大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of a gentleman who wishes to remind anonymous and has been added to the site with his permission. He fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

"My Uncle Bert had always wanted to be a sailor. When other boys dreamed of driving steam locomotives, he wanted to go to sea, but living in London from before the First World War, the nearest he ever got was a day trip to Clacton. When war broke out and he saw the requests for volunteers, he was one of the first to try to enlist. He attended a medical and was refused, but no reason was given. Not down-hearted as he was not sure about sea sickness he tried the R.A.F. Once more he was rejected without reason, but someone suggested it was an inner ear problem, although he could see no reason why this should have stopped him being ground crew. He accepted this reply and Uncle Bert determined "to do his bit" reported to the Army recruitment officer, only to be refused again. Bert came home very depressed as he had seen many young men and boys who were in a much more sickly state than he be accepted and still no-one would give him a reason for his rejection.
In the end Uncle Bert reported to the job centre to get some war work. Here he found himself welcomed with open arms and was sent off to an iron foundry some distance from his mother and father. He came home as regularly as possible and it was on one of these trips that he was introduced to my mother by his brother Jim, when asked what he was doing he shrugged his shoulders and replied "I'm making b great chains." Of course every one wanted to know what the chains were for, but Bert had no real idea, they were too short and too thin to be used for any sensible purpose as far as he could see. "All I can think of is that we're going to tie the thing round Hitler and chuck him in the b****ing sea." It was not until some time later whilst watching Pathe News that Bert saw his chains being used on the flails set on the so called "funny" tanks used to clear paths through the mine fields laid on the Dunkirk beaches."

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