Reminiscences

[Great War truck]

There was a thread a while back about peoples reminiscences during the war. Cant find it at the moment, but this e-mail i received was too interesting to leave out. It was from a chap called Walt who was in the Home Guard until he was old enough to join up. This is what he remembers about D-Day.

 

Tim (too)

 

Looking Back to that era. is very fresh in my memory.

We knew days before hand that it was about to happen as the hundreds of trucks etc. lining the streets of

Yeovil for many weeks, started to move.

The Westland HG was mustered in full battle gear, such as we had.

I was nervous to say the least, but tried not to show it. As did the others.

As the convoys had to move to precise timing , it was expected that German Parachutists might

make an effort to disrupt the flow and we were told it was our job to prevent this, as the US troops

could not help.

Oh Great. !!! German Parachutists. Luckily we had such control of the air that the troop transports would have ended up in the channel.

Then as the next day dawned we had orders to prepare to go to France to either guard prisoners or be last ditch reserves if the landings went badly.

Our HG being mainly young and of military age, we had lots of training, and were obviously considered ready for the problems.

I had to face the fact, as did others that life may be short.

 

After three or four days , we were in the clear.

We were attached at times to the US forces for exercises etc.. I had a squad of bewildered GI's at one time.

They were artillery forces from Houndstone, not infantry.

I wish I had kept in touch with some of them. Would be great to see them again.

However I expect they would be so old, they would not recognize me. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Spare a thought tomorrow for those, who did not make it back.

[LeeEnfield]

Thanks for a timely reminder, Tim (too)

 

(yes, i know the day commemorated, WAS yesterday,.....but D + 1 was still drawing casulties..........something, i feel may be whilst not forgotton, by many, may not be appreciated by those thinking (normandy) D- day events were only for the day)

Edited June 7, 2008 by LeeEnfield
spelling

[Great War truck]

Here are some more thoughts from the same chap.

 

In 1940, I lived in Yeovil and was on a Southern train to Brighton to visit the Grandma and Aunt again. It was about the month of May. The enemy was starting the “Battle of Britain” and their aim was to destroy all the airfields and aircraft factories. At Southampton, the train slowed to a crawl, barely one mph. We were on a high embankment which was under repair. Looking down, I saw the wreckage of the Supermarine factory which had been dive bombed a few days earlier. What impressed my mind forever were the rows of air raid shelters, pockmarked with bomb craters.

 

I did end up at my Grandmother’s outside Brighton. She seemed somehow proud of the fact that she was outside her house when a German Fighter strafed the street. She showed me the mark on the curb where a bullet had just missed her.

 

I managed another trip to see her the following year. A lovely sunny day on Brighton Front and many people seemed to be leaning along the railings gazing out to see. I wondered why. The beach was inaccessible being covered with barbed wire and land mines. The two piers had big chunks blown out of their middles. I asked a man what was going on. He said “Wait a while and you will see”.

 

I did not wait long. A German fighter came roaring along, barely above the water, about 300 yards off shore. But for the fact that it was being chased by a British fighter, he could have come 300 yards inland and strafed the crowd. Deciding the natives were idiots, I took steps – long quick ones away from that area.

 

A third rare event associated with a train. It was now 1943. I was in a Southern train going to London. Those days the trains were so crowded that one was lucky to find a spot to stand in the corridor. The train was really moving fast and in a cutting outside Dorking, the train came to a screaming halt. Someone had pulled the emergency cord. (Penalty for improper use £5)

 

Looking out of the right hand window, I saw a G.I. (U.S. soldier) climbing down. The Guard soon caught up with him, handed him a ticket and the G.I. handed over £5. The soldier then climbed the bank to his camp. Probably saved far more than £5. I hope he survived the war as such enterprise marked him for a smart future. His timing to stop at the camp was perfect.

 

Tim (too)

[LeeEnfield]

Great memories, Tim (too)

 

These are the kind of rememberences that should be written down,......the effect of the war on non combatants, etc. Far too many folk who were there, either didn't have the oppertunity to, or didn't think their tales were important enough to record them for future generations.

