大象传媒

No story of the Army would be complete without some story of an archetypical rogue. I have in mind a Private Speakman. He was a national serviceman, big and roughly handsome. His father was a sheep farmer up beyond Kirkby Lonsdale. I first met him in the cook house in Newtown. He was always on the look out for some 鈥減ersonal advantage鈥� and the food supplied to the soldiers had a value in a country so tightly rationed, free licence for a rogue! There was also a local shortage of labour with so many young men in the Forces. There were so many soldiers about in Newtown that it was like a railway station. Total control was impossible. Hoping to control the situation the C.O. instigated a weekly roll call 鈥� always Fridays at 11am. This was a licence for absenteeism. All the soldiers who had 鈥渋nterests outside the barracks鈥� knew they only had to attend at a specific time. Such a man was Speakman. He was helping a sheep farmer on the hills overlooking the camp. Except for Friday mornings (which was also pay day) he worked for this farmer full time.

There were, in the yard behind the cook house, about fifty spools of barbed wire 鈥� they had been there for years and were probably not on any inventory. One by one they vanished until none remained. Speakman had found a customer for a precious commodity.

When we all moved to Wrexham, Speakman had to come as well and had to leave his job. Imagine our surprise when the farmer asked the C.O. to release him to go back to the farm and it was agreed!

He came with us to Cardiff also but again the farmer applied for his services and so got an early 鈥渄emob鈥� as farming was a vital work to do. In the end he married the farmer鈥檚 daughter 鈥� an only child. No doubt he is still there, if he is still alive.

During the ensuing year, 1946 I was in the orderly room. I did have two excursions however.

Some 鈥渂ig shot鈥� decided that as the Army had a lot of fairly well educated men 鈥� just idling their time away and they could be used to advantage. At the same time there were National Servicemen (in our case from the Welsh valleys) who were seriously under-educated. We were invited to volunteer to teach these men with the inducement of promotion to Sergeant and transfer to the Army Education Corps (on special pay). I volunteered.

I was sent to near Wolverhampton, near Mosely Old Hall 鈥� where King Charles II hid during his escape from the Roundheads. On the train journey I was conscious however that my wound was sore.

The course was conducted by a person who later became famous. His name was John Wilson (otherwise known as Anthony Burgess of 鈥淐lockwork Orange鈥� fame). He simply loved 鈥渉olding forth鈥�. He had two 鈥渂andwagons鈥�, Bela Bartok, the Hungarian composer and Virginia Woolf. He could speak for hours on both (also D H Lawrence and Joyce鈥檚 Finnigan鈥檚 Wake).

During my stay there a large lump grew on the site of my rear wound. I had to attend a civilian GP in the town. He promptly cleared his surgery, laid me down on the trolley bed and under anaesthetic spray, lanced the lump. What a mess! What a smell! It was over an hour while the contents were taken out and he thought I could go. The wound had been drained up to a point but I continued to have fluid emissions until 1950 or so.

When I got back to Cardiff the M.O. sent me back to Worcester to Ronkswood Hospital. I was there two/three weeks and then had another medical board examination in Chepstow. I was told it was a sinus which perhaps would never heal. 鈥淓ducating the miners鈥� was cancelled.

I continued in the Orderly Room. Luckily every soldier nearing demobilisation was entitled to go to a 鈥淔ormation College鈥� to do studying or refresh manual skills etc., plumbing, bricklaying. I put in for 鈥淎ppreciation of music and drama鈥� which was just for pleasurable reasons. It was the first 鈥淓dinburgh Festival鈥� and I was able to see Alec Guinness and Peggy Ashcroft acting 鈥淩ichard II鈥� and 鈥淛ulius Caesar鈥� plus concerts with Barberolli and others in the various halls.

We were lodged in the Duke of Buccleuch鈥檚 castle in Dalkeith. During this time Dad sent me the Blackpool paper (as he always did). In the pictorial section there was a photograph of Leo and Alice鈥檚 wedding day 鈥� he had marked it 鈥淚 believe you know this girl!鈥�

Shortly after this I was 鈥渄emobbed鈥�. Mr Attlee decided that demobilisation would not be conducted as happened in 1918-1919 when the forces were all freed at the same time with disastrous consequences (except those who were overseas who lost out). He planned that servicemen should each have an 鈥淎ge & Service Group鈥� number. This meant a soldier such as me who joined in the middle of the war would not be released before somebody who joined in 1939, but before somebody who joined in 1945. My number was 57: Tom鈥檚 was 18.

In 1919/1920 all the services were released as soon as possible and that glutted the employment market. This time they planned that would not happen and full employment would evolve.

