TROOPER

FROMBARNARDCASTLETOBERLIN

MemoriesofTrooperRonaldHendersonofthe13th/18thRoyalHussars

(QueenMarysOwn)

CompiledbyArthurBeardsley

Copyright2009byArthurBeardsley

ThemoralrightoftheauthorisherebyassertedinaccordancewiththeCopyrightDesignsandPatentsAct1988

CONTENTS

Foreword

Prologue

ChapterOneBoyhood

ChapterTwoEarlyWarYears

ChapterThreeBasicTraining

ChapterFourStreatlamCamp

ChapterFiveStaintonCamp

ChapterSixTheRegiment

ChapterSevenPregnantPrawns

ChapterEightDonaldDucks

ChapterNineOverlord

ChapterTenSwordBeach

ChapterElevenTheOrneBridgehead

ChapterTwelveTheBattleforCaen

ChapterThirteenTheBocage

ChapterFourteenTheRacetoBrussels

ChapterFifteenMarketGarden

ChapterSixteenTheIsland

ChapterSeventeenIntoGermany

ChapterEighteenTheReichswald

ChapterNineteenInferno

ChapterTwentyBlighty

ChapterTwenty-OneVictoryinEurope

ChapterTwenty-TwoBerlin

ChapterTwenty-ThreeDemob

Afterword

Acknowledgements

FOREWORD

This book is written as a tribute to Ronnie Henderson, an ordinary soldier. There arerelativelyfewbookswrittenofaccountsofwarexperiencesbyotherrankscomparedwiththewritingsofcommissionedofficers.Thismaybebecausetheirfocusisnarrowerthanthatoftheirofficersandrecordingeventsisnotoneoftheirpriorities.ThisaccountofthememoriesofRonnieHendersonisnotbasedondiarieskeptatthetimebutonmemoriesrecalledoverfiftyyearsaftertheevent.Thefactthatthesememorieswereasclearastheday they happened is illustrative of the deep impact the events had on impressionableyouth.Thesewritingsarenotprimarilyabouthowactionsorbattleswerefoughtbutabouthowtheordinarysoldierlivedandcopedwiththeextraordinarydemandsmadeonthembyawarthathasnowbeenconsignedtohistory.Itismybeliefthatthisaccountofthelifeofanordinarysoldierisworthyofstudybythegenerationoftodayandisjustasvalidasthemore detailed accounts of fighting a war. As Ronnie himself comments, It was adifferentwarfortheofficers.

IfirstmetRonnieHendersoninSeptember2003whenhewasseventy-nineyearsofage.WemetontheterraceoftheBowesMuseuminBarnardCastlewhilemywifeandIwerewaitingforthedoorstobeopened.Hewaslivingalastofthesummerwineexistence,wanderingthroughtheparkaroundthemuseumwithtwofriendsofsimilaragesandtheirdogs,makinganuisanceofthemselvesbypassingcommentsontheladytennisplayersabilities and putting them off their strokes. Because she is unable to resist talking toanyonewhohasdogs,mywife,Sarina,gotintoconversationwiththegroup.WelearnedthatRonniewasfamiliarwiththeareawherewelivedinthesouthofEnglandashehadmetagirlwhenhewasstationedthereduringthewarpriortotheD-Dayinvasion.HehadsubsequentlymarriedherandlivedforatimeatPetworthinSussex.Welearnedthenthathe had been a tank driver and had gone ashorewith the invasion force onD-Day.Theoutcome of the meeting was that a group photograph was taken of the three men andSarina.RonnieaskedmetosendhimacopyofthephotographandanemailaddresswasobtainedfromRonnie.HewasafrequentuserofacomputerandIwasabletosendhimthephotographbyemail.ThatwastheregularcorrespondencebetweenSarinaandRonniebegan.

AstimewentbythecorrespondencedevelopedtosuchanextentthatSarinawasreceivingat least one email a day from Ronnie often more. Ronnies war experiences were afrequent topic of his emails and it quickly became apparent that these had made anindelibleimpressiononhim.Oftentherewouldbeananniversaryofacolleaguewhohadbeen lost or a particular action that had been fought to write about. These frequentreferencesarousedmyinterestinhisexperiencesandItriedtofindoutmore.WevisitedRonnieinhishomeinBarnardCastleononeofourvisitstotheNorthwherewemethiswifeEdna. Itwas then thatRonniementioned thathehadmadesomerecordingsofhiswarexperiencesfortheImperialWarMuseumbuthewasdismissiveoftheirvalueandIdidntgettohearthem.

Ronnie was a stalwart of the Regimental Association of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars

(QMO)andhadparticipated in the50thAnniversaryofD-Daycelebrations inFrance in

1994.Hewasdesperatetogoagainforthe60thAnniversarybuthewasnoweightyyearsoldandsufferingfromprostatecancer.Hewastryingtobeacceptedforanoperationforhisconditionbut therewasawaitinglistandnofirmdatewhenitwouldbeperformed.Sarinatriedtopersuadehimtohavetheoperationprivatelyasthiswouldguaranteehimhavingsufficienttimetorecuperatesothathecouldundertakewhatwasboundtobeanoneroustrip.RonniestucktohisprinciplesandrefusedtogooutsidetheNHS.Eventually

heobtainedadateforhisoperation,the8thofMay.Itwasgoingtobetouchandgoifhewouldbefittomakethetrip.Eachdayweweregettingreportsfromhimonhisconditionandeventuallyhecommittedtothetrip.

ThecoachjourneyfortheveteranswastotakeovertenhourstoreachPortsmouthfortheferry toFrance, andwe received regular updates on their progress fromRonnie via hismobilephone.HeaskedifwecouldmeethimatPortsmouthtoseehimoff.Hemusthavebeen the bane of the organiser as it was not easy for coach passengers to leave theirvehicle,andinanycasethecoachonlyarrivedminutesbeforeloadingwastotakeplace.WedidmakethemeetingandRonniewashappytoshowoffhisladyfriend,Sarina,totheassembledveterans.

Itwasademandingtourforoldmenhavingtostandforhoursinhotweatherwaitingforthe dignitaries to arrive to participate in the ceremonies, and it took its toll onRonnie.

Althoughwevisitedhimon a couple of occasions after his returnhewasnotwell andsadlyhediedinthefollowingOctober.Ihadbeeninterestedinwhathehadtoldusofhiswarexperiencesandofwhathehadwritteninhisemails.Onasubsequentvisittoseehiswidow, Edna, I asked her to let me hear the recordings that had been in Ronniespossession. These proved difficult to locate but Ronnies son,Alan, obtained a full setfromtheImperialWarMuseumandtheseformthebasisofthisnarrative.

Therecordingsweremadeinaquestionandanswerformatandtheskilfulnatureof thequestions prompted extensive responses such that over twelve hours of recordingwereobtained.IncompilingthisbookIhaveusedtheresponsestoformacontinuousnarrativeplacingtheeventsinchronologicalorderasfarascanbeascertained.Ihavealsodrawnonpersonal and family sources to fill in the details of the earlier years. The narrative isderivedentirelyfromRonniesmusingsandIhavenotsoughttoembellishtheaccountsorrelate events that Ronnie might have been involved in but did not include in therecordings.To put the narrative into context I have,where appropriate, given a generalbackground to the progress of the war and the events that Ronnie and his regimentparticipatedin.Ihavecorrectedobviouserrors,generallyoftimingofevents,wherethesecanbeverifiedbyotherpublishedaccounts.OfparticularhelphasbeentheHistoryofthe

13th/18thRoyalHussars(QueenMarysOwn)1922-1947writtenbyMaj-GenC.H.Millerpublishedin1949(Chisman,BradshawLtd)whentheeventsdescribedwereveryrecenthistory.TherearenumerousothersourcesforthebackgroundoftheeventsbutthebookEagles and Bulldogs in Normandy 1944 by Michael Reynolds (Spellmount) wasparticularlyusefulforthedetailsoftheNormandycampaign.

RonnieHendersonwasanordinarysoldierbutafarfromordinaryman.Hewasamanofvery humble beginnings and in a different age would have had better opportunities torealisehispotential.Asitwashestayedaworkingmanallhislife,astrongsocialist,buthe knewhow to enjoy the better things in life and as hematuredwas able to take fulladvantageofhisopportunities.

The initial landing forceonD-Daynumberedsome160,000men including theairbornetroopsandoverthecourseofthatfirstmonthamillionAlliedsoldierswerelanded.Thetime is quickly approaching when the number of survivors who participated in these

momentous events of June 1944 will be very few and their voices will be lost to thearchives.While millions of words have been written on the subject of D-Day there isalwaysroomforanotherslantonthestory.

PROLOGUE

Themotionwasnotsoviolentnowthattheyhadleftthelandingcraft.Thelasttwodayshadbeenanightmareoftossingaboutinavesselthatofferednocomforts,nowheretoliedownandnowayofknowingwhentheordealwouldend.AlthoughitwasearlyJunetheweatherwascoolandovercastwithstrongwindsputtingachopontheChannelthathadmadethelandingcraftskitteraboutinaveryunpredictableway.Thedeckswereslipperywithvomitandthestenchmadeoneretch.Hewashungrybuttherewasnothingpalatableavailable that his stomach could keep down. The exit from the landing craft had beendelayed while the commander of the fleet sought calmer water closer into the shorealthoughtherewasstillnearlythreemilesofopenwatertocrosswhentheorderwasgiventodisembark.

Withthefloatationgearraisedthecrewhadassumedtheirpositionsforthejourneytotheshore.Hehadclimbedintothedriversseatonthelefthandsideofthetankandwaitedforthe order to drive off. He was alone in the tank; the rest of the crew were outside,positionedontheplatformattherearoftheturretandthetankcommanderwasatthetillerforthepropellers.Withtheenginestartedthenoiseofthebombardmentpassingoverheadwas diminished and with his headphones on it was relatively quiet. He couldnt seeanythinginfrontofhim,thecanvasscreenblottedouthisviewcompletely.Hehadbeengiventheordertoadvanceandfollowedtheinstructionsofthetankcommandertosteerthetankdowntherampintothesea.Thetankhadfloated,andimmediatelytheorderhadcome to lower the propellers and engage the drive before the landing craft overran thefloating tank. After that it had been a case of keeping his foot hard down on theacceleratorforthelongrunintotheshore.

Itwaslonelybeingonyourowninthetankandhismindwandered,imagininganumberof scenarios as to what was going to happen. He had never been in action before anddidntknowhowhewasgoingtoreact.AlthoughhewaselevenfeetbelowthewaterlineitwasquitedryinthetankandhismaindiscomfortwasfromwearingtheDavisescapeapparatusthathewouldneedifthetankfoundered.Hiswasthemostprecariouspositionifthathappened.Therestofthecrewwouldbeabletogetintotheinflatabledinghythat

wascarriedonthetankbuthewouldhavetostruggleoutofafloodingtanktoreachit.

Afteraboutanhourofkeepinghisfootontheacceleratorthevoiceinhisheadphonestoldhimtheywereapproachingtheshoreandshortlyafterwardshefelt thetracksstartingtoengage the seabed. The rest of the crew came into the tank and took up their stations.Keepingthepoweronhekeptthetankmovingforwarduntilhereceivedtheordertodroptheflotationgear.TheyhadarrivedinFrance.

CHAPTERONE

BOYHOOD

InJanuary1924,mymotherKateHenderson,wassenttostaywithhersisterinHebburn,SouthTyne.Shewasinthelastmonthofherpregnancy,unmarriedandhadbeenthrownoutof thefamilyhomeinBarnardCastlebyherScottishPresbyterianfatherwhocouldnotforgivehertransgression.Shewasneverallowedinthefamilyhomeagainwhileherfather was alive. In those days illegitimacy, although not that uncommon, was notaccepted socially, particularly among the working classes with strong religious

upbringings.On the26th of January Iwasbornandafter a fewdays Iwas taken tomygrandfathershousetobebroughtupunderthecareofmygrandmother,MaryHenderson,at1BaliolStreet.MymotherreturnedtoBarnardCastlebutlivedawayfromherfamily.At that time Barnard Castle was amill town andmy grandfather, Thomas Henderson,worked in the last survivingwoolmill in the town.Hewas a heckler, which involvedcombingout the rawwool intostrands. In theshedwhereheworked therewerebitsofwooleverywhereandnooneworemasksoranyformofprotection.OccasionallyIwouldaccompanymygrandmotherwhenshetookhimhismiddaysnack,whichwaskeptinatin, together with a tin jug for his tea. The shed was a terrible place to work, theatmospherefulloffloatingwoolparticleswhichyoucouldnthelpbreathingin.Histakehomepaywas1.7s.9d.(1.39)aweek.Hekeptback7s9d(39pence)forhisexpensesandgavethe1tomygrandmotherforthehousekeeping.Apartfrommygrandparentsthefamily at that time consisted of my uncle, the youngest son of my grandparents, andmyselfasababy.Eightchildrenhadbeenborntomygrandmother.Twogirlshaddiedininfancy.Therewerethreeboys.OnehadbeenkilledinFrancein1917whenservingwiththeDurhams.The secondhadmarried and left home.Hewas a railwayman all his lifeuntil he retired at 65.The third son, the uncle I livedwith,was a dentalmechanic andnevermarried.Therewerethreeotherdaughters,oneofwhomhaddiedaged21ofaholein her heart, my mother and her married sister. I was very much the baby, the nextgeneration.