 

Cheers for sharing.

 

Andy

[Great War truck]

Here are some more from the same chap. All very interesting and if not recorded will be lost.

 

In the start of the raids on the country, Westland's was protected by barrage balloons and a most

excellent camouflage.

From a nearby hill the place looked just like an extension of the surrounding houses.

There was a lot of air activity everywhere. We saw Dog fights nearby.

 

However a lot of enemy were going over to Bristol etc. but still as they went over Yeovil we

had to keep going to the air raid shelters.

It was about this time that an enemy plane slipped through the barrage balloons, in daylight and skip

bombed the main road in the factory, the bomb ran along the road until it hit the corner of the

Administration building, Killed one person.

 

It was decided to move the technical department to Compton House on the Sherborn Road where

we stayed until it was safe to go back to the factory in 1943 I think.

 

We had problems with sneak attacks. Consider a flight of maybe 3 planes. At about 220 MPH

they would skim the channel, rise up over the cliffs, hug the land and in 30 miles were over

Westland's before the balloons could get up.

One day three of them skimmed the airdrome almost touching the ground. They did not drop

anything, may have just been looking.

 

I had such an encounter. A beautiful summer evening, the sun had set, I looked up and three

enemy planes were approaching overhead. I was by the Westland sports pavilion.

I knew they had a full size billiard table, weighed a ton. I ran and dived under just as those

three planes let go in one big salvo. That table came off the floor.

I ran outside and the eerie quiet was weird. Then I heard a dog bark, followed by approaching

sirens and rescue. I found the remains of a domestic air raid shelter. Whole family wiped out.

Vast craters , probably 1,000 pounders I guess, gas mains flaring, houses in ruins.

 

Knowing that the quick raid, now in the dark might be pathfinder thing, I got out of there.

Indignation at such civilian carnage was rife.

However not so. They approached from the East instead of the West. Got the wrong side of the

aerodrome. Great timing, wrong side.

 

Sometimes Yeovil was the target. Got a pasting for a couple of hours.

There is a web site devoted to all the Raids and casualties. Far more than I knew.

Google Yeovil air raids WW II. You might see it.

 

One night I witnessed an enemy experiment to defeat balloons.

 

I had just taken a girl home from a dance, its 2.00 am. She was, ----well moving the story on. -----

It was a clear moonlit night. What we called a bomber's moon.

Dead quiet except there was a droning from a single plane. Odd, the balloons were up, shining in

the moon light.

I stopped to ponder. No air raid warning, guess they wondered what the plane was up to.

Then there was a loud "PING" and away floated a silver elephant.

The droning continued. Another "PING' and another balloon went.

I was fascinated. Stood there leaning on my Bike. After the third "Ping" there was a sudden roar

as the plane revved up and came down to just about roof level right where I was standing.

For just a moment I saw right into the Green house', (so called as their bombers had crew all

together in the front. ) I could see the men for just a second in the faint glow of the cockpit as I

dropped into the Gutter.

 

Then horrors, I realized I had my best suit on. Jumped up to brush myself off.

The plane disappeared toward Yeovilton and dropped some bombs. Then all the sirens went off

and the guns opened fire.

Now the bomb aimer in their planes had a machine gun in the nose, which he used on anything

he saw moving. But although he was very visible to me I was not to him, so I was untouched.

 

Later.

I was in charge of incoming technical stuff including the latest from the enemy.

They had a picture of the wire cutters. At the front was a sort of pylon sticking forward.

From the pylon ran a great curved piece to the wing tips, Along at various intervals were fixed

cutters. I think the idea was to have a line of Cutters to clear a path for low level bombers.

Apparently the enemy lost so many planes trying to perfect it, they gave up.

The demonstrating I saw worked. I admire the crew though. If the first contact to a cutter did

not work,, they were dead.

Must have been a terrible jerk as they hit a wire.

 

My suit survived the war. As for the girl I took home, None of your business.

[gritineye]

Great stories Tim, thanks for posting them.