Anyone being released was seen beforehand by the C.O. There were two of us: I was 22, Private Therman was thirty odd. Why was this? He had been in military prison and this did not count as 鈥渟ervice鈥� so your number was raised to allow for this.

We were marched before the C.O. who, although I had worked for him in the next room to him for over a year, didn鈥檛 know me from Adam! The adjutant told him who I was however, Thurman then went in. I heard shouting, abuse and the man being told to be quiet by the R.S.M. who came out with him telling him he was lucky not to be thrown in the guardroom again.

As a Lance Corporal I was told to deliver him (and me) at the 鈥淒emob Centre鈥� in York. The train left Cardiff quite late (11.30 pm) and Thurman got in rather drunk. I had an 鈥渆ar battering鈥� for a couple of hours before he fell asleep.

The Demob Centre was in the famous railway shed in York now given over to being the Railway Museum.

There were hundreds of suits, shirts, coats and hats. This was an amazing vision in a country where very few of these things could be bought, even with ration coupons. You picked what you wanted. I had to wear my demob suit many years because clothes were difficult to get up to about the mid fifties.

Interestingly my brother Phil asked me to get a trilby hat for him if I didn鈥檛 want one for myself. His size was 7 戮 鈥�! He simply could not get one. As you know he had an artificial eye. At this time the one he had had been wearing for several years was so worn; all that remained of the pattern was a brown disc with no pupil or iris pattern left. He had to have this for several more years too. They were simply not available.

When I arrived at Blackpool Central Station it was the end of my military service. I joined November 1943 and left November 1947.

In Part 2, I mentioned meeting my dear wife, Olga.

Her family moved to Blackpool from Barnet when the war started. I suppose the first member I encountered was Gilbert, her brother who was at St. Joseph鈥檚, my own school. The next person was Alice, her sister who was known to some of my school friends. Olga was a little older and at work so I only saw her a few times and not to talk to.

About two months before I went into the Army, I was walking along Whitegate Drive when I met her. I suppose I made the running by opening conversation and she was very charming. I asked if I could walk with her to which she diffidently agreed. The next time I saw her was when we met again three years later.

Just as I had to do National Service, so too did Olga (and indeed Alice and Gilbert). As you would realise three or four years taken out of your life at the age of eighteen was terribly disruptive. No programme of studies could be undertaken, no permanent appointments were made. Having no livelihood planned was most unsettling.

Olga joined the V.A.D鈥檚 (Voluntary Aid Detachment) which was an auxiliary nursing service. She enlisted in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and did an induction course in a mansion near Rochdale. She then worked as a ward nurse in an R.N. Hospital at Seaforth, N. Liverpool. She was there for a year before going to R.N.S.Q. Ronaldsway, Isle of Man for a year before going back to Seaforth. The personnel she helped to nurse were casualties of Fleet Air Arm, R.N. and also sick people. In Liverpool they had numerous casualties from R.N. Atlantic patrols. These were very famous at the time being U Boat hunters under the direction of Captain Walker R.N. who evolved a highly successful procedure. They did incessant patrols which were very wearing for the sailors. Captain Walker himself died in Olga鈥檚 hospital of exhaustion while she was there.

She was demobbed in 1946.

Alice joined the W.R.N.S. (Women鈥檚 Royal Naval Service) and covered pretty much the same time. She was involved in North Atlantic fleet operations and based in Winchester. I understand the operation was wholly underground and at times of emergency were not allowed at the surface. Famously the Bismarck operation was managed from there. When she was demobbed she was very physically depleted. Unfortunately she received a knock on the head in 1947 which caused continuous failure of eyesight which ended in total blindness occasioned by the loss of an eye and blindness of the other. She obtained a 100% disability pension. After her husband died in 2000, Alice went to live at St. Dunstans (Hospital for the War Blind) based just outside Brighton, where she died in May 2005.

Gilbert was called-up after the war and did Army clerical work during his engagement.

My eldest brother Tom was 24 in 1939. As we all were, he was in a superannuated (old word now not in use) job. It meant safe from the sack with a good pension. All three of us were in one. Mother was very keen on this having lived through the Depression. Tom was in the Lancashire County Offices in Preston.

Before the war people were quite warlike and Town Councils were keen to promote Territorial Army enlistments. Such was the case in Preston. Tom told my parents many times he was being pressurised in the treasurer鈥檚 department where he was. In 1937 it seemed safe enough to join, so he did, to keep his promotion prospects sound. His new uniform was put into a trunk we had and his rifle put in a wardrobe. He did no parades at all 鈥� ever. He was too involved in sporting activities, particularly rugby.

