大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer from CSV Berkshire on behalf of Michael O'Callaghan Lee and has been added to the site with his permission. Mike fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

CADBURY'S CHOCOLATE SOLDIERS
Memories of a Conscientious Objector

I was born on 18th September 1925. At the beginning of the war I was a boarder at the Friends School at Sidcot in Somerset and clearly remember the bombing of Bristol. We used to play rugby against the Bristol School teams and in order to reach our destination had to take a circuitous route to avoid the devastaion. We boys were always amused on these coach trips by the signs for George's Bristol Beer as our headmaster was named George and of course he was a teetotaller!

A common occurance at this time was for the German bombers to drop their remaining incendiary bombs before making a quick retreat home. We looked out from the window on to Sidcot Hill which was lit up like the Blackpool illuminations. My most visual remembrance of the war at that time.

My parents decided they wanted me nearer home which meant that from 1941 - 1943 I attended Manchester Grammar School. I was a day boy and cycled 11 miles each way from home. Two pupils who were at the school at the same time went on to make names for themselves. Leslie Alcock an archaeologist and Laurence Stenhouse an educationalist.

Like most people who lived through those times I remember the air raids and hiding under the stairs which were in the centre of the house and considered a safe place to be, and the rationing and the shortage of things like petrol.

I finished school in the sixth form with the Higher School Certificate in history, English and French. I was coming up to my eighteenth birthday when I left and went straight into the Friends Ambulance Unit. I wanted to register as a Conscientious Objector and in due course went before a tribunal. The Friends organisation took on the appeal and in December 1943 I went with other members before Judge Finnemore. He was very fair and granted us exemption on condition we remained with the Friends Ambulance Unit and were willing to go abroad in their service.

We went to Birmingham for training. I remember the route marches - physical fitness was very important, and training for the blitz - First Aid and stretcher bearing. People came from London to give us their first hand experiences. From there I went to St Alfege's Hospital in Greenwich, London and worked as a medical orderly in the theatre, on the geriatric ward and the receiving ward. The bombing was not too severe in Greenwich but I do remember spasmodic raids by flying bombs and V2s which called for a state of emergency where we worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off. It was my most tiring experience of the war. We helped out other hospitals that were over stretched.

I learnt to drive at Failand in Bristol and to gain heavy duty experience I drove milk lorries in Leominster, Herefordshire, collecting milk for the Cadbury's depot. It was then back to Birmingham for an initiation course where we were divided into sections to go to North West Europe. By this time, winter 1944, the invasion had started. The Germans had been driven back beyond the Rhine Delta. Belgium had been liberated but not the Netherlands. This meant that Antwerp was subjected to very accurate attacks by buzz bombs and V2s from the Rhine Delta thirty miles away. Our job was to deal with the many casualties in this small city.

During a lull in the Rhine/Maas offensive our unit wandered on the main road south of Weeze. We eventually came to a farm where we billeted. The ambulances were parked in a safe hiding place in the farm yard. The farm was then shelled by the Germans. The enterprising Roy Tyldesley got the farmer's wife to sew reversed Nazi arm bands, which were red, into the form of a gigantic red cross. It was put on the roof and the shelling stopped. The Germans respected the Red Cross.

'Monty' marshalled his forces to push across the Rhine and we followed up behind. We were attached to the British Red Cross and in actual fact had civilian status but were under army jurisdiction. Our job was to deal with the civilian casualties so as not to cause problems for the RAMC who had their hands full dealing with wounded soldiers. We were involved in reviving hospital services which were otherwise short of supplies as the Germans had taken them all. We moved north parallel with the Dutch/German border with the Canadians and later were under Lieutentant General Horrocks, Commander of 30 Corps.

We listened to the declarations of peace on the radio and I clearly remember the announcer saying, "Now, how about the weather. Here's your old friend Stuart Hibberd". I thought that was just marvellous - to hear his voice - and so wonderful they put it on so quickly, because to give the weather forecast had, of course, been banned. We were very touched.

Peace breaking out brought problems with displaced persons from all over Eastern Europe. All through the winter of 1945 we got people settled. The concentration camps were taken over by the army who was responsible for clearing them up and getting rid of the ovens. We were spared the horrors and went in later to make the displaced persons as comfortable as possible. We did the best we could but many were reluctant as they had to go back to the Russian Zone. Our chief was Gerald Gardiner(who later became Lord Chancellor, when Gerald Horrocks was Black Rod). He was head of the whole unit in North West Europe.

I then volunteered to help with the re-building in north Norway where Hitler had used his "scorched earth" policy. After a while, to fill out my time with the Friends Ambulance Unit, I came back to Birmingham and ran a training section where we worked for a local builder, training lads to do pick and shovel work, to eventually work in Europe. We built a kindergarten block at Westhill Teacher Training College (where my sister subsequently trained).

When it was all over I decided to go back to Norway, where I studied English, geography and music, all in Norwegian which I had picked up during my time there.

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