大象传媒

After Dunkirk

In 1940 I was 15 years old. I lived at Ashton-under-Lyne, and further up the road was Ladysmith Barracks, peace time home of the 9th Manchesters,but now changed into a large Pay Corps Centre.

Behind our back garden was a field, which rapidly became a cinder patch.
Beyond this was a dis-used cotton mill, Whittaker鈥檚 Mill, and this was used for various groups of soldiers, including, during the Manchester Blitz, a depot for the Bomb Disposal Squad 鈥� part of the R.E.M.E.

The local Methodist Circuit had lent one of their Sunday Schools, which stood on the main road between Ashton and the barracks, as a Soldiers canteen, and this was known as the Soldiers Rest Room. There were sandwiches,one penny on bread, or three halfpence on tea cakes, and rather plain 鈥渇ancy鈥� cakes. A small allocation of coupons allowed us to purchase some chocoate bars for the soldiers to buy. All of the rationed food was strictly for the services; the helpers were not allowed to eat any of it themselves.

At the time of Dunkirk the weather was lovely, or some of the smaller boats could not have joined in the rescue.

When the lads reached England, they were quickly dispersed away from the docks to any centre that could receive them.

Ladysmith Barracks filled up. The sleeping accommodation in the mill filled up.

Several truck loads of soldiers just had to rest in the trucks.

I took out our two deck chairs for at least two of them to use, and stayed to let them talk out their experiences 鈥� not easy to listen to, but they needed to talk it out.

In the house we built up the fire, switched on the immersion heater, and had queues of boys all getting the grime off their bodies in the bath. We had no clean clothes for them, but with the help of the neighbours we found towels for them all. No-one else would have any of those 鈥渄irty men鈥� in their houses, but then no one else had a lad away in the Fleet Air Arm.

The Soldiers Rest Room turned up trumps. We had no increase in our food allocation, but we made little foraging parties, going round knocking on doors asking if they had any to spare; sometimes a few slices of bread, a piece of cheese, a few biscuits. The local people responded well; we had all seen and heard the trucks going up the road with boys from Dunkirk. I am reminded of the parable of the loaves and fishes, and how God uses human hands and ordinary people to do His work.

We stayed open all night, volunteers turning up to help although it ws not their turn on the rota. We fed every soldier who came in, but never asked for a penny. In the 鈥渜uiet鈥� room upstairs there were a few tables, and we supplied lots of paper and envelopes for them to write home, and stamped them ouselves - once again for free.

I wonder if any of them are still alive, and if they remember being asked in for baths, or getting free food in the Soldiers Rest Room?

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