大象传媒

I met Mr March at a Victory tea dance in Bishops Stortford, Herts where I was gathering stories for 大象传媒 Essex. At 81, Mr March had many stories to tell me about his life before and after the war, the following recollections were told with a smile and a very cheeky glint in his eye...

Theres too many funny things to say, it was the best time of my life. I was 18 when the war broke out, we were living in Bath. I had 4 older sisters who all joined the Admirality, my father was in the Royal Navy for 24 years. I joined up as a volunteer because of family tradition, I didn't fancy the RAF, I did like the army and thought the chaps hard done by.
I had joined the Home Guard, or LDV as we called them (Look, duck and vanish) at 16 but I got thrown out when they discovered my real age. I had left school at 12.
I was a gunner on the atlantic runs, in 1942 I was on the British ships carrying coal from Newcastle to the South coast, they were big dirty ships. The Med was a scary place, we used to hide behind the ammunition lockers, silly place to hide if theres a hit. One day I looked in the mirror and thought 'who's that looking back at me' I didn't look like a 19 year old should have. They were happy years. I remember the "Porlock bay" a frigate that was too big to enter the shallow harbour, the lads had to sleep in the church hall that night. I was also on the "British Gratitude"
I was in New Jersey when I heard that the war was over, I didn't get back for another year.

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