大象传媒

My father wrote this just a couple of months before he died in January 1995.

The Day I Joined the Army - November 1939

It was November 1939. I was in my local pub in Greenwich with my Dad when in walked a sailor who I knew and I said "what are you doing in uniform"? He said !I have joined up and am going to war". Well I thought good luck to you. My Dad said if and when war breaks out it will only last a couple of weeks, so I carried on drinking. BUT when we arrived home there was a nasty looking letter, which became known to everybody - calling-up papers.

I had to have a medical and was passed A1 and then I was to report to Aldershot, which I had never heard of! My Dad gave me some money, my Mum made me some jam sandwiches and off I went with my Dad's voice saying "you'll be home again in a few weeks".

Well I got on the train at Waterloo and the first stop was Aldershot. It was what you call a troop train - no stopping so nobody could get off! Well at Aldershot I thought I would go for a pint. I just got outside the station when a voice shouted - "where do you think you are going?" I said I was going for a beer. This bloke said "see that truck, well climb aboard it" "No need I said I can walk" Well he started to get nasty and started shouting even more, then I saw a big crowd of blokes coming from the station. The I was told that I was under Army orders! We travelled in the trucks until we got to the barracks. I was in Block A, Gibraltar Barracks, Stanhope Lines. What a day that was. We did not do anything the next day except listen to this bloke with a medal and things on his arm. He was telling us who was who and who and who not to salute. I saluted everything in uniform, that way I couldn't go wrong except that I was saluting squaddies who had been in the Army a couple of days longer than me!

I think it was the fourth day of playing soldiers that I got kitted out with a uniform - much too big. We started training, like marching up and down the road, learning how to swing our arms and keep in step. Next we were given our rifles and were taught how to hold them and how to change the rifle from one arm to the other. That lasted for two weeks. Next we went to the garages and saw different types of lorries which we had to learn to drive. I was already a lorry driver before being called up so I had to do a test on a 15 cwt Scout car as well as different lorries. At the end of the day I was teaching the squaddies to drive. Well, after six weeks training we were told we were moving out. I was asked by the Station Commander if I would stay at Aldershot to teach driving to the other squaddies but I had made friends and I wanted to go with them - but nobody knew where we were going. We had the rest of the day off but could not leave the barracks. In the dead of night, dressed in full kit, we moved out in trucks - no lights, nothing. After a few hours we stopped for a spell, was given a mug of tea and a sandwich. We had arrived at Portsmouth and were loaded on to a large ship, told to go below and no smoking. After a while the shop started to move and when it stopped we were in France. I cannot think of the port at which we landed, it might come to me later. Well, we walked for a few miles and you wouldn't think we were in France. None of us knew what we had to do but it came to us very quickly. We were raw troops, never even seen a German, but we had to mix in with troops who were to be relieved. We, being Royal Engineers, had to keep roads and bridges open. We were in France for a couple of weeks, and the only Germans we saw were at a distance. In the meantime we were given stacks of gun cotton with fuses and soon found out what we had to do with them. A DR came along on his motorbike and told us to blow up all the vehicles so that the Germans could not use them. We were doing very well blowing everything up when we were suddenly surrounded by German motorcyclists. We looked and then ran for our lives. The Germans had machine guns fitted to the sidecars and did a lot of damage to our troops - I lost a couple of mates - so what we did we primed the gun cotton and threw them at the Germans. I think at the time that I was so frightened I was sh......ng myself. It was the first time I had killed anybody but you don't stop to see who was dead, you just make your way to the sea which happened to be Dunkirk. On reaching the beaches we got rid of as much kit as we could because you had a little swim in front of you! But Officers in the ranks were shouting - "hold on to your rifle" - I shouted "F...k the rifle I've got wet feet and I swam to the nearest boat which happened to be a small ferry. I was pulled aboard with about 600 other troops and made our way to England where we finished up at Basingstoke in tents, cold, wet and hungry. Next day we were kitted out with everything that we had lost. I and my mate "Blondi" went to the pay field and lined up in one line, got to the pay table, gave name and number and received 7 shillings in the hand. We then went to another line, same thing at the table, but a different name and number etc and got another 7 shillings in the hand! We did that all day and had quite a payroll in our pocket, went into town and got drunk!

