大象传媒

Albert Hammond, St. Thomas Court, Brentwood, Essex.

June 2002

These are the notes taken during a conversation with Albert Hammond, in his 96th year.

Albert was born in Brightlingsea, Essex in 1906. His father, Joseph, also born in Brightlingsea, was a Royal Marine Staff Sergeant, his mother Mary Ann (nee Scurlock) originally came from Sheerness, Kent.

Albert was a telephone engineer for most of his working life. Recently he has been taking time to remember some of the events that took place whilst employed by the Post Office Engineering Department during the period of the Second World War. During hostilities he joined the Local Defence Volunteers (which became the Home Guard) and still has the LDV armband issued to him at that time.

At the outbreak of war, on the very day Chamberlain made his well known broadcast to the Nation, Albert was issued with his own telephone by the GPO. The telephone was immediately connected at his home in Kimpton Avenue, Brentwood. He was also issued with a green five-hundredweight Morris van. The van was prone to breaking half-shafts due to Albert鈥檚 bad driving.

Within a very short time of taking delivery of the van Albert was in trouble. He had a young lady on his mind and was due to meet her at the Odeon Cinema in Brentwood. Doris would be at the entrance to the cinema at 7 p.m. and Albert was already ten minutes late.

Travelling from Billericay along the High Street Albert needed to turn left into Post Office Road to park the van in the car park at the rear of the post office. His anxiety at being late overcame his better judgement and he overtook and then attempted to turn left in front of an Eastern National bus pulling away from a bus stop. The bus clipped the rear of the van and turned it over. Albert saw the High Street in a different perspective as the van rolled over and his tools in the rear tumbled about with a deafening noise. Then came a silence that anyone would dread.

The van had stopped about six feet from the wall of the post office. A crowd gathered as Albert scrambled out of the van. He was unhurt, except for his pride. Burly men in the crowd soon had the van righted and Albert was able to drive away and into the Post Office car park near by.

Doris, waiting at the Odeon, had heard the commotion coming from a little way along the High Street but never gave a thought to Albert being involved. That was, of course, until a dishevelled Albert appeared at the entrance to the Odeon some twenty minutes late for the film.

Albert received his instructions for work through the Defence Telephone Network based at Southend. He was often called out from home at all different times of the day and night to repair essential telephone equipment. Under the circumstances he was allowed to keep the Morris van at home.

It was a surprise to Albert when one day after he had been repairing bomb damaged telephone equipment he was paid a visit by a special police constable who had been waiting for him in Doddinghurst Road. The work being close to home, Albert had called in for lunch at about three p.m. Doris had prepared stew and dumplings for them both and had planned to go to see her mother after the meal. The 鈥渟pecial鈥� was following up a complaint from a neighbour that Albert had been using rationed petrol for his own purposes (calling in at home for lunch). The matter was resolved and the 鈥渟pecial鈥� left to make out his report. Regretfully the dumplings had dried up by the time the special left and Albert went without his lunch that day.

Neighbourliness would never be the same again.

Whilst out repairing telephone equipment he had to shelter in the porch of a house in Hutton whilst shrapnel rained down on the roofs around him. After waiting for a pause in activity he was able to quickly scamper to the van parked on the roadway and head for a shelter.

During the winter months of 1943 Albert was called to an incident on the A127 Trunk Road at East Horndon. Some 200 yards the London side of the Half Way House public house was a massive hole in the road caused by a V2 rocket. The trunk cable for the telephone network between London and Southend had been severed. It took some time to put this right.

During the same winter months Albert had to deal with more localised problems. The telephone exchange in Blackmore was located next to the Leather Bottle public house in the Blackmore Post Office Stores. There was a report that the exchange was not receiving calls.

Albert put on his blue GPO overcoat and went out into the foggy night. After clearing the windscreen, Albert made his way towards Blackmore driving along the centre of the road. He was concerned that as it was turning out time in the local pubs he could come across a few unsteady feet along the way. But this was not to be the case that evening.

On approaching Blackmore he was met by concerned villagers for they had not been able to make or receive calls. Albert knocked loudly on the door to the Blackmore Post office to rouse the postmistress (a well known bossy-boots who, it is alleged, listened in on telephone conversations). He told her he had a theory that the night bell to the main exchange might not switched on. This was proven to be the case and, after the bell was switched on, the villagers had their telephones back in use again.

Albert鈥檚 duties involved him visiting three army camps in the Brentwood area 鈥� South Weald Park, Warley Barracks and Thorndon Park. (It may not be generally known but the Squirrels Nursing Home at Warley was earmarked to become the home of the Royal Army Pay Corps and was a military hospital during the First World War). The garrison based at Warley Barracks had two telephone switchboards 鈥� 25 lines for the barracks and training camp and a 65 line board for 30 Corps. The guardroom at Warley Barracks was known by the telephone engineers as being the best place for miles around for a good cup of sweet tea made with condensed milk.

