大象传媒

I was called up for war in the early months of 1940, when I was 19 years old, working as an apprentice Painter and Decorator. This was a blow as I had been working since the age of 14 years and had grown up not having had much money. I had just found myself a hobby (cycling). I had joined a cycling club and been given a bike from a family friend and was enjoying the bit of free time I had, cycling around Derbyshire.

On the day I was told to 鈥榮ign up鈥�, due to the fact I didn鈥檛 have to 鈥榮ign鈥� until the afternoon, I was still expected to go in work in the morning and finish my decorating job.

Myself and a local lad, Sydney Rhodes, registered at the local Labour Exchange, went to Stockport for a medical and three weeks later our 鈥榩apers鈥� arrived to attend at Stoke in the Midlands to join the Royal Engineers, 292 Field Company.

The first two initials of Sydney鈥檚 surname were Rh and mine Sa. Due to this we were split up and never saw each other again until the war was over. As it happened, Sydney never left England!

We arrived at Stoke Station, where we were given a cardboard box, which contained a ham roll, small meat pie, sausage roll, cake and a sandwich. We then walked up to the Territorial Barracks at Hanley, billeted in what was once a 鈥榖ig鈥� house.

We were told to eat the contents of our cardboard box in the dining room, but nobody seemed able to eat. We were all wondering what we had come to! The territorials
already in the camp came in and asked us if we were going to eat, we said no, they then proceeded to eat our food ravenously. Unfortunately we were not given anything else to eat that day. We were given a bag, which we had to fill with straw and use as a bed. We were also given a type of 鈥榩illow鈥� case, which again we had to fill with straw. We were also given three blankets. For the next six weeks we had to learn how to march, polish buttons and brasses.

Instructions, when joining up, were to bring a stout pair of shoes, a 鈥榞ood鈥� overcoat and 鈥榶our best鈥� warm clothing. It must have looked a pathetic sight as a lot of us had no overcoats and arrived in mackintoshes, clogs and caps. I had taken my trilby. Some poor lads didn鈥檛 even have a decent pair of trousers. Gradually we became equipped with what bits of equipment came through. Until they did, we had to drill in civilian clothes and use pick shafts as rifles. Half the time you were wearing clothes and army boots that did not fit you. We looked a right bunch of misfits. I remember a Territorial Sergeant saying to us, 鈥淲ELL, YOU STAND THERE LIKE A LOT OF MEXICAN BANDITS. DON鈥橳 STAND THERE WITH YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS WHEN I鈥橫 TALKING TO YOU, SCRATCHING YOUR TESTICLES鈥�!

The facilities at the barracks were basic, viz a cold water tap outside to wash and shave in, one toilet inside and one toilet outside. Unfortunately someone had been sick in the inside toilet so the usage of this was stopped. We were given rifles from the 1914 war, which had been stored in grease. We had to remove this grease with bits of rag.

Eventually we were fully kitted out with army gear, some fitted, some didn鈥檛, it was very rough and full of creases. We had to shave in cold water, which caused no end of cuts to the face. Fortunately, I had taken with me a mirror that my father had had with him in the 1914 war 鈥� the Russians pinched this in 1949, on my way home. It still saddens me to think that my father and I had carried this mirror with us through two world wars, for it to be stolen.

We were soon knocked into shape and given 14s a week, 7s of which had to be sent home and 6d for National Insurance (both these contributions were compulsory). As we had to provide our own blanko, brasso, soap, razor blades and boot polish (we had to polish our boots every day), it didn鈥檛 leave much money for anything else and what bit we had left we spend on extra food. Some of us were lucky enough to receive postal orders from home.

During this time we were inoculated and sent home for weekend leave. As I lived in Stalybridge, Cheshire, it wasn鈥檛 too bad, as we didn鈥檛 need to be back until Monday morning. The poor lads who lived too far away couldn鈥檛 go home as they would never have made it back in time.

After a few weeks we travelled to Aldershot, living under canvas in bell tents. There were tents as far as the eye could see. We trained for fieldwork, e.g. erecting 鈥榓pron鈥�
fences, the main purpose of which was to 鈥榚ntangle鈥� the enemy. We also helped to create dummy mines.

Each company was required to do a duty called 鈥榮tand to鈥� with full equipment, from dawn till dusk, as this was the time they thought the paratroopers would arrive, the invasion being imminent. Whilst doing this, somebody called out, 鈥榃HAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF THEY COME, CLIMB A LADDER AND STAB 鈥楨M鈥�, this caused a laugh between us, as we had no fighting equipment, we hadn鈥檛 a bullet between us, but as long
as you had polished shoes and shined your brasses, it didn鈥檛 seem to matter.