Thehousewassmall,semidetached,stonebuiltinastreetofterracedhouses.Thefront

doorledstraightinfromthestreetandtherewasasmallyardattheback.Therewasnobathroomandonlyacoldwatersupply.Inthelivingroomtherewasarangewithanopenfirewithanovenheatedfromthefireononesideandahotwatertankontheother,withataptodrainoffthehotwater.Akettlewaskeptonthehobtoprovidehotwaterbutyoualwayswashed incoldwaterunless thekettlewasnt required forcooking.Therewasasmallfrontroom,onebedroomandaboxroom.Itwasverycosy.Lifewasverybasicbutas Ididntknowanydifference Ididnt feel Iwasdeprived.Breakfastwasusually twoslicesofbreadwithdripping.Fordinnertherewasoftenavarietyofsoups;whichwerevery filling. Therewas always a roast dinner withYorkshire pudding on Sundays.Mygrandfather,asaScottishPresbyterian,wouldntallowanywashinguponaSundaysoallthedishes forSunday lunchwereput into theshedat thebackof thehouse fordealingwithonMondaywhen,ofcourse,theywereverygreasyanddifficulttogetclean.Therewerenodetergentsinthosedays.

My grandfatherwas a strict disciplinarian.Whenmymother had lived at home he hadinsistedthatshebeineachnightby9.30pm.Howeverhedotedonmeasasmallchild.HehadmadeabarrowandeachSaturdaynighthewouldplacemeinitandtrundlemedowntothepublichouseatthebottomofthehillinBarnardCastletopayhissickclubmoney.InthosedaysbeforetheNationalHealthServicemostworkingclasspeoplewouldcontributeasmallweeklysumtoasickclubthat theycoulddrawonif theywereill.Iftherehadntbeenmuchillnessduringtheyearthesesickclubswouldpayoutabonusattheendoftheyear.Ihavehappymemoriesofthesedays.

ToamusemyselfIwouldplayoutinthestreetwithmyfriends.Wewouldplayatmarblesin theguttersof the roadandatEaster the spinning topswouldbebroughtout into thestreet.Therewasaseasonforallthegamesthatchildrenplayed.TherearealotofwoodsaroundBarnardCastleandwewouldroamwhatseemedformilesawayfromhome.Fiveminutesafterthechurchclocksoundedtheeightoclockchimesintheeveningacurfewbellwasrungthatcouldbeheardalloverthetownandyouknewyouhadtostartoutforhome.Whentheweatherwasntgoodwedidalotofreading,paintingandjigsawpuzzles.Thewholefamilywould join in.Myunclewasadrummer inadancebandandhealsolikedtomakethings.HetookaweeklymagazinecalledTheLeaderwhichalwayshadapattern supplement of things that could be constructed. He made clocks by softeningplywoodinatankofwaterclosetothefiresothatitcouldbebentintoshape.Hemadea

coil-to-coil radio that only worked when he handled it. He wasmy hero, everything Ialwayswantedtobe.

Mymother lived locally although she was never allowed to cross the threshold of thehouseinBaliolStreet.Shewassupposedtogivemygrandmotherashillingaweekformykeepbut it didnt alwayshappen. I knewmymother andoftenvisited her.ThiswasntalwaysthecasewithchildreninmysituationandIhadafriendwhodidntknowhewasillegitimateuntilhewentintothearmy.AttheageoffiveIstartedatthelocalChurchofEnglandschool.MymotherenrolledmeatthatschoolwhichwasaboutahalfmilefromwhereIlived.AtthefirstbreakIthoughtthatwastheendoftheschooldaysoIwalkedhomelittlerealisingthatschoolwasmorethanthat.Ilikedschoolandwasalwayshappythere. Iwent to Sunday School every Sundaymorning. Thismeant putting on the bestclothesbut theywere takenoffassoonas I returned. Ihadonepairofboots. I thoughtshoeswereonlyforrichpeople. Ineverhadanovercoatuntil I joined theHomeGuardandgotoneaspartoftheuniform.Iwouldvisitmymotherafterschoolbeforereturningtomygrandmother.

In1930,whenIwassix, themillwheremygrandfatherworkedwasclosedandhewas

laidoff.Hediedtendayslateronthe30thJulyofillnessassociatedwithhisjobinthemill.Mygrandmother,Mary,thenhadtoexistonapensionoftenshillings(50pence)aweeksupplementedbyawarpensionforthesonwhohaddiedinFranceof9s7d(48pence)perweek,sointotalshereceivedveryclosetowhatshehadmanagedwithwhenherhusbandwasalive.Mymothermarriedwhenshewastwenty-fiveyearsoldandsomeyearslaterIwenttolivewithherandmystepfather.

IjoinedtheChurchBoysBrigadeandgotmyfirsttasteoforganisedactivity.IwasintheBoysBrigadeforanumberofyears.Wedidgymnastics,whichtaughtusdiscipline.Welearntsemaphoreandwereinvolvedinallthescoutingtypeactivities.WeneverwenttocampwiththeBoysBrigadebutIdidgocampingoncewiththeschoolwhenIwasaboutthirteen. This was to the seaside at Whitburn, near South Shields and was fordisadvantagedchildrenwhodidntget aholiday.Weslept indouble tierbunksandhadpeasoupforsupperandgenerallyhadbettermealstherethanwegotathomebutwewerestillhomesick.Wereceivedourlessonsfromourteacher,Mr.Winter,byMarsleyRockon

the seafront. Itwas theonlyholiday I everhad.Myuncle,whoworkedon the railway,livedinFelling,nearGateshead,andwithhiswifewasakeencyclist.TheyrodeovertoseemewhileIwasatthecamp,whichmadememorehomesickandIwantedtogobackwith them.When I couldnt I cried. Through attending Sunday School each year youreceived a rail ticket toRedcar and all the Sunday schools in the areawould gather atRedcaronthesamedayforajamboree.AtrainwentdirectfromBarnardCastleandmoreorlessthewholetownwenttoRedcar.IrememberononeoccasionIhadsavedupeightpence tospend.Youwouldmeetupatacafat4pmtobegivenacupof teaand twospicybunswithcurrantsinthem.Iremembercallingthemcharitybuns.Ididntliketheideaofcharitybutyouhadtoacceptit.

Although discipline at home was strict I was never smacked, the threat was alwaysenough.Therewascorporalpunishmentatschoolhowever,andyouwouldget thecaneforverylittlesuchastalkingtoomuchorifyoublottedyourcompositions.Weusedpenswithnibs and the inkyouhad tomixyourselfusingpowder andwater and itwasverypronetoblot.Iattendedthesameschoolthroughoutalthoughthejuniorandseniorschoolswereindifferentbuildings.Ienjoyedschoolandgenerallydidwell.TherewereAandBstreamsandIwasintheAstreamthroughouttheschool.IfinishedupinForm7Aastopboyalthoughthereweretwogirlsaboveme.Ileftschoolattheendofthefirsttermaftermyfourteenthbirthday,whichwastheEasterof1938.BecauseIhaddonewelltheheadmastertriedtogetmeapositionasaboyentrantintheRoyalAirForce.Therewerenoleavingexaminationsinthosedays.Howeverwhenitcametofillingintheapplicationforms my father had to be entered as father unknown and the application never gotanywhere.ThatwasthefirsttimeIwasawareofthestigmaofillegitimacyandtheeffectithadonyourprospects.Whenmymotherhad registeredmeat school shehadputmedownashermarriednameofLincoln althoughmybirth certificatewas in thenameofHenderson.AllthroughmyschoollifeIwasknownasRonnieLincolnanditwasntuntilIsignedonintheArmythatIbecameknownasHenderson.Iwasneverbulliedatschoolbecause ofmy background. Iwasnt the only illegitimate child, therewere quite a fewothers.InmyclassatschooltherewasaboycalledDennisWeemswho,whenhejoinedthearmy,becameDennisFranklin.HejoinedtheDurhams,waswoundedinactionandhisfriends carriedhimamile andquarterback tobasebut therehewas found tobedead.Quiteafewinmyclasswerekilledinthewar.Theteachersattheschoolwerehardmenwhocommanded respect, somemore thanothers.Mr.Wilkinson, theheadmasterof thejuniorschool,wasovereightywhenhediedbutwheneveryoumethimin thestreethe

wasalwaysaddressedasSir.IthinkIreceivedagoodbasiceducationandwastaughtalotofcommonsense.

WhenIwenttolivewithmymothermystepfatherwasunemployedandmoneywastightandIhadtodowhatIcouldtohelpwiththefinances.AtthirteenImanagedtogetapaperround.Thesewere not easy to comeby as theywere passed on to younger brothers orfriends. All my earnings went to my mother. Another source of income was catchingrabbits.Theseyoucouldsellfor1s3dapairwithafurtherhalfpennyforeachskin.AttherighttimeofyearIcollectedmushroomsthatwouldfetchthreehalfpenceperpound.Youcouldsetoffat4amandpickaboutsixpoundsandget9dforyourtrouble.

IleftschoolontheWednesdaybeforeEaster1938.Allleaversweregivenareferencetotaketoanylocalshopsthatwerelookingforlabour.IcalledatashopcalledWestfords,afishshop,ontheWednesdayevening.TheladyshopkeeperthoughtIlookedtoosmalltobeanyusebutthemansaidIlookedstrongenoughandtheywouldgivemeatry.Ihadtobe thereby eight oclock the followingmorning,whichwas theThursdaybeforeGoodFriday.Most people ate fish on Friday and particularly on Good Friday. That was thebusiestdayoftheyearasfarassellingfishwasconcernedandIwaskeptatitalldayuntilIwastakenhome,asleep,inthevanat12.30amthenextmorning.Itwasasixteenandahalfhourdayformyfirstdayatwork.Ithoughtthiswasgoingtobearegularoccurrencebutalthoughthehourswerelongthiswasanexception.ThecouplethatrantheshopwereayoungcouplewhohadonlystartedthebusinesstheweekbeforeIjoinedthem.Igot3s9d(19pence)formyfirstweek,whichwasonlytwodays,andforafullweek7s6d(38pence).Igavemymother6s6d(32pence)andkeptoneshilling(5pence)formyself.Inthosedaysyoucouldgotothecinemafor6dandapintofbeerwas6d(twoandahalfpence), although Iwas tooyoung to drink then.Prices didnt change at all throughmyschooldaysandIknewthepriceofeverything.Aloafofbreadwasfourpencehapenny,asmallloaftwopencehapenny,eggswereonepennyeachandaquarterpoundofsweetsorabarofchocolatewastuppence.

TheworkingweekwasMondaytoSaturdaystartingat8oclockexceptonMondaywhenthere was a 6 oclock start to go and fetch the fish from North Shields. This wassomethingtolookforwardtoasIhardlyeverhadthechancetotravelawayfromBarnard

Castle.Thefishwerecollectedfromthequaysideandlater,whenthewarstarted,Icouldwatch theminesweepers and other naval vessels coming in. It was very exciting for ayounglad.IworkedatthefishshopfortwoyearsandleftonthesamewagethatIstartedwith, although in the second year Iwent to live at the shop and receivedmy food andlodgings.However itmeant startingat6oclock in themorningby taking teaup to thecoupleintheirbed.

AttheageofsixteenIleftthefishshopandgotajobasassistanttoasurveyor.Itwasnow1940andarmycampswerebeingbuiltintheareaatStreatlamandStainton.Thesurveyorwas aMr.Richards fromScotland and hewas involved in the building of the camps. Iworked as his assistant, carrying his equipment, little realising that I would myself bestationed there a couple of years later. I also joined theHomeGuardorLocalDefence

Volunteersasitwasknownthen.Myunitwasthe14thLDVattachedtotheDurhamLightInfantry.TherewereanumberofcompaniesinBarnardCastleandtherewouldbeaboutfortymenineachcompany.Iwasgivenanovercoat(thefirstIeverhad),battledressthatdidntfitverywell,boots,hat,helmet, leatherbeltandgaitersandaCanadianRoss303rifleand50roundsofammunition,allatsixteenyearsold!