Following the events at Dunkirk, England enjoyed a brilliant summer. A small group had been set up by the Army named 鈥淭he Army Bureau of Current Affairs鈥�. This group was tasked with building up morale at Warley Barracks. A young officer was explaining to a group of recruits how Dunkirk had been a strategic retreat for the British Army. Albert was sitting up a telephone pole listening to this. He then heard that this version of events was not appreciated by all in the group 鈥� some expressed that it must have been a bloody rout!

Recruitment into the Army continued apace at Warley Barracks. Passing Out Parades were held regularly at nine o鈥檆lock in the morning on the parade ground and Albert would try to be there to watch from his pole. The Regimental Sergeant Major was in his glory on these occasions and enjoyed seeing his men stepping out to the beat of the Essex Regiment鈥檚 Band. If the beat of the base drum could not be heard to his satisfaction he would issue instructions in a voice that that could be heard in Brentwood High Street, 鈥淟et鈥檚 hear that ** drum drummer!鈥� Both the drum鈥檚 beat and the RSM鈥檚 voice undoubtedly helped to keep the parade in step.

The living quarters at Warley Barracks comprised of wooden huts and brick buildings. The wooden huts were much better than the brick buildings where the washing facilities and toilets were very primitive. It would have been possible to drop a pen between the floorboards in the brick buildings.

The Essex Regiment, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Artillery (Anti Aircraft Detachment) were based at the barracks on a permanent basis.

During the weeks leading up to 鈥淒鈥� Day, the build up of military equipment and vehicles was plain to see by all living in the Brentwood area. The central reservation and all along the side of the A127 leading to Southend was made into a giant vehicle park. Soldiers lived with their vehicles and there was an occasion when two fatalities occurred when an armoured vehicle sank into the ground during the night and broke the gas main gassing two soldiers.

Prior to the introduction of higher security measures at the camps, there were many occasions when squaddies managed to evade the camp guards and slip under the perimeter wire. They would make their way through the woods surrounding Thorndon Park into town.

When the camp was set up at South Weald, the squaddies could be seen just after five o鈥檆lock heading in the direction of Brentwood for an evening鈥檚 entertainment. On one particular occasion Albert had been called to repair the public telephone by the Tower Arms public house close to South Weald Church. Albert鈥檚 Maintenance Inspector called to see him whilst he was working on the telephone but left after a few minutes being assured that all was well and the job was almost completed.

Shortly after Albert had packed his tools away in the van, he was approached by three squaddies who asked for a lift into town. The van was packed with tools and equipment. There was only room for one passenger inside. However, being a practical man, Albert agreed that two of the squaddies could travel on the running boards, one either side of the van and the third inside.

All was going well during the two miles trip into Brentwood until they reached the outskirts of town. It was unfortunate for Albert that the Head Postmaster was returning home along the same route as Albert and his new found friends passed by. The Morris van was down on its springs and swaying dramatically up the South Weald Road hill. Not to be daunted Albert drove on to the High Street, very much aware that he and his mates must have been spotted.

Albert was apprehensive on returning to work the following morning, and for a week or two afterwards. But nothing was heard of the event and it must have been that the Head Postmaster had a heart after all.

When troops were confined to barracks for six weeks from the end of April 1944 it was thought that 鈥渟omething was up鈥�. Guards were increased and one could see both regimental police (blue caps) and military police (red caps) with officers in charge at all possible entry and exit points. Passing by the barbed wire perimeter fence to Thorndon Park, where the 7th Armoured Division was based, it was an experience in itself to hear when squaddies called out to passers by, 鈥淟et me out. Let me out of here鈥�, in a semi-humerous way. Their equipment included flail tanks and other more peculiar equipment belonging to the 鈥淔unnies鈥�. Troops were only permitted to leave camp in units to attend the cinema for military briefings.

One Saturday night, Albert was called to Warley Barracks to repair a telephone fault. He found that the Military had gone with all of their equipment. The barracks appeared to be almost deserted and there was evidence of a large amount of damage to buildings and fittings. The departing troops had left their mark for all to remember them by. Much later it was discovered that the troops from Warley Barracks had embarked at Tilbury Docks for landings on the Normandy beaches as part of 21 Army Group.

At the end of the War a new officers鈥� mess was built at what is now the Marilac Hospital in Eagle Way, Warley. After the mess was decommissioned, thieves stole the lead rainwater pipes from the building. The pipes were sawn through, probably from ladders, as high as the criminals could reach.

Addendum.

A relative of Albert鈥檚 was going out with a soldier from Warley Barracks but unfortunately he died when his comrades, after a night out in Brentwood, wired up a barrack room door handle to the electricity supply as a prank. When the soldier attempted to open the door he was immediately electrocuted. The lady has never got over her loss.

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