大象传媒

Life for us was very pleasant,the weather of late summer very warm. We were free of all parades and military duties; all that was asked of us apart from our work was that we maintained a smart appearance, a clean and upright bearing, setting an example of the British Army as befitted an occupying force. As we went about our business no-one bothered us. Work was hard but not without some satisfaction, daily seeing off tons of war materials, tank tracks, bogie wheels, all parts that went into the make up of a tank.
We fed well in our Mess, the food being varied and well-presented. In their spare time some of the men went shooting locally, regularly bringing in a deer so that venison was often part of our diet. Our drivers went far afield in order to bring in some extras with which to supplement the rations; these included wines, spirits and liquers, from where or how these luxuries were obtained, where the money came from to purchase them remained a mystery because I am certain that the small amount of Mess fees which we paid would be insufficient but we didn鈥檛 enquire of the methods used, were just grateful for all those good things. There was nothing on which to spend our money except a few very reasonably-priced drinks in the Mess each evening and anything such as toiletries which the drivers shopped for in the local NAAFI, so that we were in a position to send some savings home.
There was no entertainment so again there were no costs involved. There were a couple of dances arranged in the village to which local boys and girls were invited as were soldiers from other units. On one occasion we put on a concert, I wouldn鈥檛 say it was a success but it certainly caused some laughter, using our own talent of course, or rather making the best of our lack of talent;
By borrowing a fur coat and a trilby hat, 鈥楤rummie鈥� and I did a fair take-off Flanagan and Allen鈥檚 Underneath the Arches number, which was reasonably well received, but my harmonica rendition was never completed in fact hardly begun before the catcalls and comments were hurled at me with a chorus of 鈥済et orf鈥�. I burst out laughing and made a hurried exit. It was good fun, made a change from the routine and sameness of our evenings.
I doubt if any evening passed without our discussing our estimated time of release. Mine appeared to be about the following November, although most of us by this time had enough experience not to count on anything working out as one hoped. We were still smarting over our suddenly changed fortunes six months previously. At one time almost a civilian only to find ourselves there at a salt mine, so it would be folly to take anything for granted.
The letters from home, especially those to us married men, always posed the same question 鈥渨hen will you be coming home?鈥� which they felt compelled to ask when they saw other men arriving home and being f茅ted with parties, flags and bunting. It was understandable that they should show their concern for they suffered so many hardships and endured the wartime restrictions and rationing, had made many sacrifices in so many ways they wished more than anything else to have their men back with them. For those with children they must have been very anxious times.
I was due for leave at the beginning of October but arranged to have it delayed for a couple of weeks, hoping that it would coincide with the birth of our baby; I knew that Hilda would wish that to be so if possible. Time at Haningsen passed quickly mainly because we were kept so busy despatching the contents of the mine. We were constantly occupied. During my leisure time I took one of the educational courses which the Army was offering. I began an Art course so my evenings then took on a different form.
I had always painted and drawn from early childhood but had never thought of taking instruction. I think that I had just about finished part one which was pen and ink work before my Demob, but once home and with a family it was put to one side and forgotten although even after almost sixty years I still have the results of those first lessons.
Within a year or two however I began painting in earnest with both water and oils and it became my fulltime hobby with hundreds of paintings to my credit; some of which have found their way across the world. Today though I am firmy established with Acrylics as a medium. I remember leaving a large mural on the whitewashed wall of our billet in Cyprus and received the compliments of an officer when one day he was inspecting our kits.
Another diversion to add to our evenings in the Mess was the lessons in German which one of our sergeants set up, he being conversant with several languages. This was very well attended and made it worthwhile for him to give up some of his time. Most of what I learned is forgotten now, although I could never converse with any fluency I just about made myself understood. I very much enjoyed those periods.
When I took my leave I misjudged the time of arrival of our son Robert because by the time I arrived he was five days old. I think that he was in a hurry to enter the world, that was on the 14th October 1945. When I arrived home I expected to find Hilda and the baby there at the home of Hilda鈥檚 mother but I only found grandad (Albert Bennet) who informed me that they were out for a walk. The weather that autumn was sunny with heavy morning mists and dews which hung over the Nene valley.