For about two months he reported to the Drill Hall each day, sometimes they did a parade but mostly he came home to a complete leisure time. Both Preston and Blackpool were Field Artillery units. Preston was fully trained; Blackpool embryonic.

In November 1939 the Preston lot were to go to France. Several Blackpool men were transferred to make the numbers up. Tom was one.

He found himself in Lille; an untrained 鈥渆rk鈥�. However a new Catholic padre appeared (Mgr. Adamson) and he needed a 鈥渕an鈥�. Tom fitted that bill, batman, mass server, canteen assistant. He quite enjoyed this life and had home leaves. When Spring 1940 came he was moved out (not being trained) and posted to Brest in Brittany, to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was engaged in 鈥渓umping鈥� ammunition about in what was a large dump.

On his train journey his train stopped near Rouen, I think, to see everybody was agog. Asking out of the window, the reply was, 鈥淟es Boches!鈥� The Germans were invading. Tom鈥檚 old R.A. unit moved up and had a bad time, he heard later.

The Germans of course were unstoppable and thus the Ammo. Dump had to be blown-up!
So Tom found himself on the quay at St Nazaire.

After arriving at Plymouth he was given a long leave (21 days I think) and had to go to Wath-on-Dearn. There, he was doing similar work as at Brest. While working, an officer came up to him recognising him from sport (inter-school, I think). This officer could not understand why he should do such work when he could easily be commissioned.

Tom backed off because his County Office pay, which he was still receiving, would be stopped. The officer pressed him further and Tom gave in. He was interviewed by the C.O. who only enquired into his education and background. That evening he was a 2nd Lieutenant! The next day he was back home on leave 鈥� to equip himself.

My father, realising he was to go overseas, devised a plan. In our family atlas, all the probable places where he might go were given each a number, and a list of these numbers and places, Tom was to take with him. The Japanese war had not started.

He went on voyage on luxury liner 鈥淎ndes鈥� which was a wholly first class liner. It was free sailing (i.e. not in convoy because of its speed) criss-crossing the ocean, ultimately arriving in Durban. We knew nothing of this of course.

My father used to send the weekly Blackpool newspaper each week (as he also did to me later on).

About two months later we received our first letter. After his news an item was written, something like, 鈥淵ou must go to No. 26 (say) Birley Street where they sell A.1. Goods or vice versa.鈥�

Dad and I went to this address and peered at it. It was Ismail鈥檚 Coffee Shop. We were at a loss! Some days later the penny dropped 鈥� it was ISMAIL I.A. (Ismailia in the Canal Zone of Egypt). The A.1. vice versa was I.A.

After this time we knew nothing positive about him except perhaps his general wellbeing. He seemed to be promoted fairly often and sent photographs from time to time.

Of course we did not know how Tom鈥檚 military career progressed until he returned in 1947. As far as I can remember, the following events happened:

When he reported in Ismailia the C.O. first told him 鈥淗e had no need of a 2nd Lieutenant 鈥� go back to England!鈥� This C.O. was a Churchill appointee ex a West End store who had the task of equipping the 8th Army and the Middle East. The same evening another officer told Tom he was a Lieutenant. A month later he was Captain; then shortly after Major! The C.O. apparently needed a senior officer of 鈥渨eight鈥� to deal with very senior commanders being importunate.

He later went to Palestine, to Joppa and he was there for some time before rejoining the 8th Army in Italy.

He had something to do with the Yugoslavian insurgency (Tito & Co). He was then in S.O.E.

He had some 鈥渟py鈥� material in his kit when he came home. A silken map that flared up when touched by a cigarette end, funny playing cards, a double-bottomed cigarette case etc.

Although he was due instant demobilisation he was retained for quite some time having to arrange for Army stores disposals, auctions etc., near Carlisle.

Even when he was released and married with an infant he was called back to Deepcut where he was given command of a 鈥渄rawing board planned鈥� unit when the Korean War was on and Russia was being obstreperous.

Phil was excused national service because of his disability (he was partially sighted). However he was not slow to exploit his situation. Believing he would be 鈥渘oticed鈥� if he put himself at the workface. His tactics succeeded. When he was visiting me in the hospital, he was an Asst. Tax Inspector in a Birmingham office. He explained to me that he had been selected to work in Llandudno on a concept supported by the then Chancellor, Sir Kingsley Wood. This was the embryonic P.A.Y.E. I believe his task was the evolution of the weekly tax scales to slot into annual taxation tables. The same tables (or their inflated offspring) exist today.

I believe he and another man were the first people to be promoted in the Revenue from the clerical class into the inspectorate (now commonplace).

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