From Basingstoke I went to see a 187 Transportation Company where we had to learn to drive a tank, an autoportal, a bulldozer and a dragline bucket. I was given a D4 Bulldozer (12 tons) and our new job was to dig tank traps around the country. It was called the "second line of defence". I think we did about 20 miles and were at Guildford when a clever dick had a new tank ob trials and it went right over the tank trap! So we had to fill them in again!

Whilst at Basingstoke Blondi, who was with me most of my Army days, and I got used to drinking at night. We had a great time because all who were at Dunkirk had a spot of leave. Well after a time drink gets you into trouble and I became known as Jankers Johnny because I was often on a charge and had to do duties after Guard parade. Sometimes I did three days, sometimes a week. You went on parade with the Guards and after they were dismissed I had to "square bash" for a couple of hours - sometimes my pay was docked. Well on one night going back to the camp I got into an argument with a Lance Corporal who said he was going to report me. I did not like the fellow and so I said here is something you can report me for and hit him twice and he laid on the ground crying and making a noise so that the Guard came to find out what was going on. I was locked up for the night and the next morning I was booked on a charge. I was stood in front of the Officers and put on a charge of hitting a Lance Corporal whilst on active duty. I was asked if I had anything to say and I said yes that I would do it again if he started on me! It was the worse thing I could have said because I was given 14 days in Aldershot "Glass House". Once the charge is read you are told the rules about the place and then led off for a cold shower and then a medical with not even a towel to hide your blushes! From then on you do everything at the double. I was given a special corridor to scrub and polish. It looked so easy I thought this is a doddle, but the brush for scrubbing was the biggest I had seen and I had to scrub at the double. Well I got so far along the corridor when the Staff Sergeant came along shouting - "What's all this then - I wanted this place clean". Whilst he was shouting he was tapping the wall so that a fine dust came down - so then I had to clean the place all over again. This happened twice more and I knew what was going to happen, wall tapping starting, dust everywhere - more scrubbing. I looked at him - he stared at me and said go on then say it. I did - I told him where to go as I had had enough of scrubbing and with that he kicked the bucket of water over. He carried on shouting and raving until a couple more Sergeants came rushing in and my feet did not touch the ground! They could not give you extra days but give you longer hours on the parade ground. That meant full pack, with six house bricks in, rifle without ammo, great coat rolled up neat and tidy and spare boots. I had to run at the double round the parade ground until I almost dropped. I was taunted all the time, then it's a cold shower and locked up for the night. I did not scrub any more floors, they had a better idea. Away from the barracks was a tree with a chain hanging from it. I thought what now? I was told to get a bucket of water and a brush at the double. That was painful because I had no boots on. My job was to clean the chain free of mud. After about an hour of cleaning there was a pool of water which soon became thick mud. Then the b.....s came along, undid the rope holding the chain which then fell into the mud so I had to start over again. The Sergeant looked at me waiting for me to say something again but I kept 'mum' Well the 14 days were up and it was time to go. I was asked by the Commander if I enjoyed my stay. I said "yes Sir" loud and clear. At the gates my escort was waiting for me - also with a bit of luck the b........d sergeant was there to see me off. I said "sarg can I have a word?" "f course my man" he said. I spoke very carefully in his ear that if and when we ever met abroad in France he had best keep behind me OK? I think he knew what I meant. That was the last I saw of Aldershot!

Before we dismiss Aldershot I must tell you of a little incident that happened on the parade ground. One day we were on the parade ground doing rifle drill and marching up and down, changing hands with the rifle and we came to rest. On the other side of the parade ground some ATS girls were doing their drill. I was watching them and got so engrossed that I did not know that my squad had marched off. I came to to find I was on my own. I did not know what to do but the RSM did - he came to me and said as I was so interested in the ATS girls I should march with them! So I spent a couple of hours with about 30 ATS girls. I blushed but I think most of the girls did as well. Everyone in my squad had a good laugh but I finished up doing jankers for yet another four days which meant I could not go out at nights but had to parade with the Guards and, after inspection, do four hours of spud bashing and any other jobs that need doing. At times jankers can be very hard but it helps to make a man of you (I think!).

