大象传媒

My War by Peter Currie.
The first question asked would possibly be 鈥渨hat is your earliest memory of the Second World War鈥�. It would be waving a troop ship off at Southampton Docks in the arms of my mother and indeed several other women. My mother鈥檚 eldest brother William Messenger worked for W H Smith on Southampton Station before the war, and it would appear to have been a bit of a past time to see off and sometimes over the great liners that called at the port. The numerous 鈥渂ox Brownie photos鈥� that one has inherited offers ample proof of that. I must have been no more than six months old and can remember being passed to many other unknown adults as my mothers arms tired. The crowd was waving and cheering and it appeared when the ship had moved hardly any distance at all the crowd were suddenly crying and I joined in - it was as if some instant telepathic message hit the crowd and the realisation that not all would return. I did not appreciate any of this at the time 鈥� but to this day I can not watch a vessel being waved off without tears welling in my eyes.
It is sad to relate that Mother鈥檚 eldest brother Bill was a conscientious objector and elected to join the London Fire Brigade. He was killed in an accident at his station. He had loved classical music and was very good at building radio sets as my elder cousins can testify. I can remember his funeral 鈥� not for any content of the service but merely an opportunity to go and play with the fire buckets. Half were filled with sand and the other half water 鈥� most clergy and wardens were sympathetic provided not too much mess was going on the floor! I was to lose two further uncles during the war.
The second question might be 鈥渨hat was your everlasting memory of WWII鈥濃�� again that is fairly simple 鈥� constant train travel. On reflection it may not have been as much as I imagined 鈥� but the travel was considerable. Families of serving personnel received three free warrants a year and three half price ones and several other reductions and again with little to spend money on I guess travel was acceptable if your conscience could generate a requirement for the journey. My father a serving warrant officer had been granted an emergency commission at the end of 1937 鈥� so there was a little more pre-planning than some reports would suggest. My parents had married in February 1938. My mother not having any children was targeted by many women from even before war started reference sharing accommodation. There were a least three such ladies in Yorkshire and two in Lancashire. There were also many established relatives in these two Counties. There were also relatives at Harwich on the East Coast and many around Stoke on Trent. As bombing moved from area to area so the families migrated up down and across the Country. My mother and I were part of this constant migration. I had no other siblings till after the war so it was just my mother and I.
We often travelled to my mother鈥檚 eldest sister in Harwich. I remember well all the barrage balloons on railway trucks. During an air raid these were released on a rapid ascent. My aunt told me after the war she saw two German aircraft go into one another 鈥� after taking avoiding action. I can recall all of the women picking us up under their arms during an air raid 鈥� I recall all of the flapping pinafores 鈥� all housewives appeared to wear their pinafores for most of the day in those times. Apparently some of the toys disappeared before the end of the raid! The air raid shelter here was of the Anderson pattern and there was one for every household 鈥� my uncle had piled a lot of dirt against the side walls. He was very proud of his garden and the dig for Victory campaign. The next door neighbour said he wanted some lettuce plants 鈥� so I pulled up my uncles and threw them over the fence. The next door neighbour quickly put them in his garden. When my uncle returned from work at the docks he quickly retrieved the lettuces and put them in their original place 鈥� I can not remember if I got a sore backside for this episode.
We often travelled from North Camp Station to Birkenhead by express train on route to Hurst Green near Clitheroe. The trains were always full of uniformed troops who would keep me amused for the whole journey. In retrospect my mother was very trusting 鈥� but most troops particularly the Americans and Canadians I expect could see their own son or nephew in me. I was showered with the huge comics the American had and chewing gum which my mother was invariably removing when I fell asleep. I can recall one such trip when I was given a ride on the footplate between stations 鈥� apparently I was only just over a year old. I suppose there were inspectors but I guess they were far too busy to note what was happening on footplates. Crewe was a favourite station. It was always full of troops. I had to go onto every platform to look at the wonderful models that were in display cases on every platform. One day one of my aunts was taking me round. I guess trains were often held for considerable periods. Anyway we were at least four or five platforms away from where my mother was when my aunt shouted across all the crowded platforms to her 鈥淧eter wants a shit!鈥� My mother hid in the crowd and ignored my aunt!
Another air raid shelter! 鈥� the shelter I remember most was a brick built one with a reinforced concrete roof in Tongham 鈥� it served four families. The speed that we could all get into to the shelter was quite remarkable. All the families had pre-packed baskets and for me the gum-boots were left near the front door 鈥� the easiest footwear and suitable for any weather. These baskets contained the usual candles and matches, electric torches, knitting reading materials and a pack of cards and a few simple toys. However the most important or of interest to me were the vegetables, eggs etc that people brought along and swapped. Like all other youngsters I had been trained to dress and undress rapidly and I can still beat most into or out of the local swimming bath! I always remember one 鈥渁ir raid鈥� when mother said she was too tired to go to the shelter. Her youngest brother鈥檚 wife and my cousin Anne were staying with us at the time. We settled under the table with the sofa in front to protect us from the glass of the French window 鈥� I don鈥檛 suppose she every really thought how inadequate the whole arrangement would be. Towards morning and after a very uncomfortable night mother asked her sister in law what day it was 鈥� Friday was the reply 鈥� Oh dear I forgot Thursday evenings are Gun practice night for the local air gunners!
Gas Masks. I had two 鈥� a Mickey Mouse one and an adult鈥檚. My mother told me afterwards she had been upset when the fitting lady said my head was too big for a Mickey Mouse one. Fortunately I did not have to wear it very much 鈥� I could not stand the smell of the rubber. In our village we had a clinic where the black currant juice and rose hip syrup etc were issued. We also had a Village Hall which served as a larger muster station for things like ration book issues beside the library and whist drives etc. One of the major organisers was the Headmistress of an Aldershot Primary School 鈥� so she knew her pupils before they knew her!
