大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bill Ross of the 鈥楢ction Desk 鈥� Sheffield鈥� Team on behalf of Jack Morley, and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr. Morley fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

The stories were transcribed from audio recordings made and supplied by Jack. When some of the foreign place names that are mentioned could not be found very easily in an atlas, they have been typed as they sounded, as have some of the technical and coded terms with which I was not familiar, therefore, they will probably be misspelled............. Bill Ross, 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War Story Editor.

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Other parts to this story can be found at:

Part 1: A5041397

Part 3: A6023701

Part 4: A6039722

Part 5: A6081257

Part 6: A6081301

Part 7: A6126077

Part 8: A6126167

Part 9: A6138010

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I was congratulating myself on my mother not knowing until tomorrow and鈥︹�︹�y pal Billy came in and said, 鈥淗ello Jack, I鈥檝e just come to tell yer I鈥檝e joined up.鈥� I said, 鈥淥h, have yer?鈥� He said, "I go to Bedford tomorra, I鈥檓 going to Cardington.鈥� I said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 strange, so am I.鈥� Well, me mother looked, she was quite shocked, but, she didn鈥檛 have an outburst or anything. Later, I said, 鈥淚鈥檒l see yer tomorra morning then Bill.鈥� I started packing a little case up and my mother said, 鈥淟et me pack that up, I鈥檒l make it tidy, you鈥檒l not make it tidy.鈥� She packed my case, gave me a thump and said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a naughty boy, you shouldn鈥檛 have signed up, but you鈥檙e nearly eighteen anyway, so, you鈥檒l be going anyway, they鈥檒l be calling you up.鈥� I said, 鈥淎y, and I wanted to go in t鈥橰AF, that's where I wanted to go.鈥� She said, 鈥淎lright.鈥� So next morning, she kissed me goodbye. I got down to Victoria Station and there was me dad waiting to see me, he鈥檇 been to work and he鈥檇 left work to come and see me off.

Bill and I met outside the station and we walked on; we found a carriage and stood in the doorway. Me dad said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 forget lad, if ever you need anything, let me know and I鈥檒l make sure you get it.鈥� That was funny because Dad never had two ha鈥檖ennies for a penny himself. Anyway, we went into a compartment and there sat another pal of ours, Eric Brown, who had been another of our pals from the Shiregreen reading rooms. 鈥淗ello,鈥� he said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know you鈥檇 joined up.鈥� We said, 鈥淲ell, we didn鈥檛 know you鈥檇 joined up. Where yer going?鈥� 鈥淐ardington,鈥� So off we went and when we got to Bedford, we piled out with our little attach茅 cases and there was a whole fleet of little vans outside; a corporal by each.

There were three of us together, so one said, 鈥淩ight, in here you three.鈥� Off we went to Cardington. We reported in, to the guardroom, we went to another place and put the cases down for a minute until there were fifty or so of us there, all in a row, then an officer came in and said, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e all volunteered, now, before we go any farther, you鈥檝e joined up and you will be staying in the air force in whatever position we decide, but you鈥檙e here for an aircrew selection board. Before we do that, you鈥檒l all be sworn in.鈥�

We had to raise our hands and swear our allegiance to King and Country, and the officer said, 鈥淵ou are now in the air force, you can鈥檛 join any other service, and now we鈥檒l carry on with the selection board business, but whatever happens, you are in the RAF now.鈥� We were taken into another room and there were quite a few doors in this room.

The first of our lot to go through was Eric Brown. He was only gone a few minutes and he came out and said, 鈥淭hey won鈥檛 let me go in the aircrew.鈥� I said, 鈥淲hy not?鈥� He said, 鈥淏ecause I鈥檓 a wireless 鈥榟am鈥�, I鈥檝e been a wireless 鈥榟am鈥� for some years. So they said I鈥檇 be far better joining a ground station, but I am in the air force and I鈥檓 staying.鈥�

Bill goes in next, and he comes out, he sez, 鈥淛ack, I can鈥檛 go in the aircrew because I鈥檝e been a sheet metal worker. They decided to send me on 鈥楻escue and Repair鈥欌�� I said, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 that?鈥� He said, 鈥淕oing out somewhere in the desert or somewhere to find aircraft, fetch 鈥榚m back, drag 鈥榚m back on a truck and get all the bits that we can or get bits from other aircraft to repair that one.鈥� He said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I鈥檒l be doing.鈥� So he said, 鈥淚 shan鈥檛 be going back home, I鈥檒l be staying here, I鈥檝e got to get posted yet.鈥�

I followed him into this doorway; there were four officers sat in a row, the commanding officer came round 鈥� that was the fifth officer 鈥� he came round, 鈥淗ave you been to Secondary school?鈥� I said, 鈥淣o Sir.鈥� 鈥淲ell, I鈥檓 afraid you can鈥檛 go in for aircrew.鈥� Well, I was most disappointed, so I said, 鈥淛ust a minute Sir, I went to a senior school.鈥� He said, 鈥淚鈥檝e never heard of such a school.鈥� I said, 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e got a merit certificate here.鈥� He said, 鈥淲ell, let鈥檚 have a look at it then.鈥� They had a look at it and I had so many distinctions, it was unbelievable. 鈥淥h, right, stay there a minute.鈥� And he walked along the line of other officers and showed them all, they all nodded. He turned round to me and said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 it, you鈥檝e been selected for training for air crew, we don鈥檛 know what yet, you have to go through a series of adaptability tests to find out what you鈥檙e most suitable for.

