大象传媒

This story was submitted to the people war Website by a volunteer from Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life on behalf of Robert Lush.

ROBERT LUSH

As a member of the choir at St. Peter鈥檚 Church, Tiverton, I remember how, on Sunday, 3rd September 1939, the verger, Mr. Cockram, left the church, went to his home in Castle Street, listened to his radio on which was announced Britain鈥檚 declaration of war against Germany, returned to St. Peter鈥檚 Church, and whispered the news to the rector, Rev. A.E. Chapman, who then addressed the congregation telling them what had been said.

When I was preparing to leave school, Stanley Skelley, whose family lived at and ran a fish and chip shop in William Street, and who was already a clerk with Messrs Penny and Harward, solicitors, came to the school to meet me and probably to enquire about my school record at that time. I was invited to join the staff of Penny & Harward who had not long conducted their business from 2 Hammett鈥檚 Square, Tiverton, a building which in the late 20th century became named Raymond Penny House. The firm of Penny & Harward had for some years earlier been in business at Bampton House in Bampton Street, and when they acquired the business of Messrs Arthur Fisher & Co., they moved to that firm鈥檚 offices at Hammett's Square. One early task I recall was to go to Bampton House and assist in removing many boxes of papers and files which were there. These were brought down the Bampton House staircase which is now in Tiverton Museum.

In the summer of 1942 the Tiverton Company of the Army Cadet Force was formed, and I was enrolled to serve in that Force from 6 May 1942 and was discharged when I was approaching the time to join he Army. I had already made an early application to be considered for enrolment in the Army, but, unknown to me at that time, the application had to be made before I was seventeen and a half and it was sent about two weeks too late for me to join at that earlier age. However, on 15th August 1944, five days after my eighteenth birthday, I left home and travelled to Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, where I did my initial training while sleeping under canvas before joining No. 1 Special Communications Unit of the Royal Corps of Signals in the area of the parishes of Little Horwood and Whaddon in Buckinghamshire.

Here are some of the memories I have of the time spent with the Army Cadet Force. We formed at the old scout hut on the bank of the basin of the Grand Western Canal at Canal Hill. I remember how we were given training such as how to salute to the right and to the left, and how one cadet next to me remained facing to the front and saluting to the right by raising his right hand and to the left by raising his left hand. Apart from drilling, and marching, we spent a night under canvas in a field on the east side of Tidcombe Lane and I volunteered to assist in the tent where meals were prepared. There was a stream in the field and the ground was quite boggy.

One qualification for which we trained was War Certificate 鈥淎鈥�. The examination for that certificate was in two parts. The first part was taken by 26 March 1944, and I reached the required physical efficiency standard by passing tests for a 100 yards sprint, standing long jump, running high jump, vaulting, a five mile walk, heaving and abdominal. Although I had been recorded as discharged from the Army Cadet Force, I was able to sit for Part II of that examination on 16 July to show a satisfactory standard of proficiency in drill, map reading, field intelligence, section leading, and weapon training with rifle and sten gun. With regard to rifles, I gained a .22 rifle efficiency badge as a 1st Class shot in an Empire Test held 21 June 1944.

We carried out joint exercises with other platoons, with cadets from Halberton and Sampford Peverell, and in the Sampford Peverell area, somewhere which might have been in the area where the North Devon Link Road passes through, we had to slide down grassland which seemed quite steep. Firearms exercises would be accomplished perhaps at the Drill Hall in King Street.

Entertainment was provided on occasions. Some of us travelled by train to Dulverton and engaged in a game of cricket. On another occasion we went to an army camp somewhere beyond Cullompton where cadets would sing or present comic sketches on a low stage.

Dances which we organised at the New Hall in Barrington Street and 鈥淪alute the Soldier Week鈥� enabled us to raise funds for the troops. Tickets for dances would be printed locally in the town and people, including servicemen and servicewomen, would purchase these to gain admission to the Hall. Conscious of the need not to waste materials which could be salvaged and re-used in the war effort, after each dance I collected used tickets, selecting those which were in clean condition. I would cross through the side of the ticket which had been printed for one dance and take them to the printer who would then print details of the next event on the back of the used tickets.

In 1942 we were asked to provide messenger services, walking, running, or perhaps cycling between units of the Home Guard in different parts of Tiverton, such as from the higher ground east of the River Exe to those units which were in the area of Westexe. In some respects we were treated as though we were members of the Home Guard and subsequently received an acknowledgement for the time we had given in that manner, in my case for 363 days. This period was added to our time in the forces which mean that some of us qualified for one of that war鈥檚 medals.

There are two matters I recall from when coming on leave.

The first was when the train I was on reached Exeter St. David鈥檚 Station at about 11 p.m. one night. After a cup of tea or coffee and something to eat I decided I would walk to Tiverton and left the station at about 11.30 p.m. It was war-time and we were still subject to the 鈥渂lack-out鈥� regulations and there was very little traffic about because of petrol rationing. When I reached Stoke Canon I was walking along the road in complete darkness and crossed the bridge over the river. As I began to walk along the road through the village I became aware that flood water was everywhere and I was walking in that water. I thought to myself 鈥榤y boots, socks, feet and bottoms of my trouser legs were already wet, so I might as well continue my journey鈥�. As I left Stoke Canon at the other end of the village a car came from behind me. It was driven by an RAF man who was on his way to Silverton. He gave me a lift to where he turned off at the end of the road past Rewe, just at the bend before where there is now a fruit farm at the roadside. I continued walking towards Tiverton, pausing only once for a few minutes at the top of Jenny鈥檚 Portion. I knocked on the door of my parents鈥� house at 3 or 4 o鈥檆lock in the morning.

The other occasion was when I was due to return to my unit and I worked out that I could stay in Tiverton for a few hours more by travelling on a particular train from Tiverton Station. In those days trains from Tiverton went in three directions, to Exeter, to Tiverton Junction, or northwards up the Exe Valley.

At that time the railway junction at Morebath also enabled trains to go in three directions, northwards, east to Taunton, or south to Tiverton, and I realised that by going to Morebath, changing there for Taunton, and catching a train there, I did not have to leave home so early as I would have had to do had I first gone either to Exeter or to Tiverton Junction.

The engines of Germany aircraft had a distinctive pattern of sound as they flew through the sky. One night my father and I heard one of these over Tiverton. As we looked out of our front door the Germans fired some shots which we understood hit buildings at the east end of Newport Street. That same night Brian Elsworthy recalls Castle Street being strafed. Douglas Holland also recalls this. Perhaps the Germans had seen large buildings in that part of the town, namely The Castle, St. Peter鈥檚 Church, the Tiverton & District Hospital, and the Middle Schools, and not knowing what they were, fired their guns in that direction in case they were military targets.

Girls from a Plymouth High School were evacuated to the Tiverton district. Two who went around together were named Ham and Veale, hence their names being remembered.

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