大象传媒

Having joined the Royal Signals Territorials early in 1939, I was called up the 1st of September 1939 and had my 18th birthday the next day. After a few months the Division I was attached to was ready to go to France, but a few of us were classed to young to go and we were billeted in a barn with cows underneath. The only accessible entrance was by ladder!! And our mail came addressed to 鈥淭he Nursery.鈥�

I was posted to another division in Northern Ireland for training I morse code and general field work and life was pretty much the same until one day the Americans same. They set the place alight, riding donkey鈥檚 down the main road! And generally giving the local girls a good time. They were very generous and I like their happy go lucky ways.

Early 1942 I embarked on the troopship Athlone Castle bound for India. Sea sickness didn鈥檛 trouble me and as I have always had a good appetite, the day tripe and onions came up form the Galley, a favourite of mine, it was more than welcome, but I cannot say the same for the rest of the lads.

The weeks went by with no enemy action encountered. A few days stay at Cape Town was very enjoyable and we saw the Queen Mary on her lonesome voyage. Our final destination was Bombay. I remember feeling how oppressively hot it was when the shop cocked., My next stop was at a regular Army barracks at MHOW when I joined other Royal Signal people.

About this time our small unit was called Air Formation Signals, formed to work with the RAF so we were journeying down India to Calcutta., This took about a week and on the way we stayed at AGRA, so I was able to visit the Taj Mahal, a wonderful sight! Our stay at the capital was not long and we travelled by train and along the Manipore Road to IMPHAL (ASSAM)

At this time leave for 14 Army was confined to Calcutta but by some chance a party of 4 of us managed to get to SRINGER (KASHMIR). The road through the mountains was very precipitous, by mail truck from RAWALPINDI, the driver pointing out trucks that had gone over the edge but the drivers were 鈥渓ucky men鈥� Sahib the reason being they always drove with their door open!!

Apart from the Maharaja鈥檚 men we were the only troops in SRINDGAR. It was a wonderful experience to visit the local river people and to go out on the lake in SHIKARI boats and swim. There were some English people at the hotel and one gentleman was a missionary making his way to some place in Tibet which would take about 14 days by mule!

Good times must come to an end and we were back to IMPHAL. The Japanese made their advance and reached 鈥淜olzima鈥� but the garrison held out and after a while the 14th Army made a big push towards MANDALAY, part of the advance was to take MEIKTILA inside Japanese territory some our small party flew in the next day after the town and airfields had been taken.

The infantry made what was called a box round the town. Everybody outside this at night was enemy and the Japanese proved this by attacking every night with bugles blaring, but their lines of communication had been cut they were being pushed back. Rangoon was the final place of my journey out and the end of the war was welcomed by everyone.

The start of my return home was by sea to MADRAS and we were given a choice to fly the rest of the way as the shop would not be home for Christmas. This I readily took not knowing it would not be that easy!! The camp of MADRAS held us for a week, then it was on to POONA central India for another week.

Somewhere in the Gulf was our next stop for a day, then it was of again, but one of the engines on the plane stopped, so we had to return as we were less than halfway to our destination! This meant another two day wait, but finally we got to LYDA in ISRAEL.

By now Christmas had arrived so I made the best of it and visited (on Boxing Day) Jerusalem and the Holy places there. This was a very interesting experience, but home was the place for me.

After a few days we were all off again and landed at Castel Birento (Libya) for overnight stay. 6:30 in the morning we boarded the LIBERATOR bomber. This was not comfortable, we were sitting with knees almost touching and very cold until we saw the White Cliffs of England. What a wonderful sight!! We landed at Cambridge at about 3:30 in the afternoon.

Demob came after a dew weeks and the end of my Army life, but I have never ceased to wonder how lucky I was during the war years.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Stanley Crewe and has been added to the site with his permission. Stanley Crewe fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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