大象传媒

As we approach the 60th Anniversary of D Day the 6th of June 1944, I think back to my early days in HMF's.
In 1941 as a young lad of fifteen,my mother died in 1938,leaving my father with eight children,he had taken on a new companion who unfortunately took a disliking to my presence, inevitablably an altercation took place, my father an old regular Army man, not wishing to offend his Lady. Gave me an ultimation to join the Army or he would put me in a home.

My first two efforts to sign on proved un- successful, firstly Boys Service was stopped because of the War, and the second place I visited was shut. I eventually arrived opposite East Croydon Station where they had set up a recruiting office The recruiting Sergeant ask my business, I told him I wanted to sign on, 'how old are you son', I replied eighteen Sir, 'Come back to-morrow with your birth certificate, then we will sort you out'.
I relayed all this back to my father who had previously warned me to say I was eighteen.
The next day he gave me a letter saying the certificate had been lost in the bombing but he gave permmision for me to join the colours.

The Sergeant to one look at the letter and smiled, you see he was an old Soldier and had seen it all before He hustled me into the Medical room and after a tap on the chest and an almighty cough. I walked out having sworn the oath of allgiance, collected the King's Shilling and a travel warrant into the unknown.

After a couple of months the Battalion was sent to Essex to guard the airfields, our company was stationed at RAF Debden. At this time there was an invasion scare on, the Company had to stand too at dawn and dusk for one hour to repel the German Para-troops if they landed, this, stand too, was at various positions around the perimeter in trenches.

We were issued with five rounds of rifle ammunition and two Molotov Cocktails, to those who are unaware what these were, they are bottles of petrol, with an igniter taped to the neck, when broken they burst into flames and annihilate the enemy and, you, if you were unluckly to bang them against a stone, all this equipment had to be handed back in at stand down

But RAF Debden had a secret weapon which would have put fear into the invading forces of the Third Reich, this was so well camouflaged, that you had to get real close realise what you were looking at, I can only use the word awesome,it was a flatback truck, with an old ORLIKAN heavy calibre machine gun mounted, which I swear would have broken the back axle of the truck if it was fired, it had high canvas sides to add to the deceit. This traversed the Airfield, what confidence this gave us, with this RAF Debden was invincable.

Invincible yes, this true story, I dedicate it to the FIRST of the FEW, those brave Flyers who flew off every day from Debden and other Airfields, these were the men that touch the hand off God and kept us safe.

My turn was to come later in Normandy with the 2nd Battalion of THE Kings Royal Rifle Corps. But these men of Debden I will never forget, they who gave so much to make us strong to fight another day. My thoughts will be with them when I travel too the Anniversary Parade in June.

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