When I joined Up

caveman1944's memory of 1st March 1941 - 1st October 1941

Let me say at this point that I was concerned to find in 2009 that I had had both comment and questions from 'Fairmile' which I wish to answer here, but trust what I record here will be of some interst to others.
I had long wanted to join as a boy but was not allowed to do so owing to the fact that my parents were divorced and my mother was my dependant relative, but I convinced her that as call up drew nearer that I may as well go then and pick my own unit, to which she agreed.
Off I went then to Liverpool to be met at the door of the recruitment office with the words "wouldn't you like to join the Guards"? Now I had every respect for the Guards , and as far as infantry went, I had hastened , on the outbreak of war, along with many others, to the local drill hall of the Cheshire Regiment to find it deserted and we drifted away.
Having declined the Guards I went inside ,unsure of what I wanted, this to me being a moment to savour. I was directed to Royal Artillery, it having several arms, and in discussing them, anti-aircraft was mentioned , they training at Park hall Camp, Oswestry. Now I had the experience of air raids during which I was on the streets with a cousin, so the prospect of engaging them, plus training being nearby with, I thought, it useful for a weekend pass, I plumped for that.
That saw me going for the train to Oswestry on March 13th, 1941, after a couple of hours in bed following a particularly destructive air raid What I was to find many years later was that I had been in the Territorial Army, and on sending for my records, was surprised to note I was on the reserve until about 1957?
Park Hall Camp, wow, coarse blankets next the body, "get that window open",,,it was nice and frosty. But oh those early risers ! What was wrong with them ? I met them on my much later meagre holidays, up and about by 5am or so. Restless spirits.
Wash and shave in cold water, parade outside with one hand behind holding mug and cutlery, to march down to cookhouse. The route march singing 'they'll be comming round the mountain when they come' Bliss.
I wanted to be on a gun..like a kid.. but alas, sat an exam and to my dismay, started training on radar.
In the course of that we chosen ones went to Buxton and slept on the floor in the many roomed Empire Hotel. We were given a palliass with just a few straws in it and they looked like they had been around in WW1. Off to the farm to stuff them. Ah, chuck out your beds and get down there, it's lovely.!
i must admit to being somewhat at a loss here as those training on radar would compose a small number,whereas I recall the drill with rifles, the sloping arms etc, and doing that to such an extent that after putting the rifle aside during a break, it was scarce necessary to check the number on the one you believed yours, as weighing it in the hand was enough.
Up and down we went, drilling by numbers; at the 'at ease' position, " the guard room to your rear, quick march" one two three, one two three. How impressive seen at the Albert Hall post war, with the RAF REgiment doing it.
I was so keen that when we got back to the room I was still doing rifle drill and a man who I thought a bit old ( and small ) drew the attention of others asking me to do that gain...the first movement of the 'slope' that was.
Fire piquet at night, weighing up the plates set for breakfast with a slice of bread
how I needed that bread.
Well, I was among a chosen few who were earmarked as potential number ones, people who would put some stripes up and perhaps calibrate the radar, and we went to Tonfannau
in Wales, where we just learned thirteen tests by heart ..'set switch to position four'
blah blah blah. Why do you have to do that there with sandwiched between hill ansd sea
in May ? It was there that I lay at night listening to the bombers going to Liverpool and Wirral night after night.
I was posted to Newcastle to 177 battery. First three numbers of my army number.
After making a seven shilling allowance to my dependant relative I was left with ten shillings and six pence. I went to the pictures once and had half a pint of beer comming back. In Newcastle both officers and men were fed up with salutes and returned salutes, but there was nobody to call a truce.
Now, that bread I mentioned. A crust did not count as a slice of bread and they were put on a tray outside the cookhouse, so you bet your life I was there early to get one, but how to make the very meagre ration of butter and jam stretch to another slice?
We had one and a half slices of bread, so if an army marches on it's stomach we weren't going to go far.
This memory is in response to a late discovery of a request by 'Fairmile' which accompanied a comment, and I appreciate his interest.
Nearly forgot ! The computer. I know little about it and have a very restricted use of it. I had been using a typewriter for letters which entailed much untidy correction of typing errors , so I purchased a secondhand computer and I note I still miss some of those errors. I was 80 then, and as the war actually ended on my birthday, 14th August ..when we started out for work and were turned back..88 looms

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This memory was added 2nd July 2009

Keywords: Liverpool Merseyside artillery BBC Memoryshare Oswestry

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