Whilst at Aldershot we were given our transport. Very few of us could drive, but if you volunteered, you were sent away to learn. Not many of us were interested, as you thought you would never be the owner of a vehicle.

From here we went down to Pangbourne, near Berkshire, to work on 鈥榖ridging鈥�, which consisted of pontoons being dragged into the river and fastened with special fasteners. These made a floating platform able to take light tanks, trucks and vehicles. We also had folding boat drill (this consisted of canvass boats folded out for carrying men across). We also learnt how to drop anchor into the River Thames. All this had to be done at night, due to the river traffic during the day.

Whilst we were engaged in this, we saw some of the lads coming home from Dunkirk, as they were being fed at our camp. They looked haggard, drawn, forlorn and dejected. They were left on the grass waiting to be fed. When we came out of our tents, they had gone. The powers that be did not want us to see them, we were told nothing, as the NCO had had orders not to discuss it with us.

Ironically if the Germans had arrived in England at this point, we wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do anything about it, as we had no ammunition. The biggest part of the ammunition had been lost at Dunkirk. Eventually we were given five rounds that we had to sign for and give back at the end of the day.

From here we travelled to Luton, where we had to place wooden stakes in the ground at angles in fields in case the Germans landed. Whilst here we received a 鈥榖andolier鈥�. If we went to the pictures, we had to take our rifle and bandolier with us.

You got moved about quite a lot, according to your trade. I was known as a 鈥榃ater Man鈥� as they already had four painter and decorators; apparently a 鈥榃ater Man鈥� was someone who knew the tides 鈥� something I never did know!!! It looked good on paper and made up the numbers.

From here we got orders to embark. I was given 11 days leave. We then travelled to Liverpool to board a ship to Egypt, the name of which I cannot recall.

The journey took us six weeks in all, we never thought about being blown up by 鈥楿鈥� boats (what you don鈥檛 know about!) besides, the weather was rough and we were all too busy feeling lousy and being sick. We stopped for 24 hours outside the Gold Coast to pick up a convoy, we were not allowed off the ship. It was that hot, the pitch on deck
began to bubble. From here we went to Cape Town where the townsfolk came to greet us in cars. All of the convoys were met by a woman dressed in white who always sang a
song as the ships docked (the name of the song I cannot remember). Our Unit then boarded a train that took us to Egypt just outside Cairo. We were set up in Indian tents, which were far superior and bigger than anything we had camped in in England. We had cane beds and pillows, boards on floors, wall coverings. Six weeks we were here (we thought to get used to the climate), we realised later they were building troops up ready for the 鈥榩ush鈥� to 鈥榮hove鈥� Mussolini back where he came from. During the six weeks we did nothing, except listen to lectures on gas, take Brenan guns to pieces and put them back together. During this time we were allowed to write home, but not allowed to say where we were. We did nothing but lie about on beds. We went into Cario at night on the tram (a bit of an eye opener for innocent young lads), walking around, where we bought, toothpaste, Blanco, razor blades and silvo out of our 7 shillings. We had no newspapers, no radios, no idea what was going on. During this time we only saw Italian aircraft.

We were then moved, not told where we were going, just to get our kit bags, tents were assigned, ground sheet, just a crude tent. Nothing like we had been used to in Egypt. We saw tanks, supply wagons and troops travelling up the road building up for the 鈥榩ush鈥�. One night we saw flashes in the distance, as there was a lot of low flying aircraft activity.

A fortnight later we were told to get our kit packed again. We had not had a proper wash and everything was covered in sand. We were detailed in connecting wells and laying
water pipes working in shorts and great coats, we left our equipment behind to cut weight down. We had to use our great coats for blankets at night. The Italians had salted all the wells, so the tea had a strange taste!!

We got orders from Cairo to find delayed Butterfly bombs. Butterfly bombs looked just like Thermos flasks, so you could unscrew them. We found one and blew it up. Assuming it was now safe, we picked it up and put it in the back of the truck where it exploded and killed three Sergeants and a Corporal.

