大象传媒

鈥淣obody could have been more ordinary than I was.鈥�

David Willmott, born in 1912, left school at 14, and worked in Norwich as a 鈥榙ogsbody鈥�. He received an engineering apprenticeship at Norwich Technical College, and after 7 years, he left and 鈥渃ollected certain certificates鈥�. When he was 21/22 he moved 鈥渆lsewhere鈥� and worked as a civilian draftsman in a War Office.
In 1939, the war was expected by civilians, although apparently the Government did not believe Mein Kampf, and so did not expect war. Consequently the British Army were very short of people when the war broke out. Mr. Willmott spotted an advertisement in The Engineer (a monthly engineering book), recruiting engineers for the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC), and he 鈥渇oolishly鈥� joined up. The RAOC supplied materials and goods to the army, anything except petrol.
He visited a brigadier in Salisbury, who asked him if he had any experience with vehicle engineering, and upon hearing that he had none, merely replied, 鈥淥h well, I expect we can find something for you to do!鈥� He was given a letter with information, details of his uniform (which a tailor made for free), and on 5th May 1940, at the Tidworth RAOC Workshops, his army career began, with the 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division.
As he couldn鈥檛 drive, Mr. Willmott was sent to the Recovery Department, which supplied vehicles to the army. He learned how to drive, not just cars, but any vehicles available, and got many driving licenses.
After the Tidworth Workshops, he was sent to the Royal Military College of Science. He travelled all around, and went with the Royal Artillery to Weston-super-Mare. He was made leader of the Light Aid Detachment (LAD), which was made up of 13 men, and was attached to the Royal Engineers.
He went, with the 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division, to Egypt for 7 weeks. He had to collect vehicles, which had been brought on another ship. He said about the experience, 鈥測ou couldn鈥檛 possibly describe it鈥�. He travelled there on the Royal Mail Ship Almanzora, with 200 civilians, and over 2000 troops. 鈥淣obody would want to do it twice in a lifetime.鈥�
While on ship, nobody was allowed to smoke cigarettes or use any kind of light after dark, as submarines would be able to see the ship. When the ship docked at Cairo, he collected vehicles and changed the tyres (so that they were suitable for desert terrain).
In 1941, he had to go to Cyprus, when he was a Lieutenant. Crete had already fallen to the Axis Powers, so the Allies were determined to defend Cyprus. After 5/6 months, he went to Acre in Palestine. The Indian Division had been fighting in North Africa, and 鈥渘eeded a rest鈥�, and therefore could not fight.
He was then sent to Haifa in Palestine, with the RE Unit, and stayed until Christmas time 鈥� he remembers the snow that covered the ground. 鈥淭he army didn鈥檛 tell us why,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hey just told us what to do.鈥�
Mr. Willmott went to Damascus, and then he was sent back, and was sent to Kirkook in Persia, but the RE Unit never got there, as before they reached it they were sent back to Haifa.
6 weeks later, he went back to Syria, and after a few months, went back to the desert. Then 鈥渢he 50th Infantry Division, man and dog, went all the way back from Syria to Brooke鈥�, and that was the end of the war for Mr. David Willmott. He received four Stars (star-shaped medals), for his services, as well as a medal for simply serving in the war.

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