The Transportation Company broke up and we were then sent to Salisbury and to a little place called Porton Camp where we became No.3 Chemical Warfare. The training we did at Porton was on the secrets list. Nobody could get within a mile of it - it was guarded 24 hours a day. The Unit consisted of 28 men and officers but in a sense we were as one, meaning once in the compound the 'Sir' was dropped. We were all on the same footing because it was a unit made up of units that had been disbanded so we had boffins who knew all about gas' and what different gases can do and we had to learn the colour of shells with a certain nose-cap. Some nose-caps would be copper and some bright steel. Many other nose-caps would tell you if it was filled with gas or coloured smoke which was often used as a screed to hide troops. Well we spent our time at Porton Camp and we knew about shells, smoke and gases so that every time you shut your eyes you saw shells!

On the day before D Day we were told that we could have it easy as later on we were going on "exercise"? What a sham that was. Nobody was allowed out of camp and those of us who were on duty had to make sure all vehicles were ready to move should the order be given. Well we thought everything was being done in a funny way until about 10.00 p.m. that night when the order came to "move, move, move". I had never seen so many troops in one place before. Where they came from we did not know. Once on the move we guessed something big was on. We asked our Sergeant what but he did not know anything either. Every vehicle had no lights and we travelled for an hour or so then parked up until early dawn. We then found ourselves on this platform and moving slowly. We were all asking each other what was happening but nobody could or would tell us. But we soon found out. Guns from warships, planes, the lot. We knew then it was D Day. Just before I drove off this platform, which was a massive floating dock, the first I saw of the enemy was my brother who I had not seen for months! The place I drove on to was called Arromanches - our code was GOLD. Everything was in uproar and you lost all sense of feeling. You had so much to do. A few miles into France we got caught up in mortar fire and the Germans were aiming at all vehicles because most held troops inside. Me and my mate Blondi dived for a ditch and minutes later we had no lorry! The Germans were a little way up the road so it was from then on a fight which kept us in the ditch the best part of the day. Blondi and I were hungry and dying for a drink but we could not move until some tanks came along to relieve us.

Moving along the side of the road we saw we were making for Caen and from where we were we could see a lot of fighting going on. The next moment I was flung to the ground with a terrible burning in my leg. Blondi, my mate, came over to me and said I had been hit. I was put onto a jeep and taken back a couple of miles to the medical tent. I thought "here goes, back to England" but the medics put a plaster cast on my leg and kept me for a day and I asked if I was going home. They said no it's not that bad! so I thought it best to find my Unit. I got lifts on jeeps etc until I reached a place which I found out to be Caen, just about where I had been shot. Anyway I had my first tin of beer at Caen, it was great. I tried to get some more but rations are rations - one man - one beer. I caught up with my Unit and was allowed to keep my plastered let covered but we were on the move again and was given another 3 ton lorry. We all slept in our lorries. Blondi was always with me - we were great mates and shared everything we got. After a few weeks moving around France we were called to a Yank unit, which was a little advanced to other Units, because they had found a shell dump and the code was not on their list so we had to stay with the Yanks and find out what shells were in the bunker. They turned out to be H.E. but we took our time finding out because Yank food was a lot better than ours. Their PK rations included Camel cigarettes which were a good smoke. Moving on with the Yanks for a few days more we came under heavy fire, mostly from mortar fire, which we did not like one bit. The Germans had a pattern with mortar fire - right, left, centre and they did not miss too often. Our Unit had a few wounded but the Yanks caught the full packet but then they did not take cover like we did, we lived longer.

Belgium was coming up pretty fast. Out Unit moved along without much trouble and a rest was due to us. We found a valley which seemed very quiet at first we were told to sort out guards and the rest get some sleep. After a few hours we were told to get ready for a quick move - the quiet valley we had picked was packed with Germans about a 1000 yards away. Well, I can tell you we moved but within half an hour the RAF came over and all hell was let loose. It is the nearest I have been to falling bombs and machine gun fire. Jerry must have lost a hell of a lot of troops but we did not stay to find out. Our Unit was moving around quite a bit and for a long time we had it easy. Just routine work, checking shell dumps, of which there were quite a few but nothing in the way of gas.

We went through Brussels without much trouble and got to a village called Boitsford. We had a couple of hours fighting with Jerry and those who were not killed or wounded gave themselves up. We found quite a few Germans who were no older than sixteen. Germany were getting short of real fighting men. It was in the village of Boitsford that I met my Belgium friend Andre. He spoke good English and I got on well with him. He had friends who had things like money etc and I being the ration driver, did a little swapping. After a while my lorry was full of things that would be useful at home.

After a few weeks there we moved on into Germany itself. Fighting was on a small scale and we didn't go looking for it! We went into the Black Forest. What a great place that is. Everything in it was as though there was never a war on. We came across hunting lodges which were complete with guns, hats and uniforms of the old Germans and the lodges were spotless.

Moving on from the Black Forest we came across a large group of Germans who had motorbikes, half-track vehicles and various other motors like Mercedes with flags on the wings. We thought "hello, we have had it this time". But believe it or not they had had enough and were really glad to let us take over. There was a regiment of infantry just along the road and they took over from us as we were told by a DR that there was a big underground bunker a couple of miles away. Well we got to the map reference where the bunker was and we had a job to see it. It was like a rolling hill with plastic nets, plastic trees, flowers around the base of trees etc. It was so well camouflaged that it had not been seen from the air. We found a road underneath many plastic nets which went on for at least a mile before it came out on to a dirt road. Being very careful of booby traps which we had come across before, we found great big steel doors on runners but nobody was very keen to go near them. It was suggested that we get a few Germans from down the road to do the dirty work - after all it was their bunker! Well, after a lot of talking our officers made the Germans go to the steel doors. We expected loud bangs at any moment but nothing came. A small gun-cotton charge opened the doors and after a time we went inside the bunker. What a surprise we got! There must have been millions of different size shells. The bunker was about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. Slowly we went in amongst the rows of shells and we found by our list that most of the shells and bombs were filled with gas. Some of the gas we did not know of and soon we had high ranking staff all over the place. We stayed for four days and then the bunker was put under heavy guard, so we moved on. We were having a rest to calm our nerves and the bunker 'do' when we came under fire from a battery of mortars. Blondi, my mate, was blown a few yards away but, apart from his clothing being cut to shreds and a small wound in his head, he was alive, although he could not hear anything except drumming in his ears. After a few days of treatment he was almost back to normal - if you could say that!

Looking around we saw we had lost a couple of vehicles so after a while, after seeing off the mortar crew, we had to look for any vehicle, Jerry or otherwise. We soon came across some German's car and we drove around in style - that was until a one-eyed Major who wanted to show off took it from us and we had to make do with a rusty old German scout car. 'B........d'. At least it was better than riding 'shod'. Shod meant hanging on to anywhere you can - sod that.

The one-eyed Major caught up with us after we lost our own Major, a nice fella but did not keep his head down. With this one-eyed 'git' it was "do this - do that". He was trying to tell us what we had been doing for the last couple of years. Anyway, after a time, he mucked in and soon became one of us.

In Germany all troops were still in control of themselves, It was just a one-off when you were messed about by an Officer. You all stood together in times of killing or being killed and I for one did not fancy getting killed and my mate was the same. You watch my back and I'll watch yours and it worked very well. Well it must have done because here I am writing this after over 50 years.

Our Captain Harrison was a great fellow and was always looking for something different so Blondi and I, who had a couple of German rifles, asked him to come with us for a shoot on the Heath where we were told by the German civilians that there were deer and boar to be had. He got permission from someone and off we went in a jeep. About half an hour into the Heath we can across deer and the with Maudsers Blondi and I shot a deer each. The Captain wasn't a good shot so we let him kill off the deer with his Lugar which he had obtained from a German General's barracks. After a time we came across some wild boar with their young, but they were a little different from the deer, they do not run away but run towards you. We almost sh...t ourselves. Firstly we had never seen a big wild boar and for it to come at us ... well we ran and just managed to get into the jeep when this boar came crashing into the back wheel. It almost knocked us and the jeep over but it killed itself. We sat for a while until we were sure it was dead then three brave men got out of the jeep, puffing out our chest, until we found the back wheel was almost split in two. One of the boar's tusks was stuck into the tyre! We loaded our kills onto the jeep, changed the wheel and headed for barracks. We went round to the garages where the civilians were working and asked if anyone knew how to cut and carve a deer. I think every one of them knew! There was one fellow who I got on very well with and I told him we did not like venison, so they could share one deer. He was pretty handy doing things and a couple of days later he showed me the deer skin which he had dried out and said he could make me a ladies handbag which he did and it was really great. I sent it home just in case I met some young lady.

