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CHAPTER 1

In April 1940 I was told by letter to attend a medical examination somewhere in London. We were examined by a number of specialists, one for the heart, one for eyes, another for hearing, etc. I was pleased to be passed as A.1.

After the medical we each had to speak to another official who had details of our qualifications, if any, and our fitness. We were asked which branch of the forces we wanted and they told us which branch we were going to be drafted into. In common with most of the recruits, I asked for the Air
Force but finished up in the Army Signals Corps.

A month later, I was called up to Chiswick' barracks in London, and on the same day taken, with about thirty others, to a large house in Caterham, Surrey. It was a detached property with six large bedrooms and beautiful gardens. Thousands of these large country residences were requisitioned by the Government at the start of the war. We were at this house for about three weeks, and during this time, Eileen came with her mother to Caterham to visit.

They came down twice by train, each time for the day, and I met them at the station. During my time at Caterham, they started issuing us with equipment - uniform, boots, respirator (gas mask), helmet, rifle, blankets, over-coat, ground sheet, and kitbag. They issued everything to us alphabetically. I waited each day for hours - they always started at A and usually ran out of stock before they reached W. Those of us with names low down in the alphabet had to queue again at a later date for those items in short supply. Also at Caterham we were all inoculated against typhoid. After the first jab we were all given 24 hours off duty, because it does make you feel rather unwell for a few hours. About a week later we had another jab, but this one had no effect. We also had to be vaccinated against smallpox. Many of those who had never been vaccinated before had terrible holes in their arms, which took a long time to heal and left deep scars. The time then arrived for us to be taken by lorry down to Hove (Sussex) where we were again billeted in what had been private houses. These were terraced houses, which apart from bunk beds, were completely
devoid of any furniture or carpeting. Each bunk had a straw palliasse on it.

During our stay of about five or six weeks in Hove, we did our training in the streets around. We assembled each morning outside the terraced house and formed up in three ranks. The sergeant in charge, or more likely a corporal, called us to attention and then right turn, left turn, about turn, stand at ease and finally easy. After doing this over and over again, we would be marched off to the cry of left, right, left, right all around the streets of Hove. On several occasions, elderly retired gentlemen stood up from their bench seats and saluted us. We felt as though we were heroes. Maybe they had all been to war in their youth and were very much in sympathy with us. I expect we were correct in our assumption that all these pensioners were ex soldiers who had served in the First World War.

While I was at Hove, Eileen and her mother came down by train and I met them at the station. It was great to see them and we had a lovely day together.

When I had been in the Army for about eight weeks it was announced that we were to move the following day - our destination overseas. The next day we did not leave until the evening. Then we caught the night train to Liverpool and at six o’clock the following morning we were off the train and on to the ship, the S/S Strathmore. We were taken down into the lower decks, which were full of sleeping soldiers who had been on the ship already for a day or two. They were still in their hammocks, and the smell was awful. With the oxygen mostly used up, it would take some time for the ventilation system to sweeten the atmosphere in what had been in times of peace the lower hold of a cargo ship. After the soldiers had vacated their hammocks and dressed, the atmosphere did indeed gradually improve, but it was not exactly a great introduction to what we already knew was going to be a very long journey by sea. We had not been told where we were going, but with the memory of the typhoid injections we had been given, the rumour was going around that we were bound for North Africa. That night I slept in a hammock for the first time in my life — it was
very uncomfortable and in my opinion, not to be recommended. Two or three days later we arrived in Gibraltar - we did not land but the Rock itself towered over the ship. We sailed from Gibraltar and from then on we were allocated various jobs on the ship. I was part of a bottle party and twice a day we had to climb into one of the ship's holds. We had to go down a vertical metal
ladder and heave a number of crates of various drinks on to the deck. We then delivered them to the Officer’s messes. Of course none of the drinks were available for the ordinary soldier, which
was just as well, because the last thing we needed was to find a few drunks in our sleeping quarters. In addition to delivering the drinks we had look-out duties. I usually found myself stationed high up on the top deck. If we saw anything unusual we had to report it. We were particularly warned to watch out for submarines and torpedoes. How we could have seen a torpedo coming towards the ship, I do not know, but presumably they would have left a wake in the water. It was quite a strain on the eyes, particularly during the night as the watch lasted four hours at a time. One night I was on watch and my eyes gradually shut in spite of my efforts to keep them open. Suddenly I sensed a light being shone on to me, and when I opened my eyes, I looked straight into the eyes of an officer who was shining a torch into my face. He accused me of going to sleep while on sentry
duty ( a serious crime in the Army), but I vehemently denied it and said I was just resting my eyes. It was a close shave and I was more careful after that.

I soon discovered that there were several things we could do in our spare time. One of them was boxing, which in my ignorance I thought I might be taught, so I decided to join this group. Unfortunately, all that happened was that they made gloves available and then sorted us out into pairs of approximately the same size and then we sparred around. There was no advice or instruction of any kind. The following day we were told that there was to be a boxing contest, and all our names and the names of our opponents were down on a list. It was too late to back out' Two days after this I found myself in a ring and getting a bit of a hammering. By which, I mean that I lost! A week later, all who took part were presented with winners and losers medals. This experience did not teach me to box, but it did make me vow not to get so easily involved in future.

