Big ray

I keep telling everyone that I cannot understand children of today complaining that they have nothing to do.... I keep saying that we had nothing to play with, we played football with a tin can. But on reflection, thats not quite true, we lived on a main north / south route, subsequently lots of military traffic often parked overnight on the local cattle market truck park. We had anything from damaged aircraft to a tank parked overnight, that was a magnet for us kids, we climbed all over everything, and sometimes managed to gain access to the cockpit of a planes fuselage, often seeing the damage inc mud and grass showing that they had belly landed. So in reality we probably had the best play things anywhere in the world........ what would kids give for those same opportunities now?? I remember on one occasion after very heavy rains that caused the local stream to flood, I was just messing about with one of my friends along the stream when I noticed a leather strap protruding above the now subsiding waters. My curiosity got the better of me and I found and used a small tree branch to retrieve the strap..... it turned out to be a shoulder holster, complete with a loaded Colt 45. I had already experienced a lot of my grandfathers anger over taking live ammunition home from our adventures on the cattle market lorry park, so I decided reluctantly to hand over my find to my friend, who took it home. When I asked what his father had said, he simply replied "Nothing, he just stuck it in the attic". Many,many years later when relating that story to my grandfather, he told me that someone had been murdered around that time, and that could have well been the weapon used. My then school friend died some years ago, and I have no idea what happened to the weapon.:kissoncheek:

We sometimes forget, when these trucks were made we only had those narrow windy roads, and the speed limit for anything over 3 tonnes unladen was 20mph............ so at 35mph you are travelling quite fast, my Jimmy is the same, very happy at 35mph, any more and she rattles along shaking all of the bolts loose.... so I dont think that I will be overtaking you anytime soon...........:kissoncheek:

Perhaps I should give a brief account of my time as a wartime school boy, an overriding memory is of complete darkness on winter night, absolutely no outside light being permitted, indeed any infringement of that rule carried serious penalties, we were glad when we had the moonlight to see by. I lived on the main route from the American army base to the town, so we were used to the sight of the G.Is. We would pester them by asking for sweets or gum, and if they were not being accompanied by local females, they were very generous, if however they had girls on their arm they would say "beat it kid". A lot of local people were very envious of the G.I.s with their money, smart uniforms and even smelling sweet. They really were a breath of fresh air around the place, young, smart and full of life, something that I suppose comes with a confidence that most people did not posses at that time, we had already had two years of wartime austerity and rationing. My grandfather being an ex- combatant of the 1914-18 conflict was non judgemental, and just said, " They are young boys a long way from home". There was lots of complaints suggesting that they were (US Troops) bragging about their own country, it did not help matters if they said that they had been trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Well I have travelled and visited 15 of the continental states, and I know that everything that they said about their home land was quite true, so you see, perhaps we should all be a little more tollerant of each other............ maybe I should return now to my time in the army.....:kissoncheek:

I was also off for two day`s, so its not just the Netherlands.:kissoncheek:

Welcome to the site............ dont window shop for too long, prices are rising, unabated.:kissoncheek:

We were in many ways very lucky, I used to stand on the back step of our home with my grandfather, and watch Manchester being bombed, my grandfather used to say, " Manchester are getting it again lad". They were the unlucky people, whole families wiped out.:kissoncheek:

Absolutely correct, and we do not know why they were together, his younger brother Harold was actually a private in the Shropshire Light Infantry, we can only assume that the two Regiments were fighting side by side? The only reason that we got so much information about their deaths was because another relative of our family, who served with the Royal Engineers, and had heard that the Sherwood Forrester`s were close by, had gone to visit my father, on his arrival at the company tent he was shown the two crosses leaning up against the wall of the tent, and told what had happened.:kissoncheek:

