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"

IN MAY 1939, IN VIEW OF THE EVER GROWING THREAT OF WAR, ALL MEN OF MY AGE HAD TO REGISTER FOR NATIONAL SERVICE FOR SIX MONTHS IN THE ARMED FORCES FOLLOWED BY FOUR YEARS IN THE RESERVE FORCES. REGISTRATION WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND, AS I WAS SERVING IN THAT DEPARTMENT IN GRIMSBY, I WAS REGISTERED FIRST, MY REGISTRATION NUMBER BEING GRM 1.
MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF ALL REGISTRANTS FOLLOWED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. THE ARRANGEMENTS WERE PRETTY PRIMITIVE. THERE WAS A CIRCLE OF FORMS IN THE MIDDLE OF A DRILL HALL THROUGH WHICH PEOPLE WERE CONSTANTLY PASSING. THE FORMS ENCLOSED A NUMBER OF TABLES AND CHAIRS FOR STAFF (MY COLLEAGUES) TO RECORD DETAILS OF WHAT FIVE DOCTORS SAID. EACH NATIONAL SERVICEMAN HAD TO STRIP AND PLACE HIS CLOTHES ON ONE OF THE FORMS. THEN EXAMINATION WAS ON A PRODUCTION LINE BASIS EACH DOCTOR EXAMINING ONE PART OF EACH MAN'S ANATOMY. THE DOCTOR WHO EXAMINED ARMS AND LEGS TURNED OUT TO BE DR. ROTHERHAM,
THE FAMILY DOCTOR WE HAD WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND WHO HAD SAID THAT I WOULD NEVER WALK WITHOUT IRONS. WHEN HE SAW ME HE SAID "AREN'T YOU ALICE DAVISON'S BOY? (MY MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME). HE HAD ME DOING VARIOUS EXERCISES, PARTICULARLY GOING UP AND DOWN ON MY TOES WITH MY ARMS EXTENDED TO THE SIDES, AND CALLED OVER THE OTHER DOCTORS TO SHOW THEM WHAT A MIRACLE THERE HAD BEEN. I WAS STARK NAKED, OF COURSE, AND THERE WERE SOME TITTERS FROM
MY COLLEAGUES. HE SAID HE COULD GRADE ME EITHER A1 (FIT FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE) OR B2 (FIT FOR HOME DUTIES) WHICHEVER I WISHED. I ELECTED TO BE CLASSED A1.
WHEN A DOCTOR CAME TO IDENTIFICATION MARKS HE DICTATED "LARGE MOLE ON RIGHT BUTTOCK 2 INCHES FROM ANUS". I PROTESTED THAT IT WOULD BE RATHER EMBARRASSING TO HAVE TO SHOW THAT EVERY TIME MY IDENTITY WAS CHECKED. HE AGREED TO SUBSTITUTE "LONG SCAR ON BACK OF LEFT LEG". (WHEN IN THE WOLF CUBS I HAD FALLEN ON TO A COIL OF BARBED WIRE WHEN TRYING TO WALK ALONG THE TOP OF A FENCE).
THE WEEKEND 2ND - 4TH SEPTEMBER 1939 WAS QUITE EVENTFUL. ON THE SATURDAY MY CALL-UP PAPERS FOR SIX MONTH'S MILITARY SERVICE ARRIVED TOGETHER WITH A TRAVEL WARRANT AND A 5l- POSTAL ORDER (THE KING'S SHILLING?) AS ADVANCE OF PAY. IT WAS A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER BEFORE IT WAS RECOUPED. THE FOLLOWING DAY WAR WAS DECLARED. MONDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER WAS MY 21ST BIRTHDAY AND A SMALL CELEBRATION HAD BEEN PREPARED AT HOME BUT THIS WAS NOT TO BE. WITH THE OUTBREAK OF WAR, TRAWLERS WERE RECALLED TO PORT, NOT TO SAIL AGAIN, AND THE PORT WAS VIRTUALLY CLOSED. IN ADDITION ALL PLACES WHERE CROWDS MIGHT ASSEMBLE, SUCH AS CINEMAS AND FOOTBALL GROUNDS, WERE TO BE CLOSED. THIS MEANT THAT LARGE NUMBERS OF MEN AND WOMEN WERE THROWN OUT OF WORK. THE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE WAS THRONGED AND ALTHOUGH EMERGANCY PROCEDURES WERE INTRODUCED ("FILL IN THESE FORMS AND BRING THEM BACK TO-MORROW") THE QUEUES REMAINED. I BELIEVE THAT IN THE NEXT TEN DAYS THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED IN GRIMSBY ROSE FROM AROUND 7,000 TO ALMOST 17,000. I WORKED UNTIL
