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Before the war I was an Ophthalmic Optician and when war broke out the British Optical Association agreed with the War Office that after initial training, any of their members thought suitable would quickly be promoted to Sgt. At my own expense I did my initial training at Walthamstowe Polytechnic. I then joined the R.E.M.E. and did further training at Woolwich Academy. I was in Woolwich at the time of the Blitz; all of the Thames was virtually alight. I had to do fire watching duties and one night an incendiary bomb came through the roof of the building where I slept and landed outside my door. It had not ignited, so I picked it up and threw it outside.

From Woolwich, I went to Bury in Lancashire on an Optical Instruments course and managed to find digs so my wife and small son could join me. On completion of the course I was promoted to Armoured Artificer Sgt., and posted to Tidworth in Wiltshire. My family went to live with my parents in Surrey. I bought an ex-Army motorcycle and managed to scrounge enough Army petrol to get home to visit them.

After 6 months I got my orders (didn’t know where to) and embarkation leave. I had a long train journey to Greenock in Scotland and boarded a commandeered liner, sharing a cabin with four others. We went halfway across the Atlantic to avoid enemy submarines, then down round the Cape of Good Hope. We were so far round when the ship broke down and we went in to Durban where we stayed for 4 days. We then boarded another ship and sailed to Bombay. I was put into the area workshops there and as there was no military accommodation, I had a civvy flat. I was given various allowances and seconded to the Indian Army. There was a club on the other side of Bombay called Breach Kandy where we could get a meal and have a swim, it was very pleasant indeed.

I was then posted to Kirkee Arsenal, close to Poona, where I was in charge of 100 Indians doing optical instrument work. Whilst there I was asked to make a list of everything required for a 3rd line workshop.

I next moved to Bangalore in southern India — a beautiful spot, not too hot or too cold, I was there for about 9 months to a year.

I then moved up to Meerut, to the north of Dheli, still a Staff Sgt. I had a most interesting trip driving a lorry from Meerut across to Calcutta. Some bridges were washed away so we drove the lorries on the railway lines. We had a couple of days rest in Calcutta and then put the lorries onto flatbed railway trucks and headed northwards, travelling for 2 or 3 days. On the journey we lived on hard rations and I gave myself the job of ‘tea wallah’. I had to get the hot water from the engine, so everytime the train stopped, I would rush up and get the water for our tea. We finally reached our destination of Dimapur on the Bramputal(?) river. We de-trained and took the convoy over the mountains to the Burma border — this was during the monsoon season. I looked after the food during this journey and would drive ahead to find a place to stop, so the cooks could have a meal prepared for when the rest of the convoy caught up with us. One time the rest were really late catching us up. It appeared that after my lorry had passed, a landslide happened and the engineers had to bulldoze their way through. Our journey finished at Imphal on the Burmese border, where we were quartered in bashers, it was at quite a high altitude but very pleasant. There was no barber on the camp and as I had a pair of clippers someone had left with me, I cut one head of hair. I then had to cut everyone’s from the Colonel down. I charged a few annas a time, which helped to buy the odd bottle of whiskey. Whilst we were there, the Japs tried to invade India but completely bypassed our unit and cut off the only road back to Khohima.

My Colonel suggested that I apply for a commission and I had orders to attend an Officer Training School in Calcutta. I flew out from Imphal airstrip and landed in the Arahan. Here I had to change planes but it was unable to take off and I had to get out quick. Another plane then took me to Madras, it was full of high ranking officers and me! Then I got a lift to Bangalore but had to be the navigator. I stayed at my old unit for a couple of days R and R, and then had a train journey to join the OTS. The course was for Indians as well as Europeans; the mess there was really nice. The course was for about 6 months and I enjoyed it immensely, learning field craft and tactics etc. Whilst I was there I taught several people to drive.

I was commissioned into the R.E.M.E. and my first posting was to Armunargger which was an Indian Army armoured training depot. On my arrival, the Captain in charge went on leave, leaving me in charge. I knew nothing of tanks etc. but the WO there was a very competent man so I told him that if he said the tanks were O.K., then I would take them for a drive. This I did and I must say, enjoyed it very much. My next posting was back to Bombay where I had started, this time in charge of the workshops.

Next door to the workshops was the Area Headquarters, out of bounds to us but nevertheless I paid a visit and collared the office clerk who was in charge of repatriation. I had discovered that others were being repatriated and wondered when it would be my turn. My name was not on the list so I told my Colonel who blasted the clerk and 5 days later I was on my way home by sea via the Red Sea and it was in the Red Sea that we celebrated V.E day. V.J. day was celebrated in the Med.

After being de-mobbed, I came back to Felixstowe (complete with de-mob suit), and took over the Opticians Practice at 74 Hamilton Road.

On my journey through India, I had become a ‘tea wallah’, cook, barber and driving instructor as well as my official job.

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