大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Swale libraries on behalf of Eric Kempster and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

During this period happened a series of moves that have troubled me ever since.
Mr Churchill made many stirring speeches about defence of our little island and of civilisation as we have known it.
I bought for sixpence at Woolworths a kit called "ink eradicator". It contained two little bottles and the instructions as to how to eradicate ink. I took my birth certificate which showed that I was born January 12th 1928, at St Marylebone, and erased "1928", to write in later "1923". So instead of being twelve, I was suddenly seventeen.
Going to the Army recruitment office in Harrow, I volunteered for the army. The recritment sergeant asked me how old I was. I said "seventeen, sir". He commented that I did not look it. I said "here is my birth certificate, sir". He took it, and asked for which regiment I was volunteering. I said "The Green Howards, sir". (Why the hell I said that I'll never know).
Some paperwork and some days later an army Medical Examination, where I was proclaimed fit for service, though with short-sight left eye.
Some days later a buff envelope came in the mail, addressed to Mr. E. Kempster. My father, however, opened this letter and exploded - "What the hell is this all about". The letter read "you are ordered to report to Mill Hill Barracks on (such-and-such a day at such-and-such a time......). Finally we figured out between us what I had done, aged twelve and a half, and my father wrote to the Minister for War, one Mr Bellinger. The result of this letter and the responses thereto, was that I was not called, nor ever was, despite a war and long conscription of people at age seventeen.

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