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"

BY EARLY FEBRUARY WE WERE AWAY. AFTER A FEW DAYS TRAVEL WE ARRIVED AT PORNICHET LES PINS WHERE WE WERE ACCOMMODATED IN BELL TENTS, KNOWN BY SOME AS TT TENTS AS THEY WERE APPROXIMATELY 7 FT IN RADIUS AND COMPRISED 22 TRIANGULAR PANELS APPROXIMATELY 2 FT WIDE. TWO OF THE PABNELS COULD BE TURNED BACK TO FORM AN ENTRANCE. THERE WERE PEGS AND HANGERS AROUND THE CENTRAL POLE FROM WHICH CLOTHES AND KIT COULD BE HUNG. WITH UP TO 20 MEN IN A TENT THEY WERE VERY CROWDED. PORNICHET WAS A HOLDING CAMP WITH MEN FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT CORPS OR REGIMENTS.

THE WEATHER WAS STILL COLD AND WATER FOR THE OPEN AIR WASH BENCHES DID NOT USUALLY THAW OUT UNTIL ABOUT MID-DAY. MY MID AFTERNOON IT WAS GENERALLY WARM ENOUGH TO SIT ON THE BEACH. ALTHOUGH LA BAULE, THE NEXT LITTLE TOWN, WAS OUT OF BOUNDS I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PUBLIC SHOWER BATH SITUATED ON THE FRONT THERE AND I MADE SEVERAL VISITS TO HAVE A HOT SHOWER UNTIL I FOUND ONE DAY THAT IT WAS NO LONGER OPEN WITH A NOTICE SAYING "FERM"E A CAUSE
D'UN MANQUE D'HOUILLE".

AFTER A FEW WEEKS I WAS POSTED TO LINE OF COMMUNICATION SIGNALS LOCATED IN CHANZY BARRACKS IN LE MANS.

L OF C SIGNALS WAS IN PROCESS OF SPLITTING UP INTO 1 LOF C SIGNALS AND 2 L OF C SIGNALS AND THIS MEANT THAT SEVERAL NEW SECTIONS HAD TO BE FORMED. I WAS TRIED OUT AS A TELEPRINTER OPERATOR AND IT WAS DECIDED THAT I WAS NOT FAST ENOUGH TO BE EMPLOYED AS SUCH SO I BECAME CLERK TYPIST IN THE COMPANY OFFICE, TYPING OUT DAILY ORDERS AND GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. MOST OF THE TELEPRINTER OPERATORS WERE POST OFFICE TELEPRINTER OPERATORS WHO HAD BEEN IN THE SUPPLEMENTARY RESERVE BEFORE THE WAR.
BEFORE THE WAR I HAD BEEN USED TO USING FLAT BED DUPLICATORS WHERE DUPLICATING WAS DONE BY TYPING OUT THE MATTER TO BE DUPLICATED ON TO A WAX SHEET, FIXING IT INTO THE DUPLICATOR AND ROLLING OFF COPIES ONE AT A TIME WITH AN INKY ROLLER WHICH HAD TO BE CHARGED WITH GOOEY BLACK INK - A VERY MESSY PROCESS. THE DUPLICATOR IN THE COMPANY OFFICE WAS AN ORMIG (LATER KNOWN AS A FORDIOGRAPH) MACHINE AND WAS MUCH MORE SIMPLE TO OPERATE. MATTER TO BE DUPLICATED WAS TYPED OR WRITTEN ON TO A SHEET OF PAPER BACKED WITH A VIOLET COLOURED CARBON. THE SHEET WAS CLIPPED INTO A ROTARY DUPLICATOR WHICH HAD A TANK WHICH WAS FILLED WITH METHYLATED SPIRIT AND UP TO 20 COPIES COULD BE ROLLED OFF.

