大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Christine Wadsworth of Wakefield
Libraries and Information Services on behalf of Ray Hardy of South Kirkby and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In 1938 I was apprenticed as a joiner to J.W Waller of South Elmsall, West Yorkshire,a local builder.The building programme stopped for war work and at the age of sixteen I was sent to Wrexham in North Wales to help build ordnance factories, then on to Ranskill near Retford in Nottinghamshire - some ladies from South Elmsall worked in that factory. Later,after working in Rearsby in Leicestershire I was transferred to York in North Yorkshire where I helped build the cooling towers on Foss Island.
I had a medical at the drill hall in Leicester for the Royal Marines, but failed with my eyes. Later, I was told that I could enlist in any regiment apart form the Guards. I enlisted in the Royal Engineers in September 1942 and did my 6 weeks primary infantry training at Brancspeth Castle, Durham, a Durham Light Infantry and Duke of Wellington's combined barracks. Six of us who had caught the train from Moorthorpe Railway Station, met at York and stayed together for the six weeks initial training.
After initial training I went to Elgin in Morayshire for three mnoths sapper training and was then drafted to Melbourne near York for three months toughening-up training ready for abroad. At the Halifax Barracks, Duke of Wellington Regiment, I was ready.
I was allowed 2 weeks home embarkation leave and then it was back to barracks, then on board a locked train straight to Greenock Docks, a boat, then ferry and finally troop ship. I was in the Clyde for two weeks whilst a convoy of ships was formed, then bye bye Blighty.
After seven or eight days we were in the Bay of Biscay, then Tangiers which was lit-up, being neutral, ending up in Algiers.

It was my first time in shorts. We marched off, it was hot and I suffered terrible sunburn to the back of my knees and had very sore legs. In Transit Camp I was taken ill with suspected appendicitis and spent over two weeks in the army district hospital. It was at the height of the Italian campaign and they brought in wounded from Sicily.

All my pals had gone when I returned to transit camp. I spent a week as a Tradesman building nissan huts, then got posted into the 6th Armoured Division Royal Engineers No, 8 Bridge Troop 114 Field park Squadron at Glastonville, North Africa. I stayed in North Africa for nine months then sailed on the SS Ville d'Oran, disembarking at Taranto. It was a rough crossing and we were all sea sick.

I was at River Garigliano with the support troops at Cassino, but at the sharp end - the frontline - supporting the 144th, 8th and 5th Squadrons on the approach roads to the monastery.

We were called D-Day Dodgers because we fought in other theatres of war such as Africa and Italy and missed the D-Day landings.

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