CHAPTERTWO

EARLYWARYEARS

BeforethestartoftheSecondWorldWar,ParliamenthadpassedtheMilitaryTrainingAct

onthe27thofApril1939introducingconscriptionformenaged20and21whowerethenrequiredtoundertakesixmonthsmilitarytraining.OntheoutbreakofwarinSeptemberthatyearBritaincouldonlyraise875,000men,andtheNationalService(ArmedForces)Actwaspassedunderwhichallmenbetween18and41weremadeliableforconscription.Registration for those between the ages of 20 and 23 began inOctober. By the end of1939, 1,128,000 men had been conscripted into the British Army. By May 1940,registration had extended to men aged 27. Prior to the evacuation from Europe of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) at Dunkirk in June 1940, it became obvious to the

GovernmentthatBritainwasatrealriskofaninvasionbyGermany.Onthe14thofMay1940theGovernmentaskedforvolunteerstojoinaneworganisation,theLocalDefenceVolunteers.Thisorganisationwascreatedwiththeintentionofprovidingaforcetodelayanenemyinvasionforceforaslongaspossible,togivetheregulararmyachancetoforma defence line with which the enemy could be held and ultimately expelled.With theseriouslossofmenandequipmentinEuropepriortotheevacuationoftheBEF,therewaslittle in thewayofequipment thatcouldbespared for theLDV,but thecallcaught the

spiritofthenationandbytheendofJunetherewereoveramillionvolunteers.Onthe23rd

ofAugust1940,WinstonChurchillchangedthenameoftheLDVtotheHomeGuard.

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ThecommanderofmyHomeGuardcompanywasCaptainSymerson.Hewastheownerof a steelworks in Darlington. He had no military dress sense and looked a mess inbattledress.Hewasanicechap,toonicetobeanofficer.Therewasanothercaptainwhoranamilkroundincivilianlife,Mr.Wren,andhewastheonewehadmosttodowith.Incharge overallwasMr.Masters.Hewas amajor.A couple of schoolmasterswere alsoofficers in theHomeGuard.AfarmercalledHarryLambwasanofficerand twoof themenwhoworkedforhimwereNCOs.OneoftheseNCOswasSergeantSmithwhowasinchargeofmyplatoon.Hewasquiteagoodshot.

MostoftheHomeGuardcomprisedoldermembers;therewerejustafewyoungsters.OneoftheyoungeroneswasCorporalRiversdale,buthelefttojointheArmyandwaslaterkilledinaction.MyfriendReubenwasonly15yearsoldandhadgivenafalseagetobeabletojoin.Whenweweregivenouruniforms,thebattledresswasillfittinganddidntmatch the shade of khaki of the trousers. Therewere a lot of soldiers from the regulararmy in the town,billeted in thevariousdisusedmillbuildingswhile thebarrackswerebeingbuiltatStreatlamandStainton.ReubenandIwentroundthevariousbilletstryingtocadge replacement uniforms that would match and fit properly. Eventually we weresuccessful and were very pleased with our smart appearance. The regular army hadconcertstoentertainthemonaSundayeveningandwithouruniforms,whichwethoughtwereatleastassmartastheirs,wewereabletogainadmittance.WeeGeorgieWoodwasoneoftheartiststhatwewereabletosee.Wewereveryproudtobepartofthearmy.

The unit used tomeet in a scout hut thatwas turned into a training hut for theHomeGuard.WehadtrainingfromregulararmysergeantsfromtheDurhamLightInfantrywhotookusindrillandweapontraining.WelearnedtofiretheSpigotmortar.WealsowenttoshootonthearmyrangesatWhitburn,rightontheseafront,inacompetitionforalltheHomeGuardunits.Therewastraininginaircraftrecognitionandthehuthadpicturesofaircraftsilhouettesallroundthewalls.Therewasnotrainingonradioorequipmentsuchasthat,asthefundsavailabletotheHomeGuarddidntruntoit.

TheriflewewereissuedwithwastheCanadianRoss,whichinmyopinionwassuperiorto theLeeEnfield.Ithadanaperturebacksight,andthefrontsightwasprotectedbyanouterring.Ifyougottheringinthemiddleoftheaperturesightyoucouldntmiss,oratleastIcouldnt.IthinkImusthavebeenanaturalshot.

InBarnardCastletherewasashootingrangeatDeepdale,whichhadbeentheresincetheFirstWorldWar,andthisrangewassuitablefordistancesupto600yards.Ididshootat500yardsbutmostlyitwasat200yards.OneSundaymorningtheplatoonoffortymenwenttotherangetohaveapoolshoot.Weeachpaidinsixpenceandthewinnerwouldtakethepoolofonepound.IhadntgotsixpencesoIhadtoborrowthisfrommyfriendReuben. It was a dull and misty morning but we carried on with the shoot, and the

outcomewasthatItiedwithSergeantSmithwiththemostpoints.Therewasachoiceastowhether to split the prizemoney or go for a shoot off.My friendReuben,who hadstakedme,saidIshouldtakethemoney,soIreceivedtenshillingsthatIthenhadtosplit50/50withReuben.ThisearlysuccesswiththeriflestoodmeingoodsteadwhenIjoinedtheArmyandIwasabletogetintotheRegimentalrifleteam.

Twoofthesixteenyearoldshadthetaskeachmorningofgoingouttoacabinsituatedonthemoorswithagoodviewof thesurroundingarea.Theywouldgooutanhourbeforedawn,untilanhourafterwards, tokeepa lookout forGermanparatroops.Therewasnotelephoneorradio,but theyhadbikesif therewasanalert,andcouldrideoffandwarnsomeone.Fortunatelytherewereneveranyalarms.

TheunitmeteveryThursdaynight,buttherewasalwayssomeoneondutyallthroughthenight.Thisdutycameroundeverytendaysorso.Theearlymorningwatchoftheskieswouldcomeroundeverythreeorfourdays.Allofthiswasinadditiontothenormaldayjob. Occasionally we would do manoeuvres with the regular army acting as eitherattackersordefenders.Weneverknewwhatwashappening.Oneweekendwasspent inDurhamwith theDurhamLight Infantryandwehadchurchparade.Wemarchedat theDLIspeed,whichis140pacestotheminute.Theyoungeroneslovedthat,theolderonesfounditdifficulttokeepup.Onenightwewereallcalledouttosurroundawoodwhereitwasthoughttherewasapossibilitythataparachutisthadlanded.Wewerentallowedtoenterthewood,whichwouldhavebeenuselessinthedark,butmaintainedourpositionallnight until 8 oclock in themorningwhenwewere stood down, another false alarm. Ihopedwewouldgettherestofthedayoff,buttherewasnosuchluckandIhadtogoofftowork.Therewere routemarches,which I didnt particularly enjoy.One in particularstartedatMiddleton-in-Teesdaleandlastedfromearlymorninguntillateatnight.Itwasterrible.Iwasabsolutelyshattered.

Lateronmy friendReubenand Ibecamedespatch riders.Myboss, the surveyor,hadasmallmo-ped bike that I used andReuben had a two-stroke PostOffice type bike.Weusedthemmorethanwasnecessarybytakingthemhomeintheeveningandridingabouton them.We never had to carry any despatches but it was useful in learning to ride amotorbike,whichwaswhatwewereinterestedin.

Ithoughtwewouldhaveacquittedourselveswellasaneffectivefightingforce.Althoughwewereyoung,aboyofsixteenis justascapableofkillingasaseasonedsoldier.ThiswasthecaseinNormandywhenwecameupagainsttheHitlerYouth,whowerefanatics.

Afterayear,whenIwasseventeen,IwasluckyenoughtogetintotheFireServiceasajuniorfireman.ThismeantIhadtoleavetheHomeGuardbecauseoftheshiftworkthatIhadtodointheFireService.Thereweresixtwelvehourshiftsaweekfrom12middayto12midnight.Thentheparttimefiremenwouldworkashift,andthenthenextweekwouldbefrommidnighttomidday,atotalof72hoursaweekforwagesof3.10s(3.50)Theuniformconsistedofplainblacktrouserswithadouble-breastedblackjacket,anavyblueovercoat,likethearmyovercoat,andaflatpeakedcap.Blackshoeswerewornratherthanboots, althoughwhen attending fires,wellington bootswithwet legswereworn. Therewasalsoanordinarysteelhelmet.Onmyfirstnightonduty,theleadingfiremantoldmetomanthetelephoneovernightbut towakethecrewupifanythinghappened. Nothingdidand in themorningwhen Iwasasked if Igotmuchsleep, I replied that IhadbeenawakeallnightnotrealisingthatIcouldhavesleptbythephone.Imarkedthatdowntoexperience.

Thework rota called for the crew towork twoweeks atBarnardCastle, and then oneweek at Darlington to relieve the crews there. The Darlington station covered thesteelworks and chemical plants in the area, together with the airfield at Thirsk. Theworkloadwasverydemanding.Ireceivedalotoftrainingonladderdrills,knotsandropesandtyrechanging,whereyouwereexpectedtobeabletochangeawheelinaminuteandaquarter.Therewasalotofbrassworktopolish.IwastrainedtodriveanAustintenderwithaCoventryClimaxpumptowedbehind.Ithadabellonthefrontandcouldachieve50 mph. It was all very exciting for a seventeen-year-old boy. There was a drill foroperatingthepumpwhenyoudrewupatafire,andIcanstillrememberthesequenceofthatdrill now.Therewerentmany fires inBarnardCastlebutDarlingtonwasbusy.AtDarlingtonthecrewsleptoverthestationwheretherewerebrasspolesthroughaholeinthe floor leading to the fire-tenders.When there was a call-out you jumped into yourtrousers,Wellingtonsandwetlegs,whichwereallinone,andsliddownthepole.Therestoftheuniformwasontheengineandyoudressedasyouwentalong.Iwasinvolvedinalotofincidents,includingonewhereaHalifaxbomber,attemptingtolandatThirsk,had

comedownonsomehousesanditneededfoamtoputoutthefires.ThelastfireIattendedwasatWalworthCastleinDarlington,wheretheDurhamswerestationed.Iwasdrivingaconvertedfurniturevanthatwasequippedwithacanvastankforholding500gallonsofwaterandasmallhoseandpump.Theprinciplewasthatagallonofwaterbythefirstonthescenewasworthalotmorelateron.Themajoroftheunitwastrappedinoneoftheupperrooms,andwehadtogettheladdersinpositiontorescuehim.ThetroopsaroundusweremutteringLettheoldbastardburnbutofcoursewecouldntdothat.

AlthoughIenjoyedbeingintheFireBrigade,afterayearintheFireService,Iwasnoweighteen.Itwas1942,andalthoughconscriptionintothearmedforcesdidnotapplyuntilIwas twenty, it seemed the right thing to join the forces. Later in that year I went toLeadenhallStreetinDarlingtonandvolunteeredfortheNavy.EightdayslaterIreceivedmypapersfromtheArmytoreporttotheBorderRegimentinCarlisle,bringingtoendmyserviceintheFireBrigade.

CHAPTERTHREE

BASICTRAINING

Mymother arrived in a state of distress atBarnardCastle Fire Stationwhere Iwas onduty.ShehadreceivedmypapersformetoreporttotheBorderRegimentatCarlisleineightdays time.Shetriedtopersuademybossin theFireBrigadetopreventmegoingbuthesaidhecouldntholdmeifthatwaswhatIwanted.IsaidIwantedtogoandthat

wasit.Aweeklater,onthe2ndofOctober,mystepfathertookmetothestationtogetthetrain for Carlisle. Hewas an ex-armyman and he gaveme his razor as a going awaypresent.AtCarlisleIwalkeduptotheCastleandsawthesentryonthegate.Hedirectedmethroughtheportcullistoreportin.AlthoughIlovedthearmyandithadnofearsformeIfeltveryhomesick.Mostoftherecruitswereincivilianclotheslikemyselfbutsomeoftherecruits,whowereintheHomeGuard,cameinuniform.However,iftheyhadbeenNCOs in the Home Guard they went back to being privates and had to remove theirstripes.ThecampwasntactuallyintheCastle.Wewerebilletedoutsidethecastlewallsin a compound calledBitts Park. Therewere five accommodation huts,wash huts, theoffice,agymnasiumandaguardroom.Theorganisationof thecampwasbasedonhutsandallthehutswereincompetitionwitheachother.Weallstrivedtobethebesthutbuttherewasalwayssomeonewhocouldletyoudown.Wehadaladwhowouldntwash;hewasfromConsett,afellowcountrymanfromDurham.Iwasashamedofhim.Wehadtosorthimoutsohewouldntloseuspointsinthehutcompetition.Weneveractuallywonthe competition butwe certainly tried. Some of the lads had difficultieswith the armyshirtsbeingtoocoarseandthebootsbeingtooheavybutIhadbeenbroughtuponroughshirts and boots. I knew all the drills from my Home Guard service but I was stillhomesick, itwas the first time Ihadbeenawayfromhome inmy life. Ididnt find theregimehard.TherewasaSergeantPayne,alittlebandyleggedman,whotookusunderhiswing.

