大象传媒

I was born in 1933. My parents had a little fish and chip shop in Gosport, Hampshire.
During the second world war, unbeknown to us, it eventuated that Gosport was designated as a major 'jumping off' waiting area for the troops and supplies for D Day, the event in which the allies were going to re-invade Europe. Of course we didn't know this at the time. It was highly secret, although folk in Gosport had an inkling that something was going on.

During the run up months, as a boy about 10years old, I noticed big (for me at least) pyramid concrete bases being erected in streets near to our shop. A (to me) giant metal girder could be fixed to those blocks to prevent traffic flow.

Then one day we were told that we could not leave the town without a special pass.
Soon other strange things also began to happen.

First, tanks began arriving in our road (and many others around about). They parked at intervals, and to our surprise, didn't proceed, but stayed, immobile for weeks, the crews sleeping in their tanks. Between the tanks at intervals, were also parked, what we called 'smoke stacks'. These were towed, oil burning trailers with a tall 'chimney', which produced thick oily smoke which acted as a smokescreen.

The acrid 'smoke' would penetrate our little shop every night. Only gradually did it dawn on us that something 'big' was in the offing.

My Mother would make up dozens of packets of fish and chips every evening, and it was my job to carry them in a big basket on our sack trolley, and hand them out to soldiers who wanted them . The soldiers were not allowed to leave their tanks, but we knew they could smell the lovely fish and chips. I think also they had no way to pay.
"Take no money" my mother said to me. "I think those boys are going off to fight". For some weeks I distributed the fish and chips, and became known as the 'chip boy'. The soldiers were always pleased to see me. I would entertain them too, with a tune on my mouth organ, which was my signal that I had arrived.

Then one night about midnight, there was a sudden roar and shuddering which filled the air, and shook the streets. Our little house shook, as dozens of tanks first started their engines, and then proceeded to churn off up the road towards Stokes Bay, a beach where in those days, we were not allowed to go.

People poured out to their front doors, in pyjamas, and waved to the passing, thunderous, midnight procession of tanks and lorries.
"I reckon they are off to France", said my step father, who had been a soldier in the first world war, and still, twenty years after,needed to prise out pieces of shrapnel from his wounded left leg.

In the morning there was not a vehicle to be seen. Only in retrospect did I guess that we were probably among the first ordinary people in the world to witness the onset of D Day.

It was only the following evening that we heard on the 大象传媒 news - " Today an invasion force ........"!

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