I would like to turn the clock back a while, whilst its still all fresh in my mind. I was born in the summer of 1937, my father was in the T.A. (National Guard for any U.S. friends) so of course he was one of the first to be called to the colours in 1939. He went to France with the BEF (British Expeditionary Force.) They were as you know drven back to the beaches of Dunkirk. He was a sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Forresters. A Nottinghamshire infantry regiment. I can remember that he returned home briefly in 1942, when I was five years old, I can still see him in his uniform, with his three stripes and his rifle slung over his shoulder, standing by the back door of our home (My grandparents home really.) He was returning to his unit, my grandfather told me years later that he was asking him (My grandfather) to look after my mother and us two kids, I had a younger sister. He had said to my grandfather, that he did not think that he would be returning, he had experienced the might of the German army in France, and felt that they were going to be very difficult to beat. He was sent out to Tunisia in North Africa, and was killed in April 1943, along with his younger brother Harold, they were both in the same trench when a mortar shell killed them both. I can remember the telegram arriving early in the morning, my grandfather read the contents to my grandmother, and then said, I will have to go up and tell her (Their daughter, my mother) who was still asleep in bed. I can remember the screams.................. my mother never recovered, and was admitted to a lunatic asylum several months later, she remained there untill her death at 46.. so effectively we lost both of our parents in one go. My grandparents took it upon themselves to raise my sister and myself, we were very lucky and went on to have a loving relationship with our grandparents, particularly, for me at least, my grandfather, who was an extremely well balanced and fairminded man.:kissoncheek:

SNAP............ I keep telling my wife that its all good value, she has more of me now than when we married!!!!!:kissoncheek:

My family operated trucks so when I was over on leave I was always given work to do............. I did exactly the same thing in reverse, I negociated a tight left turn that sent me onto the righthand side of the road... and I stayed there untill confronted by oncoming traffic............... and I thought that I was infallable.:kissoncheek:

Charlie G, what can I tell you about Charlie, well first of all he came from Surbiton, Surrey. I had better start at the beginning. When I arrived in Germany, after a couple of days,the MT sergeant asked me if I had driven on the German roads yet, I replied No, not yet. So it happened that one of the trucks was about to leave to go to Munster, approximately 70 miles round trip. The driver was instructed to take me along and allow me to do some of the driving. The driver turned out to be Charlie, we set off for Munster, and with all new aquaintances conversation was very easy, particularly when I had so many questions that I wanted answered. We travelled all the way to Munster, Charlie driving, and we were pretty well on the way back when I reminded him that I was supposed to have a spell behind the wheel. Charlies response was, ho you want a go then do you, to which I replied, if the MT sergeant asks if I had driven, I can hardly tell a lie. So Charlie pulled over onto a piece of spare ground on the right side of the highway. I got out of the Q.L. , Charlie climbed over the engine cover, and I climbed into the driving seat. Now I had been telling myself all the time that I had been with Charlie Right hand side....right hand side. Well I had obviously been so preoccupied with the fact that it appeared that I was not going to get that drive.......... I completely forgot what I had been telling myself... and drove straight from the right side of the highway onto the left, I dont think that it will take too much imagination to guess what Charlie had to say to me in a very loud and authoritive manner........ he was not impressed, and my pride was somewhat damaged. After this inauspicious start Charlie and I became the very best of friends ( If he had been a woman I might have married him) and I am as straight as they come!!!! Charlie was of course in the venacular of the time, an old sweat, whilst I had almost all of my service time to complete, Charlie was down to about 7 months remaining. I am not being unkind to Charlie when I tell you that he could have played one of the apes in The Planet of the Apes......... without any make-up, but what a personality, it came out of every pore in his body..... or should that be paw. I will tell you more about Charlie later.......... the inevitable had to happen, Charlie like all guy`s approaching demob began to count the months, then the weeks, then the days and hours. Going on leave or demob, you always left just after lunch to catch the train to the ferry. If it was multiple numbers, then you would be transported by truck, 2 or less and it would be a Jeep. It just so happened that Charlie was the only one going to the station, and he had specifically asked that I should take him. I dont have to tell you that in the weeks running up to that day, Charlie was constantly ribbing me about what it would be like when he had gone. He said when you look at my bed, after all the bedding had gone back into the store, only the mattress remaining, folded over, exposing the bed springs. He said " Its like someone dying, you are unlikely to meet again, few families had cars in them days, and the same with phones. Well I drove Charlie down to the railway station, The station, like most stations had had to be rebuilt after the war. It had automatic doors that led to a long passage way leading to the platforms. Charlie said, right then, you can carry my cases to the platform, a task that was quite normal. I`m afraid that by that time I had become so depressed at his departure that I just threw his cases through the doors, told him to bog off ( or words to that effect) I turned on my heels went to the Jeep and drove back to camp. ( I was however destined to meet with Charlie again, more about that later.):kissoncheek:

