I was called up on the 19th November 1942 to Maidstone Invicta Lines training camp, which was about 1 mile out on the Chatham road, on the right hand side. It's now a housing estate. 6 Platoon C Company 63PTUV Bluebell Hill. A few weeks before that we all had to go to Maidstone for a medical, where they sorted everybody out for fitness etc. I thought before I went, everybody said if you can stand up, walk and see the wall on the other side of the room you would be passed as A1. But it was not like that, with all medical check up, written exam, another with about 60 puzzles and shapes to sort out, another with things like door locks in pieces to put together. Can鈥檛 remember what else, but was there several hours and passed A1.
There was about 2,000 in the camp, some coming and some going every week, for 6 weeks training. The sergeant said you鈥檝e got 3 months training to get in that time, so PT in the gym 6.30 am before breakfast, then on parade at 9 a.m. for marching, fieldwork, lectures, rifle shooting, etc. My first shots with the 303 Lee Enfield rifle. The instructor said that鈥檚 jolly good you鈥檝e got a second in the group. I said to him, yes but the rifle fires a bit to 11 o鈥檆lock. Always got top numbers for position on targets.
I had plenty of practice at home with an air rifle, I had picked up plenty of 303 bullets from crashed aircraft in 1940 from the Battle Of Britain. You emptied the cordite out, then stick the cases on the fence and fire at the caps, which was about an eighth the same size as an air rifle bullet and if you hit it dead on it fired as the cap came flying back to you, a bit dangerous!
Anyway I went up to Bluebell Hill training, digging slit trenches, firing and sometimes night training, crawling along in the wet grass and sometimes frosty grass. In our time off, some evenings we would go into Maidstone to the pictures. We all had to be inspected in the main gate guard room before going out, to make sure we were properly dressed.
The Army pay was 17s 6d per week and I could manage on that. The Pictures cost 1s, a meal out 1/6d, a cup of tea 2d, 10 cigarettes 2陆d, etc.
One Sunday morning, Sundays were free time, I got up at about 6.30 a.m. made up my bed to look like I was still in it (Slept on the floor with a straw mattress and one blanket) and asked a mate to make it up later. We were not allowed out of
the Barracks until after 11a.m. I went down the back and jumped over the fence, then around a housing estate, so as not to go by the main gate Guardroom. I got down to the town centre bus station to find out that there were no buses until 11a.m., so I started to walk. I was still walking when the bus came along about 11.30 a.m. so hopped on and rode the rest of the way to Tenterden. Managed to get a few hours at home and got back OK.
Every Saturday morning was the RSM Parade everybody on Parade in the large parade ground. RSM was like the king of the parades and anybody making a mistake or not properly dressed would soon find themselves doing a weeks potato peeling at the cookhouse or washing up after duty every night for about two hours or more.
REDCAR CAMP
After six weeks I was posted to Marske by the sea, Redcar Yorkshire. I travelled by train with others from Maidstone East 5am and arrived at Redcar Camp 11pm. The train was packed with troops. A Wren fell asleep on my shoulder, I was scared to move, we never said hello or goodbye.
Now 8 troop B Battery 25 Med/Hay training Regt RA.
The guns were 5in Howitzers from the 1914/18 war and had Mons and other battles scratched on them. We went firing on the moors, the 100lb shell guns were made for trench warfare not long range.
In our time off we went into Redcar, Middlesborough or Portmann Town, etc. One of the chaps G Wharton left after our six weeks training and joined a regiment in Ireland. I was to meet him again three years later coming up a road in Northwest India! I said 鈥淗ello鈥 and 鈥渂y the way you still owe me 2/6d鈥 鈥 I didn鈥檛 get it back.
In Redcar Camp saw some ATS girls, I think they were in the office. I never saw anymore in the war.
On my first regiment guard duty (24 hours, 2 hours on and 4 hours off) I was on 10pm to 2pm walking around the huts when I saw someone coming and shouted out 鈥渨ho goe鈥檚t there?鈥 I couldn鈥檛 remember the right words! The 鈥榮tranger鈥 was the Duty Officer that had to walk round once a night to check if you were on duty. He said 鈥淚t鈥檚 who goes there 鈥 have you been reading the Bible?鈥
In the day we had rifle shooting, the troop consisting of about thirty men and the instructor and sergeant. The sergeant said we always have a bet on the highest score 鈥 1/- each himself included. At the end he called out that I had got 97 points, he then said hard luck he got 98 points! Nobody saw his target. I said to my mates he鈥檚 on a good thing here, I bet he鈥檚 doing this every week, not bad when we were only getting 17/6d a week! Anyway I did get 鈥楳arksman鈥 on my records.
CROMER CAMP
Next Cromer, Norfolk, L Troop 221 Battery 56 Med Regt RA. This time on the 5.5 field gun firing 100lb or 60lb shells. This was another 6 weeks or more training. While here I met with Peter Head who I went to school with (British School, Tenterden). He was not in my troop and I didn鈥檛 see him anymore until after the war.
One day we had a 30 mile march with full kit, rifle etc weighing 30lbs. After this I had a lot of blisters on my feet, went to the Doctors and got a weeks light duties , which was in the Sergeants Mess serving drinks and snacks. In the afternoons I went to the beach and laid in the sun. Soon back on parade again and issued with American Tommy Gun.
Whilst in Cromer the regiment was put up in big town houses and made very comfortable.
When out with guns for a week in open country or sometimes only a day and have spare time to play cards (陆d up the line). Put a stick or knife in the ground and draw a line about 9ft away might be any number mostly six or eight from the gun team, all throw coins at stick, nearest coin wins. Collects all coins in his hand then shouts heads or tails all that come up right he keeps, then the second call and third after that all left in kitty for next throw. We also sang songs like 鈥淲e鈥檙e the boys of the Royal Artillery鈥 and various First World War song.