Making handbags and cigarette cases was a good thing because after some weeks Captain Harris had to go down to Belgium, which was some 600 miles away, so me and Blondi went with him as escort. Of course we took all our goods which our friend had made, plus a load of venison and did a great trade in bartering. We went to a cafe in Brussels which was owned by my Belgian friend Andre's family owned. We drank ourselves silly, stayed the night and left for Germany early the next morning. We arrived back at our Unit just in time to hear that 'Monty' had changed the German Mark. That was twice he had changed the currency, which meant you could only have a month's money. I you had any more money it was of no use to you because you would have to explain where you got the extra from and me and Blondi had thousands of Marks, somewhere I would say around 20 thousand English pounds!!! But, easy come, easy go, we called Monty a few nice names the bloody b........d All our work in Belgium bartering came to nothing except a couple of cases of brandy etc.

Most of our Unit had 4 days leave so we all went into Lunenburg, a small town about 6 miles away, but it was just a load of rubble. You had a job to find a beer den. Blondi and I had a few beers, not much strength in it, so we went to the centre of what was the town looking for anything that would be of use to us later on. Well we came across a shop which was boarded up a little more than the others and, although it was nearly knocked to the ground Blondi suggested we pull up a few boards and see what was inside. We had just got into the shop when a couple of jeeps came into view full of Redcaps (Police). We had to lie low in case they found us but after some time they passed on. We looked around and at one end of a counter we found a trap door which led into a cellar. We were very careful how we moved about in case of booby traps but all was OK. What we saw was a couple of stacks of flat boxes, all sealed. Breaking open a couple we found they held cigars, all were a slight green, but they smelt alright. We each took about 30 boxes, made our way back to the lorry and hid them. We then went into the beer den, found the driver and told him about our find. What was alright by him, if he could have a few boxes, so we had to go back to the shop for more. When we came out I think the rest of the mob were there too. Blondi and I sent our cigars home on Concession Parcels and my parents said in their letters to me that they had given some cigars to our insurance man and he said they were one of the best smokes he had ever had. I gave him some more when I was demobbed in June 1946.

Back in Germany, we, that is all the troops around Lunenburg Heath, had to move around to cover most of the heath. We guessed something big was about to happen and it did. Thousands of Germans were coming in and it was the British troops who had to wire the b......s in and guard them. There were Redcaps all over the place and all were armed. We thought something big here and, after waiting for a while, keeping one eye on Jerry and the other eye on the road, we saw staff cars by the hundreds, flags flying, high ranking officers and British staff. And then we aw the Germans -Gobles was one, a shifty-eyed git he was - and the rest were there to sign the Treaty that the war was over. (There were Generals, Navy staff, everyone of importance who had been commanding the German war effort). This all took some time - we troops were kept in the background, keeping guard on Jerry. The Treaty was signed at Lunenburg. I think it was for all North Germany etc.

Well we stayed at the Heath for a few weeks and then started to make our slow way down through what was left of the villages and what we saw was a terrible sight. Wounded men, women and children, just wandering around. They had nowhere to go. In some fields we saw what was the V2 rocket in three sections and people were living in them. We all said our people ought to see these V2s now. Of course they had nothing inside them except what people had put in to make life a little more easy. We had to stay at some places and help out and move on. We got down to Hanover where there was a large rest camp. You got good food, plenty of beer, everything you wanted. That rest camp was for 5 days - a pity but then we ran out of money and couldn't get any more until the next rest camp and we did not know where that would be. We carried on the old routine, helping out with wounded, sick and able and quite a few Germans played on it so someone suggested putting a little more salt in their food and coffee. We did not have many playing around after that.

Moving on we camped just outside of what was called Falaise Gap. Great fighting went on there - thousands of troops were killed on either side and the Tiger Tank played a big part. It weighed around 50 or more tons and could knock anything out. We had never had anything to touch it but that was all in the past. We stayed at this camp which was all made of tents. We didn't mind - you just had somewhere to put your head after a drinking session!

Whilst at this camp we were told of our demob number. Our Unit was number 46. We thought "Christ - we would be at least another six months". We don't know how it was worked out, what we did know, we worked bloody hard all the time we were waiting our demob. On one of the many parades we were told that all souvenirs in the way of weapons were to be handed in. This warning was given most days. After a certain day, if anyone was caught he would stay six more months in the Forces. I had 3 guns and ammo for each one. I had them with me too long to be parted from them so I took a chance. I also had an SS Officer's dress dagger. I sold that to a Yank (for English money) - I did a great deal with him. Two or three of our boys got caught with guns just before boarding ship and were sent back for a least another six months. I got in touch with one of the lads who was sent back and he did another three months, which wasn't too bad, bad enough but then rules are rules and must not be broken! - said Monty!!!