We went in convey by lorry up the desert to Saloom, during which time we lost a captain on route who had kicked a hand grenade along the way. We arrived at Saloom where I went sick with desert sores. I was sent down to casualty clearance, which was stationed on the beach where I was sent to hospital. Two days after, I boarded a train with the wounded to Cairo, nobody was seriously injured. I was taken to a military hospital where you got better quickly because you were that uncomfortable! I remember being ordered to wash my hair and get it cut, by an unsympathetic nurse who appeared to think that although I had not seen water for weeks, I still should have appeared clean! I was then told to pack my kit; I had nothing, but my shaving tackle. I was moved to a British Skin Hospital, known as the Helipolis Hotel, just outside Cairo, as the original hospital did not know how to treat the condition which I was told was very contagious and virulent. First thing I had was a long awaited bath, where they plastered my sores with aquaflavin and gave me nourishment. The attitude was very different here. I was put on light duties helping to bring food up from the kitchens.

Gradually the sores cleared up. By this time I was 21 years old.

I had by now become detached from my unit.

I was posted to a holding camp at Ismalia, Egypt; there were six of us altogether from our unit. None of us had any idea what to do, but for some reason I was nominated to be in charge and told to report to our unit which by now was in the 鈥榝orward鈥� area. We were then put on a boat, 鈥楴ight of Malta鈥� to Alexandria. We were on this boat for a week to ten days, sleeping on the floor - we were sick continuously. None of us had anything to eat during this period.

We then arrived at Tebruk Harbour, which was just one big wreck. There were abandoned planes, an Italian liner rusting nearby, the place definitely looking like a 鈥榳ar
zone鈥�. Two commanding officers arrived who thought we had come to repair the docks! Unfortunately all we had been trained in was to 鈥榖low鈥� things up.

We had no equipment, no communication and no commanding officers to tell us what to do. We realised we were lost and nobody wanted to know. If there had been no water between Tebruk and England, we could have walked it home and not been missed!

We then ended up in an Australian Transit Camp. One day we were in the queue for food when I couldn鈥檛 believe my eyes as the Australian Commanding Officer was lining up with the rest of us for his food, something you would never have seen in the British Army. We asked the officer in command if we could rejoin our unit which again, we had been told, was in the 鈥榝orward鈥� areas. In the meantime we met a man called 鈥楩ISHER鈥� who was going back to the desert. He told us our unit was now at Derner constructing a bridge out of scaffolding poles to enable the vehicles to get across. The next day we joined a convoy and ended up in Alexandria in the early hours of the morning where we were met by our ex Sergeant Major and Quarter Master who happened to be near the station. They informed us that our unit had now gone to Greece! Nobody gave us any direction, but we heard that there were Destroyers in the harbour and the Australians and British were queuing up to board these ships. We got our kit together and we hitched a lift on a field gun vehicle to the docks. The troops were lining up to board three Destroyers. We fell in line and got on board. We had no money, so one of our group went to see an officer regarding this. We were told to report to the Officer in Command
who couldn鈥檛 believe that we had virtually volunteered to join the ship; he had been having trouble trying to 鈥榤ake up鈥� units. He said we ought to be 鈥榗ommended鈥� for not deserting.

We then sailed to Greece and being on a Destroyer it felt like we were 鈥榝lying鈥�. The food on this boat was luxurious to what we had been used to. It was dawn as we were pulling into Pyarious harbour. We all got off. Units were called and were marched off. Everyone had gone except the six of us. We then went to pick our kit bags up and whilst doing this, we were approached by three military police that had arrived in a jeep, who proceeded to shout and give orders. We were asked lots of questions and we told them we had been wandering about for 14 weeks with no direction. They made enquires and
one of our trucks turned up due to the fact they were in the area, but in the meantime they had been made up into strength. Our unit was then six over strength, the officer in charge saying that we had caused a lot of commotion, as to all intents and purposes we no longer existed; we had been 鈥榳ritten off鈥�.

We eventually rejoined our unit just outside Athens. We were absorbed into the unit, building camps for New Zealand troops coming into Greece. We got our orders to move, during which time we were ordered to don our battle gear. As we travelled along the road, we had to make good the road surface and blow the bridges up. We saw and heard gun flashes in the distance, that鈥檚 when we realised how close to the front we were.
We camped up on the seacoast where for the first time I slept in the rain, propped up against a wall. The following day we waded out and boarded a cargo vessel which dropped us off at Crete. It was pandemonium here, no organisation, the men were drunk and there was no system. They shifted us up into the hills. Two days later we saw the German paratroopers dropping onto the airport.

If they had organised us better they might have been able to do something, but as it was, many troops were hanging about doing nothing.

My story as a Prisoner of War in Austria continues as 鈥楲EN鈥橲 WAR AS A POW IN AUSTRIA.

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