大象传媒

Just before war broke out my best friend joined the R.A.F reserve and consequently, when war broke out, he was called up. He wanted me to go as well but I didn鈥檛 want to go in the R.A F, I wanted to go in the Navy preferably.

I鈥檇 finished my apprenticeship and packed up work at the G.E.C and I was helping to fill the sandbags in the meantime fort the town hall in Coventry. Then I tried to join the Navy and first of all I was turned down 鈥榗ause I had too much sugar in my blood, they told me to go without sugar for a week and I took another medical and this time I was alright. I thought everything was ok, but they turned me down this time because I was in a reserved occupation as a gasman. They told me that I would have to find another job and if I didn鈥檛 find a job locally, I would be conducted to another part of the country, which I didn鈥檛 want, so I got a job at the B.T.H in Coventry.

While I was there, there were bombings, and I was there during the Blitz. The night after the November bombing in Coventry, which was the worst, going down into the town the next day I had a look into the Cathedral which was still burning, and somewhere I鈥檝e got a copy of the last service that they had there.

We had an Anderson shelter in the back garden which all three of us slept in. We were lucky really, we had incendiaries come through the roof but no real damage.

While I was at the B.T.H I did night duties every week, which meant spending all night there. I also joined the Rescue Party and I used to go out when there was a Blitz, to see if I could help rescue anyone or help in anyway. We used to go and cover the incendiaries with soil to stop them burning, but I saw some terrible things.

I kept trying to get into the Navy but was repeatedly turned down. I think they got fed up with me asking.

I joined the L.D.V - the Local Defence Volunteers 鈥� we called it 鈥楲ook Duck Vanish鈥�. Two of us would go out, one with a rifle, an Enfield rifle, with five rounds of ammunition, and the other one would have a whistle. I was the one with the whistle and the other was a farmer 鈥� a big fella.

I joined the L.D.V, the first week we joined they used Coventry Football ground, Highfield road. We had exercises along there, but we didn鈥檛 have guns 鈥� we had broomsticks. We had to march around with these broomsticks.

We used to have to walk along the Kemps Highway in Coventry which is along the bypass. One night, we were walking along this bypass, we had to walk from one RAF camp which was about half a mile away and then walk back again. A car stopped, a man got out of the car and he asked us which was the best way to get to Coventry, so we directed him you see, and then he said surely you should have asked me for my identification. So then the other fellow (of course he was much older than me 鈥� I was much younger) he said 鈥測es we should have asked you for identification, have you got it?鈥� So he said yes - he was the Colonel of the local Home Guard, but that he wouldn鈥檛 report us.

Eventually they gave in and he let me have a permit to join the Navy. It was funny because just prior to D-day they had a 20 mile bar from the coast, and we were on the coast at Brighton. I managed to get out one day just over the 20 mile limit, but coming back, I missed the train from Brighton on Sea to Colchester, so that meant a 10 mile walk. Eventually I hitch-hiked and a van stopped and gave me a lift, but he didn鈥檛 tell me where he was going, or how many stops he would have on the way because he was delivering paraffin to all the cottages. By the time I got back I was an hour over my time so I was put on a charge, consequently I had to go before a tribunal and face this charge and they gave me 14 days confined to barracks in a Marine camp and two weeks stoppage of pay just for that. When I was there, one night they called everyone out onto the parade ground and they gave a notice out, everyone from A-H stay in the position you are, H onwards fall out. All the ones who fell out went on D-day, but at the time we didn鈥檛 know that. All the rest of us stayed there and eventually we all went overseas. I went out to North of Bombay.

We went overseas on a troop ship from Portsmouth. We were at a small camp just before we left, there was a bloke who had been missing the drafts. Whenever he heard one, he鈥檇 scarper out of the way, then he came back after. They kept him on board to make sure he sailed and didn鈥檛 try and get out of it. He used to be in this building with no windows, but with bars. He used to shout when we walked passed, 鈥淗ave you got any fags?鈥�

After we鈥檇 been at sea for about two days they released him. One day he came into our mess and said 鈥淎nybody want a swim?鈥� 鈥� Naturally we thought he meant to go overboard. We all said no, but he said 鈥渏ust follow me.鈥� He took us along a passage on the Troop ship 鈥淪S Strathmore鈥� into a door where there was a big wooden platform. Underneath this platform was the swimming pool that they used to use when the troop ship was a Liner, but this was drinking water in the pool. We all went in and had quite a swim not realising it was the ship鈥檚 drinking water we were swimming in.

He kept trying to get home back to the docks to scrounge a lift back home. One day they caught him and put him in irons again and eventually he got pneumonia and died.

My best friend was killed during service. His mother had to go and identify his body when they found it 鈥� the only thing she could recognise was a ring on his finger 鈥� what was left of his hand. It was a ring that his father had given him just before. It was devastating. I called in and see my best friend鈥檚 mother after he was killed, but she said when I went to see her 鈥� 鈥淲hy couldn鈥檛 it be you?鈥� She resented me going to see her and not being in the forces (I wasn鈥檛 at that time) 鈥� and she also resented me because I came back - she didn鈥檛 think it was fair.

This story was collected by Becky Barugh and submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Sarah Evans, both of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk, on behalf of Ron Hill and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Hill fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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