I suppose that I should introduce my room mates now. As you entered the room the first bed space on the left was occupied by Ray W. his home town being Halifax, West Yorkshire, the second space Allan M. a London boy, from Leyton, London E.10, the third space, by the window was your`s truly. The first space on the right was George G. George came from my home town Newcastle, Staffs. second bed "Titch" T. as the name would suggest, small on stature, but big on personality, third space, Peter C. from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The six of us bonded very well and had lots of fun, lots of horse play and card playing ( For pennies, remember not very well paid.) We all relied on each other for various things, one for example might be very good at early mornings, another would be happy to bring things back from the NAAFI, and so on. I remember that at one point we all acquired water pistols........... just like a lot of daft kids really, if I saw someone 19 / 20 years old doing it now I would probably think that they were nuts. I remember on one occassion when one of the guy`s (not our room) had over indulged with the local brew, and was knocked out on his bed, snoring his head off, four of us took a corner each of his bed and carried it, and him in it, out to the hockey pitch and left him there. He must have woken-up some time in the night.... he was not there the following morning..... nor did he over indulge again. I might mention something about the food, I found it to be very good, that of course depended on your cooks, our dining room was very good, well appointed and with red pattern table cloths. Breakfast was particularly good, the egg was usually powdered egg, like scrambled egg. Dinner was always O.K....... but some times they did burn the custard, if they were too busy and had forgotten to stir it regularly. The cooks actually occupied the room next to ours (it was never light, the curtains were permanently drawn because they worked a shift pattern, I dont even remember the room being inspected.) Sometimes the cooks would invite a few of us down to the cookhouse for a supper, No suppers issued in the army.:kissoncheek:

Was that going downhill???????......... I jest, nice little trucks, I drove them ( amongst many more,):kissoncheek::kissoncheek: in Germany in the 1950s.

Thank you......... apologies for all of these basic spelling mistakes that I keep making......... but it`s almost 60 years since I completed my academic education, and I have had little practice untill recently, with the advent of the computer, my brain is a little fogged up after all of that inactivity. Regards to all......... Ray.:kissoncheek:

Given the nature of our work, we did operate on a one to one basis, making it very much easier to get to know people in some depth, perhaps unlike the infantry where NCOs tended to deal much more collectively with platoons of men. Evenings and weekends could be very relaxed if you were not assigned any duty, guard etc. The camp was very much deserted of senior NCOs and Officers, who for the most part lived off camp, in married quarters. The duty officer seldom appeared, apart from occassionally calling out the guard, and the duty sergeant tended to either use the sergeants mess or retire to his quarters ( If he lived on camp.) The only time that you could guarantee his presence would be at light out.......... you would certainly hear his voice if any lights were left on. I have a story of one such event (Lights out ) at a later point in these ramblings. In fact I have many stories of many events, some funny, some tragic, I do hope that you will indulge me. I now had my regular room buddies, six to a room. The room was square in shape with a central door from the corridor, with three bed spaces on each side of the room, we had two large sliding sash windows that looked out over the landscaped area between us and the next block. Access to the block was via a central spirral stairway, leading up to all four floors, we were on the third floor. I remember using those windows many times to shout to some one who was leaving the block to go to the NAAFI, asking them to obtain some for you whilst there, I remember it like it was yesterday!!!!:kissoncheek:

Our day at the new camp started at 6.00am, we went for breakfast at 7.00am and paraded for inspection at 8.00am. The inspection was a pretty cursery one, given that most of us were dressed in workshop overalls, emphassis was very much on clean shaven, haircut, and general cleanliness, not I would imagine what it would have been for front line troops. Not everyone of course got out of bed for breakfast, some would open their eyes and immediately grope on the bed locker for their cigarettes, then they would ask their friend to bring back a mug of tea or coffee and a slice of toast. I smoked in those days, but never fancied a smoke much before 11.00am...... and having my breakfast was an absolute must, I could not face the day before I had eaten. After being dismissed from the 8.00am parade, we walked to the workshops. We very rarely walked individually about the workshops. We had some very keene senior NCOs who were always looking to justify their existance, the keenest amongst them being as you would expect, the Sergeant Major. If he spotted you walking on your own he would look you up and down with his very experienced eye, if of course you were in a group you could be past before he had managed to have a comprhensive look at every one, so the more of you the safer you felt. We had a break for a drink at 10.ooam for fifteen minutes, then back to work untill 12.00 noon. Dinner was untill 1.30pm, when we paraded again before dispersal to the workshops, where we worked untill 4.30pm, when we finnished for the day and tea. Those going on guard that night had to wolf down their tea, and be dressed and present at the guard room for inspection by the duty officer. There was always one man to many for the guard, he was the "Stick Man" the stick man was deemed to be the smartest one on parade, and was excused guard duty, quite a slick way of making you make that extra effort, we are back to that military thinking.:kissoncheek:

If you can just leave that conversion job untill the winter months, I am sure that you will change your mind again............. save yourself a lot of money, and I have the open cab one!!!!! and actually I do love it. But they do both have their -S & +S, certainly a short wheelbase closed cab does look very nice. :kissoncheek:

On arrival at Newcastle Barracks we were allocated a temporary room, after a couple of days processing us, 4 people were posted on to other locations, only two, myself and a guy named Tony F. were retained on the strength of 5 Armoured Workshops, 6th Armoured Division. ( The Male Fist shoulder flash.) We bid farewell to the other four, with whom we had spent the last several weeks training. Tony and I were now assigned to our permanent barrack room. The room, unlike anything that we had spent time in, in the U.K. was akin to a hotel room of the period, the room was occupied by just six people, the design and quality of the buildings throughout the camp was unbelieveable in its commitment to detail and finish. I had always been told about the quality of German products, this confirmed it beyond any doubt. The camp had been built in the 1930s and occupied first by the german infantry, and then during the war an armoured unit. The original camp consisted of six main blocks, all equall in design and size, and four floors high. All of the blocks were set out in an irregular pattern, complete with a swimming size fire hydrant between two of the blocks. Tony, who came from the West Bromage area of Birmingham, and myself soon settled into camp life and made new friends. One of the first things that we were told to do, was re-arrange the parking of vehicles on the main parking area. I moved a couple of trucks and then realized that Tony was still sitting in the cab of the first truck that he was about to move, on closer inspection I realized that he was having difficulty in moving this vehicle without stalling the engine...... It transpired that he had completely forgotten how to use the clutch to best effect. Tony had been one of the recruits that had never sat behind the wheel of a vehicle prior to enlisting, I literally had to spend a good ten or fifteen minutes retutoring him. He never really did settle down to driving a truck, and went on to have a very serious accident in a wartime Bedford Q.L. troop carrier. Because we were right hand drive vehicles driving on the right hand side of the road, we should have always carried a co-driver, a practice not pursued by our camp authorities. Tony had left the camp to drive to Munster, about 30 miles distance, a drew up to the rear of a large civilian vehicle that he was following, he pulled out to see if the road was clear to pass, at that very moment a very large German truck was passing in the opposite direction. They collided head-on, completely destroying the passenger side of Tony`s truck, in fact so badly was that side destroyed, it was pushed back and into the load area of the truck, leaving all one side of the engine completely exposed. Tony survived the accident, suffering no more than an injury to his thumb on the steering wheel, and of course shock.......... He was however relieved of all driving duties, we were of course delighted that Tony had suffered no injury, but thinking what a shame that the truck had survived the war, only to end its days like this....... the German truck driver was uninjured. If I ever master the art of putting photographs onto this page, I do have a photo of that accident damaged truck..... and many more.:kissoncheek:

Hi Mike, they certainly look like a fine body of men........... I`m sure that you were, and are, very proud to have been associated with them.:kissoncheek:

