大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Jack Williams and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

It was the beginning of 1939. At that time, I was employed as a journeyman motor mechanic by the main Ford dealers in Nottingham. Having heard the news on the radio, I decided definitely in my opinion war was going to come. Having spoken to my father about the lack of experience he had, I decided to become a fully trained soldier. One night on the way home from work, I stopped the Austin 7 outside the drill hall in Nottingham, and I joined 2nd AA (Anti Aircraft) Division Workshops RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corp.) for which I received the large amount of 1 shillings. We had training nights once a week and most of Sunday. I went to a camp in York where I took my final trade test for the army. I became a glorified motor mechanic called a driver mechanic.

One night, 23rd August, I鈥檇 been to a dance, at the palais in Nottingham, with my then girlfriend, Joan Larkin. Returned home at midnight and went to bed thinking I had to be up for work in Nottingham five miles away at 8 o鈥檆lock in the morning. I was wakened by my father at 2am, he said 鈥淭here鈥檚 a telegraph boy for you at the door. I鈥檇 been down and opened the door and he said he doesn鈥檛 want to see me, he wants to see you.鈥� So I put my dressing gown on, went down the stairs and I was asked, 鈥淎re you Private Williams?鈥� 鈥淵es鈥�. 鈥淩ight 鈥� mobilisation papers for you鈥�. It gave the unit and the date, and said report at once in full uniform. Had to go to Nottingham only five miles away. So Father got the car out, I put my 1917 service dress uniform and cap on and puttees and army boots. Off we went to drill hall.

My job with two other people, because I was actually the second one to report in Nottinghamshire for duty, was to make out mobilisation orders for the rest of the unit, of about 150 men. This was finished round about 7 o鈥檆lock or perhaps earlier, and the Sergeant Major said 鈥淩ight lads, you鈥檝e done that little job, now go and find some breakfast鈥� because we had no canteen or cookhouse in those days. So we got out of the drill hall, went across the road, got on the bus for home and I offered my fare to the conductor. 鈥淣ay lad, I鈥檓 not taking that. We鈥檝e seen in the papers that the territorials have been mobilised.鈥� Had a free bus-ride for the first time in my life. I went home, knocked on the door 鈥淚鈥檝e come home for breakfast.鈥� Mother was still upset.

The unit was told to parade for 10 o鈥檆lock for a movement so we loaded into the vehicles and went to Chilwell Depot which is a big RAOC depot just outside Nottingham. The regular units had gone out to France that morning and we took up their positions, which meant when the regular sergeant was in a particular department one of our sergeants went in. I was then given the job, I was one of five, of testing all the impressed vehicles, that means the vehicles that had been taken in by the police for use in the army (requisitioned). They had to be tested and proved they were safe. Anything that wasn鈥檛 safe had to go into the big workshops at Chilwell and repaired. Those that were in good shape had to have a certificate issued and go into the paintshop to be resprayed and camouflaged. The vehicles had to be shipped to France within 24 hours. These vehicles were such things as coal lorries, furniture vans, tippers, all sorts of vehicles, because the army hadn鈥檛 got enough and the factories weren鈥檛 ready. This was very interesting and I think I enjoyed it.

When all the impressed vehicles had been checked and no more were coming in because the factories were then producing new vehicles, I was moved onto a course at Woolwich Arsenal on anti-aircraft guns. This was about a three week stint on this course. I came back and I was posted into 2nd AA Divisional HQ. Our priority was urgent repairs. Our job was that after the guns stood by at dusk, which was normal, any faults that were found that local unit men could not repair, divisions telephoned and we were told to go as fast as possible to repair the guns, because we were supposed to be the experts. The biggest problem with this was first of all we had a Humber high-powered car with a big AA in front and in the middle of it a blue lamp. The first time I鈥檇 ever seen a blue lamp on a vehicle. The trouble was we were told to go with all speed because the Germans came over our area and the area was Nottingham, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and up by The Wash, a very large area, sometimes we had a hundred miles to go to the gun. But the Home Guard was told to stop all vehicles and they鈥檇 get excited.

We repaired a gun and we were coming back in Lincolnshire on one of our straight runs. And we realised, myself and my partner, that there was an aeroplane floating around. Being cautious we decided to stop and look. It went past us and we realised it was a Jerry. This worried us so we increased speed and at the first cut off, which happened to be in the wood, we went up a little lane. He dropped one bomb and then hopped it. We then continued on the way back to base and the following morning it was noticed I had a few white pieces of hair in my head from the shock, being frightened.

One of our jobs was moving the static 4.5 anti-aircraft guns and one instance of this was when we had to move them from the Lincolnshire side around The Wash to Hull. This entailed picking up a gun off its site, putting it onto two axles and driving it all the way round The Wash and putting it in the new position and finally test it with clinometers and so forth, put it in action, then return back to base very late and set up a wooden gun camouflage. This was very tiring exercise as we had eight guns to move so we were working in the dark all the time.

