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It
was at this stage our technical training was to start with the theory side,
such as:
How
an engine works and why
What
is Induction Compression Power and Exhaust.
The
firing order of four cylinder engines. 1342 except a Ford which was 1243
and six cylinders 153624.
Why
a clutch, gearbox and differential in the rear axle.
The
Ackerman theory on steering.
Beside
the fuel and ignition systems we had to understand how and why it works. At
this stage it was only petrol engines — diesel and multifuel engines came
later.
The
barracks were divided up into "houses" similar to a public
school, which produced a very competitive spirit. It contained workshops,
hospital, church, gymnasium and single storey blocks which were to be our
living quarters. Even these were surrounded by gardens which we kept
planted and the grass cut, all of which was in keeping with the layout of
the barracks. We had playing fields and a rifle range with lecture rooms
and offices which made it well equipped and self-contained. Our stay in
Jersey was to be short-lived as war had been declared and was spreading
across France.
We only managed to leave Jersey in
December 1939 and again in Easter 1940 to travel home on leave, but I
returned to carry on with our training.
By
now Dunkirk
had been evacuated by the B.E.F. and others were being evacuated along the
French coast up to St Malo. In June 1940, the British government decided to
demilitarise the island so we all had to be evacuated to England. Before this could
happen, all our equipment had to be packed and crated up. This included all
our workshop machinery which was duly loaded and taken to the docks at St
Helier, eventually being shipped to Southampton.
Our
daily routine in the week or so before evacuation was to vacate our barrack
rooms. This gave shelter to the remnants of the B.E.F. from St. Malo, some
of whom were wounded. During the day we were crating up the machinery,
stores and all the associated equipment of the barracks. During the
evenings we were pushing out the training vehicle chasses on to the runways
of the adjoining airfield. This was to obstruct and prevent enemy aircraft
landing, then first thing in the morning we cleared the runways to enable
our planes to take off and land.
In
an evening, when our chores were completed it was a five mile march to a
pre—war holiday camp site which was a collection of small wooden huts in
which we were to sleep. These were crude arrangements with only a central
standpipe for water but breakfast was produced by staff at the barracks and
brought to us by our only vehicle — a 30 cwt. Morris truck. After reveille
and breakfast we would march back to the barracks in Service Dress with
full equipment in case we had to evacuate suddenly. Fortunately our kit
bags were held in stores and had been loaded. This situation was uncertain,
not knowing where the enemy would bomb the barracks or even strafe our
column of boys in between the barracks and the holiday camp. Mercifully
neither happened.
We
were now getting concerned about our stay on the island — if and when we
would get away. This would all depend on a vessel being available. At
4.30p.m. on 19 June 1940 the fateful time had arrived. A number of double
deck buses arrived at the camp and we embarked for the journey of about 9
miles to the docks at St. Helier. This was
a memorable occasion for it was the last time many of us would see the
barracks, and the local people had gathered to wish us farewell and goodbye
to the island.
The
road from St. Aubins to the dock at St. Helier was lined with lorries
loaded with potatoes waiting for available ships to take them to England.
But alas, these were few and one of the last to leave was to take us and
our stores away from the island. Once aboard the boat it was a wave to
those of the local population we were leaving behind and a song from the
boys as we set sail. The journey of about 8 hours was marred by several air
raid alerts but due to complete blackout we got to the safety of the
English coast with relief. We eventually arrived at Southampton
during an air—raid alarm at midnight. Hurriedly we disembarked in the gloom
— through Customs so quickly and on to a waiting train to Reading. Here lorries were waiting to
take us to Arborfield to arrive in the early hours. We then finished the
night out on some straw palliasses on the gymnasium floor — all 240 of us.
Our stay there was only to last two days, for we were all documented and
sent on leave — not knowing for how long, but hoping we could continue and finish
our training.
By
June 4 1940 the evacuation of 335,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk had been completed in 857 British
and many French ships. We had suffered casualties of 30,000 troops and all
the vehicles and materials including over 1,000 guns had been lost. During
our training on Jersey we were aware of the war was getting closer, though
due to strict security a lot of the events which happened was not readily
available. Some of the B.E.F. (British Expedition Force) in France had escaped along the coast and were
being taken off by small craft, some of them from Jersey.
At
every available port in France,
troops were being evacuated. Throughout June 17, from Cherbourg,
30,630 men were taken off; from St. Malo 21,474 Canadians; from Brest, 32,584 soldiers and airmen were rescued; from
St. Nazaire and Nantes, 57, 235; from La
Pallice, 2,303 Britons and Poles, and from a dozen ports on the southern
half of the Atlantic coast of France, 19,000 troops, most of
them Poles. In the eight days between June 16 and 24, all 163,225 had been
taken off to safety. One boat load, however, was not so fortunate; on June
17 the passenger liner Lancastria took five thousand soldiers and civilians
on board at St. Nazaire. As she left the port, heading for England,
a German bomber struck, and the ship was sunk. Nearly three thousand of
those on board were drowned. Churchill, on being given details of the
disaster, forbade immediate publication of the news, fearing its effect on
public morale. 'I had intended to release the news a few days later,' he
was to recall after the war, but events crowded upon us so black and so
quickly, that I forgot to lift the ban, and it was some time before the
knowledge of this horror became public.' It was only six weeks later, after
the facts were publicized in the United States, that the British
Government released the news.