Humour, thats what gets us through adversity, laughing is whats kept me going this long. I certainley have no plans for leaving, but alas, like my army days that is out of my control. I would not want, or seek sympathy, I have had a fabulous time on this planet............ its simply a fact that should something happen to me, then there would be no way of letting you know.... and you might think that I had simply lost interest. You are right about friendships formed in the forces, you are dependant on each other, basically the same ammount of dispossible income, same age and a million other reasons for that special bonding..... a bonding that unfortunately you will never quite achieve in civilian life......... I do have many friends, but trusting them with my life..... maybe not. :kissoncheek:

I do feel at this stage that I ought to make something clear to anyone that may be following my service exploits. I do have a great deal to put into print, and if allowed to do so will continue......... however at 73 it should come as no surprise when I say that I have a serious heart condition........ should I stop submitting these posts......... you may assume the worst, I do thank eveyone for indulging me, its nice to relive my army service, I look forward to continuing.............. thank you. Ray,:kissoncheek:

As we drove through the main gates of the workshop on our arrival, the truck dropped off the concrete highway onto the cobbled road of the camp, thats a memory that has stayed with me all these years (51) Not just that particular approach, but all subsequent approaches. In fact on one occasion, many,many months later, I had to go to another camp to transport a polo pony back to our camp for the express use by some of our officers. I had to collect this animal in the back of a Leyland Hippo, 10 tonne GS Truck, not designed for or meant for the carriage of an animal as big and unpredictable as a horse, even a pony can be quite a handful. I loaded the pony from a concrete ramp into the truck, I had a very substantial military horse blanket with me, this item is made from heavy canvas, with sewn in strengthening. I lifted the front flap of the truck sheet, this enabled the animal to see where we were going, I hoped that this would have a calming effect, and that proved to be so, it also enabled me to stay in visual and verbal contact with the two guys in the back, I was driving. The horse began to become somewhat agitated just a short distance from our destination, so I got into the back whilst my co-driver took on that duty. To calm the pony down I put a coat over its head for the short distance to the camp. Every thing was going swimmingly,......... untill the now driver drove over that concrete to cobbles too quickly........ anyone familiar with the floor of the cargo body on a Leyland Hippo, will know that it has an inspection cover over the back axles. This cover flicked-over, and the horses back legs dropped through onto the prop shaft. Fortunately I had had the foresight to tie the horse by the blanket to the superstructure, that effectively suspended the horse, preventing a complete disaster. As one might imagine the horse was very shocked and went berserk. We managed to get to our unloading ramp (Tanks) and relocated the inspection cover, by now the horse was at least a couple of feet further forward of the cover. I liberated the horse and tried to get it to leave the truck........ no way was that animal going to cross that cover, so again the cloth went over its head and one of the guys gave it a good slap on the butt, while`st I hung onto its alter........ it took one great leap and dragged me with it, but at least it worked and the horse was now safely at its new home.:kissoncheek:

I am only too pleased that you did read the thread, and did not make that journey....... if however you do make it to Foxfield in the future, please make yourself known, it will be nice to meet with you. Regards. Ray.:kissoncheek:

Please feel free to stop me if I am taking up valuable space !!!!!!!!!:kissoncheek:

We had arrived at the HOOK of HOLLAND. We left the ferry to catch the train that would take us through Holland and Germany to our destination, in my case that was Hamm, Westphalia. We were given the colour of our train ( cant remember the colour) but I do remember thinking that it was a very good and simple way of making sure that you were on the correct train. Once on the train I waved to some rail workers as we left the station, they gesticulated back to me in a very unfavourable fashion, I was not very impressed, particularly when I felt that we had recently liberated these people from the nazi yoke...... not just us but the allies. We continued on our uneventfull journey through Holland and into Germany..... I was very impressed by the cleanliness in Holland, even falling down garden sheds were painted and looking bright. We eventually arrived at Hamm station, six of us alighted from the train to be greeted by a driver and truck, a Bedford Q.L. troop carrier. We were transported a couple of miles to our new home ( Newcastle Barracks) considering that my home town is Newcastle Staffs, I remarked to my fellow travellers that I thought that I was back home, and that this might be a good omen.:kissoncheek: