大象传媒

Joyce and Arthur Good are willing to have their story entered onto the People's War website and agree to abide by the House Rules.

The war had been going for twelve months.
Dunkirk was behind us and bombing had not really affected us in the Birmingham suburbs. My brother had been evacuated from Dunkirk. I often went along to the local level crossing of the railway hoping that with the thousands of troops being transported up country I might see my brother passing through.

After Dunkirk, invasion of the British Isles seemed imminent and Winston Churchill decided that all who could, should stand to and offer some resistance. Consequently the L.D.V. (Local defence volunteers) was formed and I joined at the local Police Station. We were split into Companies and were allocated an area.

The L.D.V. later to be renamed the Home Guard, taught us weapon training, arms drill etc and we patrolled a given area from 7pm (after work) until 6am on the particular night that you were on duty. My duty was one night per week which was staggered to allow for weekends. My H.Q. was a large requisitioned house attached to the local candle factory which was surrounded by acres of fields, Ginney pits etc.,

I reported for duty on one particular Tuesday night early in October and was waiting around until my patrol time came up when the air raid sirens sounded and a short while afterwards bombs and Ack Ack were heard and incenduaries landed on the Candle Factory. Everyone set to attempting to put out the ensuing blaze and also to remove all furnishing to across the road. Firefighters were too busy in the town and factory areas to help out but it was finally brought under control and I prepared for my patrol. Out on patrol we were approached by a member of the public reporting shouting from a nearby bombed house. We hurried there and managed to release a man who was trapped in an entry between two houses. We removed the rubble and he was released unhurt. Back to H.Q. for next job.

The Captain informed me that several shops etc had been blown open and we were to assist the police to prevent looting. Arriving at the High Street I was allocated the job of guarding a tobacco shop until the police or owners arrived. The owners arrived at approximately 10.30 pm and I was free. The Captain then arrived and requested me to proceed to Hill Top (corner of New Street)where an unexploded bomb was awaiting bomb disposal Engineers. I waited there to keep the public away and the squad arrived at approximately 5.30 am. They informed me that the bomb was a 112 pounder and that I could now go home. Arrived home to be informed by my Mother that my brother's house had been bombed. My brother had been posted to Yorkshire and fortunately his wife had recently moved up there to be with him. Went to my brother's house but there was nothing to salvage. The neighbour and her little girl were both killed, had to be dug out from the cellar. Did a tour of the area bomb damage and finally went home.

Next day at work I thought "this can't go on; must have a go at Jerry".

After a day or so (26th October 1940) I went along to the Recruiting office in Paradise Street, I walked in and the Staff Sergeant said "Right lad, what can I do for you?"
"Want to join the Army" I said.
"What age are you and what do you do for a living?"
"I'm 17 and a half and I work as a laboratory assistant".
Staff sergeant, "Sorry lad, now if you were 18 and a general labourer, I could do something for you".
I left the office, walked round a few shops, then went back in.
"Right lad, what can I do for you?"
"I want to join the Army".
"What age are you and what do you do for a living?"
"I'm eighteen and a general labourer".
"Right, sit down and we'll fill a form in".
Ten minutes later he (staff sergeant) gave me some money. "There's the King's shilling and there's two bob for your bus fare to the Blue Gates (Smethwick) tomorrow for a medical".

Next day, queued with a host of others to see five doctors re. medical. Two hours later exited as a soldier, passA/1.

That night at home I said to my dad "Dad to they supply razors in the Army?"
"You've listed," (Enlisted) he said.

On the 28th November 1940 I was to report to a unit (70th Buffs) in Kent on the South East coast.

I was in the Army.

The journey to London was quite an experience to me, I hadn't travelled that line before. However when I arrived at Paddingtonn and asked the RTO Railway Transport Officer, what my next move was to be it seemed no problem. "Just go down to the Underground get the Bakerloo line to Waterloo and you're there".

That was easy but within five minutes of travel the tube train stopped "Everybody out and up on top" was the message coming over the intercom. "What's happening?" I asked a fellow traveller. "Air raid". he said. "Nobody can stay down here whilst its on". After enquiring what the alternative was and I was directed to two buses and arrived at Waterloo.

I finally arrived at my desination, Shorncliffe Barracks. Was booked in and shown to my future home. A wood hut overlooking the English Channel. Fantastic.