ONE AFTERNOON THE OC SAID "MIDDLETON, I WANT TO GET AWAY EARLY TO-DAY. DO YOU THINK THAT AFTER YOU HAVE TYPED OUT COMPANY ORDERS BUT BEFORE YOU DUPLICATE THEM YOU COULD MARK THEM WITH SOMETHING THAT RESEMBLES MY SIGNATURE FAIRLY CLOSELY?" I SAID I WOULD TRY. AS I HAD HIS SIGNATURE IN MANY PLACES
ON MASTER COPIES OF DUPLICATED ITEMS THERE WAS NO GREAT DIFFICULTY IN TRANSFERRING ONE OF THESE TO THE NEWLY TYPED ORDERS. NEXT DAY HE SAID "MIDDLETON, YOU MADE A VERY GOOD JOB OF COPYING MY SIGNATURE. THERE WERE ONLY THREE OR FOUR LETTERS THAT I COULD SEE WERE NOT IN MY WRITING." I SAID "THANK YOU SIR" AND THOUGHT IT BEST NOT TO MENTION THAT I OFTEN PRODUCED ONE OR TWO EXTRA "SIGNED" ALL NIGHT OR LATE NIGHT PASSES FOR MY PALS.
2 L OF C SIGNALS MOVED TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION WHILST WE REMAINED IN ONE BLOCK OF CHANZY BARRACKS. ANOTHER BLOCK WAS OCCUPIED BY FRENCH TROOPS. THE BARRACKS THEMSELVES WERE TERRIBLY OLD AND SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS WERE PRIMITIVE. ON THE GROUND FLOOR THERE WERE WASH TROUGHS WITH RUNNING COLD WATER. THE BRITISH HAD BUILT SOME LATRINES ON WASTE LAND AT THE BACK OF THE BARRACKS AND ON EACH LANDING IN THE BARRACKS THERE WAS A HUGE TUB FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDED TO URINATE DURING THE NIGHT. THE TUBS WERE SO LARGE THAT IT TOOK TWO MEN TO CARRY THEM DOWN TO EMPTY THEM INTO A SEWER BUT, EVEN SO, THEY WERE OFTEN OVERFLOWING BY MORNING. THERE WERE TWO OR THREE PUBLIC BATHS IN THE TOWN AND WE WERE-ISSUED WITH A FREE TICKET FOR -A- SHOWER ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. FOOD WAS COOKED IN A KITCHEN IN A BUILDING AT THE BACK OF THE BLOCK BUT WE ATE IN OUR BARRACK ROOM. WE FREQUENTLY COOKED SOME SUPPER ON A LARGE CIRCULAR STOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BARRACK ROOM. THERE WAS A NAAFI IN THE TOWN AND I RECALL THAT ONE DAY I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE A HALF POUND PACKET OF CADBURY'S MILK CHOCOLATE. 1 SLIPPED IT INTO THE FRONT POCKET OF MY BATTLEDRESS TROUSERS. ON RETURNING TO THE BARRACKS WE STARTED TO HAVE A FRY-UP ON THE STOVE WHEN SUDDENLY I FELT SOMETHING WARM TRICKLING DOWN MY LEG; THE CHOCOLATE HAD MELTED! I HAD ONLY ONE UNIFORM SO COULD
NOT GIVE IT A PROPER WASH AND IT TOOK DAYS TO GET RID OF THE CHOCOLATE. A STEAM DRIVEN CONTRACTION WITH OVENS ON EITHER SIDE USED TO VISIT THE FRENCH TROOPS TO DELOUSE THEIR BLANKETS ETC. FROM TIME TO TIME BUT WE DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY GREAT PROBLEM ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE ORDERLIES USED TO GET SCABIES THROUGH SHARING BLANKETS.
DURING THE NIGHT A FRENCH GUARD STOOD AT ONE SIDE OF THE BARRACK GATES WHILST A BRITISH ONE STOOD AT THE OTHER. I WAS EXEMPT FROM GUARD DUTY AS MY WORK IN THE COMPANY OFFICE DID NOT FINISH UNTIL AFTER THE GUARD WAS POSTED.

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