Just prior to Robert鈥檚 birth Hilda had been able to attend a street party organised to celebrate the end of the war in the East. Atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which had forced the Japanese to surrender. It was a wonderful leave with my family which caused my demob date to be even more urgent, it couldn鈥檛 come soon enough.
Unfortunately the men due for release were not being dealt with as swiftly as had been envisaged at the beginning due again to the lack of sufficient transport. Whether it was a shortage of drivers or of vehicles we couldn鈥檛 tell, maybe a little of both. Whatever the reason may have been the rate at which men then were being returned to civilian life was progressing slowly enough to indicate that I would not get away on schedule in November; it appeared that it would be nearer to the year鈥檚 end.
There was no doubt that the returning of millions of personnel from all parts of the world and to finally discharge them was a colossal undertaking and in the main it was accepted as such by us. There were of course those who became impatient and enraged at the delay but they were usually told to 鈥渟oldier on鈥�.
Back at Hanigsen I found that the men had formed a football team and as it turned out one with considerable talent. A match was arranged for each weekend, the opposition was either local German teams, sides from other regiments or against our colleagues from the other mines. There was one professional in our team, a goalkeeper and also some other useful players so I was fortunate to keep a regular place playing every match, maybe I was the only one with a left foot.
Some evenings we took the ball along to one of the empty warehouses either for a five-a-side game or just a kick-about. These buildings were spacious and ideal for the purpose, often there would only be two or three of us and in that case we contented ourselves with kicking the ball against the walls but our games came to an end when the Medical Officer put the buildings out of bounds.
Several of us had suffered unusual headaches and sores and blemishes developed on our skins accompanied by sore throats, runny noses and eyes. The MO became concerned and linked it to the symptoms similar to the effects of gas poisoning. It was then discovered that the building where we had played had in wartime been used for the storage of German gases and our games had disturbed the dust on the walls and in the woodwork. One or two men were off sick due to it. The result was that it put paid to what for us had been a most enjoyable pastime.
Each week someone鈥檚 demob number would be up, which meant one or several of our comrades would come into headquarters to take leave of us and each of these occasions was celebrated in the Mess. They would be expected to pay for drinks for everyone on the evening before they left.
While we wished them luck on their way it was at the same time quite sad to lose that comradeship which had been built up and to witness the breaking-up of a team which had worked so well together there at Hanigsen.
As we saw these men leave, Christmas was quickly approaching; it had turned bitterly cold, freezing hard both night and day. We put our minds toward making some sort of effort to brighten up the two Mess rooms to do something in the manner of decorations, hoping to create an atmosphere that showed the spirit of the Festive Season. Also, we thought that it would take our minds off the fact that we were to spend yet another Christmas away from from our homes and our loved ones. It was then well past my release date so I intended to make the best of the situation as it was.
I was honoured to accept the task of the decorating. I was allowed the assistance of two privates with the use of a workroom and set about to transform the Messes, scrounging any materials which we thought might be of use because there were no ready-made decorations. At first we had no idea of what we were looking for but were dependent on what turned up as we searched the complex. In doing so we came across reams of brown paper, powdered dye and tins of various coloured paints. In addition there was any amount of electric light cable and bulbs. Having gathered those basics we set to work; firstly the paper was cut and squared and then soaked in baths of dye of mixed colours, hung up to dry they were then cut into strips with which to form chains or lanterns and other shapes.
The words 鈥淎 Happy Christmas鈥� were cut out of cardboard boxes and each letter painted white, when dry these were hung in the hallway between the two Messes. To find suitable greenery was no problem as there were numerous holly bushes in the vicinity and we felled one of the many fir trees which we used as the centre piece. When all the mass of paperwork was assembled and in place, the tree illuminated and our efforts complete we ourselves were astonished at the transformation of those previously grim interior rooms.
With the entrance bright and seemingly inviting it really did appear to be Christmassy and it was all finished in time. Some tinsel and perhaps fairy lights might just have given it that little extra touch.
We three were pleased with our efforts and we accepted the congratulations of our fellow messmates. We were asked many times how long it took us to gather all that had been necessary to carry out the decorations but actually we hadn鈥檛 to look that far afield or to search a great deal as it was all at hand and there was more than enough for our needs.
A visiting Brigadier thought that our efforts to create a seasonal setting 鈥渁 good show鈥�. He asked who was responsible for it all and asked to see me that he might congratulate me on a 鈥渟plendid effort鈥� and added that he though that I would never need to be out of work in my future life. I told him that I had the help of two good men and he asked me then to convey his satisfaction to them also.
