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"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Nottingham on behalf of Mrs Olive Cooper with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

It was whilst I was going to night classes I met a girl who worked at Long Eaton Co-op bakery and we started going out together, and we eventually got engaged. Then, one day, in September 1939, our whole world dropped to bits. That was the Saturday September 2nd I had my calling-up papers to join the army. So on Sunday, September 3rd, the Second World War started.
I put a few things in a case and left for Aldershot. Another thing I have not told you is that I had an accident in the bakery and had to go into hospital for a hernia operation, so, when I had my medical in the army, I was classed as B1 and, therefore I was not sent overseas. I went to work in the W.D. Bakery at Claytons Barracks, and it was a very large building with 24 draw plate ovens and it was worked all round the clock. I was at this bakery until about September 1940 when I was sent to join the 6th Field Bakery at Barry Island in South Wales. It was on the train down to this camp that I met a Welshman, with whom I palled up for most of my army days. His name was Tom Hughes. We were told that we were going overseas but where to no-one knew. Tom was married and he took leave and sent home for a few days, but it was too far for me.
After a few weeks we left by train to Liverpool and then went on to a liner called "Andes", this was a new luxury liner and had not been put into service when it was turned into a troop ship. We left Liverpool and sailed up to Scotland and round to Ireland, where we stayed for two days, whilst the convoy assembled then we set sail.
During the next few days every one on the ship was sea-sick and no-one wanted any food as there was sick ' all over the place!
We sailed away from England the weather became warmer. To pass the time most of the troops had drill with fire arms but this did not affect us. Some of the Bakery lads went to work in the ship's bakery Some of the men slept on mattresses on the floor, and some had hammocks. Tom tried to get into a hammock, but fell out, so we slept on the floor. As the days passed we put in to Sierra Leone, otherwise known as the Gold Coast, but we did not leave the ship as we only called there for supplies. As we passed the equator everyone had to be dipped in the swimming pool as this is the custom. As regards
use of the pool, different regiments had different days to use it. On we sailed and it began to get very hot so all had to change into tropical kit.
Our next port of call was Durban, South Africa, where we stayed for three days and we were allowed on shore during the day. It seemed strange to see the ship all lit up as there was no blackout there. Durban is a big place and very active. I was walking down the main road with Tom and a car pulled up with a young couple in it and they asked us if we would like to go with them to their home and have a meal, which we did. The house was just outside the city and was situated in a large garden. We had a meal outside and then they took us to see some sights, including Table Top Mountain. After that they took us back to the ship, after giving us a large box of sweets and chocolates.
On we sailed, round the bottom Africa, past Port Elizabeth and on to Port Tewfic where we had to wait for passage through the Suez Canal. Going through the canal was a very slow trip as the canal was very narrow and the ship so large. If the ship did not go slowly the wash would damage the banks. The canal runs into two lakes, being the Great Bitter Lake and the Little Bitter Lake. It is in these lakes that ships have to await for ships coming the other way to pass. We sailed on through the canal to Port Suez. The time from England to Egypt took us 42 days. After we left the "ANDES" we were told to get on to lorries which took us to a camp where we were given blankets and put into tents for the night;. The next day we were taken to the docks, where we had to unload our bakery gear on to railway trucks. The gear consisted of tents for accommodation, large tents, which were for the bakery, wooden tubs for water, folding troughs, in which the dough was made. Wooden racks for bread and Aldershot ovens. These ovens were very heavy. They were half round and had a loose back and front. The idea was to put them in a row with backs on and then cover them with sand. A fire was made inside and left until it was hot and then the ashes were taken out and the dough put in and then the front was put on. After carting them with us we never used them, as I will explain why later. After we had loaded the train we were put into railway vans, with straw to sleep on, and off we went to Alexandria, stopping on the way at transit camps for food. We had two days in Alex and then all the gear was put on to a Tramp Steamer, which had b been commandeered. The gear was put on deck and, with us (130 men) the ship was in rather a bad state. We had iron rations for two days and our water bottles full set sail again. Conditions were very bad. Only one W.C. so most of the necessary was done over the side!
We found that our destination was Bardia in Libya but, on arrival at Bardia we put to sea again and sailed on to Tobruk, as the army was advancing very quickly up the Western Desert. Having only two days rations and a pint of water things got rather bad. But on getting into the tugs hold we found oranges and tinned milk so that came in handy but with not having much food the oranges started to work so there were more cramps (burabs) over the side so one had to keep out of up wind'! We had to wait outside Tobruk Harbour whilst the British took the town and then we went in. As we landed the shells were still going over but we landed and the first thing was to get food and water which we found in a warehouse. The water was in bottles and was called Vichy Water, like soda water, and the food was Italian tinned stew! We got some Italian P.O.W’s to help unload the boat and the ‘wog’ captain soon I took off as it was too uncomfortable for him!
We were told that there was an army bakery just outside of the town and when we found it the ovens were still full of bread which was just done. So the Italians had only just left, or been taken prisoners, as it only takes 40 minutes to bake a loaf. Some of the lads took the bread out of the ovens and we gave this to the troops, some of them had not had any for weeks. The rest of the lads took over the huts which had been used by the Italians: There were three long huts, with beds, and there would be about 30 in each one. The Italians had left so quickly that they had not destroyed anything so we were able to use their flour, salt and dried yeast until such times as we were able to get some. I do not know what happened to all the gear we had humped about, as we left it on the docks.
The bakery was a small, single storey room for dough making (by hand) then the ovens were similar to the Aldershot Ovens I explained previously, but they were built of bricks and much bigger. Then, at the other end was a room for the bread. So on the same day as Tobruck fell to the ashes we were baking bread! A few days later Derma was taken and some of the lads went up to Derma and started a bake house up there. Tom left me and he went.
There was nothing to do when we had finished, only to go for a swim. The med. Was only about 1/2 mile away and the beach there was perfect. We sometimes went down to the docks. The place was very uncivilised, you may call it a shanty town. As I have said the ovens were heated by wood and, when hot, the ashes were raked off into a metal barrow and used to light the ovens the next time. After a week or so the NAAFI canteen took over a small warehouse and we were able to get a few luxuries and the odd bottle of beer. We were issued with 50gs per person per week. We still kept getting air raids but they were not too bad. It was during this time that we were attached to the Australian 9th Army and renamed the lOth Field Bakery.
In March 1941 the tide changed. When the 9th Army was near Tunis, Greece was in trouble so a lot of troops were sent over there. At the same time Rommel was sent over to the Western Desert to halt our advance and this he did. As quickly as we went up the desert we were pushed back again. Benlarzy was taken. The baking at Derma came back to Tobruk again.
What I would like to tell you is that on the day we landed in Tobruk and broke into a warehouse and found some barrels of brandy - we filled our water bottles and had a drink or two. But the place got bombed the next day and when we went back all the brandy was gone!

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