Getting back to the start, when 17 years old everybody had to do something, everybody was called up to a Maidstone office and told we had to join something. I said I was working a lot of hours for the Garrison Engineers working on all army camps in the area they said not good enough. So I go and join the Tenterden NFS 鈥 National Fire Service. We would go and book in for duty when free. For me this was mostly Saturday afternoons 鈥 already working in the morning. If nothing happening we played cards such as Nap and got paid about 1/- per hour.
Me and Dad were working for the Garrison Engineers doing plumbing in all the big houses taken over by the Army. One Saturday we had to go down to Brookland on the Marsh in winter. It was freezing and snowing and we had to erect a huge Nissan hut from start to finish (with help), it was a lot of hard work but we did it.
Whilst at Cromer heard that one chap thought he would be clever and get invalided out by shooting his big toe off with his rifle. He fired his rifle at his foot standing on concrete, the bullet came back off the concrete and he lost three toes. Not sure how it ended but he probably was put on a charge.
Getting back to 1939/40 everybody had to do something. Me, Dad and others who live close by have to go Fire Watching at the British School 3 nights a week from 6pm to 6am and then go to work (army work) at 7am until 5pm. Mum always had sandwiches or home-made pies ready. When fire watching we played cards until about 12 o鈥檆lock 鈥 if nothing was happening we then went to sleep.
At Cromer we went firing with Sten guns to range, these were cheap machine guns, all you had to fire was single shots, but some chaps fire off 4 or 5 rounds and one chap fires off all 30 rounds. The Stens were a bit like that.
Next throwing live hand grenades, and you had to put your own fuses in 鈥 very carefully. I threw mine OK but one chap a bit nervous. We were all standing in a 4ft deep trench with pockets, instructor in with you, anyway chap pulls pin out and drops grenade. The Instructor grabs him and pushes him round to the next pocket. He had to move fast because only 5 second fuse. OK but bet he got a dressing down.
Next go on commando course, again about 30 men at a time. It was alright for me I was used to climbing running etc, quite a 鈥 one climbing up nets and under things, came in first. Another time in gym was fastest to climb up ropes.
BLAIRGOWRIE
My next move was to join a proper regiment at Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland.
8 Troop 209 Battery 53 Med Regt RA
The regiment was stationed in a Smedley Raspberry Factory (not now being used!) about quarter of a mile down the road from town a big river. Every Sunday Morning Church Parade. We marched to church and then if not Cof E could make own way other churches. Some chaps soon found out that it was a good way to get out of Church Parade.
Mum sends me a biscuit tin of cherries for my 20th birthday.
Here I first use R D Baker instead just D. There were three Bakers in the Battery and one was R and one D.
Training all the time on and off the moors for 2 and 3 weeks at a time. \At first no tents and had to sleep fully dressed under tarpaulins in a line. 10 gun crew not good. One night raining hard have to pull over our heads to stop getting wet but have to get up in the middle of the night to do 2 hours guard duty.
One time firing across Dundee water with all 16 guns. First time for us firing all 16 at once. Once three weeks on the moors with snow and lice have to go down to the stream and break the ice to wash and shave at 6.30am. At least we did have tents now.
One day after firing guns, we heard 鈥淪tand Easy鈥. I was on shells that day. Putting on the fuses or airburst time fuses set in seconds, anyway the order came, 鈥淭ake Post鈥 troop target and the Sergeant No 1 shouted loud to No2 & No 3. But he forgot that there was already a shell in the gun which was already noted by putting the ram rod in the breach and they rammed another shell up the breech. They soon realised what they had done, and the officer ordered everybody back for 15 mins (which was the done thing) after that he ordered them to get it out and it was brought over to me. He said take the fuse off as quick as you can in case it goes off. The fuse nose was smashed in, they were made so as not to go off. But this did not always work as one gun crew later on in France got the next shell too close when the gun fired and recoiled and hit the shell killing several of them.
Anyway everybody moved away while I unscrewed the fuse, There was me, leaning back on a pile of about 20 100lb shells 鈥 anyway it came off 鈥 otherwise I wouldn鈥檛 be here now.
Still going out one to three weeks at a time on moors, etc. up as far as Aberdeen and Inverness after about six months on the move again to Balero Camp, Carronbridge Dumfriesshire. The regiment 1,000 men. Some Saturday nights go to Dumfries or to Carronbridge. One time on 24 hours guard duty. Main gate Duty office comes around once in the night and shouts turn out the guard ( 7 men) and checks everybody fully dressed and line up outside with rifle. Anyone not properly dressed would soon find themselves on seven days C.D. 鈥 cookhouse duties.
After a 2am to 4am turn came in cold it was a very chilly winter鈥檚 night. Sat in front of the kitchen range and dozed off. The fire was on full and was woken abruptly with slightly burnt hands and face!
Another time must have been early on, always have parade at 9am. Captain comes around inspecting and stops in front of me and says 鈥淗ave you shaved this morning Gunner鈥. I did a bit of quick thinking and said 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 started yet鈥. 鈥淪tart tomorrow morning鈥, he said. 鈥淵es Sir鈥, I said. This is what you would describe as a Close Shave! I could have been in for 7 days C.D. because I had been shaving but thought I could get away with it that day.
On the move again to Oxted Surrey, this time. It was April 1944, we took over some big houses. What struck us funny was the kids and people talking after being in Scotland all that time.
Then things started to get serious and the Regt was moved down south.
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