大象传媒

In 1944, with the threat of Revenge Weapons, the Royal Artillery deployed Location units on the South Coast - Dover, Folkestone, Dungeness,Hastings, Beachy head, Ventnor and Brighstone.We were told that the danger of attacks on London were imminent,and the results devastating.From HQ`s at Dover castle and canterbury we were linked by ordinary GPO landlines; we saw giant bobbins and blocks of concrete flats being towed along the coast and we all knew them as special things!At D-Day spirits were high for one week-then the counter-punch came with a vengeance. Location units were re-deployed in Greater London , Barnes, Hornsea, Shooters Hill, St Helier Hospital and numerous other sites, including 4 OP`s oon the Victoria Tower above the House of Lords. The Army were joined by the London Fire brigade,and the Local Authorities were notified of incidents; the building workers joined the ARP and Police and Ambulance services to deal with people and buildings- within a few hours the damage was cleared, and the only evidence was the smell of sap from the stripped trees. Next was the rocket threat and several dozen RA Surveyors were sent to Cardington to train on Observation Balloons, kept in the massive Airship hangers;Raf Ballon crews set up the sites at Clacton, Herne and Dover after the Artillerymen had laid the 1 ton concrete bases. At Herne village we formed a dance band to play for the hop pickers from London-in the barn near the Church . on detachment to the Dover Ballon,at St Margaret Bay, I witnessed a scene direct from Dad`s Army ! The Long-range guns at Cap Gris Nez were a regular feature of life inn Dover and on this day several of us were in a US army tent and one squaddie was reading the sunday paper= all 4 pages- a couple of the old soldiers were talking of the days when Sunday Papers had 100 pages-that started an argument, including accusation of exagerration;the shell landed close by;the lad with the newspaper ran out and retunned immediately with a chunk of red-hot shrapnel and the paper on fire in his hands -obviously hysterical because he did not notice; then the cockney NCO came in to administer immediate counselling `Right my san, I`ll get you a nice cap of char` Tough times but we were `appy.

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