A few days before Christmas four of us were detailed to supervise the burning of hundreds of large wooden crates. These were well made of very fine timber, they were the containers for gas equipment. We had them dumped in the middle of a nearby field, it did seem wrong to us that such good quality wood was not reserved and put to some use, especially there in a country ravaged by war and attempting to rebuild itself. In fact the very men engaged in the burning of them could themselves have used them to some purpose, and they let us know that they too were appalled over their destruction. For those homes locally where there was very little in the way of fuel they would have been most welcome as firewood. Villagers with their children and stood around and watched the blaze and no doubt enjoyed the heat which was being generated.
The women amongst the onlookers pleaded with us to allow them to take some of the wood away and one of my colleagues approached the sergeant-major to ask if their request might be granted, but as was expected the crates as well their contents came under the heading of 鈥榚nemy war equipment鈥� and he told us that we must carry out instructions. It was pointed out to him that it was the contents only which came under that heading, not the containers, but it was all to no avail we had to obey and carry out our duties. Once again it was a case of 鈥榦urs is not to wonder why鈥�.
It was possible sometimes to turn a blind eye, I saw some of the contents emptied on the fire and quite a few empty crates found their way into the trees and bushes and were no doubt recovered after dark for firewood. It was terribly cold and we all felt that it was wrong that those children there who were not old enough to be blamed for the sins of their elders and their nation should suffer cold and hardships because of their actions.
The civilians who worked for us were terribly afraid of authority as was shown when we were called at the end of the day on occasions to do a gate or a train check. Each one had to be stopped and searched for stolen articles or materials and while we were doing so some men and women would just shake with fright. Some of the older women burst into almost uncontrollable tears.
Our impression was that it must have been due to similar searches carried out by the Gestapo and the frightening hold that they exacted over them. They possibly believed that our authority was in some way similar. We never at any of those searches found any equipment missing. Whatever was found only ever amounted to a few insignificant items, usually of little worth. To my knowledge only one person was dismissed from her job and she had worked in the cookhouse and had stolen food; hers was a tempting situation and she was caught. No-one else, I am sure, suffered more than a lecture from the camp commandant.
The Christmas dinner was a superb meal and served as was tradition by the officers; it was a most convivial affair, a comradely gathering with the officers sharing in our jokes and fun. None of us assembled there could believe that we were enjoying such a feast at a German salt mine; food and drink was plentiful and of the highest quality, certainly superior to that which our folk at home would have been able to serve at that time.
The children of the village came to us on Boxing Day to a party which we had arranged for them, every one in the unit had contributed an amount of money which had been passed to the cooks for them to make provisions for it. Father Christmas (St Nicholas) was there to greet them, complete in his home-made robes assembled from a dyed blanket with lots of cotton wool. The children tucked into their food, the variety of which must have been a surprise to them, they not being used to such an assortment of luxuries.
From somewhere, a gramophone and records appeared, we had practised singing 鈥淪ilent Night鈥� in their language 鈥淪tille der Nacht鈥� so that we were able to sing along with them. On leaving, each child was given a present, most of which were made by the lads themselves in the workshops in their spare time.
I am certain that those parents and the children who were present on that Boxing Day afternoon of 1945 appreciated our attempt to bring a little cheer into the lives of those children in their first peacetime Christmas, for whom those times must have been very distressing, especially for the very young.
It is hoped that they would remember that Christmas in the dark cold winter before their lives and the country had been rebuilt and our little effort of some benevolence which perhaps assisted in fostering better relationships at least in that locality as a result.
I had always said that it was unwise to take anything for granted, not to count any chickens and true to form when my Demob date finally arrived early in the early New Year, the Army in the person of our Camp Commandant, didn鈥檛 want me to leave.
Although they couldn鈥檛 hold me they wished for another pound of flesh. I was asked to stay on, not just myself but about eight others who were in the same release group. We were called to the office individually where the Commandant assured each of us that there was no way in which he could keep us on but appealed to us to consider staying for a further six months.
