大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Dianne Burtrand of Chelmsford Library on behalf of Douglas John Pike and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Reluctant khaki clad civy commanded by YITS 1940 -1946

(Many Signals Officers were Youths in Training (YITS) who were Junior Managers in Post Office Engineers. Upon joining Supplementary Reserve they were selected as being Commissioned Rank material)

February 16 1940. Call-up to Middlesex Yeomanry, Bohun Lodge, Southgate. Kitted out with Ill-fitting battledress, voluminous fatigue dress (Jankersuits/Goonskins) , WW1 cavalry bandoliers, water bottles and Ross (Tea-pot) rifles. Back home for a couple of hours. About a week later into Barnet Hospital with pharyngitis. Up to Whitwell with rear party then a couple of weeks later into Worksop Isolation Hospital with German measles, fortunately not preggers! Off to Bakewell Burton Close and Haddon House in time for Dunkirk and digging 鈥榟oles for poles鈥� to stop German gliders landing. No connection with reason for declaring war, when Germany failed to leave Poland. Stand-to dusk and dawn in a steel helmet, gas mask, rifle and fifty rounds .303 at all times, even on Church Parade. Field cable drill was 鈥楶ole Crossing鈥� 鈥�1and 2 take Pole, Peg and Guy-line; 3 and 4 take Hammer and Jumper; Pole crossing commence鈥�!
Training for Multi Airline construction, the Company parade each Saturday morning was in Bakewell cattle market where we spent a short spell in a hall at the back of a pub complete with an incongruous grand piano 鈥� bad version of Deep Purple getting worse reception.
No invasion, tropical kit issued, when powers that be decided that either the invasion threat had ended or that we would have endangered the future of the UK had it transpired. The tropical kit is worth listing starting at the top with the Solar Helmet, topee to us; light khaki shirt; shorts long, these were the invention of some desk bound UK civil servant, being long trousers fitted with buttons in crutch and matching buttonholes at bottom of legs. The theory being that bottoms were buttoned up until evening, then the released long trousers would prevent mosquito bites and possible malaria. In practice the first job after housing in camp that the shorts would be shortened by trouser leg amputation. Last but by no means least were hosetops and short puttees.
After seven days embarkation leave, which was soon over, it was back to Bakewell and tropical kit.

Signals at sea part one: Glasgow to Greenock via North Atlantic.

By train to Glasgow then onto Oronsay to sail down the Clyde.(torpedoed and lost 9/10/43 in the South Atlantic. Two days later Orcades shared the same fate hundreds of miles to the South. A convoy formed (Tail of the Bank) on the evening of the 7th October and sailed into the Atlantic.
At 10a.m. on the 8th October a Fokke Wolf Condor dropped a couple of bombs and strafed the ship, killing one crewman and the 21 ops. Section Cook.
Wallowing, waiting for U boats, we eventually got back to Greenock and were taken off to shore in tenders, then by train back to Glasgow and Maryhill Barracks. Seven days of survivors鈥� leave. 鈥淗ello, home again鈥hen do you go back?鈥� It seems that the second question was always put to ascertain length of leave and not looking forward to the return. Well that was the warrior鈥檚 hope. Again all too soon the return to Glasgow came round.

Signals at sea part two: Douglas, Isle of Man to Port Said via Durban

About a week later I took a train to Fleetwood and was of to Douglas, Isle of Man. Into civy billets, not the internment camps for a three week stay until on the 5th November, my 21st birthday, we were herded onto a packet boat and after sailing across the Irish Sea we entered Liverpool Docks. After tying up alongside Rienna del Pacifico we went up to the main deck and down the gangway onto a floating quay.
This proved to be the Princes Landing Stage, used by transatlantic passengers to board major liners. It could accommodate up to three vessels e.g. Empress of Canada. Here we were lined up, subjected to roll call and after what seemed hours went up a gangway onto the Andes. This fine vessel was almost completed by 3rd September 1939, then hastily converted to a troopship. She had crossed the Atlantic at least once in company with the Queen Mary. They relied on their speed and were unescorted. She had the lines of a millionaire鈥檚 luxury yacht and was to be our home until 1st January 1941. Having staggered up the gangway under two kit bags and rifle we were directed forward and down to our mess. After a few hours we saw Rienna del Pacifico move off and we closely followed out into the Mersey, by then littered with sunken vessels just showing masts. The ship dropped anchor. Our mess, F10, was well down and adjacent to the chain locker which was very scary when the anchor was dropped, the echoing clatter too much like the Oronsay experience for comfort. Next morning sailing out of the Mersey into the Irish Sea we could see that we were one of ten liners, later identified as Strathallan; Strathairs; Strathaven; Reina del Pacifico; Empress of Canada; Viceroy of India; Orcades; Otranto; Duchess of Atholl and our Andes.
As the voyage commenced we found life on the luxury liner was very pleasant as the ship had never had a paying passenger aboard and hence had not had its maiden voyage. We had hammocks in sectioned off parts of the holds but dined in style, albeit at long tables on forms, in a magnificent Dining Salon.
Fine marquetry depicting various panoramas reached a very high ceiling but sheets of plywood six feet high protected them from damage all round. Food was much more civilised than Army Grub. Bread was baked daily for the thousands aboard. Some days later sailing into Freetown harbour we were met by 鈥榖um boats鈥� loaded with bananas and boys diving for coins. Educational it was our first view of the 鈥榯hird world鈥�. After several days we 鈥楥rossed the Line鈥�.
Neptune and his assistants 鈥榗ame aboard鈥� and lathered and shaved, with a gigantic razor, several of the first time crossers of the Equator.
This ceremony was conducted on the edge of the swimming pool so the chair was neatly tipped allowing the victim to wash off the 鈥榣ather鈥�.
Another echo of peace time cruises was the daily Para Mutual sweepstake on the day鈥檚 mileage. In about another three weeks we sailed into Durban, moored, and were given afternoon shore leave. Parading in tropical kit of shorts long, buttoned inside and outside legs, solar helmets, hose tops and puttees short. (1980s 鈥業t ain鈥檛 half hot Mum鈥� brought it all back). Brits had not lost their appeal to South Africans of British origin and many of the servicemen found themselves invited to local homes. The Colour Bar was very obvious on transport especially. 10 line maintenance were amused at memory of last dry land 鈥� Douglas, I.O.M. Back on board for a leisurely cruise up the East African coast, well out from land, to spend Christmas 1940 in the Red Sea. Gunfire was served by senior NCOs and full Christmas lunch served by Officers. At the crew鈥檚 concert roundabout 31st December, the Bosun told stories, the last being about Noah. Had we ever thought how he coped with the dung from those creatures? Well, he kept sweeping it up to the stern until one day he decided enough was enough, so he pushed the great heap overboard. 鈥淲ell my friends, tomorrow you are going to land on that lot!鈥� True!

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