大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Eric Middleton with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

AFTER THAT WE WERE TOLD WHAT TRADES WE WERE TO BE TAUGHT; IN MY CASE IT WAS TO BE OPERATOR KEYBOARD - A TELEPRINTER OPERATOR. WE WERE TAUGHT IN MARQUEES AND, AS TELEPRINTERS WERE IN SHORT SUPPLY, WE HAD TO PRACTICE ON OLIVER TYPEWRITERS WHICH HAD A SIMILAR THREE BANK KEYBOARD. THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF THESE TOO SO EACH TRAINEE WAS ABLE TO PRACTICE FOR ONLY ABOUT AN HOUR A DAY. WE ALSO RECEIVED A LITTLE TRAINING IN MORSE AND ON FULLERPHONES AND ON THE OPERATION OF SMALL (10 LINE) PORTABLE SWITCHBOARDS. WE ALSO HAD LECTURES ON ARMY SIGNALS PROCEDURE, THE WORKINGS OF A TELEPRINTER AND ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. IT SOON BECAME EVIDENT THAT I KNEW MORE ABOUT ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM THAN DID THE INSTRUCTOR (A POST OFFICE TELEPRINTER OPERATOR WHO HAD BEEN CALLED UP FOR SERVICE) AND I WAS CALLED UPON TO GIVE A FEW LECTURES ON THE SUBJECT. AFTER ALL WHY SHOULD A PO TELEPRINTER OPERATOR BE EXPECTED TO KNOW ABOUT FLEMING'S LEFT HAND RULE OF ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FORCE? OR FOR THAT MATTER WHY SHOULD A POTENTIAL ARMY TELEPRINTER OPERATOR BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT SUCH MATTERS?
SIGNAL TRAINING VOL 5 WAS MORE INTERESTING. IT DEALT WITH HOW MESSAGES WERE SET OUT ON A MESSAGE FORM INCLUDING CALL SIGNS, TIME HANDED IN, TIME OF RECEIPT ETC. ALTHOUGH WE WOULD BE SENDING MESSAGES BY TELEPRINTER ALL MESSAGES HAD TO BE WRITTEN SO THAT THEY COULD BE TRANSMITTED IN MORSE AND HAD TO BE COMPOSED OF LETTERS AND FIGURES WITH NO PUNCTUATION MARKS OR SYMBOLS SUCH AS 拢 SIGNS.
MESSAGES COULD BE IN CODE ON IN CLEAR AND NUMEROUS EXAMPLES WERE GIVEN THROUGHOUT THE PUBLICATION. CODE MESSAGES TOOK MUCH LONGER AS THEY CONSISTED ENTIRELY OF GROUPS OF FIVE JUMBLED LETTERS. WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE FIRST EXAMPLE STARTED "THERE YASAW OUNGL ... " IT WAS EASY TO SEE THAT IF EVERY SECOND GROUP IN THE WHOLE SERIES OF MESSAGES WERE REVERSED IT WOULD READ:
THERE. WAS A 'YOUNG-LADY OF GLOUCESTER WHOSE PARENTS THOUGHT THEY HAD LOST HER TILL THEY FOUND ON THE GRASS
THE MARKS OF HER ARSE
AND 0F THE KNEES OF THE BASTARD WHO HAD CROSSED HER I WONDER WHETHER THE BOOK HAS BEEN EDITED SINCE 1939?
THERE WAS NOT A GREAT DEAL OF ENTERTAINMENT IN PRESTATYN, JUST A FEW PUBS AND A CINEMA. IT WAS AROUND THERE THAT I LEARNT MY FIRST WORDS OF WELSH "NOSTAU CARRIAD". ON SUNDAYS THE PUBS AND CINEMA WERE CLOSED. THE NAAFI IN THE CAMP WAS OPEN EVERY EVENING AND HOUSEY HOUSEY WAS USUALLY PLAYED.
AN ARMY BARBER'S SHOP WAS AT THE FAR SIDE OF THE SWIMMING POOL AND ON A FEW OCCASIONS SOME UNFORTUNATE SWADDY WHO HAD JUST HAD HIS HAIR CUT STEPPED OUT OF THE BRIGHTLY LIT SHOP AND PROMPTLY FELL INTO THE ICY COLD WATER OF THE SWIMMING POOL.