He pointed out to me how imperative it was that we stayed because by leaving at that particular time would much impair the work of the Commission as we were experienced workers in what was an essential service. The position, he thought, would become stable once the National Servicemen began to filter through and be trained to take over. He then put the question 鈥渨ould you be prepared to serve for six more months?鈥� and 鈥渨ould I go away and think about it?鈥�
At that point my answer would have been an emphatic 鈥淣o鈥� but there were bribes offered, various inducements which were worth my consideration. The War Office were most anxious to persuade as many of us as possible to do that little bit more.
There were advantages; I would be entitled to immediate promotion to staff sergeant, which meant an increase in pay and a larger family allowance, all very tempting. On the other hand I had my family commitments to take into account and that was not the only reason that I was reluctant to make any hasty decision. I realised that those men first out would be able to choose their occupation whereas I being that much later would find it difficult to find suitable employment and be forced to take what was available. Also, as so many of our staff had already left us the workload had become that much heavier and would in the future become more so. There was no longer the free-and-easy workday to which we had become accustomed. I pondered over the situation for some days and even then was unable to give any satisfactory answer; the other men were having the same difficulty and at that point the commandant offered to write to our wives or to parents and explain the situation to them with regard to the request he had made for us to serve for a further six months. This he did.
In the meantime I had written to Hilda and informed her of the situation. In her reply she agreed a compromise and suggested that I stayed on for three more months only which would then bring my release date to, at the latest, early April 1946. I reported to the commandant with my decision which he accepted and I was granted seven days鈥� leave. While at home I was able to assist in the move into our cottage and with the help of Hilda鈥檚 mother we managed a little decorating. By the time my leave was over it was all homely and I began to feel so settled that I was reluctant to return and do my extra three months, 鈥榯o do my bit鈥�.
On my return to Germany I found that as an extra to my mine work I was to work away from Hanigsen. This entailed journeys of about 100 kilometres with a couple of diesel trucks to a canal where it was discovered that there were barges filled with crated items of some sort which had to be transported to our mine to be destroyed. It was usually late evening when we had made the return trip.
It was really cold and our vehicles broke down several times which caused much cursing and swearing. We carried out a number of those trips but the first day was the worst, the one most remembered. But the warmth of the Mess and the hot meal on our return was gratefully accepted.
It was after one of those journeys that I was informed that I had arrived just an hour or so too late to meet my brother Ern who had come to visit me. He had ridden a motorbike from Kiel and on learning that I would not arrive until nightfall had to leave. I regretted missing him, his ride must have been most unpleasant and in the end fruitless.
Our days being so fully occupied passed very quickly. I and the others who were to leave with me were counting off the days and therefore preparing our kitbags in readiness. It was something like filling the Christmas stocking 鈥楤rummie鈥� Giles brought me a pair of those binoculars which I previously described.
I acquired a bottle of champagne from the Mess which I intended to be reserved for Robert鈥檚 christening. I had also managed to obtain some rolls of synthetic material which looked very much like Nylon or Rayon, which was later made up into dresses for Hilda, her mum and other relatives. This was the material which was used in the making of shells. There were other items which I pushed into the kitbag before I left so that I could go out fully loaded.
It had been the custom in the past that when men were due for discharge they were excused all duties for the week prior to leaving. They were free to do as they wished. They could visit nearby towns, go shooting, some went to the mountains. But all those of sort of concessions had ended because being so many less in numbers we worked right up to the last day which as it was made us all that much keener to greet that final day and to take our leave of Hanigsen, the salt mine and its contents, of the British Army and of Germany.
But sadly, we who were then due to leave, also would be saying 鈥渃heerio鈥� to those of our comrades still remaining. We had been together for under a year but had enjoyed each other鈥檚 company, worked as a team and forged a bond which could not easily be broken. That for me, and I believe for most other servicemen, is the overriding benefit derived while serving, and which is simply referred to as 鈥榗omradeship鈥�.
That was something which I knew I was going to miss more than anything else; that sense of belonging, to be accepted. For wherever in the world you may find yourself, to enter a barrack-room or a tent, not knowing anyone and unknown to them, within only a matter of hours you were accepted and you accepted them as readily as if you had been associated for years.
It probably stems from the fact that through good times and bad, those that were pleasant and those hard times, the sense of being in it together 鈥榗ome what may鈥� and the dependence on each other in whatever situation arose. Another important factor was that you were never alone there was always someone by your side, I knew I would feel the loss of their company.

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