Late 1940 AA Command decided they were to set up an inspection of vehicles right across the command. I was posted again to 2nd AA Division HQ but I was mobile. There were only about four crews doing this in the whole area, two in a crew, one was an officer for signing paperwork because he was the only one who could read and then we went into the inspection. The idea was that we had permits which we carried with us, one was to the military police informing them that no matter what had happened or did happen they were not allowed to take any of the documents away from us. One document was addressed to any commanding officer in AA searchlight or gun company. It said 鈥渕y instructions regarding the transport must be obeyed鈥�. This was signed by a very senior officer at Command HQ. We would arrive at a unit, inform the Guard Commander no transport was to go out and show him our authority. This normally meant that the Transport Officer was sent for in a hurry and in a bit of a flap.

On one occasion a unit in the Leicestershire area the Transport Officer said the CO was going out in his car soon. 鈥淪orry he can鈥檛 go, but I will do his first鈥�. Then I got a call to go and see the Colonel. He was far from happy. I showed him my authority. He said quite a lot of rude words, which meant me, as a lowly Corporal couldn鈥檛 give him instructions. He soon found out. I went into the Orderly Office and asked this Orderly Sergeant if he would get me a Commander鈥檚 extension number. I did not know who I was speaking to, but this was a very senior officer. I introduced myself as Corporal Williams of the RAOC. 鈥淵ou got trouble, Corporal? Where are you?鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Colonel So and So, you鈥檙e having trouble. I know him. Let me speak to him鈥�. So the Sergeant went into the CO鈥檚 Office and said 鈥淪ir, there鈥檚 a call for you.鈥� He (the Colonel) came out of his office in a bad temper. He called me a lot of really bad words. We carried on as normal on the inspection. As I finished I got a message to go to see the Orderly Sergeant. When I went in, he said 鈥淟et me shake your hand鈥�. 鈥� Why?鈥� 鈥淵ou got rid of that idiot鈥�. 鈥淲hat do you mean?鈥� 鈥� Well he鈥檚 been told to pack his kit and report to Command today鈥�. He was on his way. He was never seen again. I visited that unit months later and asked the question (i.e. what happened to him?) 鈥淥h yes he was posted to the desert鈥�.

Whilst doing this job of inspection I was told I had been posted to another unit overseas. Once again I had to ring Command. They said 鈥淔orget it, we鈥檒l cancel it we can鈥檛 afford to let you go.鈥� It was all right until the third time, then the answer was very sorry 鈥淭here鈥檚 a man by the name of Montgomery and he wants you.鈥� So this meant I was posted to 821 Tank Troop Workshops R.E.M.E, after training, at Ashton under Lyne. We trained at the tram sheds in Bury. I eventually drove my first Sherman Tank through the town of Bury to the Moors for testing. I鈥檓 certain that if the residents knew that it was the first time I had been in a tank with two sticks for steering it, they wouldn鈥檛 have been so happy at looking at it.

1944 I was then moved to 821 Tank Troop Workshops at Goring Castle outside Littlehampton. We took the castle over and we had the tanks for repair in a little forest at the back. It was here one night when I turned out the guard, as we saw something coming across the sky with a great white fire at the back of it. We heard later that it was the first Doodlebug and we had to sound the alarm in the area.

Time went on and suddenly we were moving again, this time along the coast to a large camp which was totally enclosed with barbed wire with armed guards walking along the outside. The guards had instructions to shoot anyone who tried to get outside the wire. Once you were in you were in. We were told to rest as much as we could, sleep if necessary. A lot of us attended church services because we knew we were going to France. Bear in mind D Day had gone, we were coming up to D plus eight or ten, but fighting was still going on along the coast because Caen had not fallen. So we continued and we loaded onto tank landing craft all our own vehicles.

It occurred to us when we got out to sea that there were no other boats in view. This worried myself and my friend, Bill Davies. We then suddenly found out why because the sea became very very rough. One of the vehicles on the top broke loose from its chains. The skipper said 鈥淭hrow it over the side鈥�. We got a squad up from downstairs and as the vehicle was moving from side to side, we kept jumping in and getting the chain a bit tighter and eventually we got it tight. The vehicle was saved. We still continued on our own no escort or anything which wasn鈥檛 bad because of course hostilities were really going on on the coast of France.

We knew we were going to France but not where. We saw the coast of France. It was still rough. An announcement came over the speakers on the boat from the skipper 鈥淟ook you saved one vehicle between the lot of you, I鈥檓 going to hold back and wait for the change of the tides so you can have a dry landing.鈥� He nearly kept his word but it was still three feet deep. So we dropped off. We went up the beach and I can now see on the right hand side a chemist shop, a perfumerie as they called it, shot to pieces, but you could smell the scent as soon as you got on the beach, all the scents had been destroyed. We went along to the left along the road to Douvres-La Delivrande where we had to stop while they cleared the field we were going into. We found we were part of what was called roughly R.E.M.E Road because of the large number of R.E.M.E workshops, both British and Canadian, which were held up there awaiting the fall of Caen. The problem was when we should all have moved forward Caen had not fallen so we were held back. We were still repairing tanks which had been damaged in action, and myself and my friend Bill decided we would make ourselves happier in our slit trench (abandoned by the Germans) which was only covered over with a bit of wood. So we went to the Corp back loading park, which was in the next field and took a large engine armoured plate off one of the destroyed tanks with a breakdown vehicle. Dropped it very quietly onto the top of our slit trench, covered it with soil and hoped nobody noticed it. Anyway needless to say, a few nights later there was a German aeroplane got through and started shooting. Bill and I heard the bullets hit the armoured plate. We were rather glad of it. They would have gone through the wood.

