大象传媒

Francis Williams was a with the RAF for 10 years:

We鈥檇 been to Liverpool and we had to go over to the other side of Sheffield and it was winter 1941 and it was January. It had been snowing, the road was clear of snow and it was on the sides.

We climbed up through Manchester and onto what they called the Snake road. We were the only ones up there 鈥� so we thought. Then suddenly coming towards us was a lorry with unmasked headlights. Now, that wasn鈥檛 allowed in the war 鈥� two unmasked headlights. As it went past I could see the word MEX on the side and it was chain driven. It was a tanker.

It hadn鈥檛 gone past a few yards and I stopped and switched off and I said to Terry: 鈥淒id you notice anything, Terry?鈥�
鈥淵es, it never made a noise!鈥�
It was a ghost lorry! So I got out couldn鈥檛 hear a thing. No sight of any lorry and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up鈥�
Now 鈥� you see that lamp. Well if you put that on it would melt the tar in the road.

So we put it on and an hour later we got down into Sheffield and the policeman was waiting for us and he said: 鈥淚鈥檝e been waiting for you. You鈥檝e been signalling to the whole German Air force where to come. What happened?鈥�

And I said 鈥淲e saw what we thought was a ghost lorry.鈥� And he said 鈥淥h so you鈥檝e seen it as well have you? A lot of people have seen it but we never have. You know that鈥檚 illegal don鈥檛 you?鈥�
I said 鈥淵es, but we wanted to get down as quick as we could!鈥�
Now there鈥檚 a sequel to this.

There was a letter in Country Life magazine from this notable 鈥� a Duke or an Earl, whatever he was. And he, in broad daylight in the summer, came up from Manchester, caught this lorry up going the same way as we were that day, overtook it and 3 miles further on he had engine trouble, so he pulled of the road (there鈥檚 only room for 2 lanes of traffic) pulled off into a gateway, sorted out his problem and he thought 鈥淚鈥檝e been here 20 minutes and nothing鈥檚 passed me and that lorry couldn鈥檛 go off.鈥�

So he went all the way back to the outskirts of Manchester 鈥� came back 鈥� caught the lorry up again and he put his story down so I sent mine in 鈥� the one I鈥檝e just told you - and they printed it under the heading of Ghostly Wheels.

And it actually did make you feel peculiar at the time.

Talking of ghosts 鈥� in 1947 - it was a bitter winter 鈥� in January my father in law died. He lived in Edgware.

I鈥檇 got this little Morris and there was no heating in and only what you call plastic side windows it and I said to Stella you stay here with Anne I鈥檒l go down and represent you at your father鈥檚 funeral. I got there overnight and mother said: 鈥淲ell we鈥檒l have some supper and go to bed鈥�

I got up next morning and she said I鈥檒l cook some breakfast and she pulled to door to and I sat in the in the dining room on the settee and suddenly the door opened and in thro the door came a figure 鈥� bent 鈥� and she had a navy blue lace thing round her head.

She walked past me went to the bookcase opened it, pulled out a book and it fell to the floor. Then she went to the French window materialised through it I saw her go down the garden past the blackcurrant bushes. A little while later Stella鈥檚 mother came in and I said: 鈥渄id you see anybody?鈥� And she said 鈥淣o, nobody鈥檚 been in here鈥� I said 鈥淲ell a strange figure like a little old lady came in came past me, went to the bookcase 鈥� there鈥檚 the book on the floor.鈥�

She opened the book and out fell a picture of this gentleman鈥檚 mother. She was a Czech and had never been to this country. She鈥檚 lived and died in Czechoslovakia 鈥� yet here she was 鈥� apparently the same person 鈥� appearing at his funeral.

In 1942, July, my daughter was 3 weeks old and Terry (Murphy) was with me this time 鈥� my escort. We were in the yard and Chief said:

鈥淚鈥檝e got a job for you, two. Go to so-and-so site and load up with these spares鈥�

鈥淔air enough鈥� went up, put these aircraft spares on. Nothing tall, so we didn鈥檛 need the sides up. Those sides you lowered down if you didn鈥檛 want them.

So anyway, we went and loaded up.

鈥淲here we got to go?鈥�
鈥淏补谤苍蝉迟补辫濒别鈥�
鈥淲here鈥檚 Barnstaple?鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 in Devon.鈥�

So I got my book out, found out where Barnstaple was. And this area was about 3 miles outside Barnstaple. It鈥檚 still there today, as a training station.

I said to Terry: 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to Barnstaple.鈥�

鈥淕ood鈥� he said.

I said: 鈥淚 tell you what. I鈥檓 going to call at home and take Stella with me.鈥�

鈥淕ood idea!鈥� he said 鈥淲e can put the pram on the trailer.鈥�

(This is all illegal! I could have been court-martialled and shot at dawn!!)

