大象传媒

Staffordshire County Council libraries, on behalf of the author, have submitted this story. The author fully understands the rules and regulations of the People's War website.

Whilst training in Blackpool, I was sent home on sick leave with the result that I missed all the rifle training. On my return to Blackpool, I was immediately detailed to go on guard which necessitated presenting arms to the inspecting officer. I told the corporal in charge that I hadn't any idea what to do but he ignored my protests with the result that the command "Present arms"! My actions were behind the rest of the guard in front of the officer and as the corporal walked past me he gave me an angry look and said "Bloody awful"! But I reckon it was all his fault.
Another shambles was on the rifle range. I had no idea how to load a rifle and again I told the corporal in charge but as before he
just ignored me. The result was that on the firing range all the other men fired at the target except me. Signals were sent back from the targets and the signal which came back from mine was 'Nothing received'!
From Blackpool I was sent to an airfield in Hertfordshire and it was arranged that the Black Watch would invade the airfield to test our defences. Our commanding officer blocked the approach road to the airfield with vehicles which enabled us to descend on the Black Watch regiment so in effect, in our eyes, the exercise was over but the Black Watch officer insisted that our men were called off so they could test the actual defence of the airfield. On this exercise I ended up at the top of a tree as a look-out instructed to do so by a sergeant. Hours later, I discovered from a passer-by that the whole exercise was over and I'd been forgotten.
I rememeber we had a laconic Yorkshire man in our unit and a Black Watch soldier pointed his rifle at him and said "Bang! Bang! you're dead"! Whereupon our Yorkshire chap said "Hast got no ammunition mate - here have some of mine"!!
To finish off, after twelve months in Hong Kong, my demobilisation number came up and I returned home.

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