大象传媒

I met up with Phil Lofthouse, the last time that I had seen him was in Rouen in France, when he and the Colonel returned to England. Phil spoke about the Colonel and the work that he did locating the Aerodrome sites for the aircraft from America. The Colonel never got a pat on the back for this, all of the medals went to the Top Brass.
With the Americans arriving, the places seemed to come to life. The dance halls did quite well and the drink flowed like water. I also met my friend, Bill Thompson, he saw the War through with not even one scratch, but he had shot himself in the foot in Germany.

At Queen Mary Hospital in Roehampton in Surrey, were a great number of British Prisoners-of-War that was held by the Japanese. These men were very poorly and the Doctors and the nurses were doing all that they could do for them.

With the Americans at Bushy Park, the A T S were at Kingston-upon-Thames, I had been told that it had become a pretty lively place in the evenings and at the week-ends.

I was told about the aircraft flying over head, and then all at once, they were gone, on their way to bomb Germany. It had been said they were now getting a taste of their own medicine. I had heard a story about a deserter, that had rolled himself up in a carpet, but when the Armistice was declared, the deserters gave themselves up and was discharged from the services. I thought to myself, how lucky these men had been, but after that no one would trust them again. One learnt the Borough Council had made preparation had the Germans invaded England. One Prisoner-of-War, who lived in Richmond in Surrey, he said that he had taken Hitler's bribe and joined the German Army. But how on earth did he ever get back to England, after doing that, one began to wonder. But when the Richmond Police went to his home, he had disappeared and no one ever saw him again in the area.

One then heard about D Day, how the street were empty of men in their uniforms. It was a great surprise to every one when the radio announced to the British people, that details of D Day was a well guarded secret. Not like the Dieppe raid by the Canadians in the War. The bombs dropped in Watneys Sports field and in the Hammersmith Cemetary but did not damage any homes nor was there any loss of lives. The people of England must have stood behind the Government.

My mothers brother lost his home and he worked for the Home Office. After that he rejoined the Army and returned to India and then to Burma.

One could hear details on how the War was being fought by going to the pubs for a drink. You heard how the British troops had taken towns in Italy and weeks before, the Americans had arrived, but it was the Yanks that got all of the credit! I never got involved in those discussions as it was not worth it.

My parents did not say a lot about the events that had happened, but they told me that there was not any news about the Merchant ships or the Merchant Navy,only what you heard on the radio news and what you read in the newspapers.

My mother told me that the Railway Porter had got extra cheese, but those doing heavy work got sod all! She could not understand this why they were eligible for these extras.

There are those that forget very quickly about the Second World War. A group of Veterans were talking about Montgomery, when a man, who was sitting at the next table said" We have heard enough about the War". He received a rude reply "What do you know about it, all that you have done is to sit on you ass, in an office at Watneys". The man must have thought" I have hit a soft spot here" because no sooner that he had drunk his beer and he was off. You had to watch what you said, even though it was 1952/1953.

The bombing of Coventry, there was one green Goddess Fire Engine, left Mortlake to help put the fires out, but it was stopped about 100 miles away and ordered to return to Mortlake.

Three of the men in my Battalion, arrived the next day, which was 13 June 1940 at St valery in France and they found no Germans. They looked around for a boat to escape in but could not find any, so they hid in St Valery. A family had helped them out and hid them, they gave them food. The Germans did come and search the area of the town but they never found them. They were on the run for nearly 13 months and it was becoming very dangerous for them so with help they tried to cross into Vichy France but they were captured and taken as prisoners to Paris. The German Gestapo said that they were saboteurs. They were held for nearly 2 years and they were investigated, mostly at night. One of them was a medical orderley and he was sent to Colditz Prisoner -of-War camp. The other two were sent to an Officers camp.

I had made up my mind that I could not go back into the Army. What with my father having health problems and my mother was more or less disabled because of her legs. So I decided to join the General Municipal Workers Union. It was a form of insurance against strikes or any accidents that you may have. Another reason is that I had someone that I could turn to if I was in trouble. My friend George Piper had lost an eye and he was partly blind in his other eye. This was as a result of an accident that he had on the Rifle range.

I was informed that there was to be a St Valery Re-Union. At this meeting there was 60 Officers and their wives and other members. I was looking around the room but many well known faces were missing. I was told that not all of the members had turned up here. I met Charles Bobart, the medical orderely. His brother-in-law was Bill Bampton. They were the ones that had been on the run for nearly 13 months after the surrender at St Valery in June 1940. Charles Bobart said that the other man, Cross was sick, and that they had a hard job of convincing the Gestapo that they had been on the run from St Valery for 13 months. They could not escape from St Valery but they had tried to cross into Vichy France, but in the end they were believed but they were not trusted.

It was a puzzle how some 25 members of the 2/6 Battalion East Surreys had arrived back in England. The Military Police did not believe some of their stories. Some were threatened with Court Martials, but they could not volunteer for the Commandos. Two volunteered and another two also volunteered to go on the Merchant ships as gun crews. There must have been some great stories to have been told from these men. One of the men was George Beech, he had been picked up by the Royal Navy Destroyer from a beach. He said that he was all on his own.

Some of the 2/6 Battalion had not joined the St Valery Association, they had said that they were disgusted by the way that they had been treated by the British Government. It could have been a far different story had it not had the penny pinching of the Governments of past.

For these Officers and the other ranks have been forgotten, wrote off and buried since 1940. At St Valery there stood 250 officers and other ranks still in fighting order and the treatment at the hands of the Nazi Germans was disgusting. We had been starved, treated worse that cattle. Those years that we had spent as Prisoners-of-War would never be wiped from our memories, they could forgive but they would never forget.

Their welcome home was no better than those officers and men, that had returned from the 1914/1918 War. But what did help them, was that they could find work. This would help them to forget some of the treatment that they had received from the Germans.

They had been sacrificed, written off, buried and forgotten, as have so many service men, that had fought for their King and their Country in World War 2. One day, maybe someone will uncover the truth of what had happened.

When every thing is said and done, looking back on those War years, it could have been such a different outcome to the War. Those penny pinching people in the Government could always find the money for the Members of Parliament salary increases, but when it comes to the defence of our Country, it is a different tune that they sing.

Even today, the Members of Parliament comes first, the defence of this Country is a second thought.

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