However, we were then living in Bilston and I called round home and said to Stella 鈥淚鈥檓 going to Barnstaple do you want to come?鈥�

And she said: 鈥淥h yes, I鈥檇 love it鈥� and packed a few things and a few things for Ann because she was only 3 weeks old. Terry put the pram on the trailer and he sat in the trailer for a while and Stella sat on the spare seat because in these Commer 鈥榓rtics鈥� the engine is between you and your passenger it comes back into the cab. It鈥檚 a snub nosed thing, isn鈥檛 it?

So, the engine came back between you and your passenger so Stella sat on that side with Ann.

And we tootled off down after we鈥檇 got this all sorted out and worked out our route down through Kidderminster, Gloucester; there were no motorways then; so we had to go through the centre of these towns and often with the QM [Queen Mary] you鈥檇 cause consternation, people got in your way; Gloucester, Bristol, Bridgwater, Minehead.

Got into Porlock about 4 o鈥檆lock in the afternoon. Of course everybody came out to see what this huge 60 foot vehicle was in the village when they usually saw not much more than ponies and traps!

A lady came up to me and I said: 鈥淐an you tell me somewhere where we can stop the night?鈥� and about a dozen people said 鈥淵ou can stop with me, you can stop with us, you can stop with me鈥︹�� everybody was itching to give us a bed and I said to this lady: 鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 very kind of you鈥� She said: 鈥淚鈥檓 Mrs Norman and my husband is blacksmith of the town and I live in Forge Cottage and you and your wife and the young man can stop the night.鈥�

And the village bobby was there and I said: 鈥淐an you tell me where I can leave the vehicle?鈥�

鈥淪ure sir, you can leave it up beside the graveyard and I鈥檒l go and find a red lamp for the back.鈥� 鈥淣o trouble?鈥� 鈥淣o trouble at all sir, you just carry on.鈥�

So, she gave us an evening meal, gave us a good bed for the night, gave us breakfast.
She wouldn鈥檛 take a penny for it. 鈥淣o, you鈥檙e doing a good job for this country鈥� I said: 鈥淲ell I haven鈥檛 done any fighting 鈥� only for breath sometimes in the NAAFI!鈥�
She said: 鈥淣o, the fact that you lads are there helps a lot. We appreciate what you lads are trying to do.鈥� So anyway, we said goodbye to them all and carried on.

Have you ever been to Porlock? Then you鈥檒l know what the one in 5 is, won鈥檛 you? (or the one in 4). So there鈥檚 us with this 60 foot lorry going up this one in 4 hill and at the top there鈥檚 a hairpin bend. It鈥檚 about 500 yards, the first strip, because Porlock has never altered and it鈥檚 still narrow And we went round and climbed up this hill; climbed up and up and up and went across the top and then we had to go down into Lynmouth. That鈥檚 almost as bad as going up Porlock. I didn鈥檛 mind. I put the car into first gear and let the motion and the weight of the car take us down to the bottom.

Got into Barnstaple early afternoon, dropped Stella off with the pram and she said: 鈥淚鈥檒l feed Anne and get myself some lunch.鈥� and we went on to the aerodrome, loaded our spares, had lunch there, came back and then we went round to find some digs for the night because I said: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to travel back today. It鈥檚 too much. I don鈥檛 mind but I don鈥檛 want Stella to suffer it.鈥� So, however, we looked round and found a place for Bed and Breakfast and the lady said: 鈥淥h it鈥檚 a young baby. We have guests in this house, you know, and I hope she won鈥檛 keep them awake with her crying.鈥� And Stella said: 鈥淣o she鈥檚 a very placid baby.鈥� 鈥淵es, they all say that but in the middle of the night and she starts bawling鈥�!鈥�

Anyhow, Anne didn鈥檛. She did wake up at 3 o鈥檆lock but Stella quickly fed her (she used to breast feed her) and shut her up. She was full up and she went back to sleep. We were congratulated next morning!

We paid what we owed them and set off back to Stafford and I dropped her off at Wolverhampton (just outside) where we were living and that was our trip to Barnstaple. We鈥檝e been there many times since.

The things we got up to! When we went down to Milton and it was a hot evening we鈥檇 all go bathing 鈥� we鈥檇 go to a little place called Sutton Courtney. We鈥檇 got no costumes so we鈥檇 strip off and all dive in. Good old swim get out and dry ourselves on our vest put them back on and go back to camp.

We鈥檇 often hear the Jerry bombers coming over to bomb Harwell (it鈥檚 an atomic station now) and we鈥檇 hear them coming up. Stella鈥檚 mother would make me smile. When I used to stop at Hendon for the night I鈥檇 get a train 2 stations and call in at Stella鈥檚 house and stop the night there. Night after night we鈥檇 hear the German Bombers coming and she鈥檚 say 鈥淥h they鈥檙e not coming here tonight鈥� I鈥檇 say 鈥淲hy?鈥� She鈥檇 say 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going up the other road鈥�
And in fact 鈥� they didn鈥檛 come over our way.

This story was submitted to the People's war site by Genevieve Tudor of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Francis Willisma and has been addedd to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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