大象传媒

Chapter One.
The end of the Christmas term 1933, when I was a pupil at Shareshill School, Nr Cannock, Staffordshire, could not arrive too soon for me. No more school days, but the prospect of earning my living at 14 years of age during the Depression was a daunting one. My father found me a job as a gents hairdressing assistant which paid 37 pence per week for about 45 hours (including a sandwich tea), but after a few months he decided I would be better off as a soldier.
My grandfather served for 29 years in the Cameronian Regiment, enlisting in 1864, and was stationed in such places as Abyssinia, Egypt, India, and Malta ending his last few years on the Staff at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. His four sons as they became of age enlisted as Boy Soldiers in The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders, and like my grandfather travelled to many parts of the British Empire. Therefore, my father considered I should keep up with the family tradition of following a military career.
November 1st,1934 found me at the Recruiting Office, in Queens Street, Wolverhampton, where I signed enlistment papers to serve with the Cameron Highlanders for nine years with the Colours and three years on the Reserve. All for five pence per day. I had celebrated my fifteenth birthday two months before.
Conversion from civilian life to that of a boy soldier in The Regular Army was a challenge to me. Discipline was hard at first but fair and I soon learnt to adjust to the standards laid down otherwise I suffered the penalties of wrong doing in this famous Regiment, which prided itself on it's smart appearance and elan. I enlisted as a Boy Bugler and Drummer, and was soon kitted out with full highland equipment including kilt, tunic, white belts, dirk, glengarry, trews etc. The belts were adorned with many brasses which required constant attention. As I was only four feet nine inches tall, I was in danger of falling flat on my face, should I catch my foor in the drag rope of the side drumm. which reached almost to the ground. My first experience of guard duty cost me several days of Defaulters (jankers) after being charged with a less than tidy turnout, meaning my brasses were not shining bright and perhaps my shoes were not well polished. Army life in those early days consisted of Physical Training; School; Drill Parades; Drum and Bugle practice; and when proficient a regular spell of Duty Bugler with the Regimental Guard, sounding calls throughout the day from Reveille till Lights Out at 10.15
pm. My weekly pay was about 12 and a half pence out of which I was expected to buy cleaning materials, soap etc which left little for entertainment. We spent the odd copper coin in the NAAFI canteen on a mug of tea and occasional cake, and had the use of a snooker table in the library for a small fee. The highlight of the week was a visit to the garrison cinema when the cost of a seat was four old pence. Towards the end of my first year as a Boy Soldier, I learnt the Battalion was due to go abroad for the usual tour of several countries within the British Empire. Such tours could be for several years and provided an exciting prospect for the future. After embarkation leave at home and a few weeks after my sixteenth birthday, the Battalion boarded the troopship H.M.T."Neuralia" on 23rd NOvember,1935 at Southampton en route for Jerusalem Palestine. I wondered what the future had in store for us as I watched the shoreline disappear into the haze. Our rough sea voyage through the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean was most unpleasant when I spent most of my time suffering from sea sickness. It was a relief when we tied up alongside the port of Alexandria on Egypt, where we were to disembark.
A long train journey from Alexandria to Jerusalem brought us to Telavera Barracks on the outskirts of this famous city which overlooked all the places we had read about in the bible - Jaffa Gate, in the old walled city, the Gardens of Gethsemane near the road to Jericho winding it's way down to the Dead Sea, Mount Scopus, and many more. During our stay here arrangements were made for us to visit several well known historical Holy Places. The tempo of army life changed dramatically. First my pay was increased to twenty pence per week which enabled me to purchase a Kodak box camera for one weeks pay ! The weather was most pleasant and warm after the cold of an english winter. The barrack rooms had large doors at each end an a verandah alongside which gave pleasant shade during the hot summer days. A new inovation was the provision of a mosquito net for each bed which had to be down and tucked in around the whole bed by sundown. 大象传媒ing day changed for the better as after lunch at mid-day unless we were on some routine duty, out time was our own to do as we pleased.
Regimental Guard Duty came round about once in ten days which included one at the High Commissioner's Residence situated on a hill about two miles away. It was the Bugler's job to sound The Salute on Guard Turnout, to the High Commissioner and other V.I.P.s who may pass the guard room at the Main Gate. The bugler also raised and lowered the large Union Flag at sunrise and sunset. This very large flag was flown from the tower situated on the roof on top of the Residence. To reach the tower I approached a staircase fixed to the outer wall of the building, via the main driveway, bordered with beautiful floral displays. With a glance through the large glass fronted doorway, at the entrance hall with it's grand chandeliers and richly coloured carpets (out of bounds to such a common soldier as I), I mounted the stairs through a door on the roof and up another flight of stairs within the tower. From this vantage point could be seen the whole panorama of the city of Jerusalem. At first light the air was crystal clear, which created a most impressive sight. After the raising of the Union Flag, my return to ground level took me past the windows of the main kitchens of the Resedence, through which I could see the staff at work. On these occasions I noticed several young girls with some amusement on their faces looking up at me as I descended the stairs. It was some time before I realised what was the cause of all the sly smiles. As they looked up at me they were no doubt wondering what I wore under my kilt. As I could not speak Arabic, their thoughts were lost on me. My Highland uniform together with my height of only 4 feet 9 inches must have met with their approval, as on each Duty Guard thereafter I was given a large bag of cakes and "goodies" to share with other members of the Guard. Off duty, one could visit many historical and famous places and to a young lad of 16 years of age this was an exciting time.
One such occasion was the visit to Bethlehem and the Church. To gain entrance to this ancient and famous building one bent one's head to walk through a low doorway , leading to another door which opended to reveal some steps down to a small room where on the floor, lined with purple velvet was a figure of a Star. This place was the highlight of our visit for this was said to be the place where Jesus Christ was born. One could "hear" the silence as the visitors gazed down down in awe at the Star. Several visits were made to the shrines in the City of Jerusalem where a walk through the narrow streets unchanged from biblical times it seemed as we passed groups of Arabs riding small donkeys or the shops with their pungent oriental smells. Groups of Jews in their distinctive dress hurried to their devotions at the Wailing Wall. So many things to see and do in this cosmopolitan world of the East.
Riots broke out with patrols of the Camerons out in the countryside where many sustained gunshot wounds and injuries. Some of our wounded required amputation of limbs. The boy soldiers were busy in Camp assisting with work in the kitchens, taking messages, and helping with loading of war- like stores for those on patrol. Eventually the disturbance ceased and life returned to a kind of watchful normality.
November. 1936. A move to our next posting to Cairo and the Citadel Barracks. Routine much the same except for Wednesdays which was Debugging Day. All beds had to be dismantled and any bed bugs destroyed with disinfectant or a blow lamp. Not very pleasant but very necessary. At 17 and a half years of age I was given a rifle and battle kit, and at 18 years I received 50 pence per week. I was now entitled to a pass to remain out of barracks until 2 a.m. but the money did not go very far.
Desert manoeuvres were held in the heat of the day although the nights could be very chilly. The stars shone with great intensity, and the moonlight so brilliant that one could read a newspaper with ease. Many people believe the desert is flat but it is a great expanse of sand and rocks with escarpments rising to a hundred meters or more. Rising at dawn we checked our blankets for scorpions or snakes.
November 1937. A move to Moascar Egypt where my spare time was spent sailing on Lake Timsah and making friends with French Nationals (and their daughters) who were employed by the Suez Canal Company. Peparations were made for an airlift of troops an inovation in those days, but I was in hospital with malaria again.
See Chapter two

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