The following eight weeks consisted of needles for this, that and everything that was going, getting fit, discipline and drill, drill, drill, until we were acceptable as possible soldiers.

The discipline was very strict, which suited me as everyone was equal and we knew where we stood.

After the initial training we were allocated various duties around the South East from Eastbourne to Rye. Digging fortifications, trenches, gun pits etc. also erecting barbed wire defences. My particular platoon was stationed at the Radar installations on Romney Marsh near Dymchurch. Duties included 24 hours patrolling the installations, 24 hours off during which we were erecting fortifications against the possible invasion by the Germans. We served on and fortified all the RAF aerodromes in the South East. These were Hawkinge, Lympe and Manston which all took a lot of flak towards the tail end of the Battle of Britain. Other than fortifying the coastal defences we also had access to private properties and did actually dig up people's lawns and gardens at strategic junctions to form gunpits and lookout posts.

I might mention here that we were able to have first hand experience of the cross channel guns which occasionally opened up from Calais and dropped their shells on Dover. On one such occasion I was in a cinema in Dover and they informed us on the screen that shelling had started and if we wished to leave the cinema we were to do so quietly. We didn't leave at the time but when we did we saw that the other cinema in the town had received a direct hit.

Fortunately there were few children about as the majority had been evacuated away from the coast and from many of the major industrial cities. The evacuation process was heart rending for both the parents and the children. They, the parents would see their children off on the train or coach yet hadn't any idea where they were going or to what type of home. Conversely the children were leaving their parents for the first time equally ignorant as to their future. Some of the children (due to the bombing etc) probably didn't see their parents again.

As we were a Holding Battalion we either volunteered or were allocated various postings to whoever needed reinforcements. I first volunteered for the Commandos, then the Paratroops and Glider Pilots. I failed on the latter and settled for the Commandos. This necessitated eight weeks intensive training in a remote part of Scotland "Act Na Carry" after which (if you passed) you were awarded a coveted Green Beret.

After the passing out parade you were allocated a particular Commando, which in my case was Number Three stationed in Weymouth.

In the Commandos we didn't have barracks but we were given 6 shillings and eight pence per day on top of Army pay with which we could live out among civilians.

TO SUMMARISE

To go into the Army was indeed quite an experience. There was excitement. I saw planes shot down into the Channel, planes crashing into the hillside on the downs. Ships were sunk within view from the coast and when there was a dog fight going on the spent rounds from the fighter force would finish up anywhere. On one occasion I thought I was being fired on when sparks flew off the parapet of the gun pit, then an ME 109 came out of the clouds and crashed into the field behind me, he was followed by a British fighter plane whose bullets had been peppering my parapet.

I was for a time also stationed in Moore and Napier barracks at Shorncliffe which was quite a coincidence as Alf (my brother) was stationed there in 1932. Quite moving.

Between times I thought of home, of family, sisters, Mother, Father etc, and hoped that the war would soon be over and that we could all settle to a natural life again. Unfortunately my Mother died whilst I was in the Army; they granted me 48 hours leave which was later extended to just sufficient time for me to attend Mother's funeral. This hurt a lot especially as I had to leave three younger sisters at home at a time when they needed all the help and comforting which should have been given. When my Mother was ill my Father sent a telegram which said "Mother very ill, request leave". The telegram arrived at HQ and the daily runner was dispatched to my unit (out in the field digging fortifications etc,) to let my Commanding officer know. He, the C.O, shouted to me "Get your kit packed and report to Company office", (2 miles away). I did as ordered and presented myself before the adjutant at HQ. He asked what the problem was and I explained. He granted me 48 hours leave. (I had been home on leave 2 weeks previously and consequently had no money to my credit). I asked the Adjutant if I could have a warrant to cover rail fare. "Why,haven't you any money"? he demanded. I explained and he grudgingly asked the QM to give me a railway warrant to be paid for at a shilling per week from now on. (I was on 2 shillings and sixpence per day at the time as opposed to the officer's 5 pounds).

I arrived home later that day and my Mother died the same evening. I telegraphed my unit requesting an extension to my leave as the funeral was the following Monday. The reply stated that my leave was extended until the day after the funeral.

Later on in December 1942 I was given 14 days Christmas leave which was very nostalgic as it was the first ever Christmas I had known without a Mother.

