大象传媒

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I was called up before the Second World War began.

The actions of the German Government had been causing concern so our government introduced the Military Training Act in April 1939; all young men aged twenty registered for military service . You were given the choice of six months with the regulars, or two years in the Territorials. I wanted to get it over with so I opted for regular service.

I had a medical examination on 20th June 1939, was passed fit at Grade II (with flat feet!) and joined 21 Searchlight Militia, Royal Artillery, at Blandford, Dorset, on 16th July 1939. The camp had uncompleted wooden huts so we were put in Bell Tents, six to each tent. Our uniforms consisted of tailored riding breeches and puttees and I thought we looked smart.

We were trained on sound equipment and searchlights. It was before radar was widely known and we used a set of locators which had to be directed to the sound of oncoming aircraft. Instructions to move up/down, left/right were given to the searchlight crew who followed our instructions until the order 鈥業lluminate鈥� was given and there, like a moth in a torchlight, was the airplane. That was the theory but in my experience it never happened.

On one night a pilot 鈥榲ictim鈥� obligingly turned on his lights to assist us for a short time but we still couldn鈥檛 find him! Just to cheer us up our NCOs told us when (not if!) war was declared we would all be transferred to the infantry. In August 1939 we spent a fortnight, also under canvas, guarding Southampton Docks.

On the 26th I was informed I had been 鈥榤obilised鈥� and my daily pay increased from 1/6d to two shillings [10p]. Later, a visit to HMSO, my pre-army employers, brought my weekly pay up to 拢2.10s a week.
War was declared on Sunday 3rd September 1939 and I was transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) at Aldershot.

On the Monday we were paraded at 6am and told that two hundred volunteers were required to go to France as either drivers or clerks. Two hundred and fifty brave lads stepped forward and two hundred were chosen. An hour later another two hundred were called for. Of course, only fifty moved forward leaving a deficit of one hundred and fifty. The Sergeant-Major had the answer. He indicated with his arm a section of the assembled squad. 鈥淔rom here to the right are volunteers!鈥� he said. I was one of those indicated so I volunteered to go to France!

I was given seven days embarkation leave (my 21st birthday occurred during this time) and I went home to London. I returned on 22nd September and was issued with twenty rounds of live ammunition, which I handled very carefully.

We made the overnight voyage from Southampton to Cherbourg and, thinking of the books I had read as a lad about the previous war, most of the night was spent wondering about barbed wire, trenches, and 鈥極ver the Top!鈥�

In France we joined a train with wagons (which were, so it was displayed, suitable for Huit Chevaux ou Quarante Hommes [eight horses or forty men]). I eventually finished up at Poix, close to Amien, where I joined No.1 Supply Personnel Co., which issued rations to nearby service units. My main job was at a fuel dump which consisted of hundreds of five-gallon cans (mostly aviation fuel) but the thought of it being bombed fortuately never occurred to me.

A cook from the 17/21st Lancers sold me a pair of spurs to go with my breeches which I used when walking out. Things were still very quiet and, in February 1940, I got fourteen days leave which I spent at home during which time I got engaged to my wife.

On a visit to HMSO I was told about a Publications Depot that was being set up at the GHQ in France and asked if I wanted to join it. I said I did. On my return to France in March I joined them at Arras.

The job was boring at first but when the German 鈥榩ush鈥� started in May things livened up. I woke up one morning to find much destruction in the streets. Later we found that the Germans had reached St. Quentin on 17th May which meant they were now behind us. We packed our stores into cases and awaited orders to evacuate.

The officers and most of the other ranks left leaving six men (including me) to guard the stores with the promise we would be picked up later . Next morning a Major appeared. Despite our claims that we were guarding stores he ordered us to go to a local railway station and load goods on to trains. The morning was spent in the goods yard and the nearby passenger station was crowded with people trying to get away.

Later both stations were attacked and our loading efforts destroyed and many people killed. Eventually we were dismissed and our own officer returned to collect us. As we left we saw German tanks on the heights above Arras.

Our journey to rejoin the main party was along roads packed with civilians walking, or using any means of transport they could find. Many times we had to leave our vehicle and drop into a ditch while German aircraft attacked the road. After an overnight stop we reached Calais.

Half the unit [I was one of them]left for Dover on 22nd May while the rest went west to St.Nazaire, and were on the Lancastria when it received a bomb down the funnel and sank in mid-June. When they rejoined us many were suffering from hands burnt sliding down ropes to escape from the burning vessel to be rescued by other ships. I guess I was in the lucky half!

I was posting as 鈥榤issing鈥�, my parents being informed on 17th July. Apparently on disembarkation at Dover my name had been missed when names were taken. Fortunately living in London I was able to get home and they knew I was OK.

My father was able to tell them that I was serving with 鈥楤鈥機ompany at Kensington Barracks so I was officially confirmed as 鈥榮afe鈥�. I was also medically regraded as Grade I (but still with the same feet!) I had a comfortable life at the barracks but it didn鈥檛 last long. I was posted on my birthday to Catterick, in Yorkshire, and later joined No.13 Field Bakery, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), at Hexham, in Northumberland as a clerk.

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