´óÏó´«Ã½

I was 11 years old when War was declared. I was at church singing in the choir when we heard the first siren - the priest told us to ignore it and carry on!

I was in the Boy Scouts at the time and we helped the first evacuee children who arrived from London. We met them at the station and helped onto buses that took them to the reception centres. Later on in the War I was at scout camp at Isfield at the height of the Battle of Britain and we had a grandstand view of the dogfights. We had to camouflage our tents in case we were mistaken for an army camp. One of the jobs we had to do at the camp was to fill up every bottle we could find with petrol, fit them with rag wicks to make Molotov Cocktails ready for invasion! We were also taught to fire a rifle (remember I was 12 years old!) in preparation for duties as runners should the invasion happen.

By 1941 Brighton was becoming unsafe and we were evacuated to Kettlewell, a small village in Yorkshire. It was a shock going from a lively town to a small village of 300 people. I loved the Yorkshire people — I was moved around quite a lot but had my meals at the "Manor". Over the next 18 months the evacuee children drifted back home until there was only 4 boys, including me, and 3 girls left in the village. The council requisitioned a holiday home in the area and we moved in as a "family".

The Boy Scouts had introduced a National Service badge and I was determined to get it. The lady of the manor taught me to drive a pony and trap and I used to collect salvage for the war effort and after a year or so I got it (and still have it to this day).

In 1942 when I was 14 1/2 I returned to Brighton to work at the Southern Railway Locomotive works earning a wage of 14s 2d per week. Brighton and especially the works, were still at risk from hit and run raiders so I found it a bit of a shock coming froma village to this! I was put to work with a gang of fitters and because of my age I was the shop lad. I had to go and get cheese sandwiches and cocoa from the works canteen at break times. The cheese sandwiches were huge because the men received extra rations due to nature of their work. There was at least a week's ration of cheese in each one! Everyday I used to buy one for 3d for myself and take it home so mother could make a cheese pie that fed the whole family.

At Christmas the men had a raffle and the first prize was a fresh duck, which was won by one of the apprentices. He went to collect it and asked if the duck was fresh. The organiser replied it was so fresh it was unbelievable and took him to see it swimming around in the emergency water tank. The poor boy had to strip to his underpants, brave the freezing water and go in and get it. No doubt it was much appreciated by his family that Christmas.

One aircraft dropped its bombs on the locomotive works but missed and bounced onto the railway line, skidded along a wall and landed right in the middle of a viaduct and blew out a parapet. This was unfortunately on the main line between Brighton and Eastbourne but was repaired and ready for use in 6 weeks.

At 16 I became an apprentice locomotive fitter and my wage went up to £1 10s but had to attend Brighton Technical College 3 nights a week on top of a 48 hour week. I had to get to college in the blackout with only small torch (with a number 8 battery) to light my way. At 18 I was earning £3 10s. In November 1946 I joined the RAF to train as an aircraft engine fitter.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.