大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bill Ross of the 鈥楢ction Desk 鈥� Sheffield鈥� Team on behalf of Walter Hobson, and has been added to the site with the his permission. Mr. Hobson fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
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This story tells in graphic detail, of the incarceration within the many P.O.W. camps that the contributor of this story was forced into, during WW2. It also describes the squalid, degrading and sub-human conditions that he was compelled to endure, not only within the camps, but whilst 鈥榦n the run鈥� from them. The deaths of and devastating injuries to his colleagues, whilst actually in his presence, are also described鈥︹�︹�ill Ross - 大象传媒 People's War Story Editor.
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Other parts to the story can be found at:
Pt 1:..... a4178333

Pt3:...... a4178388

Pt 4:..... a4178423

Pt 5:..... a4178450

Pt 6:..... a4178487

Pt 7:..... a4178496

Pt 8:..... a4178504

From Wetherby, we were moved to Scotland, to a place called Stenhousemuir, we were actually billeted in Larbert, but I contracted pneumonia and was taken to Denny cottage hospital, where I stayed for a few days. A nurse came to me and told me I鈥檇 some visitors.

My mother and wife appeared. I said, 鈥淲hat are you doing here?鈥� They said they鈥檇 received a telegram saying that I was seriously ill and that they could come at once and see me.
My next posting was at Royal Sussex where we were helping the farmers make hay etc. One day, a truck pulled up and a man shouted, 鈥淧rivate Hobson, you鈥檙e wanted at H.Q.鈥� So I had to climb aboard the truck that already contained some men, and a couple of officers. One of the officers said, 鈥淎re you one of these who鈥檝e volunteered again?鈥� 鈥淰olunteered for what?鈥� I asked. 鈥淰olunteered for the paratroops.鈥� 鈥淲ell, yes, but that was some weeks ago,鈥� I responded. He said, 鈥淲ell, you鈥檙e going for an inspection. Are you married?鈥� I said that I was and he told me, 鈥淲ell, you鈥檒l not pass then.鈥�

I went to headquarters and had to see a medical officer and the recruiting officer. Three of us passed but the two officers failed on medical grounds. I joined the paratroops, so they sent me to Hardwick Hall in Chesterfield. That was in 1941. All the different units of the British Army were congregating. We were told that we were going on intensive training, then we were to go to Ringway at Manchester. We were told, 鈥淵ou are to do seven jumps to qualify for your 鈥榃ings鈥�.鈥� Well, at this stage, I was granted weekend leave, so I went home and told my family. They said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think much of your wife and kids, if you鈥檙e going parachuting.鈥� When I went back to the unit, I saw the C.O. and said, 鈥淚鈥檝e thought it over and I can鈥檛 go through with it. I have a wife and child.鈥� The C.O. said, 鈥淲hat? You鈥檙e putting them first?鈥� I said that I was. So he said, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e a choice, you can either go back to your unit or stay here as a Sergeants鈥� Mess Waiter.鈥� I decided on the latter, so I was looking after the R.S.M. I got leave at weekends plus ten shillings extra per month. The person who was in charge of the mess funds etc., asked me, 鈥淲ill you look after the bar for Saturday night鈥檚 dance?鈥� I said, 鈥淚鈥檝e never done anything like that.鈥� He said, 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be alright, there鈥檚 nothing to worry about, just carry on supplying drinks etc.鈥�

There were some barrels of beer, and we鈥檇 made some ramps for them. The idea being that we would place a bucket under the barrels and turn the tap on. But there were fumes and we would have to inhale them throughout the evening. At the end of the night, the R.S.M. came and said, 鈥淗OBSON, YOU鈥橰E DRUNK!!鈥� I told him that I hadn鈥檛 touched a drop all evening. He said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 argue with me, you鈥檙e drunk.鈥� But he said, 鈥淏ack to your billet!鈥� The next morning, I was up on a charge: drunk in charge of the bar. I said, 鈥淚鈥檝e never had a drink sir.鈥� I explained about the fumes that I鈥檇 been forced to inhale and that they made me intoxicated, so I was discharged (acquitted).

Later on, I was chatting with the sergeant and the R.S.M. and they kept telling me to come and do my jumps. In the meantime, the Second Battalion had done their jumps. I said, 鈥淚鈥檒l do 鈥榚m on one condition: when I鈥檝e completed my jumps, I鈥檓 in this unit.鈥� So I went to Manchester where I was to jump with the Fourth Battalion. When they formed the battalions, they issued us with red berets, and when we received our 鈥榃ings鈥�, they went onto the shoulders. We had to do seven jumps to qualify for this. The first two jumps were from a balloon, actually, barrage balloons. They were made from canvas and were filled with Helium gas. At the bottom was a basket with a hole in the bottom, called the aperture. Four of us went up with the instructor, and when we were ready, we jumped, one at a time. We dropped approximately 120 feet at 119 miles per hour before the chute opened. We were about 800 feet high. Now, the first jump wasn鈥檛 bad, but the second jump was worse because by then, we knew what should happen, what shouldn鈥檛 happen, when it could happen and when it couldn鈥檛 happen. So that鈥檚 when we became a little scared. But, after that, we did five more jumps, but this time from a plane, which we called the Flying Coffin. The reason we used that plane was that it could slow down to 90 m.p.h. This was so that when we jumped, the stick of ten men would land as close to one another as possible. If a man hesitated for a couple of seconds, that could equate to twenty yards on the ground, which, between one and ten, could be a long way.