WHEN ON GUARD DUTY GUARDS PATROLLED IN PAIRS. ONE NIGHT I WAS ON PATROL WITH A SIGNALMAN LEWIS. IT WAS BITTERLY COLD AND AFTER LIGHTS OUT WE SAW A COACH PARKED IN ONE OF THE ROADS IN THE CAMP. THERE WAS A DANCE ON IN THE OFFICER'S MESS. LEWIS SUGGESTED THAT WE GOT IN THE COACH, PARKED OUR RIFLES AND HELMETS ON ONE OF THE SEATS AND HAD BREAK. SHORLY AFTERWARDS A LIEUTENANT CAME ROUND AND SAID "ARE YOU THE DRIVER?" "YES" SAID LEWIS. "WELL BRING THE COACH ROUND IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO TAKE THE LADIES HOME". AFTER THE OFFICER LEFT WE SCARPERED VERY QUICKLY.
EARLY IN DECEMBER THE WEATHER TURNED BITTERLY COLD. COLE BRAZIERS WERE PLACED IN THE TOILET BLOCKS TO PREVENT FREEZING AND THE FUMES WERE CHOKING. OUR FINGERS WERE SO COLD THAT IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO ANY TYPING PRACTICE.
SHORTLY AFTER THIS IT RAINED HEAVILY AND IT WAS SO COLD THAT WHENEVER RAIN FELL IT IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO ICE. ROADS BECAME LIKE SKATING RINKS AND WERE VERY HAZARDOUS FOR MOTOR TRANSPORT. EVEN WORSE POWER CABLES AND TELEPHONE LINES COULD NOT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF ICE WHICH FORMED ON THEM AND SNAPPED
IN MANY PLACES. OUR TRAINING MARQUEES TORE TO SHREDS AND THE POLES COLLAPSED, WRECKING MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT IN THEM SO THAT FURTHER PRACTICE BECAME IMPOSSIBLE. PARTIES OF US WERE SENT OUT WITHPICKS AND SHOVELS TO TRY TO
CLEAR ROADS WHILST OTHERS WERE DETAILED TO ASSIST CIVILIAN WORKERS TRYING TO REPAIR OVERHEAD POWER AND TELEPHONE LINES.
IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT WE WERE ALL TO RECEIVE ONE WEEK'S EMBARKATION LEAVE, EITHER THE WEEK INCLUDING CHRISTMAS, THE WEEK INCLUDIING NEW YEAR OR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. I WAS LUCKY IN THAT I DREW CHRISTMAS WEEK. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WERE STILL BAD AND TRAINS COULD NOT GET OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF THE PENNINES SO I HAD TO WALK ABOUT FIVE MILES ALONG THE RAIL TRACK AND PICK UP ANOTHER TRAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE.
WHILST I WAS AT HOME ONE OF MY FATHER'S FRIENDS, WHO WAS HEAD OF THE TELEGRAPH PART OF THE POST OFFICE, BROUGHT ROUND FULL DETAILS OF HOW A TELEPRINTER WORKED AND HOW IT COULD BE ADJUSTED IN CASE OF MALFUNCTION. I FOUND THESE VERY INTERESTING.
THE WEATHER HAD MODERATED SOMEWHAT BY THE TIME I GOT BACK FROM LEAVE AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE TRAINING ON UNDAMAGED TYPEWRITERS. IT WAS DECIDED THAT, TRAINED OR NOT, WE WERE NEEDED IN FRANCE AND I WAS GIVEN THE GRADE OF OPERATOR KEYBOARD BIII.
WE WERE TO RECEIVE OUR VACCINATION AND JABS OF TAB + TET. THIS WAS DONE ON A PRODUCTION LINE BASIS. WE WERE LINED UP IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER WITH OUR SLEEVES ROLLED UP AND WERE DISMISSED AS SOON AS WE RECEIVED OUR JAB. SIGNALMAN MARTIN WAS IN FRONT OF ME AND AS A NEEDLE WAS BEING FILLED HE COLLAPSED INT4
MY ARMS IN A DEAD FAINT. HE WAS BROUGHT ROUND AND I WAS DETAILED TO ESCORT HIM TO HIS CHALET AND TO SEE THAT HE LAY DOWN. BY THE TIME I GOT BACK JABS WERE OVER. MARTIN AND I WERE ADDED TO THE LIST FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW WHICH WAS MARTIN'S CHALET SO I GOT THE JOB OF TAKING HIM BACK AGAIN. THE FOLLOWING WEEK MARTINS NAME DID NOT APPEAR ON THE LIST SO I EVENTUALLY GOT MY FINAL JAB ON 15 FEB 1940. MY AB64 SHOWS THAT BETWEEN 10 JAN 1940 AND 13 NOV 1945 I RECEIVED 17 JABS.

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