Eventually
we all received the recall notice to report to Dettingen Barracks at
Blackdown. Here we found our new barracks was to be some well known
"spider huts". Workshop practical was impossible but we were
given plenty of lectures on theory. Our PT display team toured the local
garrison and at Pirbright had the satisfaction of showing the Guards how it
should be done. This continued for 10 weeks until October 1940 when we were
to move to Aldershot.
Here
we were to form the 13th Training Battalion (Boys) RASC at Buller Barracks
which formed part of the Training Brigade. It was from here that we caught
up with a lot of equipment from Jersey to
carry on with our training. By now all of us had become so proficient at
drill and at cleaning our equipment, that we became an example to all the
recruits being conscripted and passing through this famous Buller Barracks.
Whilst
here at Aldershot we had further lectures
and carried out practical experience on engines - some of which was
sectionalised. This enabled us to see and examine the working parts of an
engine and it was now that all our theory from the lectures and this
experience was tied up together. Our technical training continued and also
our military training. Church parades on a Sunday were very spectacular
with a march usually complete with the RASC Band from W.Square to St George's Church in Queen's Avenue. All the
boys on parade were immaculate, and all the intakes of conscripted men,
having just joined the army from civilian jobs were here for six weeks'
basic training coming under strict discipline to make soldiers of them,
before they were posted to their respective army units. We assisted these
recruits - helping them get their kit highly polished and showing them how
drill was done. Six weeks at Buller Barracks was enough and all these
recruits were pleased to leave, although we had to stop for a little longer
to complete our training.
It
was while I was here that I was admitted to Aldershot Cambridge
Military Hospital
to have my tonsils removed. This hospital was staffed by military nurses -
Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and V.A.D voluntary aid nurses.
After this, I had two weeks sick leave to get my voice back and then it was
back to catch up with the training I had missed and pass the exams.
By
Christmas 1940 our senior boys, about 100 in number, had attained the age
of 17 years old, and began to pass out as tradesmen. In March 1941 our
famous A Group left after their passing out parade on W Square. This would
never be forgotten by any of those who witnessed it including those
conscripted and doing their basic training.
In
May 1941 to make up our depleted number, a draft of some 50 boys who had
opted for the RASC arrived from Chepstow. It was in August 1941 that
rumours started circulating that the Training Battalion was to disband. It
was hard to believe that such a fate could overtake this splendid source of
trained technicians for the army. The soundness of their training was
recognised by all who came in contact with them.
It
was decided on 24 August 1941 that all the boys were to be transferred to
the Army Technical School
at Beachley, Chepstow, on 1 September 1941. After a week of feverish activity
it was on Friday 29 August 1941 that a parade and a final inspection was
held on W Square. For this the RASC band attended and the Brigade Commander
inspected the boys, addressed them and took the march past. The boys, as
always, rose to the occasion. They were superb. The final act came on 1
September 1941 with a parade and a great gathering including the Brigadier
of the Training Battalion, all the officers and staff of the School with
the Corps Band meeting at the railway station to bid the lads farewell. It
was a sad moment but it had to be done. As the RASC Band played, the train
steamed away taking the lads to Beachley to continue their training.
On
arrival at Chepstow, complete with full kit, we all had to march to
Beachley, traversing the long steep hill up out of Chepstow and so to the
camp. The barracks at Beachley comprised of a series of wooden huts
sleeping about 30 in each hut. The workshops were situated down the hill by
the river. Part of the machine shop had been taken over for the war effort.
The lathes and millers and grinders making parts for guns and equipment.
Being at Beachley enabled me to travel on leave at the weekend via the
ferry across the River Severn to Aust and then into Bristol. These ferries were usually busy
and enabled me to get a lift with one of the cars en route. We always had
to travel in uniform as we still had no civilian clothes as all. clothes
were on coupons, and not available to soldiers. So if no coupons could be
obtained from your family, it was to second hand shops to buy clothes to
get out of uniform. It was a familiar sight to see the majority of people
in one uniform or another.
The
lads undergoing training there were mainly REs and RA with others in General
Service. This meant that we were the only RASC boys undergoing training. As
the majority of us were being trained as vehicle mechanics, we had to start
a new department in this school. Our training continued until we passed our
examinations and qualified as Class
Ill vehicle mechanics and had
reached the age of 17. It was here we were given basic driving instruction
which was to be followed up later.
In Conclusion
The
Channel Islands was the only part of the UK to be occupied by the
Germans and they suffered very badly.
By
the beginning of 1943 having qualified as a Vehicle Mechanic posted to a
RASC Transport Unit Workshop to put into practice all I had learnt.
Then
in 1944 I was posted to another RASC Workshop for the invasion of France
on the 'D-Day' Landings, the biggest and most important event of my Army
career. But before that was to finish, I had been promoted to a Warrant
Officer, second in command of a Workshop and continued to train fellow
soldiers.
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