大象传媒

I was 16 years of age when war was declared on 3rd September 1939.

A few months earlier, I had commenced a Mechanical Engineering apprenticeship with a large firm in the Manchester area employing several thousand people. From about 1936, the company had been undertaking a certain amount of re-armament work. Once war was declared, the firm became wholly engaged on war work. The terms of my apprenticeship required me to attend the local Technical college, as well as working in various departments of the factory.

When I became 18 years of age, I had to report to the Ministry of Labour to register for military service. I asked to be registered for service in the Royal Navy to train as an engine room Artificer. In due course, I was instructed to complete my apprenticeship with the company and continue attending the Technical college. After the fall of France, the firm was required to step up output to help replace the equipment lost in France and at Dunkirk. The workforce was required to work extra overtime and to work on alternate weekends. As I had been in the ST Johns Ambulance Brigade as a Cadet and had received first-aid training, I was ordered by the local Authority to attend on duty at a local first-aid post from 6-00pm to 6-00am one night per week. The post was manned to be ready in the event of Casualties from enemy air-raids. In quiet periods, training was undertaken.

So at that period in 1941, I was working normal hours plus evening overtime and weekends also attending the Technical College and spending one night per week on duty at the first-aid post. In addition, many night-time hours were spent in the family garden shelter during air-raids. As an apprentice, my weekly wage was low as I was said to be under-training. My experience was only the same as thousands of Civilians on work-war and it continued during 1942 and 1943. In February 1944 at the age of 21 years of age, I completed my apprenticeship. At that time I was working in one of the companies, drawing offices as an improver design draughtsman. Shortly afterwards, the Ministry of Labour informed me that under the Bevin Boy Scheme, I had been selected to go for training then to start work in a Coal Mine and not to serve in the Armed Forces. At that stage of war, there were considered to be sufficient men in the forces, but not enough men producing coal for the nations needs. The company appealed against the decision, as I was engaged on vital War work. I was given permission to remain in my job, subject to periodic reviews. At Christmas time 1944, a number of German bombers each with a V1 (Doodlebug Rocket) slung underneath, crossed the North sea and released their V1s to attack the North-West in the night-time raid. The V1s flew on indiscriminate courses and one landed not to far away from where I lived, causing many deaths and wide-spread damage. On that night I was awakened by the droning of the V1 engine and remember to this day the sudden cut-off of the noise followed about 30 seconds later by the violent explosion. That raid marked the end of air-raids in the Manchester area. They had commenced at Christmas 1940, when Manchester suffered a number of heavy raids. The sky was red for miles, as the city went up in flames. Raids continued regularly, but not frequent until the end of 1944. I continued with my studies until 1947, by which time I had gained full Engineering qualifications, which in later years led to Management appointments. The general health of people in war-time seemed good, in spite of, or perhaps because of food rationing. Day-to-day existence was made bearable by a community spirit of helping each other. When people were bombed out, wherever possible relatives and friends provided accommodation until their house could be patched, or they could find somewhere permanent. We never seemed to doubt that we would eventually win the war.

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