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[This story was submitted to the People’s War website by a volunteer from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cambridgeshire on behalf of Ray Mercer and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Mercer fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.]

When I was called up I was placed in the Pay Corps and was posted to Hastings where we were based in the Jesuit College.

I can remember that during the evacuation of Dunkirk, practically every vehicle in Hastings was taken. I had been in the cinema when we were told to return immediately to our unit. Every form of transport was taken, even bakers’ vans and long lines of commandeered vehicles transported soldiers up to London.

I ended up in the Pay Corps at the Bank of England — but it was all hush hush. You weren’t even allowed to tell your own wife where you were. I went to live in Stratford and became a Sergeant. My wife went into the War Office and eventually we shared a building in London.

Once the war was over I went back to the City and worked in banking.

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