One time I was told to take a squad and a heavy recovery vehicle with petrol, battery and other bits and pieces to visit a Frenchman on the other side of the town we were staying in. He met us, he was very happy. I said 鈥淚鈥檝e come to pick up a Mercedes鈥�. There was a lovely old cabriolet Mercedes with no wheels, no tyres, no battery and no petrol. So I thought to myself 鈥淭his is going to be a job with a crane involved.鈥� He indicated that we should get the sledgehammer off the top of the truck and he pointed to a wall and he told us to break in. One of the lads had a go and as soon as he had got a hole large enough to walk through, I saw what was in there. I said 鈥淗ey the NCO does this鈥�. So I took over, knocked a big hole and went through. There were cases and cases of champagne. This had been bricked up when the Germans came to the area. Inside there were the wheels, the tyres, a battery, everything we needed to put the car in action. Believe it or not we had assembled it all, put in our own battery, pushed the starter and it started straight away. I had gone to collect it because it was a gift for Montgomery.

I didn鈥檛 meet Montgomery then, but I had met him previously when we were moving along, I鈥檝e forgotten which road. We were working inside a tank broken down. Suddenly we heard the sirens, thought 鈥淜eep quiet, keep down.鈥� Banging on the tank. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 in charge?鈥� A convoy of his had stopped. 鈥淚 am, sir鈥�. It鈥檚 Montgomery. 鈥淒o you all smoke?鈥� 鈥淵es鈥� 鈥淗ow many of you are there?鈥� 鈥淔our鈥�. So we were given four packets of fifty cigarettes from Monty. 鈥淲ill you have this in action shortly?鈥� 鈥淥h yes, it鈥檚 not a big deal.鈥� 鈥淏ye bye鈥�. Off he went.

After the fall of Caen, we had a few days rest in Mechelen. A workshop was set up in Lier, Belgium. On 17th November 1944 we moved into Holland and set up the workshops in the wood-yard over the canal at Tilburg. We stayed there until 15th April 1945 when we took over a plywood factory at Weeze. From there on 26th April we moved to Borghurst in Germany and took over a bleaching and weaving factory as a permanent location. The unit was then renamed the 4th Light Workshop Company R.E.M.E working on 鈥淏鈥� vehicles only. A civilian workshop was also opened at Rheine and my friend Bill Davies was put in charge.

After the workshop's name was changed, I was given my third stripe i.e. made Sergeant, and told to set up a school in the workshops. This was to teach any troops, who wished to attend, about how to cope when getting back to civilian life. I taught motor engineering, which meant sectioning engines, axles etc. for instruction. So this meant I didn鈥檛 have to attend any parades.

As my demob date was coming nearer I heard a rumour, via the phone, that I was to be promoted. This worried me, as it meant I would have to stay in service for another three years on top of the seven I had already done. A Colonel came down from Corps and a Major asked me to go to the C.O.鈥檚 office. He told me the rumour was right, and having heard that, I asked the Major if I could speak to the Colonel privately. I noticed the Colonel was wearing the Territorial Decoration ribbon and I was wearing the Territorial long- service ribbon. As soon as the door closed on the Major, I told the Colonel what he could do with his promotion. He said 鈥淲ell it would mean you doing a total of 10 years鈥� and he appreciated my position. I then started using the phone in the office to contact friends in the Corps and in Second Army, to ask them to drop the paperwork into their pending trays that related to my promotion.

The night before my demob we had the usual demob party in the Sergeants鈥� Mess. The following morning I packed my transport to the port, to be met with the notification that sailing had to be cancelled due to bad weather. This was even more worrying. I eventually arrived at York demob depot, got my smart suit etc. and my warrant to Nottingham. As I got to the guard at the gate, I was told that the Adjutant wanted to speak to me. When I went in he said 鈥淥h you鈥檝e got your clothes. Did you know you had been promoted to a Warrant Officer?鈥� Then looking at the date of the paperwork he said 鈥淚 believe you are the biggest fiddler the army ever had - hop it!鈥�

I was the original Chairman of the Stockport branch of the Normandy Veterans, which was the first in this area, about 15 years ago. Originally we had about 150 members attending regular meetings, but now we only get about 40 true veterans and other members. A true veteran is someone who landed in France between the night of the 5th June and 20th August 1944.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.