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Between arriving back in England on 30 May 1940 and leaving again for Cyprus and Egypt on 20 May 1941, my father was based in a workshop in Somerset.
I have no idea what he did there, whether he received further training or what. I imagine they were all being held back in England because of what we now know as the Battle of Britain (Aug 1940), and also other possible German invasion attempts. I have recently discovered this web site: www.shford.fsfile.co.uk/ShingleSt/ which gives details of an attempted invasion on the Suffolk coast, also in August 1940. I don’t think the facts have been officially released yet and it was obviously hushed-up very well, as I don’t remember my mother's family (who lived in Ipswich Suffolk) mentioning it — except for vague rumours which no-one seemed to take seriously.

Life in England was easier for the troops, of course, than being overseas. There were privileges such as passes, which enabled a soldier to be out after ten o’clock at night; these were usually only issued in England. There were often parades — these were later essentially used in the desert to check attendance. Three meals a day were provided and fresh vegetables, which were not usually available overseas.

Leave to go home was nearly always granted before going abroad. However, this was not as generous as it might sound for soldiers, like my father, who lived far away from base camp, as the time needed to travel home ultimately would use up nearly the whole period of leave (he was based in Somerset and his home was in Paisley Scotland)!

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