Well, I didn鈥檛 know what to think then because I鈥檇 hoped to get to be an observer or something 鈥� a navigator. He passed the merit certificate back to me and I turned to go back out of the same door, but he said, 鈥淲ait outside.鈥� As I turned to go through the door that my pal had gone through, he said, 鈥淣o, hang on, you go out of this door, you鈥檙e going for an adaptability test." So, I went through and took various tests and a sergeant came along and said, 鈥淣ow then Morley,鈥� no first names, no ranks, 鈥淣ow then Morley, you鈥檝e been selected to go for training as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner.鈥� 鈥淥h,鈥� I said, 鈥淭hank you Sir.鈥� He said, 鈥淵ou鈥檒l not be thanking me before you鈥檝e finished, but anyway, he said, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 it, now you can go and join yer pals in the big hall.鈥�

I went into the big hall and we all got chatting and, Bill鈥檚 name was called out first; he鈥檇 been posted down south somewhere, ready for embarking to Africa. Then they called Alec鈥檚 name out. He鈥檇 been posted up north to some wireless school. Gradually, one by one, names were called until there was about a dozen of us left. They were scheduled to go for training, for aircrew, various trades.

So, back to the hut that night, we were called up next morning; just a few were going on aircrew next morning. The Flight Sergeant came banging down, tapping on the beds with a pickaxe handle. Bang, bang, bang, 鈥淐ome on, rise and shine!鈥� We thought we were going where we鈥檇 been the day before, to the airmen鈥檚 mess for food. He said, 鈥淵ou are going to the airmen鈥檚 mess, but not yet, not until you鈥檝e had a wash and shave,鈥� So with that thought, we thought we were going to the ablutions. 鈥淥h no,鈥� he sez, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e really in the air force now. There鈥檚 a tank of water outside the hut door, a large tank with ice all over it.鈥� So he smashed the ice with his pick handle and said, 鈥淭here you are, get washed and shaved and report back here in a quarter of an hour.鈥� He said, 鈥淭hen we鈥檒l go for breakfast.鈥� That was the first taste of having a shave in icy cold water which was to happen many times while I was a Cardington. I was there for about a week all told. We were issued with knife, fork, spoon, mug, various other details. We were taken first though, to a place where we were kitted out with uniforms 鈥� one of these, one of them, two of these, and a kitbag. Then, we went along with our kitbags into the airmen鈥檚 mess, all sat at a long table, kitbags behind us and we had breakfast.

Following this, we were to be taken back to a certain hut; not the ones we鈥檇 left. There we were to have beds at our disposal and lockers for our kit. Then they said, 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got the kit out,鈥� he showed us how to do it, 鈥渓aid out neatly, just like this.鈥� He said, 鈥淎nd the orderly officer will be in shortly to make sure you鈥檝e got everything,鈥� which he did. He checked every man鈥檚 belongings and made sure we鈥檇 got everything that we needed. Then, we put the kitbags into the lockers and away we went, marching around the camp, showing us various places, various things we would have to do. One of these things: they marched us across the airfield to these great big hangars, one of which had housed the R101 before its disaster.

鈥︹�︹�︹�︹�︹�︹�hese aeroplanes seemed immense, but they weren鈥檛 really, they were the largest bombers the Germans had in the First World War, and they were kept in this hangar on display. For the next few days, we were marching around, having improvements made to our uniforms, and then, I was called on one side and was told, 鈥淢orley, you are now an AC2 in the RAF, but I鈥檓 afraid you鈥檒l have to hand your kit in. It鈥檒l be all sealed up and left in your name, and you will have to go home, because, you鈥檙e not only under 18 - you鈥檙e 17 years old - but you鈥檙e also a crucible furnace man, and this is an exempt trade. What we want you to do now is to go back to Sheffield, enrol at the Naval Wireless School in Sheffield, to learn Morse Code and procedure, but also to try to get another job because until you leave that job and get a job that is not reserved, we cannot recall you.