NEARLY MIDNIGHT AND THEN HAD TO WALK HOME AS I DID NOT HAVE A SUITABLY BLACKED-OUT LAMP FOR MY BICYCLE! `
MY CALL-UP WAS TO CATTERICK ON 15 SEPTEMBER TO THE ROYAL CORPS OF SIGNALS. AT A STATION ON THE WAY LADIES SERVED US TEA IN POT MUGS WHICH WERE UNPACKED FROM CRATES FULL OF STRAW. I THINK THE TEA CONTAINED MORE CHAFF THAN SUGAR! WHEN WE ARRIVED AT CATTERICK WE WERE GIVEN A MEAL BUT TOLD NOT TO UNPACK ANYTHING WE HAD BROUGHT WITH US AS WE WERE NOT STAYING THERE. WE WERE
PUT ON A SPECIAL TRAIN WHICH TRAVELLED OVERNIGHT TO PRESTATYN WHERE WE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOLIDAY CAMP WHICH HAD OPENED ONLY THE YEAR BEFORE.
FOR THE FIRST WEEK HOLIDAY-MAKERS WERE LIVING IN CHALETS AT ONE END OF THE CAMP WHILST TROOPS OCCUPIED CHALETS AT THE OTHER END. WE WERE KITTED OUT THERE AND I WAS GIVEN RIFLE NO I 11457. MY KIT INCLUDED WW1 MESS TINS WHICH HAD THE REMAINS OF A WW1 DINNER INSIDE THEM. MY ARMY NUMBER WAS 10143190 BUT A FEW WEEKS LATER THE MILITIA WAS EMBODIED IN THE REGULAR ARMY AND MY NUMBER BECAME 2364208 AND MY PAY ROSE FROM 1/6D TO 2/- PER DAY. IT HAD
BEEN DECIDED THAT CIVIL SERVANTS WHO HAD BEEN CALLED UP INTO THE MILITIA SHOULD NOT GET ANY BALANCE OF CIVIL PAY DURING THEIR SIX MONTHS SERVICE AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL SOME MONTHS LATER THAT I FOUND OUT THAT, AS I HAD BEEN EMBODIED INTO THE REGULAR ARMY I WAS TO HAVE MY PAY MADE UP TO WHAT I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED HAD I NOT BEEN CALLED UP FOR MILITARY SERVICE - A VERY WELCOME SURPRISE!
FOR THE FIRST SIX WEEKS WE HAD GENERAL TRAINING: SQUARE BASHING, PT, ROUTE MARCHES, BAYONET DRILL, RIFLE PRACTICE (I THINK WE EACH FIRED FIVE ROUNDS - AMMUNITION WAS NOT VERY PLENTIFUL) AND LECTURES ON GAS, ARMY DISCIPLINE ETC.
RSM UDELL INTRODUCED HIMSELF AND SAID THAT AS WE WERE NOT COMMON SOLDIERS BUT GENTLEMEN HE WOULD ALWAYS ADDRESS US AS SUCH. HE KEPT HIS WORD. I REMEMBER THAT ONE OCCASION WHEN THE DINING ROOM DOOR WAS LOCKED THERE WAS SOME JOSSLING OUTSIDE HE SAID "GENTLEMEN WE ARE BEHAVING LIKE CATTLE! GET IN LINE AND FORM AN ORDERLY QUEUE 3 DEEP AND JUMP TO IT". ON ANOTHER OCCASION HE WAS GIVING A LECTURE ON WAR GASES AND TOOK SOME DELIGHT IN SAYING "GENTLEMEN IF YOU BREATHE IN THIS GAS YOUR LUNGS WILL DISSOLVE AND YOU WILL LITERALLY DROWN IN OWN BLOOD". PERHAPS BEST OF ALL HE USED TO LIKE TO DRILL SEVERAL HUNDRED MEN FROM A PLATFORM NEAR THE BASE OF A TOWER IN THE CAMP. FROM THERE HE USED TO SHOUT "YOU AT THE BACK DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR MY VOICE - JUST WATCH MY STICK".

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.