Everyone was subdued but one bright spot on the leave was that I met a most lovable girl with whom I fell very much in love. We (Joyce and I) accepted the fact that the war would keep us apart and that there may not be a future, but we were so fond of each other that we were willing to cross any bridge as it came. The attitude was, "We can always correspond". I went back to my unit in Weymouth; we did more extensive training and towards the end of January I was given 10 days embarkation leave prior to leaving England bound for Gibralta. Apparently the powers to be were afraid that Spain would let Hitler in at the back door and we went out there to (if necessary) immobilise the big guns overlooking Gib from the Spanish side.

When we arrived at Gib it was more training to 'perfect a landing on Spain', training which went on for several weeks. It was finally decided that Spain was no threat and we sailed for North Africa. There we joined the 1st Army but for some unkown reason we were not well received.

From then on it was a life of travelling from Algiers by rail in cattle trucks to Sfax, then by Army truck to Tripoli where we stayed for a week or so and then by sea to Alexandria. We were messed about here for a week and then by train (passenger) to Cairo and then Suez. Here we embarked on serious training for what turned out to be the landing on Sicily. Training at Suez consisted of 5 am start, break at 8 am breakfast and then continue until 11 am, after which we were free to lounge in our tents (killing flies) to swim, write letters etc. Then at 6 pm we paraded again for lectures briefing etc. All this took about 6 weeks by which time we were ready.

Off again leaving the desert behind to travel by sea through the Gulf of Suez, Suez canal and out into the Mediteraneum sea making for (we later discovered) Sicily. On this route we were joined over a period of some 7 or 8 days by hundreds of craft of all shapes and sizes coming from all directions.

On the night of the invasion of Sicily we had a fantastic supper of steak and ships mushrooms etc on the ship and then went up on deck (full kit) to transfer on to the landing craft which were slung over the side of the parent ship. But..the sea was so rough that it washed the boats back on deck as we were lowered. Cancel, all below, was the order but two hours later the sea was steady enough to try again.

This time we were lowered and started the 10 miles to the shore. It was rough, pitch black, but we could make out the odd glider which had crashed prematurely into the sea. We picked up survivors and they were crammed into our craft (they could be useful when we land). The landing took place just on daylight and we went ashore about 10 miles south of Siracussa, did what we had been trained to do, by which time it was nightfall and we rested in an almond grove.

Whilst making a cup of tea I cut my finger badly and decided to find the Regimental aid post to dress or stitch the wound. I ran through the village of 'Cassibaly', dodging the German planes which constantly straffed the village. I dodged into one earth floored dwelling which was occupied by a young couple and she apparently was giving birth. I beat a hasty retreat from here and headed for the Reg Aid post which was in the last big house on the right hand side. When I arrived there they were so busy (in the front room they were anputating a civilian's leg). As I turned to leave a sergeant said "What's wrong soldier"? I pointed to my finger and he said "Come back tomorrow when we are less busy".

Lots went on during the night and by next morning we thought that we would be pulled out for other duties.

At approximately 1300 hrs on "D" day plus one (Sicily 11th July 43) we were ordered back to the beach where a Lighter was waiting to take us out to HMS Prince Albert which was a Combined Operations ship. Now we thought we are bound for Blighty; but no, we were gathered together and the CO said, "Right lads we are not going home yet, we have another job to do, there's a bridge (Primasole Bridge) which is on the main run from Siracussa to Messina, this bridge is approximately 10 miles behind the lines and must be held until the British Army get there at approximately midday tomorrow. The Commando will be split into two waves, one going in at midnight and the other half (200 men) will go in at 0200 hrs. If the main army doesn't get there by midday, lose yourself until it does." As we went in on this job the enemy were able to concentrate on us as we were only four landing craft carrying about a hundred and fifty commandos. The reception from the shore was very heavy; the enemy were firing from the cliff top and the rounds were making a terrific din on the front of the craft. I was wondering what would happen when that front dropped, allowing us to exit. Fortunately as we moved nearer shore the elevation from the cliff top to the sea was such that the enemy could not depress their fire to hit us. The landing was a wet one. I was thigh deep in water and the beach was steep making it very difficult to get ashore. After getting ashore we found that after twelve or so feet we hit barbed wire; the enemy in the meantime were tossing impact grenades from the cliff top. It was dark. We couldn't see more than a yard but there was lots of noise going on. We lost quite a number on the beach due to the grenades but did eventually find a gap in the wire and skirt the cliffs.

Continued in D-Day Landings Part Two
No.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.