I was most disappointed, but, I had to do as I was told and when I came back home, Mam said, 鈥淥h good, they鈥檝e sent ya back 鈥榗os ya not old enough.鈥� I said, 鈥淵eah, but they鈥檙e goina send for me back when I get the sack.鈥� I told Beattie, she sez, 鈥淲ell, what yer goina do Jack?鈥� I sez, 鈥淎sk at your firm if there鈥檚 any jobs,鈥� I sez, 鈥溾�檆os I鈥檓 going looking for our boss and if I can鈥檛 find him, I鈥檓 goina put me notice in 鈥榗os he still owes me some wages.鈥�

This is what I did, but I couldn鈥檛 find the boss at his home, so I called into the firm at Gladwins and said, 鈥淚鈥檓 putting my notice in, I can鈥檛 find the boss, so I鈥檓 finishing now.鈥� I said, 鈥淗e owes me some money, so I鈥檝e finished.鈥� I went straight down to Beattie鈥檚 firm, a Wafer Razor Company, and they made machines as well, they made caps and lathes. I asked the foreman and he said, 鈥淥h yes, we鈥檙e waiting for somebody to paint these lathes when they鈥檝e been made. 鈥淥h,鈥� I said, 鈥淚鈥檒l take that job on.鈥� He said, 鈥淩ight you are, when can you start?鈥� I said, 鈥淣ow, if you want.鈥� He said, 鈥淣o yer can鈥檛, your dressed up, come back tomorra.鈥�

So now, I was exempted and I was now a machine painter. Beattie used to engrave the razor blades in acid, a nasty job, but I had a job now. I was outside most of the time, or I had a little shed if it rained. I used to go home with Beattie at dinnertime, because she always went home for dinner, and I used to take my sandwiches with me. After a few weeks of this, her mother said to me, 鈥淵a can鈥檛 come here any more for yer dinner.鈥� I said, 鈥淲hy now?鈥� She said, 鈥淏ecause tea and sugar are rationed and you haven鈥檛 brought me any tea and sugar. 鈥淥h,鈥� I said, 鈥淎lright then, I鈥檒l just not bother,鈥� and I didn鈥檛.

Beattie was most upset, but I wasn鈥檛 going to tell me mother how mean Beattie鈥檚 mother was, she couldn鈥檛 afford a cuppa tea for me. Anyway, after a period, the Wafer Razor Company bought out a church on Scotland Street, and I was one of the two who had been asked to go and knock the inside of the church out, get rid of the pews into the yard at the back, and then we could help to put the girders up. They鈥檇 bought the chapel, so as the move from Earlsham Street, to John Street. One of the delicate jobs was taking the organ down and marking each piece, one, two, three etc., taking it carefully down and it was to be collected by a lorry and taken to somewhere in Oxford, to a church there.

The place that was meant to be the canteen had a War Memorial in, and the boss kept that War Memorial. For the next twelve months, I was helping to rebuild this firm and when it was built, painted all the walls inside and helped in the installation of the machines. Then, eventually, I got called up because I鈥檇 changed my job; I wasn鈥檛 doing the furnace job, but in the meantime, those months have been wonderful months. I attended Naval Wireless School three nights a week and I was still in the Home Guard (I still had to carry my rifle about with me, so I used to take it to work and lock it up at work), and at weekends, if we weren鈥檛 on exercises, and if we鈥檇 no parades for the Boys鈥� Brigade, and we鈥檇 no Sunday Parades, Beatrice and I used to go rambling all over Derbyshire in that twelve months.

Anyway, I was recalled, not back to Cordington, so I had to be kitted out again when I finally got to the next destination. It was a place just outside Manchester. I got to Manchester Station, clutching my little case and I met a lad on the station; he had a little case too. We got talking and it turned out that he was a collier from Shirland. We both caught the train to our destination where we were kitted out: knife, fork and spoon etc. After we鈥檇 received out uniforms, we were told that, that afternoon, we鈥檇 be going by train to Blackpool for wireless training. A few of us had made pals that first day, and a few of us managed to squeeze into one carriage and off we went to Blackpool.

A funny thing happened at Blackpool; we stepped off the train at Blackpool鈥檚 Talbot Road Station, and as we looked around, a voice shouted, 鈥淪tay where you are.鈥� This was Flight Sergeant Frazer. 鈥淵ou are all to be under my command.鈥� This was a bit shaky for a start. He said, 鈥淪tand in two rows,鈥� which we did. 鈥淩ight, put yer cases on the floor and everyone, go outside the station, there鈥檚 a barber鈥檚 shop. The barber will deal with you in a few minutes; get your hair cut!!鈥� The lad I鈥檇 palled up with, Alan Wallace, had long blonde hair. So, we walked down together and they gave us a haircut.

We were among the last to get back and when we did arrive, they were all waiting. When half way across the platform, the flight sergeant shouted, 鈥淗ALT鈥�. So we did. He said, 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 told you to get yer haircut.鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檝e had it done, Flight Sergeant.鈥� 鈥淕o back and get it finished.鈥� So we went back to the barber and we had it cut again, when we came back鈥︹�︹�︹�︹��..鈥漀ow go back and get it done properly.鈥� So on the third visit, the barber said, 鈥淲ho keeps sending yer back?鈥� 鈥淔light Sergeant Frazer.鈥�

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