大象传媒

This story was submitted to the Peoples War site by Jas from Global Information Centre Eastbourne and has been added to the website on behalf of Mr Fears with his permission and he fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions

When war broke out I was 14 years of age and lived at Eastdean. I was apprenticed into the motor trade. Shortly after starting work events at Dunkirk took place and we started preparing defences against enemy troups, which consisted of tank traps and in my case it was my job to prepare the contents of the petrol tanks against enemy use.

I did this by making preparations to seal it with piping and concrete. Normal work carried on all through the war and we also received theoretical training through the Air Training Corps.

This was a good opportunity as evening courses were non-existent. The Eastbourne Technical College for instance was utilized to train women in workshop practice.

The Air Training Corp gave me opportunity to visit various places like Tangmere Friston, Newhaven, air sea rescue and coastal protection vessels.

I transferred out of the ATC and joined the Eastbourne Sea Cadet Corps. I learned Navy Drill, different aspects.

Once a month there was a church parade to holy trinity. We used to march from Bedewell School to Holy Trinity for a service.

In the winter we had a football team and we used to play on Eastbourne College Ground, which was known as HMS Marlborough. After we had our shower I used to go to the Caf茅 Marguerite for a modest tea.

About this time I actually got turned down for the navy due to a weak left eye so I had the mad idea to join the Merchant Navy, I went to Gravesend Sea School and was put on board the training ship The Vindicatrix.

The chief training factor was the Lifeboat Certificate. This was a survival course covering all aspects of the lifeboat.

A bout of vaccine fever and rotten food convinced me that the nautical life was not for me so I returned home back to the apprenticeship.

One particular day I was working away at East Dean when a convoy of trucks came down Friston Hill loaded with ballast and turned right to lay a hard surface on the road down to Birling Gap to serve the gunnery ranges.

Like many families we befriended Canadians one of whom was the N.C.O. servicing the equipment, and one night he was visiting and usually he was a pretty good-natured cheerful chap, but not this night! We enquired what had happened and he told us he had spent 2 days constructing this target and in the first shot they blew it to pieces with high explosives.

Canadians were a volunteer army and they had volunteered for overseas duty. One of their duties was to guard the Sussex Coastline.

Meantime back at the home front, as I was 16 I decided to join the Home Guard. After many frolics mostly non-military I eventually registered for military service.

I then had three medicals before I was finally called up. Five months passed before I was eventually called up. I was sent to the P.T.C. at Mary Hill Glasgow. Hospitality here was first class you could travel for a penny any distance on all the trams and there were invitations for ceilidh teas free suppers and the advantage of having an aunt that lived at Ayr.

After this I was sent to Bovington Royal Armoured Corps for tank training. After initial square drill training we were granted 48 hours leave, and while leaning against the gate at home a previous customer came along, he happened to be the Medical Officer of HMS Marlborough and said to me, after taking a close look at me,

鈥測ou鈥檝e got impetigo鈥�.

鈥淥h have I 鈥� I said to which he

answered 鈥測es, and I can fix that鈥� and went back to Eastbourne and came back with cream and a course of tablets to take.

In about 5 days it was cleared up.

The tank-training course lasted 30 weeks and after that the war with Germany ended.

After that we prepared to go to Burma and they dropped the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which basically ended the war with Japan.

I completed my military service in Italy and Egypt during this time, I upgraded to vehicle mechanic, two trade tests, class 3 and class 2, useful for civilian life.

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