大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Eric Middleton with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

SHORTLY AFTER THIS WE WERE MOVED UP TO ISERLOHN WHERE WE WERE STATIONED IN THE WINKELMANN BARRACKS. LIFE HERE WAS VERY DIFFERENT. THE POLICY OF 'NO FRATERNISATION WITH THE GERMANS' WAS ENFORCED SO THERE WAS LITTLE TO DO IN ONE'S SPARE TIME. BY THIS TIME WINTER WAS DRAWING ON AND THE EVENINGS WERE DARK. THE ARMY MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR CORRESPONDENCE COURSES FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED ONE AND I ENROLED FOR ONE IN LOGIC BUT IT DID NOT TURN UP UNTIL A FEW DAYS BEFORE MY DISCHARGE. ONE DAY I HITCH-HIKED OVER TO SOLINGEN, WHERE THERE WAS A LEGALISED BLACK MARKET, IT BEING POSSIBLE TO CHANGE CIGARETTES FOR STEEL GOODS AT THE LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I MANAGED TO GET A SET OF FRUIT KNIVES AND TWO PAIRS OF SURGICAL SCISSORS, ONE OF WHICH I STILL USE FOR CUTTING MY NAILS. EACH WEEK TOO WE HAD A DRAW FOR SOME ARTICLE THAT HAD BEEN PRODUCED ON THE GERMAN ECONOMY AND ONE WEEK I WON A ZEISS CAMERA.

BY THAT TIME DEMOBILISATION WAS WELL UNDER WAY: ALL PERSONNEL WERE GIVEN A DISCHARGE GROUP NUMBER WHICH WAS CALCULATED IN A RATHER COMPLICATED WAY BASED ON AGE AND LENGTH OF SERVICE. I FELL INTO GROUP 23 WHICH WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST GROUPS. TRAFFIC IN ISERLOHN SIGNAL OFFICE WAS PRETTY HEAVY AND, AS MORE AND MORE GROUPS LEFT FOR DEMOB, IT BECAME NECESSARY TO WORK ON A TWO SHIFT BASIS. AS THE DATE FOR THE DEMOB OF GROUP 23 APPROACHED IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT EVEN A TWO SHIFT SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE BUT WHO WERE WE TO CARE?

I WAS DUE FOR 48 HRS LEAVE A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE MY DISCHARGE AND I MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO DRAW RATIONS WITH A VIEW TO HITCH-HIKING DOWN TO 'ARRAS TO SEE MY FRENCH FRIENDS THERE. IT WAS NOT TO BE! SOMEONE I DID NOT KNOW IN THE COMPANY FELL OUT OF AN UPSTAIRS WINDOW AND KILLED HIMSELF AND I WAS DETAILED TO BE ONE OF THE FIRING PARTY WHEN HE WAS BURIED WHICH WAS JUST WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON LEAVE. IT WAS ONLY LATER THAT I FOUND OUT THAT THE CHAP LIVED IN MACAULAY STREET, JUST AT THE BACK OF MY HOME IN WEST PARADE, GRIMSBY.
AT LAST THE GREAT DAY ARRIVED. WE MADE OUR WAY BY LORRY THROUGH COLOGNE AND TOURNAI AND EVENTUALLY ENDED UP AT STRENSALL BARRACKS NEAR LEEDS ON 14 JANUARY 1946. THERE WE HANDED IN OUR UNIFORMS AND DREW MOST OF OUR DEMOB CLOTHES. HATS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND SINCE I DID NOT PROPOSE TO WEAR ONE I ARRANGED FOR ONE IN MY FATHER'S SIZE TO BE SENT ON.
WE WERE GIVEN OUR DISCHARGE PAPERS AND TOLD TO FILL IN FORMS TO CLAIM THE MEDALS TO WHICH WE WERE ENTITLED. I WAS TOLD THAT A LORRY WHICH WAS LEAVING IN ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES WOULD BE THE LAST ONE WHICH WOULD BE IN TIME TO MEET A TRAIN WHICH WOULD CONNECT WITH A GRIMSBY TRAIN THAT EVENING. THE MEDALS APPLICATION FORM REQUIRED ME TO GIVE FULL DETAILS OF EVERYWHERE I HAD SERVED IN THE FORCES. RATHER THAN SPEND TIME FILLING IN THE FORM I DECIDED TO GET ON THE LORRY. IT WAS NEARLY 50 YEARS LATER BEFORE I GOT AROUND TO APPLYING FOR THE MEDALS!
WHEN I WAS FIRST CALLED UP MOTHER APPLIED FOR A PHONE TO BE FITTED SO THAT I COULD PHONE HOME FROM TIME TO TIME. DURING THE WAR PHONES WERE SUPPLIED ONLY TO PRIORITY CASES AND THE FIRST TIME I WAS ABLE TO PHONE HOME WAS FROM LEEDS TO SAY THAT I WAS ON MY WAY HOME.
I WAS GIVEN 79 DAYS LEAVE WITH PAY BUT RESUMED WORK AT THE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AFTER ABOUT SEVEN WEEKS WHEN I STARTED IN MY NEW GRADE OF EMPLOYMENT OFFICER WITH THE APPROPRIATE INCREASE IN PAY.

2364208 SIGNALMAN MIDDLETON ERIC

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