大象传媒

My brother won the bronze medal in the relay but nobody knows that in Thornaby, coz it was never registered. But I鈥檝e got his medal. But they didn鈥檛 practice, they were in the army, the navy the airforce, but he volunteered, he was a heck of a runner, he used to say 鈥渃ome on, give us a run, I鈥檓 practising.鈥� And he won the bronze medal, but if anyone wants to see it it鈥檚 at home and it鈥檚 got the three feathers on the back, all solid brass.
We used to have projectors that could fire a Molotov bottle or something like a bottle but it was high explosives and it used to burst and fire phosgene. We used to go down to Ed Rightson鈥檚 and at the back of that there used to be slag heaps and we used to fire these guns. The trouble was, there were hand grenades in them, and there was many a time when the hand grenade wouldn鈥檛 go off, this thing wouldn鈥檛 loosen it, so consequently, we had to have a look around to see if we could find the hand grenade 鈥� remember, it鈥檚 primed! And for seven seconds, you鈥檝e got it鈥an you imagine all these fellas looking round, wondering where the devil this hand grenade鈥檚 gone. But sometimes we鈥檇 just leave it, thinking it鈥檒l turn up somewhere..
Dad鈥檚 Army had nothing on our lot. Nothing whatsoever. When I joined the secret army, they said 鈥測ou鈥檒l have to know how to blow up a railway line.鈥� So, I had four pound of semtex at home 鈥� we were the only people supplied with semtex, it was the highest explosive at that particular time, it was in the Dambusters鈥� bombs, we used to make those. Seven seconds, it鈥檚 not long, and we used to fire these with a hand grenade in, across the river. We used to throw the hand grenade, we were in a rectangular square pit, and were teaching the recruits how to throw and prime a hand grenade, and Sgt Barker was taking them. He asked me to give these lads a hand. I said, 鈥淲ell for one thing we can鈥檛 do with a load of lads in the pit, we鈥檒l have to take them one at a time鈥� I said 鈥淔air enough,鈥� take the mills bomb, take the bottom off, that鈥檚 the primer, the one that makes a big bang.
WE showed them how to screw the base in and tighten it with the bayonet. We asked them if they understood, and we said 鈥渨ell here鈥檚 the bomb.鈥� But he only dropped it and let the lever go. The thing was only smoking, so I looked at my watch, and I looked at the bomb, and I said 鈥淩UN! OUT鈥� and I threw him out the pit, and he said 鈥淲hat鈥檝e I done,鈥� by that time he was a bag of nerves, and I thought, any second now the bloody thing鈥檚 going to go off. I clipped him round the ear, which I shouldn鈥檛 have done, he fell down and he let go of the bomb, and sent it over the edge. It blew half the sandbags into the air. I was telling you about the semtex 鈥� you had to clamp it to the railway line and tape it down. You鈥檝e got to remember that I鈥檝e never seen semtex explode. Lt Clark and his son were there, and he says 鈥淩ight corporal, are you ready?鈥� I said 鈥淚鈥檒l ignite it,鈥� and I very carefully, put an ignition into the semtex, and it had on 鈥淪even seconds,鈥� We all scattered, in full battle order, gas masks and stuff, and it went off, it took the section of that railway line clean out, it blew me off my feet!

We used to have an air-raid shelter in the back street, and we used to have a small stove in there so that we could make a cup of tea. They had no heating in, nothing. I said 鈥渁re you sure you鈥檙e alright?鈥� to my mother, but my father would never go in: 鈥淣o way are you getting me in one of them!鈥� I asked why and he said 鈥淟ook, son. I鈥檝e never been in an air raid shelter and it鈥檚 a bit too late for me to start going in one now.鈥� He was in the Boer War, in the charge of the light brigade and had volunteered for the First World War, and wanted to get involved in this one. I said 鈥渢hey don鈥檛 want you!鈥� He said, 鈥淭hey鈥檒l want horses.鈥� I said 鈥淭hey won鈥檛 want horses at all! They won鈥檛 need horses, this is going to be a mechanical war, they鈥檒l have tanks and aeroplanes!鈥� I said, 鈥渁nyway, did they turn you down?鈥� He said 鈥淎ye! They don鈥檛 want oldies like me. But I鈥檓 helping out building bridges.鈥� He was well into his seventies. But it wasn鈥檛 all doom and gloom, I used to do voluntary work, and I used to drive to York. And I used to do it every Wednesday and Saturday.

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