Theaccommodationwasawoodenhutforfortymen.Thereweretendouble-tieredbunksalongeachsidewitharoomattheendforSergeantPayne.Thebunkshadawirebaseandthemattresswasapalliassethatwehadtofillwithstrawinthegymnasium.Beingautumnwewereissuedwithfourblankets.Therewerenosheetsorpillowcases.Wewereissuedwithsomekitsuchasknivesandforks,messtinandanenamelmug,butnoclothingatthatstage.Thehutwasheatedbyacoal-firedcastironstovewithametalchimneypipegoingupthroughtheceiling.Itstoodgleamingonitswhitepaintedconcretesurroundand

althoughitwascoldnobodydarelightafire.ItwasneverlitallthetimeIwasthere.Thebilletswere kept clean by sweeping out eachmorning and all the flat surfaces and thewindowsills dusted and the glass cleaned. The beds were made up each morning to astandardlayout,theblanketsfoldedintoabiscuit,themesstinandknivesandforkslaidoutandthebootsunderthefootofthebed.Sgt.Payneinspectedusdailyandpointswerelostforasloppyturnout.

Itwasthethirddaybeforewewereissuedwithouruniforms.Untilthenwehadparadedinavarietyofcivilianclothes.Eachreceivedtwobattledresssuits.Youwouldbelookedatand the issuerwouldsay thatyouwanted, forexample,anumber5oranumber7. IknewwhatsizeIwantedbecauseIhadbeenthroughthatintheHomeGuard.WhentheissuersaidIwasa5IknewIwanteda4.IntheendIgotasize4suitandasuitwithapair of size7 trousersbecause I knew the extra lengthof size7 trouserswasbetter forgettingagoodturnoveronthegaiters.Iknewitallbythen.Igottwopairsofboots,oneofwhichwasneverwornexceptforceremonialpurposes.Mostoftheeveningwasspentinpolishingthem.WealsohadonepairofgaitersandabeltmadefromwebbingwithbrassbucklesthathadtobepolishedwithoutgettinganyBrassoontothewebbing.Youhadtouse pieces of cigarette packet to protect the webbing while you polished. The officersinspectingyoumadeyoutakeoffyourbeltsotheycouldlookbehindthebucklestoseethattheywerebright.Yougottwoshirts,onevestandtwopairsofdrawers,cellular.ThevestwasonlyforwearingforPhysicalTrainingandIneverhadanotheroneinallthetimeIwasinthearmy.Therewasalsoahairbrushandwidekhakibraces,thesametypethathadbeenissuedintheBoerWar.ApairofplimsollsforPTthatwasneverreplacedwhenwornout,towelsandahousewife,whichwasaneedleworkmendingkit,andthreepairsof good hardwearing socks. Therewas a large pack and a small pack. The small packwouldtakeatowelandtwomesstinsandwashingequipment.Ifyouwentanywhereforanovernightstayyouwouldtakeyoursmallpack.Thepacksneededtobecleanedwithdarkgreenblanco,thesameasthewebbing.Theblancohadtobepurchasedoutofyourpay.Aspartoftheuniformyouwereissuedwithahat,asmalltoandfrocapknownasachipbag.Thiscarriedtheregimentalcapbadge,whichwasalargeGeneralServiceCorpbadge,notthebadgeoftheBorderRegiment,andwasjustfortheperiodoftraining.Weeach receivedaLeeEnfield rifle,virtually the sameas Ihad in theHomeGuard.Eachrifle allocated to you had a serial number and God help you if you lost it or it wasinspectedandfoundtobedirty.Theriflewasinspectedbyremovingthebolt,andputtingyourwetted thumbnail into thebreechand lookingdown thebarrel.The light reflecting

off your wet thumbnail would show up any dirt in the barrel. When we were fullyequippedwepackedupourcivilianclothesandthearmysentthesehome,cuttingoffourlinkswith civilian life.We thought in those first sixweeks that itwashardmaking thetransitionfromcivilianlifebut lookingbackthepeople thatwere lookingafterusknewwhatweweregoingthroughandsoftenedtheblow.Itwaslaterwhenwefoundoutwhatdisciplinereallywas.

Paywas10s6d(52pence)perweekbutIhadtomakeanallowanceofsevenshillings(35pence)tomymother,whichleftthreeshillingsandsixpence(17pence)aweektoliveon.Out of that you had to buy your cleaningmaterials, soap, blanco, boot polish etc. andanythingyouwantedtobuyfromtheNAAFI.Acupofteaandabuncostapennyeachandwasmoreasocialoccasionthananeedforfood.Thearmydidntneglectyouifyouhadnomoney. In theevening in themesshall therewouldbeabucketofunsweetenedcocoa available togetherwith any bread left over from teatime. Itwasnt good but youdidntstarve.

Thefirstfewdayswehardlyeverhadourclotheson,wewerebeingmedicallyexaminedforanythingthatcouldbewrongwithus.Ourteeth,hearingandeyesightwerealltested.WehadinjectionsforTBandotherdiseases.TheTBinjectioninparticularknockedusalloutandwewereallowedtwodaysinbedtogetoverit.Wewereinsuchdirestraitsthatwecouldntfacegoingformeals.Nowadaystheseinjectionscausevirtuallynodiscomfortatall.

InthegroupwereacoupleofchapswhowouldsurvivethewarandwhoImetupwithlaterinlife.TherewasamanfromStocktonandanothercalledGeorgeBruitfromAlnick.IwasbythenalongdistancelorrydriverandfoundmyselfinAlnickonenight.ImadeenquiriesandwastoldGeorgelivedinBlacksBuildingsatthetopofthestreet,foundhimandspent theeveningwithhiminapub.ImettheotherchaponabuildingsitewhenIwasmakingdeliveries,Irecognisedhimbuthedidntknowme.IstrunghimalongforawhilesayingthatIhadsecondsight.ItoldhimhisnamebeganwithS,thathisregimentand the townwerehewasbornbeganwithS,and thathehada tattoo in the formofacross. Iknew thisbecausewehadhad themdone together. HeagreedsayinghisnamewasStoddard,hehadbeenintheSignalsandhecamefromStockton.Hewasmystified

untilItoldhimwehaddonebasictrainingtogether.Ineversawhimagain.

All trainingwas done in denimoveralls thatwere sent to the laundry everyweek.Younevergotthesamepairbackagain.Battledresswaskeptforparades.Lateronweworethedenimsinactionuntilwegotourtanksuits.OnatypicaldaytheSergeantwouldrouseusfrombedat6am.Wesleptinourshirts,notliketheonesoftodaybuttonedalldownthefrontbutwithbuttonsonlyattheneck.ThesewouldbewhippedoffandchangedforPTkit,andat6.30amwewouldgofora longrunforaboutanhour.Onreturnwewouldwashincoldwater-itwasalwayscoldwater-dressandgoforbreakfast.Everythingwasdoneatthedouble.Breakfastconsistedofunsweetenedporridge,baconandfriedpotatoeswithaneggonceaweekonSundays,breadandmargarineandapintpotof tea.Therewerethreesubstantialmealsadayalthoughnotalwayswellcooked.Lunchwasmeatandpotatoesandvegetables.Therewasoftenwelshrarebitfor tea; theArmyservedalotofwelshrarebit!WewereservedbyATSgirls,thefirstonesIhadcomeacross.SomeoftheladswhowereusedtobetterfoodthanIwascouldntcopewithitbutIhadalwaysbeenusedtoroughfood.Wedidntparadeformeals,wemadeourownwaytothecookhousebut then itwashurryback tochange for thenext session.Afterbreakfast itwas squarebashingforanhourandahalf,thenaNAAFIbreak,thenchangeintoPTkitforthegym.Everythingwasdonebynumbers.ThiswaswheremyHomeGuardtrainingcameinveryuseful,asIknewallthemarchingdrillsandthearmsdrillandcouldshoot.

Theafternooncouldconsistoffiringour303riflesonthe30-yardrangeafterwhichtheriflewouldneedtobecleanedoutwithboilingwater.Thentherewereroutemarchesofaboutsevenmiles,carryingthesmallpackfilledwithequipment.Everyhourtherewouldbe a rest period of fiveminutes. Iwas used towearingboots so I didnt find them tooonerous. There was bayonet training using dummies, all to a set drill, in, out and onguard.Therewasgasdrillusinggascapesandrespirators justas Ihadpractised in theHomeGuard.The difference herewas thatwe had to experience the gas by entering asmallhutbelowgroundthatwasfilledwithgasandstayingthereforsomeminutes, theintention being to give you faith in your respirator. We had drill for throwing livegrenades.Thiscouldbenervewrackingifsomeonedroppedthegrenadeafterthepinhadbeen pulled out and this was quite easy to do if you were nervous. The sergeantdemonstratedtheuseoftheBoysantitankriflethatcouldinflictconsiderablepainontheuserifitwasntheldcorrectly.FortunatelyIneverhadtotryit.Thesergeantinstructors

hadallseenactionatDunkirkandsincethenhadformedthenucleusofthearmythathadgrownrapidly.Theyrecountedtheirexperiencestouswhichmadeusallthemoreeagertogetintoaction.

Fridayeveningswerespentincleaningoutthehutandgettingyourkitreadyforparadeonthe Saturday by ironing your battledress. Normally wetting the creases with soap andwatertoholdthecreaseandplacingthemunderthemattressandsleepingonthemwouldpressyourtrousersbutforaparadetheywouldhavetobeironed.WehadachurchparadeinCarlisleCathedral one Sunday that I found interesting. Therewas almost no contactwith the officerswhowere in charge of us.All our dealingswerewith theNCOs.Onparade theofficerswouldcomealongand inspectusandpointatus ifsomethingamisscaughttheireye.TheNCOswouldthenstepinandtakeyournamefordisciplinelater.

Guarddutywassharedbythewholeoftheintakeanditonlycameroundonceinthesix-weektrainingperiod.Guarddutywasforatwenty-fourhourperiodandentailedsleepingintheguardroomintheperiodswhennotactuallystandingguard.OntheoccasionIdidguarddutythecorporalinchargepreparedtogotobedandtookoffhistrousers.Hewaswearinglongjohnsunderhistrousersandlookedsolikealittlegnomethatthewholehutburst out laughing. He was very offended and threatened us all with a charge but hecouldntcarryitout,thereweretoomanyofus.ItwasalessonthoughonnotupsettingourNCOs.

WehadverylittlesparecashtospendingoingoutinaneveningandinanycaseIwasntusedtodrinking.IhadmyfirsthalfpintofbeerinCarlisleandIwasntveryimpressed.ClosetotheCastletherewasawoodenhutwhereyoucouldgetacupofteaandacakefor the price of a prayer. Itwas run byRed Shield, a volunteer organisation.We oftencalledthereonourwaybacktothebarracks.Therewasnogamblingonthecamp,itwasstrictlyforbidden.WhenIreadthememoirsofthesecondincommandoftheregimentIsubsequentlyjoined,onhisexperiencesinNormandy,thethingthatstruckmemostwasabouthimlosing tenor twentypoundsplayingcardsatnightwith theColonel. Itwasadifferentkindofwarfortheofficers!

Towards theendofour trainingwewent througha seriesofaptitude tests todetermine

whichbranchoftheservicesweweresuitablefor.Therewasmentalarithmetic,dexteritytestsandphysicaltestswhereyouhadtorunupanddownasmallobstaclecoursetoseeifyou were suitable for the Royal Artillery. There wereMorse code tests. These were aseriesofcodesandyouhadtoidentifywhichof thegroupswerethesame.ImusthavebeenquitegoodatthisbecauseIwastoldIwouldgointoRoyalCorpsofSignals.WhenIlefttheroommyfriendErnieaskedwhatIhadbeenputdownforandwhentoldhesaidhewouldtryandgetinwithme.InfacthedidgetintotheSignalsbutIwasplacedintheRoyalArmouredCorps.IwouldhavelikedtohavestayedwithErniebutthatwasthewayoftheArmy.

Aftersixweeksoftrainingwewerejudgedfitforpassingoutandweparadedinfrontofthe Colonel in the castle square. There was a lot of preparation for the parade and Ithoughtwewereassmartaswecouldpossiblybe.Theparadewasconductedwithabandfrom the Border Regiment, the first time I hadmarched behind a band. There was nofamilytheretoseetheparade;itwaspurelyanarmyaffair.Therewerenoprizes,wewerejustgladtohavegotthroughit.AftertheparadeweweretoldwherewewouldbepostedtonextandIlearnedthatIwastogotoacavalryregiment.

