH OUR BAYONETS UNSHEATHED TO DRIVE THEM OFF IF THEY CAME OVER OUR BEDS. THE OWNER OF THE PLACE TRIED TO FIT UP A WATER DRIVEN DYNAMO IN THE STREAM WHICH RAN-BEHIND THE BARN BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT HE HAD MUCH SUCCESS.
ONE DAY A HUGE Press ARRIVED AND TONS OF APPLES WERE PUT THROUGH IT GIVING GALLONS AND GALLONS OF JUICE TO MAKE CIDER. THAT AUTUMN I HAD MANY DRINKS OF ROUGH CIDER AND OF CALVADOS MADE FROM IT.
WE SOON MOVED TO A DILAPIDATED CHATEAU IN WHICH WAS INSTALLED A TWO OPERATOR SWITCHBOARD ("REVIERS SWITCH" WAS HOW WE ANSWERED CALLERS). THE ONLY OTHER TROOPS IN THE VILLAGE WERE ABOUT FIVE MEN MANNING AN ARMY FIRE ENGINE AND THEY TOO LIVED IN THE CHATEAU. WHEN WE ARRIVED THERE WAS A NAAFI OPEN IN COURSEUILLES BUT IT CLOSED DOWN VERY SOON AFTER OUR ARRIVAL.

ONE OF THE TWO TAFFYS WE HAD IN THE SECTION CAME FROM ANGLESEY AND HIS NATIVE TONGUE WAS WELSH. WHEN HE' GOT EXCITED HIS ENGLISH BECAME A BIT MIXED. WHEN THE FIRE CREW WERE OUT ON A CALL WE TOOK MESSAGES FOR THEM ON THE SWITCHBOARD. ONE DAY WHEN HE WAS ON THE SAME SHIFT AS ME I HEARD TAFFY SAY: "THEY HAVE GONE TO PUT OUT A FIRE BUT WHEN THEY COME BACK I WILL TELL THEM THAT THEY NEED NOT HAVE GONE BECAUSE THE FIRE HAS DISTINGUISHED ITSELF.
ANOTHER UNIT STATIONED IN THE VICINITY WAS ENGAGED, WITH THE HELP OF GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR, IN WINDING OLD TELEPHONE CABLES ON TO DRUMS READY FOR POSSIBLE RE-USE. ONCE WHEN I WAS OFF DUTY I SAW AN ACCIDENT. THE POWs WERE BEING TAKEN BACK TO CAMP IN AN ORDINARY CANVAS COVERED 3 TON LORRY. THE GUARD WAS STANDING ON THE UPRIGHT TAIL-BOARD HOLDING ON TO THE TUBULAR FRAME WHICH SUPPORTED THE CANVAS COVER AND WITH HIS RIFLE SLUNG OVER HIS SHOULDER. AS THE LORRY PASSED BENEATH A LOW CABLE THE GUARD WAS THROWN TO THE GROUND. ALL THE POWs PILED OUT OF THE LORRY AND I THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A MASS ESCAPE. I WAS RELIEVED WHEN I SAW THAT THE POWs' ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT THE GUARD WAS NOT BADLY INJURED HE WAS HELPED INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT OF THE LORRY WHICH THEN DROVE OFF. THE POWs WERE ALSO ENGAGED IN CLEARING 'ROMMEL'S ASPARAGUS' - SHARPENED POLES INSERTED IN THE GROUND WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY TO PARATROOPERS AND GLIDER PILOTS TRYING TO LAND. SOME OF THE POSTS WERE BOOBY TRAPPED WITH MINES WHICH WERE REMOVED TO AN ORDNANCE DUMP AT SOME MILES DISTANCE AND ONE NIGHT THERE WAS A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION WHEN SOME OF THE DUMP BLEW UP.
THE BUSIEST EXTENSION ON OUR SWITCHBOARD WAS PROBABLY TO "SWAN HOUSE (PRONOUNCED OUUSE) PILOTAGE" AT CAEN, WHERE ONLY FRENCH WAS SPOKEN. WHILST AT THE CHATEAU WE MANAGED TO ACQUIRE A SMALL GENERATOR AND WERE ABLE TO USE THIS FOR LIGHTING. IT WAS NOISY THING AND WAS INSTALLED IN AN OUTHOUSE AT THE BACK OF THE CHATEAU. WE RECEIVED VERY FEW CALLS ON THE SWITCHBOARD OVERNIGHT AND THE OPERATOR KEPT HIS BEDDING -BESIDE THE SWITCHBOARD SO
THAT HE COULD SLEEP BETWEEN CALLS. IF THE SWITCHBOARD ALARM SOUNDED THE OPERATOR WOKE UP AND WAS ABLE TO PRESS A BUTTON WHICH OPERATED THE SELF STARTER ON THE GENERATOR WHICH, IN TURN, PROVIDED POWER FOR THE LIGHT OVER THE SWITCHBOARD AND HE COULD THEN SEE TO ANSWER THE CALL. WHEN THE CALL WAS COMPLETED HE WAS ABLE TO PRESS ANOTHER BUTTON WHICH SHORTED OUT THE GENERATOR AND GO BACK TO SLEEP!
COOKING WAS DONE IN THE OPEN AIR USING A DRIP MIXTURE OF WATER AND DIESAL FUEL OR WOOD CUT FROM THE TREES SURROUNDING THE CHATEAU AT CHRISTMAS THE COOK MANAGED TO GET THREE TURKEYS FROM LOCAL FARMS AND WE ALL HAD TURKEY FOR DINNER.

WHEN I WAS STATIONED AT REVIERS I MANAGED TO GET A FRENCHWOMAN TO WASH MY CLOTHES WEEK FOR A FEW FRANCS AND A SMALL PIECE OF TOILET SOAP. SHE WASHED THEM IN THE STREAM WHERE MOST OF THE VILLAGERS' WASHING WAS DONE.
WHEN WE VISITED REVIERS IN 1985 I FOUND THAT THE LAUNDRY PLACE HAD BEEN REFURBISHED TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT I BARELY RECOGNISED IT.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.