- Contributed by听
- Civic Centre, Bedford
- People in story:听
- John F. Matthews
- Location of story:听
- London (1940-1941)
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2697645
- Contributed on:听
- 03 June 2004
I joined the 248 Field Coy. Territorial Royal Engineers in Bedford on May 5th 1939, having started an apprenticeship at W H Allens in Bedford in 1937.
Towards the end of 1940, having been in France during the fall and evacuation, I was given a choice by my friend, the Depot Posting Corporal who said 鈥淚 can post you to London, or Egypt鈥. I decided on London despite the Blitz, and I was duly sent with 11 other Sappers to 691 General Construction Coy R.E., stationed in a bombed out school in Hackney. We had apparently been chosen because we all had explosives experience, and it turned out that one of our jobs was to blow down blitzed and damaged buildings in London, particularly in the City.
The explosives we used were mainly gun-cotton, gun-cotton primers, F.I.D. (Fuse Instantaneous Detonation), safety fuse which burns at 2ft per minute, and detonators. We fetched explosives every morning from Hyde Park Magazine. Having laid a charge, the safety fuse was scarfed at the end to expose maximum core gunpowder. The match head was held on the exposed core gunpowder and the match box was struck on the match. I did this many times during the war. Having laid a charge and lit the safety fuse, it was a chargeable offence to run from the scene 鈥 YOU ALWAYS WALKED.
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