CHAPTERFOUR

STREATLAMCAMP

After thepassingoutparade inCarlisleCastlesquarewewereassembledon theparadegroundtohearourfate.Anofficerappearedwithaclipboardandreadoutourdestinationsin alphabetical order. I learned that Iwas to join theRoyalArmouredCorp atBarnardCastle,whichofcoursewasmyhometown.IwassentwiththreeothersfromCarlisle,andonchanging trains atDarlington, joinedquite a lotofother recruits fromother trainingcampson the final leg toBarnardCastle station. ItwasnowmidNovemberand itwasdarkwhenwearrivedatBarnardCastle.IhadwrittentomymothertoletherknowwhereIwasbeingposted,andwhenwewerebeingformedintothreelinesbythecorporalwhohadmetusatthestation,Isawmymotherstandingattheback.Ifellouttogototalktoherandthecorporalimmediatelytoldmetogetbackintoline.LessthanpolitelyheaskedwhatIthoughtIwasdoing,andIpointedoutmymother.Hewaskindenoughtoletmefall out properly to go and talk to her. I didnt seemymother again for threeweeks,because once in the campwewere not allowed out until we had reached the standardrequiredofacavalryman.

From the station we were taken to Streatlam Camp that was run by the Royal TankRegiment.Thedifferenceindisciplinewasimmediatelyapparent.StreatlamCampwasanew camp. In fact I had been involved when it was being built, in mywork with thesurveyor. The huts in which we were billeted were built of brick. Otherwise thearrangementwassimilartoCarlisle,withfortymentoahutindouble-tieredbunks.Thefloor here wasmade of concrete with a sort of dark brown liquid lino poured over it.Instead of sweeping out, as with the wooden floors in Carlisle, these floors had to behighly polished andwere kept to a high standard by using a bumper.A bumperwas aheavyboxwithabroomhandle,thebasebeingcoveredbyafeltblanket.Afterapplyingpolishtothefloorthebumperwaspushedupanddowntoproduceahighgloss.Youwereverycarefulnottomarkthesurfaceofthefloorwhenyoumovedaroundthehut,whichyoudidbyskatingonpiecesoffelt.

The campwas the home of the 61st Training Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps.

Eachregimenthaditsowndistinguishingdresssotheycouldbeidentified.The61stwore

theblackberetandthebadgeoftheRegiment.Thebadgeisamailedfistsurroundedbyfourarrowsunderacrown.Ontheshoulderswaswornthelongredandyellowflashofthearmouredcorps.TodistinguishthevariouscorpstheInfantryflasheswereredandtheArtillerydarkblueandred.

Thefirstprocessinchangingfromaninfantrymantoatankmanwastochangethecolour

of our webbing from dark green to yellow. The nickname for the 61st RAC was theCanaries.Thisentailed thedemanding jobofgetting thewebbingscrubbedcleanof thegreen blanco. This applied to all the kit using webbing, belts, gaiters, large and smallpacksetc.TheyellowblancowassuppliedfreeeverySaturdaymorning,unlikethegreenblanco that we had to purchase ourselves. All we had to provide was the brush.Eventually,afteralotofeffort,allthekitwasblancoedyellow.Theoldsweatstoldusthattheeasiestwaytohandlethepackswastopackthemoutwithcardboard,orbetterstill,plywood.Theblancoingwouldthenbeeasier,andwhenfinishedthepackscouldbehungon thewall and never needed lifting down.Once done, itwas out of theway, andwewouldntneedtoworryaboutthemagain.Wehadwhitelanyards,whichagainhadtobeblancoed,butthesewerechangedeveryweek.WediscardedthecapwornatCarlisle,andwere now issuedwith a black beret. This was seen as quite an honour; only the TankCorpsworeblackberets.Whentheberetswereoriginallyissuedtheywerebigandfloppy.Alltheveteransberetsweresmallandneat.Theytoldusthetrickwastosoaktheberetsinhotwaterand leaveovernight.By then theberetswouldhaveshrunkandyouhad tostretchthemtogetthemonyourheads.Sometimestheywouldhaveshrunktoomuchandyouwouldbeintroubleforruiningyourequipment.Theleatherbandoftheberethadtobewornlevelontheheadoneinchabovetheeyebrow,withthecapbadgeabovethelefteye.Thatshowitwaswornonparade.Otherwise,ifyoucouldgetawaywithit,youworethemonthebackofyourheadinanarrogantfashion.Whenyouwereonthetowninyourblackberets,everyoneknewyouwereinthetankcorp,wewereveryproudofthem.

InthefirstfiveweekstrainingwehadtodomarchingdrilltotheGuardsstandards.Wewere instructed in thisbyGuardsofficers.TheSergeantMajorwasaWelshGuardsmanandaverystrictman.TherewasalsoaSergeantMajorfromtheIrishGuards.Allthedrillinstructors had a pacing stick andwore the flat capof theGuards. Itwas a big changefromCarlislebut Icopedwith itverywell.BynowwithmyHomeGuardexperiences,andbasictrainingoutoftheway,armydrilldidntworrymeatall.Onethingthathelped

the marching was the band of the 17th/21st Lancers that was based on the camp. Theregimentwasaway,butthebandhadbeenkeptbackandplayedatalltheparades,whichmademarchingaloteasier.Thepaceofthemarchingwaseasierandtheliftofthearmsless.AtthetrainingcampatCarlisle,thearmswereswungtothehorizontalpositionwitheach step, whereas now we reverted to swinging the arms up to waist high. Saturdaymorningwasabigdayforparades.Thismeantparadinginbestuniformsthathadtobekepttoahighstandard.Previouslythebattledressblousewasopenattheneckbutnowtheneckwasstitcheduptoformabettercollar.WithmyNo.7trousersneatlyturnedovermygaiters,mybootshighlypolished,andmyuniformpressed,Iwaspleasedwithmyturnout.

Wewereeachissuedwithapistol,whichwaseitheraSmithandWestonorWebley.IwasgivenaSmithandWestonsixshotrevolverthatwepractisedwithontherange.Wealsohadrifleshooting,andhadtopassatestthatinvolvedputtingfiveroundsinafour-inchgroupat200yards.IachievedthisandthisachievementwasthenmarkedinPartIofthearmy paybook. Part I was used to record all details of your army service, such as therecordofyourinoculations,skilllevelsachievedetc.,whilePartIIrecordedthedetailsofyourpay.

Other aspects of trainingwere to dowithmap reading, driving and learning about themechanicsofanengine.Inoneoftheworkhuts, therewasamarvellousaidtolearningabouttheworkingsofanengine.Itwasacutawayversionofaworkingmodelofatankengine. You could look at the inside of the engine and see the pistonsmoving up anddown. It was painted blue, red and yellow to show the flow of water, petrol and oilrespectively.Youcouldseeexactlyhowitworked.IhadbeenabletodrivebeforeIjoinedthe army, but I had no previous knowledge of theworking of an engine.Map readingcame easy to me, it was just common sense. Fixing coordinates was just a case offollowing theverticalandhorizontalpoints to the intersection, thenfinding thephysicallandmarkssuchaschurchsteeplesorhills.Wefollowedupthetheorybydoingapointtopointonthemoors.Someofthegroupmanagedtogetlost.

Everythinghadtobemaintainedtoaveryhighstandard.Eachdaythekithadtobelaidonthe bed in absolutely immaculate condition.Minor infringementswould result in beingplacedonacharge,andthenappearingbeforetheCommandingOfficer.Youwouldlikely

get jankers, which would be a period of being confined to camp with extra duties,fatiguesandmore inspections.Onceyouwereon jankers, itwashard togetoff,asyouhadlesstimetoattendtoyourkit,andmoreopportunitiesforfaultstobefound,resultingin further charges. Itwas a vicious circle and an ever-present fear. Imanaged to avoidjankers at Streatlam, but I did have to be awitness before theC.O. for someone elsesmisfortune.

Afterthreeweeksweweredeemedcompetentenoughtobeletoutofcamp.ItwasabusrideintoBarnardCastle,andfewtooktheopportunitytogothere.Acrosstheroadfromthecampgatestherewasasmall tankpark,andadjacenttotheparkacinemahadbeenbuilt. ItwascalledtheHalliwellafter thebattleof thatname.Admissionwassixpence,open everynight, so if you couldnt go into townyou could still go to the cinema.Oncamp there was the NAAFI and the Red Shield Club, a Scottish organisation like theYMCA.Withlittlemoneyavailableopportunitiesforrelaxingwerelimited.Alsobasedin

theBarnardCastleareawasthe54thRegiment,anothertankregiment.Theyworeayellowdistinguishinglanyard.TheyhadgooddancesattheircamponaSaturdaynight,andwe

werewelcometogothere.FurtheralongtheroadatBarfordtherewasthe59thRegimentthatwasequippedwitharmouredcars.Theyworearedlanyard.Astankmenwelookeddownonthem.AlongtheDarlingtonRoadthereweretwoinfantrycamps,oneofwhichwastheSAS,butweneversawanythingofthem,theykeptalowprofile.BarnardCastlemusthavebeenburstingwithtroops,buttherewassurprisinglittletroubleinthetown.Wewereallyoungtroopsandhadntdevelopedtherivalriesatthatstage.

AsatCarlisle, therewasneverenoughtimebetweenactivities.PhysicalTrainingwasat7.30amatStreatlam.AfterPTtherewouldbefiveminutestochangeintothedressfortheorderofthenextactivity,andbebackonparade.Thiscouldbedenimsorbestbattledress,secondbattledress,fieldorderetc.Ifyouwerelateyouwereonacharge.Itwasallamadscrambleandwasdone tokeepyouonyour toes.Thefacilitiesdidntallowfor thefullcomplement to do the training all at the same time. Only on the parades were wealtogether.Attheparadeyouwouldbecalledoffintosmallunitstoattendclassesrunbycorporals.Therewouldbeeightinaclassforwireless,similarlyforDandM(drivingandmaintenance)andgunnery.Handsontrainingonthewirelesssets,enginesandarmamentsdidnt take place at Streatlam, but occasionallywewould bemarched over to StaintonCamp to be introduced to the hardware.We learned about the history of the armoured

corps, although the period of tankwarfare only stretched back to Cambrai in the FirstWorldWar.WewereveryproudtohavebeenselectedfortheRACandcouldntwaittoactuallygetinvolved.

IdidoneperiodofguarddutyinthefiveweeksIwasatStreatlam.Atlunchtimeyouweredismissed from further duties, and had the afternoon to prepare your kit for being onguard. There was no excuse if your turnout was less than perfect. The turnout for theparadeforguarddutywaswithgreatcoatson,winterorsummer,withthegascapetightlyrolled up and fastened by two straps to the back of the belt. The belt was of polishedleather with brass buckles highly polished, back and front. Buttons were also highlypolished,aswereyourbootsandgaiterstraps.Thecapbadgewaspolishedandyouhadtobecleanandwellshaved.Thesmartestmanontheturnoutwouldbedesignatedthestickmanandwouldbe excusedparticipating in that guard.He fell out from theparade andreturnedtothebillet.Thatwasabigincentivetobethestickman.Tomakesureyoumadethe grade at the parade, various bits of uniform were borrowed if yours wasnt up toscratch.IhadaverygoodovercoatwithRACbuttonsthatIhadboughtinBarnardCastleandwhichIhadhadtailoredatthebackforabetterappearance.Thesebuttonswereeasierto clean because they were plain. I lent my overcoat out quite a lot. The guard wasmountedat6pmandtheguardcommanderinspectedtheguardintheguardroom.Thentheguardwouldbeassembledonparadeandfurtherinspectedbytheorderlyofficer,whoselected the stick man. There was no actual stick; it was purely a ceremonial honour.Membersoftheguardwouldbeallocatedtheirareaforguarding.Aftertheguardhadbeenmountedyoureturnedtoyourhuttochangeintonormaldress.Throughoutthenightyouwould be required to do two hours guard with four hours rest, the periods beingdetermined by the spin of a coin. Another duty that came round by rotation was firepicket.Thisconfinedyoutocampforthateveningandyouwereonstandbytocoveranyincidents.Becauseofthenumberofmenonthecampthesedutieswerenotthatfrequent.