Digging for Victory. Mother was fortunate in that a local Widower helped with the garden 鈥� knowing that he would receive a first class meal. Mr Alden as his name was taught me a great deal about cultivation and keeping hens. I had any number of hens between 6 and 49. I named them all (some with male names some with female names). When they were small I had to teach them how to drink and feed 鈥� this was not more than about three days. Towards the end of the war I used to clip one wing to discourage them from flying too far away. Egg thieves were common during the war 鈥� I used to build traps full of glass shards. Mainly I fell into them myself! On the digging front I speared my big toe of my left foot. A fortnight later my mother鈥檚 youngest sister Anne was staying with us, she was on the toilet and we ran out of paper. I was sent to the local shop for a toilet roll 鈥� I came back with a tin of rabbit. When mother quizzed me I said I had forgotten but new it was something round! During the journey home I dropped the tin on my still sore toe. I really did require medical attention 鈥� the doctor was furious that my mother had not taken me to the surgery after the fork stab. To this day I have two nails on that toe and it costs me a fortune in darning wool to keep my socks serviceable! On the subject of war wounds I actually have a scar on my left knee caused by a small piece of a fragmentation bomb which came through a window and brushed my knee after ricocheting of our trusted Philco radio set. I was lying in my cot when this happened but I remember nothing of it. But I still have a slight scar there 鈥� this is unusual because scars are not normally permanent in the very young.
I had a next door neighbour Tony who was two years older than I and he took me to see his new school. We had by this time Italian prisoners of war behind our bungalows. They were living in a new council housing estate that had not been completed at the start of war. Anyway mother had the prison camp turned out when we had not returned by night fall. When we returned and found no one at home we just sat on the front step. When mother did eventually return I said 鈥渨here on earth have you been I have been waiting ages!鈥� During this visit to the School I had smoked my first cigarette! Soldiers had all thrown their cigarettes out of the back of the TCV (Troop Carrying Vehicle) and Tony and I had tried them. I was very sick!
The Italian prisoners were not guarded and I spent a lot of time with them. I would sometimes eat with them. They appeared to eat a lot of radish and it was far too hot for me. I would get under the table and they would pass the radish down to me but I would still not eat it. Two of the Italians - their Doctor and their Cook would buy a slither of soap off you for Sixpence soap being very difficult to come by. The trick was every time you visited a house you would make an excuse to use the toilet whether you wanted to or not. Despite being told not to waste soap each time 鈥� if there was only a slither there 鈥� you would steal it and sell it to the Italians! The Italians were engaged on manufacturing simple electronic assemblies. They made us all belts out of the twisted plastic wires of many colours 鈥� they were very artistic.
D Day.The build up for D Day was very exciting. The Hogg鈥檚 Back and all the little lanes off it were crammed with lorries and tanks and military vehicles of every description. I would spend my days cycling up and down the lanes on my trike and eating with the troops under a hedge or shelter spread from a vehicle. My mother鈥檚 youngest sister鈥檚 husband Jack was a pioneer and just too old for front line service. I can recall him finding me and taking me home in a 15 cwt truck many times 鈥� and telling my mother just how far he had found me from home.
When the troops left we had a field day literally! Tongham was a 鈥淒ump鈥� so the area was surrounded by all sorts of items. The nearest large piles were entrenching tools. The piles would be at least three feet high and extend for at least 50 yards. There would be several of these so they were good fun to run up and down on. Every shed in the neighbourhood acquired a least a dozen of these tools but the piles did not appear to go down very quickly. Similar size piles of gas mask goggles went down slightly quicker. They folded down into a flat envelope - they were good currency for swapping with youngsters living farther away with access to different treasures. What were also left were many motor-cycles. They were on trailers made of bed frames very crudely welded together. One or two of the elder boys had much fun with these but the police took an interest if it got out of hand. Part of this dump was on a travelling fair鈥檚 winter quarters so there were one or two steam locomotives 鈥� presumably to old to press into service 鈥� so the whole area was a child鈥檚 delight.
Black Market. It was everywhere if you only knew. Some Canadians used to bring me wooden Ammo Boxes to plant wallflowers in. The boxes in themselves were quite attractive with aluminium handles and serrated rubber grips. There was no shortage of customers for my wall flowers 鈥� or so I thought. One day whilst planting a bit deep I hit something solid 鈥� It was a large jar of lard!
VE Day. I remember the bunting going up. How did so many houses have all of this bunting 鈥� I have never been able to answer that one. Within a couple of days the King and Queen came to Aldershot. They were to pass the end of the Road. In the event they actually came up our Road. Whilst I can remember seeing them so well my striking memory is of their very shabby Daimler Car and the badly stained and cracked side window!
So there are my few highlights of World War II 鈥� I had my first four birthdays during the war but a cake was always produced with clever bartering. Although I can recall one aunt saying she would produce me a proper cake (She was actually a cook at Stoneyhurst College in Lancashire) and she kept making me wait so the cake could mature 鈥� after waiting so long I refuse to eat the cake! I had a 鈥済ood鈥� war compared to many of my age in the larger cities and as I contemplate becoming a state pensioner I will always be grateful to the many both within and without the armed services who did so much to establish a better future for my generation. I did not get to know my father well till I was twelve as he was on numerous overseas posting till after the Malayan emergency so I have to thank my mother for bringing me through those troubles times. She taught me to boil an egg before I was three. I had to get the bathroom stool and three encyclopaedias to reach the gas stove. Her reasoning was that if anything happened to her I would not starve! What would health and safety have to say about that? Mother had signed up to be a WAAF at the start of war but my arrival grounded that flying career. Mother 鈥� the last of her generation died March 2005 (in her 94th year).

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