大象传媒

A Rookie鈥檚 Tale
Page3/6 by Jack Nicholls

New Officers, straight from OCTU. arrived. We were divided into Platoons, commanded by a Captain with a 2nd Lieut. next in command and I was allocated to "A" Platoon. Rifles were issued - old Lee Enfields from the first World war - and we were instructed in Rifle Drill. Quite a few of us in the Platoon were Yorkshiremen and we got on well together. There was a little village nearby, where at night, when we were off duty, we would go to the Local. There was no Beer on draught, just rough Cider and very potent it was too.

Eventually the complement of the Company was complete. We were given our title, 13th Troop Carrying Co., R.A.S.C., and the day came when the whole of the Company was called on parade in full kit for the Commanding Officer's (a Major) inspection. The Major
was a dapper, thickset, smallish, bloke, dressed in tunic, Sam Browne, riding trousers and knee boots which really gleamed and had his cane tucked under his arm. He did look terribly smart. The Parade was handed over to him; first he blasted the new Officers and marched them up and down as if he was drilling recruits, then he had a go at the Sgt, Major and ordered him to wear battle dress in future. Next someone fainted and the Major shouted "Carry that man off he鈥檚 no good to us". Then someone moved and he shouted, "Sgt. Major, put that man's name on the gate." Which gate he meant I didn't know. I could hear quiet sniggers around me and wanted to laugh myself but had of course to remain silent. Then the Major started his Inspection, the Sgt. Major following behind. He pointed with his cane at anything he found not up to scratch, such as brasses not gleaming sufficiently, webbing not immaculate, boots not clean enough, shouting " Take that man's name Sgt. Major." Then to a lad next to me he said " Did you shave this morning soldier?" The lad said "Yes Sir". The Major then said
"Stand nearer the razor next time". To another he said, " Am I hurting you?" "No, Sir" was the reply, to which the Major said "Then I ought to be, I'm standing on your hair. See he gets a haircut Sgt. Major". The whole business struck me as hilarious and I and many others were laughing fit to burst inside but
had to keep straight faces. There was some C.B. dished out after that Parade.

The next few weeks we were kept busy. We drew our vehicles from a Supply Depot, - 3 ton Bedfords with canopies and fold down wooden seats along the inside. We went on practice convoys, some in the daytime, some at night
without lights, when a number of vehicles finished up in ditches through the Drivers not being able to see the road in the complete blackness. We went to a rifle range where we fired five rounds each. This was the full extent of our firing training. Promotion was extremely rapid, Sergeants and Corporals being made up almost overnight. Then came the orders to pack our kit. We were off to France.

We went in convoy to Southampton, straight to the Docks where our trucks were craned on to a waiting transport ship. The night was spent under canvas in a Park in Southampton and the following day, which was the 13th May, we marched to the Docks bowed down under the weight of full kit, led by a
Military Band which at least helped us to keep in step. The 13th Troop Carrying Company setting off for France on the 13th May. Good job I wasn't superstitious. We boarded the Transport and sailed overnight, the ship
completely blacked out and all hatches closed. We were below Deck where it was stiflingly hot and we were very glad to arrive at Le Havre the following morning and to get into the fresh air. The vehicles were craned off and we drove them to a large lorry park nearby. By late afternoon the unloading was
complete and we were looking forward to our first meal and hoping we should get the chance to have a look round Le Havre that night. Instead of that we were each given a tin of Machonachies (stew) and told to eat it straight away, cold; there was no time to heat it up. We were moving off immediately to
Belgium where the Germans had broken through the Maginot Line and were advancing rapidly. Little did we know that, as we were making our way to Belgium, the enemy had encircled a large part of the British Army and was making for the Channel Coast and that we were already in the trap. The phoney war was over, now it
was the real thing.

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