It eventually took just over a week to get the jumps done and the results in. On the third day, two of the lads were off sick, so they said, 鈥淭here are just eight of you in your stick now.鈥� I was number one; what happened was, the plane used to fly all way round Tatton Park, in Manchester, and when it got to the park itself, we鈥檇 drop out; four or five of us normally. I was number one and everything was OK, our chutes opened all right. But the plane went around again for the second lot to jump. The first one out got what we call a Roman Candle. If we didn鈥檛 drop out of the plane in the correct order, the slipstream would hit our legs and it would twist us. That twist would prevent the chute from opening. With no air in the chute, the canopy couldn鈥檛 expand. This is what happened and we were only 800 feet up anyway. I went running over to him and he was still alive. The blood wagon came over with the ambulance. An officer leapt out and shouted, 鈥淏ack to your chutes, back to your chutes, leave it to us.鈥� They took him away, and told us later that he鈥檇 broken his spine at the top and bottom, but would be jumping again in six months time, but we never saw him again, so we don鈥檛 know what happened.

When we鈥檇 done our seven jumps, we went back to Hardwick Hall from where we did more training, comprising various jumps all over the country. We were doing a drop at Blandford, and there was a lad called Lance Corporal Jack Skeets from Liverpool. When we dropped him, he landed on the Vicarage roof. His chute was over his head and his feet had gone through the slates. The vicar came out and was furious, shouting and bawling that we鈥檇 damaged his rose gardens. We said, 鈥淣ever mind the roses, what about him up there?鈥� What he did was, he broke all the slates all around him and he disappeared into the loft. A few moments later, he came walking out of the front door; he wasn鈥檛 hurt at all.

Next, we went to do a drop at Newcastle, and when we were flying over York, one of the lads said that he felt sick. He鈥檇 gotten airsickness, which is worse than seasickness. He said, 鈥淲hat should I do?鈥� I said, 鈥淯se your helmet.鈥� We had rubber helmets with strings that we鈥檇 tie under the chin; people thought we were Poles because that was part of their dress. So, he vomited into his helmet which he then emptied through the aperture, so somebody in York probably got a helmet full of vomit.

After this drop, we were told we could command anything we wanted to help us on the exercise, and it was always against the Home Guard. As we were running down a lane, there was a team of firefighters with a fire pump. Our officer said, 鈥淲e鈥檒l take this over.鈥� 鈥淲hat for,鈥� we asked. 鈥淭o put our equipment on.鈥� The firemen said, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 take this, we鈥檙e going to a real fire.鈥� The officer said, 鈥淣ever mind that, ignore 鈥榚m.鈥� Our driver was reversing backwards and forwards, and he got stuck straight across the lane, so he couldn鈥檛 move either forward or backwards. So the officer said, 鈥淥h, leave it, leave it.鈥� So we left 鈥榚m to it.

So, our next move was to Bulford barracks on Salisbury Plain. We were sent two fuselages to practise jumping from. We were short of ammunition there, but they sent me and a lad called Reg Sykes, from Huddesrfield, to guard these fuselages. But while we were nosing around, we came across a box that was full of belts, full of 303 ammunition actually. Something they鈥檇 overlooked, so I went to the an officer and said, 鈥淲e鈥檝e found a lot of ammunition.鈥� 鈥淲hat is it?鈥� he asked. 鈥�303,鈥� I replied, 鈥渋t鈥檚 in those fuselages.鈥� So he said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 tell anybody, get your mate to come with me.鈥� We took him back to the fuselage, then we carried the boxes back to the unit. We started going everyday onto the ranges, shooting and all the other lads were saying, 鈥淲here鈥檚 B Company getting all their ammunition from? They always seem to be firing.鈥� It seemed that the R.A.F had mislaid it, so it became ours.

In February, 1941, there was a raid going on over France and it was intended to take radar equipment from a place called Bruneville. C Company, which comprised of all Scottish units (although ninety percent of them were Yorkshire men), was going to do it, their numbers made up with a few from our unit. They went over to France and were dropped at Bruneville. They managed to salvage part of the equipment they wanted, and all they lost were six men. One of the men who was badly wounded, called Jerry Strachen was wandering in the woods and the lads managed to get him back

Into 1942 now and the men had had embarkation leave, but because about fourteen of us had just had leave, we weren鈥檛 allowed embarkation leave. Well, I had a job at headquarters, looking after the order room. When I was in the order room, I found a full pack of leave papers. For them to be of any use, there had to be a stamp on them and I managed to stamp them. They had to have a signature of an officer, plus, there had to be a note across the top, in red ink, 鈥淧ermission to travel by rail.鈥� So, I acquired a bottle of red ink and wrote on them all: 鈥淧ermission to travel by rail.鈥� I took 鈥榚m back into the billet.

