大象传媒

Hostilities come to a close in Italy. May 1945.

RAF Radar Unit 8020 AMES, GCI (Ground control Interception) sited close to Lago di Patria on the west coast between Naples and Rome. (an extract from my book, 鈥淎 Lighter Shade of Pale Blue鈥�, chap.25.)

On the afternoon of the 2nd.of May, whilst on watch we received a signal to tell us to take no further 'active' action, 'as from now'!. The end of the war in Europe, it seemed was to cease probably on the following day. This meant that no further action was to be taken against enemy aircraft from then on. The message was classified as 'Secret' so we were unable to 'spill the beans' to anyone. Then on Sunday May 6th. another signal was received telling us to 'stand down' until further notice and to commence closing the unit in readiness to move. The following day was spent dismantling the equipment and we received another signal to the effect that Tuesday the 8th. would be an official holiday. V,E,DAY.
We closed down and retired back to the Villa where the situation was discussed at length. It was agreed that as the morrow would be a holiday we would all, apart from the cooks, adjourn to the beach for the day. The cooks agreed to bring a picnic lunch to the beach and return to cook a slap up dinner for the evening. Once on the beach it was decided to hold a soccer match, one side to wear shorts of some description whilst the other side would be naked, this for easy identification! It was left to me to protect our side's goal at which I put up quite a good defence for a short time, until one of the opposing forwards came within three yards before taking an almighty kick at the ball, which in turn hit me straight in the face! I was out for the count but no goal scored. Within a few more minutes the game came to an end due to injuries. There is nothing worse for bare feet than to kick a football on a pitch that is comprised of sand. Added to this is the fact that one side of the pitch was the sea. Each time the ball went into the water, it would wash off accumulated sand but would soon gain a fresh coating. When the surface of the ball met with a bare foot, the sand would be reluctant to leave the surface of the ball but the skin seemed to want to join it. Within a short time all players were leaping in the air with skinned feet, hence the game was called off. At mid-day, a truck arrived carrying the cooks with the picnic lunch which was enjoyed by all. After which they departed leaving strict instructions that we must return to base by 19.00 hrs., when a special celebratory dinner would be served.
Following this very special day out we returned with a keen appetite for the promised dinner. The cooks had excelled themselves and we sat down to the best dinner we had tackled for many a day. What was not known was the fact that the cooks had used all the rations from stock and our next ration run day was three days away! Dinner was followed in the communal mess with the bar serving free drinks until it ran out of stock. The evening was enjoyed by one and all and one member was called upon to recite his history of the unit in verse. He had been writing this history ever since the unit was first formed back in England. He would only give a rendering of this account on very special occasions, and would always terminate at the time the current C.O. joined the crew. This was to save any embarrassment he would claim, but this was special and for the first time, the whole history was told. It was in the early hours of the following day that our V.E.day came to a close. What would the future hold in store for us now?

Hostilities come to a complete end. V.J. (extract from chap.29, same book)
Location, CHL Radar, sited on the Trinity House Tower at Walton on the Naze, Essex. (On my return to the U.K. from Italy, I had been posted to this site and was returning from leave on the evening, the cessation of hostilities were announced.)

. On my return, I arrived back on camp just before the nine oclock news. A dance was being held in the recreation hut as a farewell party to the Waaf's who were being posted to the neighbouring C.H. station at Great Bromley. I had just thrown my belongings onto my bed when the Prime Minister, Mr. Clem Attlee came on the radio to announce the end of the war. I nipped into the recreational hut and passed on the news which was more than joyfully received.
Everyone went mad. We went over to the tower and switched on the searchlight which was meant for homing lame aircraft returning from raids, the tower was floodlit and when a troopship was seen approaching Harwich, so the light was directed onto it. A very slow speed morse message was flashed telling of the good news. A very high speed, naval morse reply was received but not understood. An effort was made to try to floodlight the town but buildings got in the way so we settled by illuminating Walton pier until the carbons of the lamp failed. Someone had the great idea to ascend to the ops room at the top of the tower and to dispose the paperwork through the window cascading onto the camp below. As most of this was of a confidential or secret nature, a search had to be made the following morning to retrieve every sheet! The night came to an end by an RAF contingent invading the ATS quarters in a nearby convalescent home where a large bonfire had been lit under an army truck and a war-dance held around it.

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