大象传媒

My father died in 1929, leaving Alf (8) Ken (7) Ted (6) and Elsie (2). My father worked on the land so we had to move out. And our Mother had to pay the rent from now on.

Everything was going OK for us until 1939. When War was declared my Mother said 'My boys will have to go'. I joined the Army on March 6th 1941 and my brother Ken joined the Air Force in Autumn in 1941 and my Brother Ted joined the Navy in December 1941.

We were all on leave in March 1942 and that was the last time we were together until August 1946. When my brother Ken went back from leave he applied for a compassionate posting to be nearer home and he was sent to Egypt until Janauary 1946 where I met him in Ismalia.

My brother Ted came back from leave and he went to India and was there for a few years and was very ill too.

I joined the Royal Signals on March 6th 1941 and was stationed in Derby. I did my training on the Baseball ground, and then moved to FourMark Hall for twelve weeks to do the signal training which involved learning about cable and climbing telegraph poles with special foot wear. I came home on leave and went back to Homfirth for about three weeks. I then came South in Enstone where we started work on the Great Western Railway.

And we worked on the railway putting up telegraph poles and renewing wires from Exeter to Hungerford in Berkshire. The six new wires we put up we eventually found out that they were to be used for the D-Day.

I moved from Enstone to Broadway and we billited in the Lygham Arms hotel. From there we went to Exeter where I stayed for fifteen months. I was in Sivie Billets, the main group were stationed in the grey hound track. We used to go to Dawelish Warren on Sunday's from Exeter we moved to Bradford on Aven. From here we came to Layer De la Haye to prepare our vehicles and water proof them for eventual invasion of France.

We landed at Ararraces on D4 and were stationed in Bayerx amd worked on the railway there. I move Cane and was in an underground shelter on Cane station and the City was still being shelled. After a while I move back to St.Lowe and was in the Amercian Sector, we were in a room where the wires from England came in and across the room and out. So we tested the wires most days for faults.

George, Norman and I were there for Christmas 1944, the Officer in charge of the company came up and cooked breakfast for us on Christmas morning. Because the officiers always waited on us on Christmas Day.

We then moved to Rhiene in Germany and were billited over a very nice Beerhouse. The group of Soilders that I joined with were all together from March 6th 1941 to when I left in Rhiene August 1945.

I came back to England to train to go to Japan but as the War finished my group number was 36 to be demobbed and that meant that I could not go any further than Egypt.

We trained at Wroxham for two weeks then we were sent by rail across France to Milan in Italy where we stayed in a transit camp for about three weeks. Then we took the train to Bari in Southern Italy, the next daywe weretold that we were to go to Egypt.

So we were on the boat and landed at Alexanderer and put in a transit camp where I spent Christmas 1946. I had not recieved any mail from England because I was moving around a lot.From there I was posted R.A.F Fayid which on the Bitter Lakes and was stationed there until I came home in August 1946.

I left Alexander on the Friday and was demobbed and caught the Bus home from Braintree the next Friday.

My Brother Ken stayed in Egypt until January 1946 when we met. My brother Ted escorted ships from America and also the landings at D-Day. After the War he became Gunner and Cook on ships that were delivering Coal around the coast of England.

He moved to H.M.S Braintree which is now White Courts and he was demobbed from there. Even though my Mother had to suffer us being away all this time she was very pleased that we all came home safe. And I am sure that this was a lot to do with the Prayers that she said for us.

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