大象传媒

Memories of Joseph Harridge, Leamington Spa

I was conscripted to the Royal Naval Special Reserve on the 22nd June 1939. On the 10th October I was actually called up to Eastleigh Barracks, Portsmouth. After training I was sent to North Shields to erect guns either side of the Tyne (pom-pom guns). I thought this was a good war-time job! We put up guns in Yeoman Street to test the guns and when we tested them they blew out all the fan-lights from above doors, damaging door frames and some windows! While I was posted at North Tyne we had to practice morse code in preparation for going on active service. One night while I was on guard duty I was practising sending a message to my friend across the Tyne ...police and military police appeared and asked whether we had we seen any signals?

In the middle of the night they came to tell us we were leaving- we caught a sloop (The Flamingo) at Rossthythe. This was in April at the time of high tides- I was very sick! We went up the Rodalefjord in Norway. I was billetted at Andlesness(?). My job was to put guns up in the town and either side of the fjord. The Germans were not very scared of our pom-pom guns, we could practically see the pilots faces as they went past. For three weeks the Germans dropped flares even in day-time! We were told to abandon our guns and head to the mountains to await a signal from the cruiser "York". The cruiser "York"'s guns covered us while we were getting back to sloops. I returned on the "Black Swan". We had to be very quiet whilst going down the fjord, because of the German submarines. We landed at Scarpa Flow, then went by train from Thurso to London, where we had a meal before going on to Portsmouth.
I was then trained to be a member Landing Basin Maintenance Unit.Then up to Gourock, then we boarded a Norweigan liner the "Berganfjord", it was packed with troops! I was sea for three months with a cup of water in the morning and a cup of water at night, all washing to be done with sea water- the Germans were chasing our pack. We managed to get a bigger escort the battleships the "Rodney" and the "Renowned", at Newfoundland.

Eventually we landed in Egypt- we did further training at an airfield at Moasca (?), there were wooden guns alround the perimeter to give the impression it was heavily armed. We waited for our rifles to arrive on a Canadian ship! These rifles only held five rounds of ammunitians.
I then went to Crete - we were very heavily bombed, after two to three weeks we had to leave.The "City of Paris" took us back to Egypt.
We then went by the Red Sea to Durban were we had a week off! The people of Durban were very good to us, they were waiting at the port and took us out to dinner, and looked after us!
We ate as much as we could!
Then off again to Ceylon, and landed at Columbo. We were then posted to Trincomalee, with its very large natural harbour. Our unit joined a battallion and became the 5th Brigade, Royal Marines. We left the coast and sent to the jungle, we were a fighting brigade.
The Japanese did not come- thankgoodness. I came down with malaria, and was sent to the Trincomalee hospital. I was then sent to the hills, which had a lovely climate, like a nice summers day in England.
I then went to India, we got a train at the Southern tip of India and I was on the train for a week. When I arrived in Bombay, I had a relapse, the malaria had returned! I went to Poona to convalese-I was there for three weeks. I was then sent to a clearing station-an army officer came and told me I was to go with Lt.General Christason, I was to be his "shadow"-army personnel were not allowed on naval ships. We were on an "unnamed" Austrailian headquarters ship. We went to Burma, I never saw the Japanese, but I did hear a lot of firing.
I was then sent to a clearing station in Madras. Whilst, I was there I bought my brother towels as a wedding present- they did arrive home. It took them four weeks to find my battallion which was under Moutbatten in Northern India. My old battallion was withdrawn from the 33rd Indian Corp. We felt we might be going home- our ship broke down, we landed at Malta, just when it was being bombed daily. We then got onto anoter ship and went to Gibraltar, and then to Gourock.

I was then sent home for six weeks leave, but I was recalled after three! I was to report to Clacton (Butlin's Holiday Camp)- then on a course about 88mm guns, guns were now hi-tech,remote control. I then went to Antwerp, Germans were using doodle-bugs on the city, quite a lot of marines lost their lives when one dropped on a cinema. I was then sent to Ostend to patrole the streets whilst the Belgians dealt with their 5th columnists.

At the end of the war, I was given 拢70 16s.

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