大象传媒

The time was 2nd January 1940, I remember it was a Tuesday because on the Monday night we had a bit of a get together. I was a member of the Independent Methodist Church and we had a social evening. On the Tuesday I left Durham station at 8 o'clock I had been picked up as a recruit, I was 20 years of age, we travelled by Darlington, York, Sheffield and arrived at Clay Cross at 4.00 pm. We had tea at Clay Cross Infant School and then continued in army vehicles to Alfreton arriving at about 5.25 pm. It was a dark and foggy and miserable night and Alfreton being not only a garrison town but the headquarters of the 16th or 9th Training Battalion of the RASC we went first of all to the Drill Hall on Hall Street (now demolished to make way for the new Tesco Store) to be fully kitted out with uniforms, rifle, kitbags, etc. We were billeted at the Ministry of Labour hut (wooden) which was situated down Central Road where the Quick Save is now. We had to go to the back of Rowells (Johnathan James Shoes now) to collect straw to stuff our own paliasses on which to sleep. The following day for breakfast we had to march from Central Road to Chesterfield Road where the school there was the cookhouse for us. We all had to go to the cookhouse as there were no meals out and we were not allowed to eat in the billet. We had a month's harduous training ahead in small arms, driving instruction given to us by London Bus Drivers, drills which took place on Marshall Street and afterwards we were available to join the British Expedition Forces. A very memorable time in Afreton was when everynight we had to 'stand to' (on parade) a 9.00 pm on Severn Square for the evening roll call and there were always girls hanging around. This was one way of mixing with the opposite sex at that time as we were not allowed in pubs because of our boots (only shoes in pubs then) but we didn't always stick to the rules. But, first of all we had to take our full packs back to our billet and then we would go on the 'monkey run', everyone of our age knew it by this name. It started at the back of St Martins church and we went down Church Street to the George Hotel and then on to the High Street, down Institute Lane through the bus station onto King Street and came back up to the church and the girls would be also on the monkey run, we knew if we didn't meet them on one street we would get them on another. My training took three weeks and |I went to Alfreton Hall because this was the centre where all the officers were stationed and I was batman to Major Lamb (who had a wooden leg) and Major Bates. I remained at Alfreton Hall until July 1941.

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