After I had been at Streatlam a fewweeks I got into conversationwith the corporal inchargeofthewirelessschool.ImentionedthatIcamefromBarnardCastleandheaskedmeifIhadappliedforasleepingoutpass. I replied thatIwasntmarriedandwouldntqualify, but he asserted that you could always try. To be successful, applications for asleepingoutpasshadtobewritteninacertainwayandhewroteouttheapplicationforme.IhadtoappearbeforetheChiefInstructor.Hewasamajoranddressedallinblack;

blackberet,blackdenims,blackbelt,bootsandgaiters.Hewasaverystrictdisciplinarian.Iwasmarchedintohisofficeatnineoclockonemorning,dressedinmybestbattledress.ThemajoraskedmewhowasthiswomanIhadgotinthetown.Irepliedthatitwasntanywoman,itwasmymotherandthatIlivedinBarnardCastle.Itoldhimthatmystepfatherwas on active service in Norway, and that as my mother was on her own with fivechildren,Imightbeofsomeassistancetoher.Withoutanymorecommenthestampedthepassandthatwasit.Thepassrequiredmetoreportinby7.30am.ThefirstparadewasforPTandwasat7.25am,which Imissedby fiveminutes. Ihad thehappyexperienceofriding inonmybicyclestraight to thecookhouseformybreakfast,whereIwasable towatchmygroupgoingoffforPT.Iwasntallocatedtoahut,soIparkedmybicycleintheablutionsortheboilerhouseuntilitwastimetoreturnhome.Ididnthavetodoanyguardorfirepicketdutiesas thesewereselectedfromtheoccupantsofeachhut. Iconsideredmyselfverylucky.Ididmissthecomradeshipoftheladsintheevening,butitwasnicetobeathome.IonlydidtheoneguarddutybeforeIgotmylivingoutpass,andIavoidedallthespudbashingandthecoalfatiguesthatwerearegularfeatureoflifeoncamp.

Imadequitealotoffriendsinthe61st.WithBarnardCastlebeingmyhometown,alotofmyfriendswouldmeetuponaSundayafternoonatmygrandmothershouse.Shewouldprovide teaandcakes.Themore therewere thehappier shewas, she loved tohave thehousefull.Shewasaladyofaboutseventy-sixyearsoldatthattime.BarnardCastlewasverywelcomingtothetroops,andanumberoffamiliesprovidedsimilarhospitality.Whenthetroopsfirstcametotheareatherewerenotanycamps,andtheywerebilletedinoldbuildingsandhalls.Some,especially themarriedones,werebilletedwithcivilians.MygrandmotherhadtakeninafamilyofamanfromtheSouthWalesBorderRegiment.Thisman, Tom Clark, lived with his wife and small child with my grandmother.When hemoved on the wife stayed in Barnard Castle, eventually finding her own house. Mygrandmotherhadasuccessionofsoldiersstayingwithher,heravailabilitybeingpassedonbywordofmouth.

ChristmaswasapproachingandIwasduetogetmyfirsttasteofChristmasinthearmy.NowthatIwaslivingathomeIthoughtIwouldmissoutonthefestivities.Ihadawordwith thecookandhe toldmetocomeandhavedinnerwith theothers,whichIdid.OnChristmasDaytheofficerswaitonthemen.Thereisfreebeerandcigarettesonthetable,andasmuchfoodasyoucouldeat,traditionalfoodliketurkeyandChristmaspudding.I

dont think I have ever eaten as much as Christmas 1942. I could hardly walk homeafterwards.

The five weeks of training came to an end, and we were given ten days leave beforetransferringtoStaintonCamp.Whenyougoonleavefromthearmyyouaregivenarailpass to anywhere in the country. One of my mates was a chap from London, and hesuggested that I go down with him to see the sights. I had never been to London, oranywhereelseforthatmatter,andthoughtitwasagoodidea.IhadacousinintheLondonarea,aladyolderthanmyself,wholivedinHammersmith.IwrotetomycousinDotwhowasdelightedtohearfromme,andrepliedthatshewouldbehappyformetostaywithher.Shemetmeatthestationandtookmehomewithher,showingmethebombdamageontheway.Itwaslikeanewworldtome.Thefollowingmorningmyfriendpickedmeupand tookmealloverLondon.TheUndergroundfascinatedme. Ipaidfourshillings(20pence)foramealandIthoughtthatwasterrible,IwasntusedtoLondonprices.Wewenttotheatres;Ihadamarvelloustime.WhentheleavewasoverIreportedtoStaintonCampwith my companion. He was also selected to be a wireless operator, but after weeventuallyleftStaintonIneversawhimagainashewaspostedtoadifferentregiment.

CHAPTERFIVE

STAINTONCAMP

When I returned from leave to the new camp at Stainton I foundmyself in a differentgroupofmenoccupyingahut similar to theoneatStreatlam. Iwasplaced,with sevenothers,intothewirelessschool.Itwaslikeacollegewithalotoftheworkbeingdoneinclassrooms.Afterthewarwasoverthehutswerepulleddown,butanumberofbuildingsonthecampstillexistaspartofanindustrialestate.Ioftenwalkmydogthere,wanderingacrosstheoldparadegroundandthememoriesalwaysfloodback.

TheonlyofficerIreallysawanythingofwastheChiefInstructor,whowouldoftenpopintotheroomswewereintotalktothecorporalinchargeandtocheckuponthetraining.The corporal in charge of us at the wireless school would sit us round a table withheadphoneson.Hewouldhaveanordinarynovelinfrontofhimandwouldreadfromthisbysendingmorsecodetoususingamorsekey.Wewouldreceivethepulsesthroughourheadphonesandwouldwritethewordsdownthathecouldcheckafterwards.Attheendoffourweekswehadtobecapableofreadingeightwordsaminute.Weweretestedonthisbythesergeantmajorinchargeofthewirelessschool,andifanyonefailedtoachievethestandardhewas sentback toWeek1 to start all over again in anewclass. If you thenfailedagainyouwerepostedout to the infantry.Noneofourgroupfailed thatfirst test.Wewentontodoafurtherfourweeksbywhichtimewehadtobecompetentatfifteenwords aminute.On the final test the sergeantmajorwas reading andhegot faster andfaster.Eventuallywhen the testwasoverhe admitted thathewas sendingas fast ashecouldatalmostthirtywordsaminute.Wehadallpassedwithflyingcolours.Intheenditwas instinctive, youdidnt follow the dots and the dashes, youpicked it up just by thesound of the letters. To round off the training we were shown alternative signallingmethodsno longer in regular use.Therewas semaphoreusing flags and therewas alsosending morse by flags and by the use of lights. All of these were very slow whencomparedtoreceivingbysound.

Wetrainedwiththe19Setradio.Withinthesettherewastheequivalentofthreeradios,A,BandCsets.TheASethadarangeofabouttwentymiles.TheBSetwascapableoftalkingtoanothertankifyoucouldseeit.Ifitwentroundthecornerofabuildingyoulostthesignal.TheCSetwasforcommunicationwithinthetank.Lateronwhentrainingwith

thetanksdrivingthroughBarnardCastlesomeonewouldsayLetslistentotheBBCbutif you had the A Set on while listening, you broadcast the conversations taking placeinsidethetank.BecauseofthistherewereanumberofletterswrittentotheCOaboutthebad languagebeingpickedupby thepeople in the town listening to theBBC. Itwasaveryefficientradioalthoughtherewereproblemsinreceptionifyouwereinawoodandithad been raining. The overheadwires for the trams in Barnard Castle would also ruinreception.

Radio communicationwas by network.Therewere twonets to tune into operated by aswitchthathadareddotandbluedot.Whilelisteningin,iftheappropriatecodewordwasheard to switch from one net to the other, you would switch to the other net so as toconfusetheenemy,oranyonewhomaybetryingtolistenintotheconversation.Itwasnotpossibletotalktothetankunlessthesenderwasnettedintothenetwork.Ifinfantrywantedtocommunicatewiththetanktheyhadtomakethemselvesheardbyknockingonthetank.Wewereneverfittedwiththeexternaltelephonethatenabledinfantrytotalktothetankcommander.

Othersoldierswalkingroundthecampwouldbesportingflashesontheirarms,indicatingdifferentskillsthattheyhadqualifiedfor,suchaswirelessoperator,driver/mechanicorforgunnery. These flashes qualified you for extramoney. There was 9d per day extra forwirelessandfordriving,3dperdayforgunnery,totallinganextra1s9dperdayifyougotall of them. Thatwas a big increase on the 10s 6d perweek basic pay andwasmuchsoughtafter.

Drivingwasanotherskillwehadtolearn.Everyonehadtolearntodriveasoftvehicle;alorryoracar.Ihadtwoweeksonthisactivity.Iwasalreadyadriverandthechapthatwaswithme had also learned to drive prior to joining the army.Wewent out in a fifteen-hundredweight(cwt)trucktogetherwiththecorporalinstructor.Whenwehadbothhadagointhedrivingseatthecorporalsaidwewerebothbetterdriversthanhewas.HelivedinGateshead.Everyday for the twoweeksof the coursewewoulddrive to his house,leavehimandthetruckthere,andwalkaroundGatesheaduntilitwastimetorendezvousbackathishouseandreturntocamp.Althoughthefreedomfromcampwasnicewefeltratherdonedownbecausewelikeddriving.

Afterwehadbeenpassedfordrivingwewentontodrivingandradio.Onewoulddothedrivingand theotherwouldbe in thebackoperating the19Set.Then therewouldbeareversalof the roles. Itwas likeabiggame,veryexciting.Whenwehad improvedourskillsonthiswegraduatedtodrivingthesmallhalf-tracks,suchasthebrenguncarrier,togiveusthefeelforslidingonthetracks.Soonafterwardswehadwhatwewerelongingfor;acrackatthetank.

The tankwas theCovenantor and had a crew of five. Therewas a tank commander, aregulardriver,regularwirelessoperator,andalearnerdriverandlearnerwirelessoperator.I firstdrove the tank in the tankparkand learnedallabout theskid turns.Steeringwaseffectedbyslowingorstoppingthetrackononesideortheother.Thereweretwoleversinfrontofyou.Eachleverwouldoperate thebrakeforonesideof thetank.Pullingthelever back would initially engage an eight-inch brake drum. Further pressure wouldengagea twelve-inchdrumandpulled rightbacka fifteen-inchdrum.At thesame timeyouhadtochangedownthroughthegearsoryouwouldstall theengine,whichalotoflearnerswoulddo.Therewerefourgears.Foraskidturnyouhadtorevup,changedowntobottomgearandpullthestickrightback.Evenamediumturnwouldrequireadroptoalowergear.Eventually,afterourcompetencehadbeenestablished,wewereallowedoutontotheroad.

Thiswassomethingwehadbeenreallylookingforwardto.FromthecampthedrivewasintoBarnardCastle, through the town anddown the steep hill calledTheBank.At thebottom of the bank the road crossed the river Tees on an old stone bridge. The roadsurfaceofthebridgehadbeenconcretedovertosavethewearfromthetanks.OverthebridgetheroadcontinuedupBattlehilltoCotherstoneMoors.Itwaswonderful.Wewouldleaveinthemorningandbedrivinguntil lunchtimewhenwewouldhaveabreaktoeatour rations.Eachdaywepickeduphaversack rations,whichconsistedof four slicesofbread,twosliceswithcheeseandtwowithcornedbeef.Intheafternoonthetraineedriverchangedoverwiththeradiooperator.Theradiowasatthebackofthetank.Itwasjustlikebeinginaroundbox,youcouldntseeanything.Imuchpreferredthedrivingasyoucouldseeallround.Ifyousufferedfromclaustrophobiayoucouldneverhavecopedinatank,itwouldhavedrivenyoumad.

TheCovenantorwasamediumheavyCruisertankwitha300hpMeadows12cylinderpetrolengine.Ithadtwobanksofsixcylinderswithacommoncrankshaft.Itwasmountedwitha2-pounder(pdr)gun.ThetrainingregimentalsousedtheValentineInfantryTankwith a Liberty engine and a 2-pdr gun. In training you could be assigned to any tankdepending on the instruction you were to receive. I did most of my training in theCovenantor.Itwasarighthanddrivevehicleandthereweretwohatchesforthedriverswithanotherhatchatthebackfortheotherthreecrewmen;thecommander,thewirelessoperatorandthegunner.Theysatintheturretthatcouldrotatethrough360degrees.Thedrivers stayed in a fixed position at the front of the hull. The turret was rotated byhydraulic power as with all British tanks. The main disadvantage, compared with theAmerican electric powered turrets,was thatwhen the turretwas swung round onto thetarget it would creep on a little bit after being stopped and had to be cranked backmanually.Theelectriconesstoppeddead.AspartofthetrainingyouhadtobeabletotakeonanyroleinthetankandIhadthreedaystolearnaboutgunnery.