We said to the C.O., 鈥淚t鈥檚 not fair that we can鈥檛 have leave.鈥� He said, 鈥淚f you get all your stuff packed, we鈥檒l let you go on leave.鈥� We got done and were ready in five or six days. Then he said, 鈥淲ell, you can鈥檛 go today, we鈥檒l see about tomorrow.鈥� This went on for a few more days. I said, 鈥淥h, he鈥檚 kidding us, this鈥檒l drag on until the rest of the lads are back, then it鈥檒l be too late.鈥� So I said, 鈥淚鈥檓 going.鈥� So what I did, I gave the lads a pass that I鈥檇 pinched. The sergeant got to know and he said, 鈥淲hat are these passes you鈥檝e got? Let鈥檚 have a look at 鈥榚m.鈥� He said, 鈥淐an we have one?鈥� I said, 鈥淥n one condition: if you鈥檒l sign 鈥榚m.鈥� So he signed 鈥榚m, T.S. Tyseman (Major). They looked genuine. We hadn鈥檛 much money, but we set off from Bulford. I had a railway ticket that said on it, Darfield to Chesterfield. I rubbed it and rubbed it until it was impossible to read what it said. Anyway, it got me all over the country.

We hitch hiked from Andover into London, and then across to King鈥檚 Cross from Paddington. Who should come on the train but the Red Caps? 鈥淣ow then soldier, where are you going?鈥� asked one. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on leave sir.鈥� 鈥淕ot a pass? Where鈥檚 your pay book鈥� I got my pay book out and showed him my pass. 鈥淔air enough,鈥� he said as he handed them back. We got onto the train and used what money we had to get a single ticket to Sheffield. Anyway, I arrived home; I鈥檇 never any money when I arrived home, I used to rely on others. I stayed at home for a week; I鈥檇 arranged with a lad from Beighton, Sheffield. He said, 鈥淚鈥檒l see you on the station, half past six, Sunday night.鈥� So when I got there he came flying up to me and said, 鈥淗ave they been?鈥� 鈥淗ave who been?鈥� 鈥淗ave the police been for you?鈥� 鈥淣o.鈥� He said, 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been to our house.鈥� I said, 鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 they take you in?鈥� He said, 鈥淲ell, when they came, they鈥檇 got the right house, but a different name.鈥� So the bobby who came to his house said, 鈥淗ave you got a pass?鈥� So he gave him that pass that I鈥檇 given him, the policeman said, 鈥淥h, they鈥檝e made a mistake.鈥� But what I didn鈥檛 know was that the police had been to our house after I鈥檇 left. I lived with my father in law. They said, 鈥淒oes Private Hobson live here?鈥� He said 鈥淵es, but he鈥檚 just gone back to his unit.鈥� He said, 鈥淥h, they鈥檒l have made another mistake I suppose.鈥� But I didn鈥檛 know this, so when we arrived back at camp, we went into the guardroom and said, 鈥淲e鈥檝e come to give ourselves up, we鈥檝e been absent without leave.鈥� 鈥淗ow long have you been away?鈥� 鈥淎 week.鈥� 鈥淲ell, there鈥檚 nothing here; we haven鈥檛 got you as absent. Well, where鈥檚 your kit?鈥� 鈥淚n the barrack room.鈥� The Officer said, 鈥淲ell, go and get your kit and bring it back.鈥� So we did that and went back to the guardroom and they kept us in. They said, 鈥淢onday morning, you鈥檙e up in front of the C.O.鈥� So, in front of the C.O., I had my Company Commander with me. The C.O. said to him, 鈥淲hat sort of man is this?鈥� He said, 鈥淗e鈥檚 OK.鈥� The C.O. turned to me and said, 鈥淗ow long have you been in the army? 鈥� 鈥淪ince 16th October 1939.鈥� 鈥淲ell, you鈥檝e been in long enough to know better, why did you go home?鈥� he said. I said, 鈥淲ell, I鈥檝e a wife and child at home, we weren鈥檛 allowed embarkation leave and we are going abroad, and I wanted to see them.鈥� He said, 鈥淎re you putting your wife and family before the country?鈥� I replied, 鈥淵es, I am.鈥� He said, 鈥淲ill you accept my punishment?鈥� I said that I would, there were no choices otherwise anyway. He said, 鈥淔ourteen days鈥� pay, fourteen days confined to barracks, fourteen days in the clink.鈥� Well, that was OK, we were living relatively well during that period. After eight days, the guard came in and said, 鈥淩ight you lot, back to your unit. We鈥檝e been ordered to release ya.鈥�

We moved off the next day, we went in convoy to a place called Greenock, in Scotland and from there, we embarked on different ships. We were actually, the largest convoy that had ever left the shores of Britain. The ship we went on was the P&O Liner Strathmore. There were 7,000 troops plus the crew on that vessel. We were zigzagging in the Atlantic for 17 days. When we went through Lisbon, we were surprised to see that it was all lit up. That was because it was neutral. But what we didn鈥檛 know was that we were going to North Africa........>

Proof Read-Bill Ross

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