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"This story was submitted to the People's War site by the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Department on behalf of Herbert Trevor Hesketh and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."
When I was called up in October 1944 I had to report to Gordon Barracks, Aberdeen at 9,00 am. This meant travelling on the overnight Aberdonian from York. The town was packed and I stood at the end of a coach. A sergeant asked me where I was going. He said ’you must get a seat’. The train stopped at a signal soon after York. In his Sergeants voice he shouted ‘Newcastle’. Half the coach stood up and started to move. The sergeant said to me’ there you are lad, get a seat’.

In 1945 when I was in the RAOC in Shrewsbury I was promoted from Private to Sergeant in one weekend. This was so that I could teach in the army education and I had to have the rank of Sergeant. I went into the sergeants mass- awe inspiring at the age of 20!

The army depot near Shrewsbury was at Attingham Perk — where hundreds of army vehicles were parked. 30 men did all the driving and 300 girls maintained the vehicles and did all the guard duties. We drove vehicles to ports and army depots and returned by train. The alternative was to go by train to say Austin’s or Morris and pick up a new vehicle.

1940, I was in the 6th form at Holgate, to help the war effort, some of us did fire watching at St Barnabus Church, Barnsley. We sometimes ‘played’ the organ in the middle of the night.

1941 — While a student at the school of Art on top of the Public Hall, Barnsley, I was persuaded to join the Home guard by my old Art Teacher, Morris Jubb (Lt. Col. In the Home Guard). In Rideal’s Solicitor Office, we built a contour model of Barnsley about 7-foot square. It looked brilliant but was too big to move and stayed there until it had to be broken up.

1944 — D-Day, I was sitting my final exams in York (for teaching). We wondered why there were so many planes flying over York that day!

In 1944 I was sent to Halifax, Yorkshire to train as a driver — anything from a staff car to a lorry. After 5 weeks driving round the Pennines, we took our tests. I had a 3-ton truck, which I had to reverse down a steep hill and round a bend. I was pleased when the tester congratulated me, but when he said ‘right do it again, this time with the handbrake off!’ I passed, they were short of drivers.

1945 — In the army depot in Shrewsbury we often went on convoy. We lined up on the open road — each lorry beside a telegraph pole. Only the leader of the convoy knew where we were going, so woe betide anyone getting lost. There was a despatch rider who picked up stragglers.

In 1943, while I was a student in York, I came home for a few days and was asked to escort evacuees in Barnsley to their respective billets. A trainload of mothers and children had arrived from Rumford and they slept overnight on the floor of the Baths Hall in Race Street. I and a driver, took out two or three families to Voluntary Billets. Then the next family had to be compulsory Billet (a survey had been done of empty rooms in Barnsley). The ‘hostess’ was far from happy to see us, but I followed instructions and put my foot in the doorway. The poor evacuees were left there. I returned to Race Street — mission accomplished but I was not happy about it. Later the ‘hostess’ and her husband came to live next door to us. She told me about the bossy young man who had brought her evacuees. I never did confess, my lips were sealed!

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