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Pte Smith C A 鈥� W/151629

My Story

I joined the A.T.S. On 10th April 1942 after being called up.

Glen Parva Barracks in Leicester was where I was directed and there I got my introduction into army life.

The first few weeks were not particularly pleasant as our lives consisted of being given our unifiorm and inections from various diseases and along with vaccinations we were given 48 hours to recover from such.

The barrack square seemed enormous but we were soon introduced to it.

We spent many hours learning how to march properly and being bawled at by Senior N.C.S.

After a few weeks we had finished our basic training and had our passing out parade and we were told by our sergeant that we weren't a bad lot at all!

We were given weekend leave and on our return we were sent to a holding unit (Oswestry.) The intake which I was in was divided into two halves. Half to one posting and my half was sent to a camp in Blackdown near Aldershot. We had been attached to a unit which trained people who were to be attached to an anti-aircraft unit.

It was decided I should train as a telephonist. We spent many weeks training for being a telephonist ( I was attached to a Signals unit.)

Finally, my posting came through and I was sent to join my battery. I was to join 450 Battery, mixed heavy anti-aircraft unit attached to 48th Regiment. This was my posting to Gunnersbury Park in Acton, London. We were in the I.A.Z, the Inner Artillery Zone of London.

My life as a telephonist had started. I was in a team of telephonists and we went for our tour of duty in the command post which was below ground as the guns were above us as were predictors and height finders.

Telephonists wore a head and breast set all the time we were on duty. We had a small swithboard, took any messages and were always ready for action. If we were called and given the words 鈥渙peration commence鈥� we knew enemy aircraft were in the vicinity.

The alarm bell was sounded and all crews who were on stand-by arrived at the command post and took up their various duties. The duty of a telephonist was to be placed in front of a map and take information as it came in. We had to mark on the map where hostile aircraft were also friendly aircraft and any unidentified aircraft. These were highlighted by using different colours, red crayons for hostile, blue for friendly (our men) and yellow for doubtful.

We were all very busy during an air raid and I'm sure we didn't have time to be afraid. We worked hard but we also had plenty of good entertainment when we were off duty. We did things like going to firing camp also various courses ( I went on a signals course.) There was always plenty to do.

Later our battery moved to a gun site in Loughton, Essex and we stayed there for a long time.

When the doodle bugs started to come over we had to move and we moved to Edenbridge in Kent.

It was at this time that the late King and Queen Elizabeth came to visit our gun site. Peter Townsend ws in the party accompanied by some high-ranking military officers.

It was my luck to be on duty that afternoon.

Her Majesty walked into the command post and shook hands with me and asked me what my duties were. I was about to tell her when a call came through. Operations commenced and so I had to excuse myself and do my duty. Her Majesty was vey brave and donned her steel helmet like the rest of us.

A little after this visit we were told that our battery would be moving to the coast to try and prevent so many doodle bugs getting through to London. We went to Camber Sands near Rye. All leave was stopped and we lived under canvas.

There we stayed until the finish of the doodle bugs.

We returned to London, then V.E. Day and eventually V.J. Day and de-mob came. I stayed for a further six months but Ack-Ack was not needed and so I joined the Military Police after I spent my training at the police training school in Gosforth, North Yorkshire. Eventually my de-mob came and I was demobilised at York on 1st August 1946.

This is just a brief account of my national service.

I enjoyed the work I did and was always proud to wear my uniform.

C A Higginbotham (Mrs)

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