We thoughtwewerebeing trained fordesertwarfareandat theRyper range the targetswere laid out on sand.Theywere small tank cut-outs on a pulley system that could bepulledbackwardsorforwardsacrossthesand.Therewasatankturretthathadbeenlaidon rollers. Itwas equippedwith anordinary2-pdrgun,buton topof thegunhadbeenfixedanairrifle.Thetargetswerelinedupontheairrifle,whichwasthenfiredtoseeifthe targetswereknockedover. Itwas like the shootinggallery at a fairground, thekidswould have loved it. Time on the range was very limited, there was always a queuewaitingforaturn.Ineverfiredthe2-pdrgunonthetankrangealthoughIwentthroughallthedrill for loading thegunwith shells.The shellswere located in segments under thefloorofthetank.Thelidofthesegmentwasliftedandtheshellsextractedandpushedintothebreechofthegun.Ifyoudidntwatchoutforyourfingersyoucouldlosethemwhenclosingthebreech.Therewasacanvasbagattachedtothebreechandwhentheshothadbeenfiredtheshellcasingwouldfallintothesack.Whenthelocalsegmentwasemptyitwasnecessarytoturntheturrettogetattheothersegments.Ifthegunnerwasonatarget,thiswouldmeanthetankhadtobeturnedkeepingtheturretontargetwhilethesegmentwasexposed.ThiswasntthecaseintheShermantank,astheshellswerenotkeptunderthefloorbutinboxeslikecupboardsaroundthetank.

Inactionthetankcommanderwouldbesittingwithhisheadoutoftheturretobserving,oriftheactionwasintense,usinghisperiscope.Visionwasverymuchrestrictedthroughtheperiscope.Thegunnerwouldhavehis eye to his periscope,while thewireless operatorhadtoloadthegunasthegunnerwasturningontothetarget.Eachnightafteractionifthegunshadbeenfired,thebarrelhadtobecleanedoutusingaramrodandthetankrefilledwithshellsandfuel.Duringthenight,whiletherestofthecrewsleptoutsidethetank,thewirelessoperatorhadtobeonwirelesswatchtotakeanymessagescomingthrough.Thedriver,whowasalsotrainedasawirelessoperator,wouldrelievehim.Thedriveralsohadaperiscope,alittleslitlookingforwardwithlittlevisiontoeitherside.Wheneverpossible,thedriverwouldpumpuphisseatso thathisheadwasoutof the tank, thesameas thecommander.Itwasdangerousinactionbutnecessaryinnarrowroadsandotherdifficultdrivingconditions.

Every tank was different, even the ones of the same make. The driving principles,however,were the samewith levers for braking each track, a clutch and an acceleratorwithpedals, asyouwould find inaheavy lorry.Once trained indrivingandgunnery itwasntdifficulttoadapttoanytank.

Basic maintenance was organised on a task basis, where each day there would be adifferentmaintenance task.Occasionallyyouwouldbe stoppedbyanofficer andaskedwhatthemaintenancetaskwasforthatday.Ifyoudidntknowyouwouldmakeoneuphopingtheofficerdidntknoweither.TheyneverdidandIwasnevercaughtout.OntheDrivingandMaintenanceWingyouwere testedmidway through thecourseandat theend.Questionswouldbeaskedsuchasifblacksmokewasseencomingfromtheexhaust,whatwould this signify?Theanswer towhichwas that toomuch fuelwasbeingburnt.Similarly if blue smoke was being emitted, too much oil was being consumed. If theenginestartedtosplutter,whatwouldthismeanandwherewouldyoulookfirst?Allthetest results were written down to be sent onwards to your next posting so that yourcapabilitiescouldbeassessedforyourspecificroleintheregiment.

All trainingwas done in denims and by the end of theweek theywould be very dirty.TherewasaCOsinspectioneverySaturdaymorningandoccasionallywehadtoparadeindenims.As cleandenimswerenot issueduntilMondaymorning thismeant thatFriday

nighthadtobespentinwashingthedenimsreadyforparadethefollowingmorning.ThiswastheArmyswayofkeepingyouonyourtoes.

Thereweretanksilhouettesdisplayedroundthewallsoftheclassrooms,bothoftheAlliedarmourandalsotheGermanpanzers,forrecognitiontraining.WedidntlearnalotaboutthecapabilitiesoftheGermantanksalthoughtherewasalotoffolklore.WeknewabouttheinvincibilityoftheGermanTigertankandthatthe88mmgunwassupposedtobethefinest tank gun in theworld.Wewere notworried that theGermans had superior tankpower.Wewereyoungandthoughttherewasnobodyasgoodasus.Wewerefulloflife,Britishandproudofit.

AftertwelveweeksatStaintonweweregiventendaysleave.AttheendofthatwewerepassedoutandwentbacktoStreatlamcamptoawaitinstructionsastowhereweweretobeposted.MysleepingoutpassfortheStreatlamcampwastakenawayonmyreturnandIhadtoreturntothebillets.Eachdaysomebatchesweresentofftotheirregimentsandfinally itwasmy turn.Therewasa little railwaystationnear theStreatlamcampcalledBroomielaw. Itwasa smallhalt thathadbeenopened toserveStreatlamCastleand theQueenMotherwhenshewasinresidencethere.Onthedayofmypostingagroupoffourofusmarcheddown to thehalt tocatch the train toDarlington.From therewewent to

Skiptontojointhe13th/18thRoyalHussarsRegimentstationedinthearea.

CHAPTERSIX

THEREGIMENT

The13th/18thRoyalHussars(QueenMarysOwn)wasafamouscavalryregimentwithadistinguishedhistory.TheRegimenthadbeenformedin1922withtheamalgamationof

the13thHussarsand the18thRoyalHussars (QueenMarysOwn)but thehistoryof the

regiments before amalgamation went back to the early eighteenth century. The 13th

HussarsRegimentwasraisedin1715asMundensDragoons,thenamebeingchangedto

the13thHussarsin1861.TheregimentfoughtinthePeninsularWarfrom1808to1814,theBattleofWaterloo1815,TheCrimeaWar1854to1855,theBoerWar1899to1902

andtheFirstWorldWar1914to1918.The18thRoyalHussars(QueenMarysOwn)was

raisedin1759asthe19thLightDragoons.In1763thenamewaschangedtothe18thLight

Dragoonsandin1910becamethe18th(QueenMarysOwn)Hussars.TheyalsofoughtinthePeninsularWarfrom1808to1814,theBattleofWaterloo,theBoerWarandtheFirst

WorldWar.IntheBoerWarthe18thwereinvolvedinthedefenceofLadysmith,whilethe

13thwerepartofthereliefforceofLadysmith.InthePeninsularWar,the18thwereluckytosurviveasaregimentwhentheyearnedtheangeroftheDukeofWellingtonwiththeiractionatVittoria.LootinghadbeenwidespreadafterthebattlewhentheFrenchbaggage

train had been over-run, with officers just as involved as other ranks. The 18th wereunluckythatWellingtoncameacrossthemhimself,whentheywereneededforthegeneralpursuit of the French army. After much recrimination most of the looted items were

recoveredandput to thebenefitof the regiment.The13thwereperhapsbestknown for

their part in theCharge of the LightBrigade atBalaclava on the 25th ofOctober 1854whenoverhalfthoseinvolvedwerelostinthechargeontheRussianpositions.SergeantJMalonewon the Victoria Cross in that engagement. This day is still celebrated by the

Regiment.DuringtheFirstWorldWarthe13thservedinFlandersuntil1916andthereafter

in theMiddle East. The 18th served in France and Flanders throughout participating inmostofthemajorbattlesofthatwar.

In1929,after theamalgamationof the13thand18th, theRegiment leftEngland tospenttwoyearsinEgyptfollowedbysevenyearsinIndia.Inlate1938theRegimentreturnedtoEngland tobeginan intensive tenmonth trainingandre-equipmentprogramme,prior tobeingembarkedforFranceinSeptember1939aspartoftheBritishExpeditionaryForce.

TheRegimentspentmostofthephoneywarbilletednearArrasintheArtoisregionof

France.WhentheGermanarmyenteredHollandandBelgiumonthe10thofMay1940thewarhottedupandtheRegimentmovedtothefrontlinetotheeastofBrusselsandwerecontinuouslyengagedwith theenemy, fighting in thesameareaas theirpredecessorsat

theBattleofWaterloo.Onthe15thofMaytheDutchsurrenderedandwhenthesituationtothe southof theBEFbecame seriously threatened a general retreatwasordered. From

then the Regiment fought a rearguard action until, on the 28th of May, the Belgianscapitulated leaving the only option of awithdrawal throughDunkirk.Thewhole of thesurvivorsof theRegimentwereembarkedonacross-channelsteameron theeveningof

the30thofMayandreturnedtoEngland.Ofthefivehundredofficersandmen,togetherwith replacements,whohadembarked forFrance inSeptember1939, fourhundredandthirtysixsubsequentlyfoundtheirwaybacktotheRegimenttoformavitalcorefortherebuildingoftheBritishArmy.

****

TheRegimentwasorganisedintosquadrons.ApartfromtheRegimentalHQtroop,whichconsistedof four tanks, therewere four squadrons,A,B,CandHQ.The regimentwascommanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and each squadron by a Major. The fightingsquadrons, which were known as Sabre squadrons, each comprised five troops and anadmin troop. Therewere four tanks to each troop and fivemen to each tank. TheHQSquadronwasmadeupofdifferentvehicles,AAtanks,reconnaissancetanks,scoutcarsandtransportvehicles.Initiallythereccytroopswereequippedwitharmouredscoutcarsbut latterlywere equippedwith the Stuart tank. The reccy troopswould liaisewith theinfantry.Therewas a high casualty rate in the reccy troops, theStuart tankswere onlythinlyarmouredwithasmallgun,a37mm.Theywerelightlybuiltforspeed.Theywouldprobeaheadofthetanksandwereveryvulnerable.ShortlyafterD-Daytwoofthereccytankslinedupwiththeheaviesforanattack.TheywerebothwipedoutandthecrewsareburiedinalineinHermanvilleCemetery.IntheRegimentalHQtroop,theColonelstankwascalledBalaclava.Thegunwasremovedfromthistanktoleavespaceintheturretforamaptableandforsleepingroom.Thiswasnotpossibleinthenormaltank.Thegunwasreplacedbyawoodenbarrel,attachedtofrontoftheturret,sothatitwouldntbeobviousthatthetankwasunarmed.Eventuallythewoodenbarrelwarpedanddevelopedadroop.

Theregimenthaditsownrecoveryvehicles,whichwereordinarytankswithoutaturret.Theregimentalfittersmannedthese.Sgt.Spencerheadedthisunit.LikemyselfhewasaBarnardCastleman.IncivilianlifehehadrunablacksmithsshopinStartup.

Loyalty to a regiment is a characteristicof theBritishArmy;each regiment is a familyzealouslyguardingitstraditions.IdidntrealiseitatthetimebutIhadjoinedafamilyandoverfiftyyears laterIwasstillpartof thatfamily.ACorporalGeorgemetmygroupoffourattherailwaystationatSkipton.HedroveustoRegimentalHeadquarterswherewewereassignedtotemporarysquadronsandreceivednewcapbadges.ThecapbadgewasthesmallestintheBritishArmy;itwasnotmuchmorethanadot.Wewerealsoissued

with collar dogs, which were like an H, the symbol of the 18th Hussars. We had toremovetheRACflash,aswewerenolongerintheRoyalArmouredCorp,andputonour

Divisional sign, the 78thArmouredDivision flash. Thiswas an inverted cotton triangledepictingabullsheadwiththeendofthehornsdrippingwithblood.Thesewehadtosewon our tunics that night in the billet.We were billeted in the town in an empty shop,Paterinnis,probablybelongingtoanItalianwhohadbeeninternedforthedurationofthewar.Theshopisstilltheretoday.Onedayweweretherewhenasergeantcameintothebilletafter reveillehadbeencalledbutonly twoof thegroupwereupanddressed.Therest ofuswere still inbed.The sergeantwas looking for twomen todo fatigues, spudbashing, and because these two were the only ones dressed he selected them. Theyprotestedthattheyweretheonlytwothathadrespondedtoreveillebuttonoavail.Thatwasthepriceofbeingdifferent!WewerenotallocatedtoasquadronuntiltheRegimentmoveddowntoWickhamMarketinSuffolkaboutthreeweeksafterwearrived.

Iwasvery lucky toget into sucha first class cavalry regiment.Mostof the lads at thetraining camp had gone into yeomanry regiments that were only wartime regimentswhereasmyregimentwasaregularformation.WewerewellreceivedatSkipton.WhenIfirstwentintothemessitwaslikebeinginadifferentcountry.TheregimenthadservedinIndiaforsomeyearsandalotofHindustaniwordshadbeenincorporatedintoeverydayspeech.Thiswasfromtheoldsweats,whohadbeenwiththeregimentinFranceandtheretreat toDunkirk.Over theweeksaheadmostof theoldsweatsweremovedout to thetrainingregimentsleavingusinnocentyoungsoldierstoformthebulkoftheregiment.