We were at last on our way home - the ship was named 'Morning Star' and held about three thousand men. We sailed away and it must have gone round in circles - it took us two days to reach Portsmouth harbour. We embarked and were led to the lorry park. These lorries were going to take us to Basingstoke Barracks where were to be demobbed. We were told the evening was ours as long as we stayed within the barrack area as we were told too many guns and equipment went missing by the earlier demobbed crowd - so we had to pay for it.

We had to hand in our equipment before going to the NAAFI. That is where you get tea and buns. We enjoyed our short stay in Basingstoke, had a good rest, then went to get our demob suit. Not a lot of choice in suits or hats so when we came away from the clothing area we almost all looked alike - but we were on our way HOME. I had a great welcome in the pub in Greenwich called The Hood. I did not pay for any drinks that night - got p.....d, went home, went to bed, awoke the next morning, a bright clean lad ready for work! I went down to my works, had a great welcome there, was given a large sum of money, which was the bonus from profits of the year, was told I had to have at least three months rest before I could start back to work and that my job was safe. That brings me to the end of my six and a half years Service and the start of finding a little sweetheart to help me spend some of my hard? earned cash. (Bye for now - ex-Serviceman 2000039).

P.S. To my children.

Your Dad has always been a clean and very honest! hard working man. That is why at 75 years of age I have written this account of my time during the way. I have missed out a year or two but, as a matter of interest, when I joined the Army in 1939 my money was 2 shillings a day and I had to allow my Mum 7 shillings a week. Wasn't a lot to go on but then everything was-all found for you in the Army. After I came back from Dunkirk, in between sorting out what regiment you were going to land in, there came on the notice board - any engineer/driver or otherwise could go to Sheffield on a course to learn to drive a bulldozer of some 30 tons, also a drag-line bucket and autopatrol machine, which was used to level ground, mostly for landings strips. I had a great time in Sheffield - in the pub it did not cost us squaddies a penny and on the Sunday we were invited into homes for dinner etc. Of course we helped out wherever we could (sorry to leave). On return to barracks about 3 days later we who went on the course were told what we had passed on. I was lucky, I passed all three so that brought my weekly wage up to 56 shillings. But I had it all sent home except for my own 7 shillings which I needed at times in the NAAFI. The money helped my Mum and Dad to a little extra food or whatever. I never did go short of money - on active duty you couldn't buy anything and if I wanted anything I took it wherever possible - just like thousands more. If we did not help ourselves, the 'froggies' would have it, but the Lord help you if ever you got caught and the Officer was honest. But there weren't many of them (thank God).

The training of the heavy machines was very handy, although we did not have need for it in the Chemical Warfare Unit but the money was food. As I have said I sent most of my money home so I had a nice little nest egg to come home to.

I met a young lady at Telcon where I worked. My mate Ernie said one day when our lorries were being repaired - "let's go to the canteen, there is a young girl working at the counter and I know her well, we won't have to pay for our tea and cake". Anyway, over we went, had a cup of tea and Ernie said there is a dance Saturday night at the sports ground, how about taking Joan? (which was her name). Anyway came Saturday night and we had a good time together. Ernie brought his wife and the four of us became lifelong friends. That is how I came to meet my loving wife.

Whilst married I was put on Z reserve, which meant should any trouble break out I would be one of the first to be called up. Well a few years went by and we had a little girl called Pat, lovely little thing she was, we loved her and still do. Later along came Terry, our little boy, but he also brought along my Z reserve papers with him - bless him! I had to report to Weymouth for 14 days training, learning how to build a bridge.

Well it was one long laugh. We went to Chesil beach to learn about how to row a boat. After a few days of rowing, messing about etc, the officer in charge said well chaps let us have one more go and then call it a day. Well where we were standing was a coil of rope and on the bottom edge of the boat was a ring. Someone hooked the rope to the boat, the boat started to move away very quickly for about 50 yards when the rope suddenly held it back. About 20 fellows and officer fell into the sea. "Who did that" they shouted. (Silence greeted them). We very quickly climbed into the lorries and drove to camp. I never saw a boar or bridge after that. We all spent most of our time in Weymouth town sight seeing. I cannot think how much money we were paid - I know it was quite a few pounds and then it was home to a couple of screaming kids, making bottles in the middle of the night - it's no wonder I cannot sleep at night now!

Johnny

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