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I was seventeen when the war was first declared, and I remember I was in Downham, Bromley in Kent at home listening to the radio. The announcement came over the airways around about 11am — ‘We are now at War’. Dead silence fell upon us for a while, then the siren went, then the church bells went which caused quite a panic! We didn’t know what to do, so we ran to the air raid shelter.

My father and brother had dug the air raid shelter in preparation, but then there was a lull until an air raid on a Saturday when the Germans bombed the London docks — the glow of the flames could be seen from Bromley and for miles around. The government then put up barrage balloons to surround London and a big gun (Big Bertha) on the corner of our street.

Growing up, we could watch the air plane fights in the sky right over head, and you could hear them coming down and didn’t know what you might find in the morning.

I went off to the army (ATS) on the 12th June 1942, I received my calling up papers and I’d never been away from home before! My mother was so upset she didn’t come to see me off, but as I turned back she was at the window waving goodbye.

We arrived at Wrexham and got straight on the 3 tonne army lorry that was waiting for us at the station. We all piled in, the contingent was a very mixed crowd — cockneys, upper class, working class — you just all had to muck in together because we were all in the same boat. We were kitted out and taken to a large wooden barrack room where we found bunk-beds, three blankets, and two sheets. We had three weeks training for the drill and at the end we were all posted to different jobs. I wanted to be a PTI (Physical Training Instructor), but I was selected to stay behind and sent on a fortnights a cadre course which was training on how to be a training NCO — and I then got my first stripe! Good job, because it was very competitive within the squad.

Following this, I was sent up to Newcastle to a PT course, and then sent back to Wrexham as a PTI Corporal. As PTI Corporal we were often sent out to round up the absconded privates (AWOL) and send them off to the military police.

One of my posts was Winchester, and I lived in King Alfred’s College. It was getting towards D Day; we weren’t allowed leave and got a bit bored as it was calm at that time. We asked the commanding officer if we could help at the local hospitals as the wounded were arriving back. We started in the kitchens, but then soon were on the wards with the boys! Beginning, it was the sailors that came back, but they were not too badly injured — had been torpedoed in the water. They were lots of fun! More serious injuries started coming in, one or two men stand out. Harry, he was very proud to come back with all his uniform, minus the bottom part of his trousers and a lost boot — his leg had been blown off below the knee.

Another chap, who had been an avid, had come back with both legs having been blown off. Their spirit was fantastic — Harry wanted to organise a football match, he said he would only need ten pairs of boots (because he had no legs)! During this period we wrote letters and went round wealthy houses to ask for spare coupons for the boys. This was for soap, sweets and a few flowers from their gardens — a very cheeky ask!

After D-Day I had various postings around the UK to other units, still taking PT classes, getting promoted on the way. One post was to N Ireland, still PT, but it was difficult because of the rift between the northern and southern Irish.

My friend and I were on a PT course in Leicester, Glenpava Barracks when we were told that the war would be over the next day. All of the parachute regiment were there and we were marched to the gym the next day, we all sang the patriotic songs with great gusto. My friend and I raced back to the barrack room, changed from tracksuit to uniform, when we heard ‘left right left right’ it was the Sergeant Major marching the rest of the troop back. We jumped into the wardrobe to hide — we would have been caught and charged — so when they left we got outside, we decided to hitch a lift back to London! Just in our uniforms — no ID — which was a crime! When we got to London, we went to Buckingham Palace and shouted ‘We want the King we want the King!!’ The trouble was, we should have been in Leicester, so we had to hitch all the way back. When we eventually got back the Sergeant was waiting — and we were charged!!

Having hitched to London, my friend, sister and I were in London in Pall Mall when we saw the Navy putting hammocks up! We quickly caught on to what was happening (they were preparing for the VE parade) and grabbed a space in front of the saluting base where all the important people were going to be the next day. My sister stayed there for us in a relatively empty pall mall, while we went to collect supplies from home. When we got back — it was packed with people! My sister had stood firm and we still had our space at the front. The three services were represented — we spent the night dancing across the mall — the atmosphere was terrific with the search lights in a V shape behind Buckingham Palace for all to see. No sleep that night! It was wonderful.

In the morning, sleepy eyed — we welcomed all the important people including the King and Queen, Princesses, Winston Churchill and member of the Commonwealth amongst others!

I ended up staying in the army for 34 years, and left when I was fifty five. I came out as a Major, and gained an MBE.

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