Itwasntlongbeforewerealisedwhatbelongingtosuchanillustriousregimententailed.Thedisciplinewassohigh;itseemedobsceneandunnecessaryforwartimeconditions.Itwasnt bullying, it was just spit and polish. At one point it was so bad I applied fortransferstothePalestinePoliceandforglidersbuttheycametonothing.Wewereunderthe charge of Corporal Bestwick who had to apply the discipline, he had no choice.Corporal Bestwick was a lovely man with two young daughters. Sadly he was killedshortlyafterD-Day.Ifyouwerelateonparadeyouwereputonacharge,whichusuallymeantsevendaysonjankers.Thiswouldentailreportingtotheguardroomatreveilleinfullbattledress.TheProvostSergeantwasahatedman.Mostprovostsergeantsarebutthisonewashatedbyall.HewasaSergeantDeloolyfromStokeonTrent.Itwasrumouredhehadworkedforthecouncilasadustbinmanandcouldntwritehisownname.Ifheaskedyouforyourname,anditwasalongname,hecouldntspellitsohejustgaveacaution.Afriendofmine,AlexDrury,wasoncestoppedandhadhisnametaken.Whenaskedforhisservicenumberhejustreadanumberoffthebackofatruckthatwasbehindthesergeant.Thesergeantwassothickheadedhedidntrealisehewashavingthemickeytaken.

TheRegimentalSergeantMajorwasRSMHind,calledDusty.Hewasstrictbutfair.ThefirsttimeIcameacrosshimwasatSkiptonmarketplace.Hewaswearingatrenchcoat,anofficertypehatandcarryingaswaggerstick.InallinnocenceIsalutedhimandinfrontofallandsundryatthemarkethegavemeanawfuldressingdownatthetopofhisvoice,andhewasonlystandingafootawayfromme.HesaidthenexttimeIsawhimIwouldknowhewasntabloodyofficer!ThatwasmyfirstmeetingwithMr.Hind.OnNewYearsDay1945inHolland,Iwasbilletedinanoldmillwithhisdriver.RSMHindbroughtusbothapintmugofteaandsaidRight,lads,youcannowsaythattheRSMbroughtyouapotofteainbed!

Itwasconsideredaterribleoffencetobesmirchthehonouroftheregiment.Tobeabletogointotownyoualwayshadtobeverysmart,highlypolishedandrespectable.WhenyouwentoutofcamponaSaturdayafternoon togo into townon the passionwagon,youhadtoreporttotheregimentaloffice.RSMHindwouldcomeouttoinspectyou.Ifyouwerewearingshoeshewouldmakeyouliftyourheelstoseeiftheywereworndown.Iftheywere,hemadeyougobacktochangeintoboots.Thiseffectivelyruinedthetripout,asthepassionwagonwouldntwaitforyouwhileyouchanged.Civilianshoeswerehard

tocomebyduetotherationingandthepointssystem.Theonlywaytoobtainthemwasthroughyourfamily.Evengettingshoesrepairedwasdifficult.

Therewerecontinuousinspections.Bythistimewehadlearntabitaboutlifeinthearmy,wewerebecomingoldsweatsourselves.Thehutwewerebilletedinhadtwodoors.Thebunkswesleptinwerenowsinglebedsandthereweretwentytoaroom.Forafewdaystwoor three of usmanaged to avoidPTby dashing out of the seconddoor and hidingroundthecorner,justbeforethecorporalcameintogetusonparade.Aftertheothershadgonewe crept back into bed for a further half hour.After a few days of thiswewerecaught out but managed to avoid being put on a charge. The spit and polish wasextremelysevere.WhenIfirstwenttotheregiment,itwasmarkingtimewaitingtogetupto strength with the new intakes that were coming in almost daily from the trainingregiments.Thespitandpolishwastokeepusoccupieduntiltheregimentwasreadytostartthecombattrainingforourfutureroleinthewar.InmyhuttherewasHarry,oneoftheoldsoldierswhohadntyetbeenpostedout.Togetsomeextramoneyhewouldcleanyourkitfor2/6d.Ineverusedhimbuttherewerethosewithmoremoneythansensewhodid.Therewasstillastronglinktotheoldcavalrydays.Theofficersstillhadtheirhorses.The words of command were derived from the days of horses. You were ordered tomount your tank, tomove off, you advanced.As ordinary troopers,wewere calleddonkeywallopers.

OnedayIwaspickedforguardduty.Ihadbeenworkingalldayandhadnothadachancetogetmyselfreadyfortheparade.TheladshelpedmegetdressedandallIwasconcernedaboutwasgettingthroughtheparadewithoutincident.Therewereaboutsixtymenontheguardatthemountingandtheywouldbeallocatedtoareaswithinthecamp,suchasthetankpark.All theattendeesaregivenanumberbutwhenmynumberwascalledtojointheorderliesatthebackitdidntregisterandIdidntmove.TheorderlyofficerthensaidthatifIdidntmovehewouldpicksomeoneelsetobestick.Someonegavemeanudgeand I took a pace forward, turned left andmarched off to join the orderlies.When theorderlieswere dismissed youwent off dutywith them. Itwas the first time I had beenmadestickmanandinthemostsurprisingcircumstances.Ifyouwereawardedtwosticksyoureceivedasilverflashtoattachtoyoursleeve.ThiswasknownasaTMO.ThisIdidmanagetoachieveeventually.

InApril1943theRegimentmovedtoWickhamMarketinSuffolk,whereitwasmadeuptostrengthandthenreceivednewsoftheroleitwasdestinedtoperformonD-Day.Itwastimetoeaseoffonthebullandconcentrateontrainingforthetaskahead.

CHAPTERSEVEN

PREGNANTPRAWNS

FortheBritishthewarhadnowbeengoingonforthreeandahalfyears.AfterthefallofFranceandtheevacuationoftheBritishforcesfrommainlandEurope,BritainstruggledtokeepopentheAtlanticlinkwiththeUSA,buildupthebomberoffensiveandtokeepthewar going inNorthAfrica. The invasion ofRussia by theGermans in June 1941 gavesome succour to theBritish, and inDecemberof thatyear the Japanese attackonPearlHarbour, followed shortly after by Hitler declaring war on the USA, brought theAmericansintoaglobalwar.By1942BritishandAlliedforceswereengagedinfightingintheMiddleEast.AmericanforceswerefightingtheirownbitterengagementsintheFarEastwhile theBritish in theFarEasthadbeen forcedback to the frontiersof India. InOctober1942,theEighthArmyunderthecommandofGeneralMontgomerydefeatedtheAxis forces at El Alamein in what turned out to be the watershed of the Germanaspirations in conquering the whole of Europe. In November 1942 the British andAmerican forces successfully launched an invasion of North Africa under General

Eisenhower,codenamedTORCH,which ledultimatelyon the12thofMay1943, to thesurrenderoftheAxisarmiesinAfrica.InRussiatheGermanoffensivewashaltedwiththe

fallofStalingradtotheRussianArmyonthe31stofJanuary1943.

AfterPearlHarbour,atARCADIA,thefirstAnglo-Americanwarconferenceonthe31st

ofDecember1941,PresidentRooseveltconfirmedtheprincipleofGermanyfirstintheglobalstrategyforwinningthewar.BritishandAmericanplannerssetaboutconsideringhow to return to Continental Europe with the Americans favouring an invasion ofNorthernEuropebutChurchillfortheBritishexpressinggravereservationsthatitwasfartooprematureandrisky.ChurchillfavouredtheapproachthroughtheMediterranean,thesoftunderbellyofEurope,ontheprincipleofonestepatatime.ThisconflictofviewswastosomeextentresolvedattheCasablancaConferenceinJanuary1943.ThiswastobethefirstwarconferencebetweentheAlliedHeadsofGovernmentandwasintendedtobebetweenRoosevelt,ChurchillandStalin.IntheeventStalindeclinedtheinvitationasheindicatedhecouldnotleaveRussiaatthattime.DespitetheabsenceofStalin,orprobablybecauseof,theconferencewasasuccessandsetthebasisanddirectionfortherestofthewar.TheinvasionofSicilywasconfirmed,codenamedHUSKY,withfurtheroperationstofollowinItaly,but theprimaryobjectivewasdeterminedas the invasionofNorthernFrance in 1944 under the code name OVERLORD. At the TRIDENT Conference in

WashingtoninMay,thedatefortheinvasionwasprovisionallyfixedfor1stofMay1944.

The Dieppe raid of August 1942 and the invasions of TORCH and HUSKY provideddisturbing examples of the risks involved in sea borne and airborne operations. It wasrecognisedthatspecialisedarmouredvehicleswererequiredattheoutsetofaninvasiontosupport theinvadingtroopsandtoovercomethebeachdefences.Althoughanyinvasionwould be preceded by a bombardment to keep the defenders immobilised during thecriticalperiodofthefirstlandings,itwasrecognisedsomedefenceswouldremainintactandbecapableofbeingbrought tobearassoonas thebombardmentwas liftedand thefirst troops came ashore. Some means were required that could take over from thebombardment to neutralise this enemy fire. Tanks, landing by landing craft, would beparticularly vulnerable as they disembarked and a new technique was needed. Major

General PHobart of the 79th ArmouredDivision devised a number ofmodifications totankstoenablethemtoperformspecialisedtasks.Theseincludedflailtankstoclearminefields,bridgingdevices,armouredbulldozers,fascinecarryingtankstocoversoftground,mortar firing tanks and probably the most daringly successful of these specialisedvehicles,theDuplexDrive(DD)tanksbasedontheSherman.TheDDtankswerenormaltanksthathadacollapsiblescreenattachedtothebodyofthetank,which,whenextended,enabledthetanktofloatinwater.Propellers,poweredbythetanksengine,werefittedtotherearofthetanktodriveitthroughthewater.Thetankshadalowprofileinthewaterand would cause considerable surprise when they emerged ready for combat. It wasintended that theswimming tankswouldprecede the infantryashore toprovideartillerycoveronthebeaches.

ByApril1943theplanningforOVERLORDhadadvancedtothestageofdeterminingthebattle plan and individual units identified for special roles. Within this battle plan the

13th/18th Royal Hussars was one of the Regiments selected to operate the DD tanks incloseinfantrysupportattheinitiallandingsTheconceptoftheDDtankswastopsecretanditwasnecessarythatallranksoftheRegimentmaintainthissecretifthevitalfactorofsurprisewas tobeachieved.Everyonehad tosign theOfficialSecretsActand themenwerelecturedfrequently.Needlesstosayitwasinthemensownintereststomaintainthissecrecyandnoseriousbreacheswereeverdiscovered.

Theactoflandingonthebeacheswouldbeoververyquicklybutrequiredintensiveandarduoustrainingoveralongperiodandindifferingconditions.Ofequalimportancewastheroleofthetanksaftertheinitiallanding,andtrainingforthiswasrequiredinparallel,toachievetheclosecooperationwiththeinfantry.Theprojectedinvasiondatewasnowalittleoverayearawayandeverythinghadbecomemuchmoreurgent.

****

WhenIfirstarrivedtheRegimentwasequippedwiththeCovenantortank,theoneIwasfamiliarwithatStainton.TheCovenantorwasthefirstBritishtanktobecalledbyanameratherthanatypenumber.ThereafterallBritishtanksbeganwithnamesstartingwiththeletter C. The Valentine tank was an exception to this but this tank predated theCovenantorandwasoriginallydesignatedtheInfantryTankMarkIII.ThenameValentineresultedfromthefactthatthetankwasoriginallysubmittedforapprovaltotheWarOffice

onSt.ValentinesDay, the14th ofFebruary1938.TheCovenantor carried a2-pdrgun,which was considered inadequate at that stage of the war, and the limitations of thesuspensionprecludedthefittingofheavierarmour.Itsufferedfrompoorventilationandwas difficult to service, taking an average four hours a day after being in action. It isprobablethattheCovenantorneverfiredashotinangeralthoughover1,700werebuilt.Asubstantialnumberwereusedbythetrainingregiments.

It was originally intended that the swimming tanks (DDs) were to be based on theValentine,whichcouldbefittedwitha75mmgun,butabetteroptionwastheShermanifthese could be guaranteed in sufficient numbers. An initial batch of Valentines wasreceivedinApril1943andtheRegimentstartedtobecomefamiliarwiththeirworkings.Thesewereordinarylandtanks,however,anddidnottaketheconceptofswimminganyfurther.Shortlyafterwards thefirstShermantanksarrivedand thesewerewell received.Thesewere a pleasant change from the previous tanks of the Regiment. The tankwasbiggerandmounteda75mmgun. Ithadamaximumspeedof28mph. Itcarriedmorearmourand,bestofall,itwasmechanicallyreliable,unliketheGermantanks.Itwaseasytomaintain.Thetrackshadtobegreasedeverynightbutthiswasntalongtaskwithtwodriversinvolved.Therewasneverenoughroom,ofcourse,butitdidtakeacrewoffive.Thetwodriverssatatthefrontofthetankaw