We were now headed westward across the Atlantic and because of enemy submarine activity, we zig-zagged all the way. There were now thirty one large ships in the convoy, plus two protecting destroyers. It was a magnificent sight as every ship was over 20,000 tons displacement and steaming at maximum speed. The whole convoy was close together during the day, but as dusk
fell, they dispersed away from each other until each steamer was completely alone in its own part of the ocean. Then, at sunrise the following day, they all returned to close formation in the
convoy. In this manner the convoy steamed westward to within four hundred miles of Newfoundland, and then turned south east towards West Africa. After a number of days zig-zagging across the Atlantic we approached Freetown in Sierra Leone. We anchored just off the beach but were not allowed ashore. It was not considered a very healthy spot because of malaria etc. Various supplies including food and water were loaded in the next day or so. During this time we were entertained by the natives. They dived from canoes and caught coins thrown into the water. They had to catch them before they sank to the bottom, and they were extremely efficient at this and never appeared to lose a single coin.

Prior to arriving at Freetown, there had been some trouble on board over an R.S.M (Regimental Sergeant Major) who seemed to be going mad. He shouted at everyone, especially when we were queuing up for food, and he frequently appeared to be on the verge of an apoplectic fit. We were not surprised when we heard that he had been arrested and placed in one of the ships padded cells.
He was put ashore at Freetown and that was the last we heard of him. I have no doubt he was discharged from the Service - for him the war was over.

The convoy sailed from Freetown, far out into the Atlantic, zig-zagging all the time. Because there were so many troops on board, the washing and toilet facilities were not all that good. The wash basins became clogged and they filled with water so that the level of the water was up to the level of the taps. With a bowl full of dirty water, it was better not to wash at all! The toilets consisted of five holes cut into long planks of wood, facing five holes on the other side. There was not much privacy! All the water for washing was seawater, and although we were issued with special tablets of soap, even these did not lather very much.

This part of the journey consisted of steaming back and forth in the Atlantic, all the time making our way south towards the Cape of Good Hope. With so many troops on board there was always a
possibility of a shortage of drinking water, and we suddenly discovered that an armed guard had been mounted over each of the drinking fountains which were scattered around the ship. The food on board was generally very good. The system was that ten men sat at each table - five a side. One man at the end of a table had to go to the galley and come back with the rations for the ten men. Then the tray was passed down the table as each man helped himself. The problem was that with things like butter or cheese the last man often had only a sliver left, but usually things worked out reasonably well. The tea or coffee was brought separately to each table. After the meal was over, one member from each table had to return the tray and leftovers to the galley.

With so many men eating, drinking and often spilling things. The floor of the mess room often became dangerously slippery. With us all wearing plimsolls on board it was not unusual for someone to slip over, often when he was carrying a full tray of food. It was sometimes chaos at meal times but we soon learnt to tread extremely carefully in the mess.

There is one thing I can remember about the food - the bread - it was the most delicious white bread you ever tasted! This seems to be the normal on most ships. Soon after leaving England I decided that sleeping in a hammock was not for me, and so from then on, I slept on the bare boards on the deck somewhere or wherever I could find. The trouble with sleeping on deck was that at six o'clock every morning the crew always hosed and scrubbed each deck, so you had to get out of the way, or else! As always on sea voyages, every few days we had lifeboat drill. So far as I can remember, we had a lifebelt each, but I am not sure about this. Most of the lifebelts were of the very old fashioned type, consisting of separate square cork blocks in a canvas covering. You put your head through the centre, so that four cork blocks were in front and four at your back. You then had to tie the tape around your middle. We were then told to hold the top two blocks in front
so that when you hit the water, perhaps from a considerable height, the cork blocks did not break your neck.

One of the advantages of sleeping on deck and being forced to get up at six o'clock, meant that a few of us could go to the galley and get a mug of hot cocoa. With a mug of hot cocoa in your
hand, leaning over the rail and watching thirty one very large liners travelling at high speed, was an experience one could never forget. It was a unique experience and an event that will probably never ever happen again. Occasionally we saw and heard the destroyers releasing depth charges.

On one day each week we lined up for pay parade. I collected the magnificent sum of seven shillings (35p). After pay parade, the ship's shop opened for a few hours. You could buy cheap cigarettes and most other things, if you could afford them. Every day at dusk there was a complete blackout on all the ships. Occasionally there was the flare of a match when a soldier somewhere
lit a cigarette. Immediately there was a shout of 'put that light out'! All the doors in the ships leading out to the decks had double blackout curtains over them.

Eventually after five or six weeks, we awoke one morning to a wonderful sight. Cape Town and Table Mountain from the sea! It must surely be one of the finest views in the world.

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