蜜芽传媒

Submitted on behalf of my father Harry Smith

I was an 18 years old working at Turner Newell Asbestos Works in Erith Kent when WWII started. My father had run away from his drunken father and joined the army as a teenager before the Great War and he would not allow his sons to join anything military as youth group, even the scouts. Having an interest in medical matters I had joined the St John鈥檚 Ambulance Brigade when I was 16, passing my First Aid certificate when I was 18. This allowed me to man the first aid tent at football matches and also in cinemas. It was whilst I was on duty at the local Odeon that I first noticed the girl who was eventually to become my wife [now of 63 years].

In 1940, when I was 20, I saw a public announcement in the newspaper that 20 year olds could volunteer for the armed forces but would not be sent overseas until they were 21. As I was passing the office I thought I would register. However, they wanted to send me straight away and I had not told my family, girl or employer. So I refused to sign anything and, telling them I would return, I insisted that I should inform everyone myself. When told about this my father he urged me to wait until I was called up because, being an old soldier, he advised me 鈥淒on鈥檛 volunteer for anything but obey all orders.鈥�

So taking his advice I waited until after my 21st birthday when it was obligatory to register for call up. You did this at your local labour exchange. The assistant who completed my forms asked if I had any certificates and being a cheeky young bloke I quipped, 鈥淵es, a swimming certificate.鈥�
鈥淲ell that鈥檚 a certificate isn鈥檛 it?鈥� He said, obviously used to flippancy from young men like me. So I said 鈥淲ell in that case you鈥檇 best put down my St John鈥檚 first aid certificate too.鈥� My job in the asbestos works was not an exempted occupation so three months later, in early July 1941, I got a letter to go for a medical and an interview in Bromley.

Everyone who passed the medical that morning was sent to the army desk except for me. I was the only one sent to the naval officers. I may be wrong but I think this may have been because of my certificates. In 1941 the navy and air force hadn鈥檛 many ships or planes but both needed medical personnel and I think the navy won me because I could swim. At the interview the Naval Officer asked me three questions: Had I ever been in trouble with the law? To which I replied, no. How long I鈥檇 had my St Johns certificate and how far I could swim. The answer to the former was over 2 years and the latter I told them didn鈥檛 know as I got bored before I got tired when swimming lengths. A few days later I got a letter telling me to report for basic training at Skegness on 17 July.

The navy had taken over Butlins holiday camp at Skegness. Here they kitted out new recruits and gave them two weeks basic training; learning how to march and salute plus various rules, regulations and naval traditions. From Skegness we were sent to our various postings via one of the naval bases; Chatham, Devonport or Portsmouth. They were unusually considerate in that they tried to send you to the nearest base to your home. Since I lived in Kent and my grandparents lived in Chatham I was sent there with Maurice Ward a new mate I had made at Skegness. Since he came from Sheffield it was immaterial which base he was sent to.

Maurice and I arrived at Chatham too late in the day to complete the paperwork to be sent on to the hospital at nearby Gillingham; where we were to begin our medical training. We were told we would have to sling our hammocks in the tunnels for the night and were given 鈥榮hore leave鈥� for the evening until 23.00 hours. We found the tunnels which were under the naval base at Chatham. These tunnels stretched to under the Army barracks at Brompton and were able to accommodate literally thousands of men sleeping in hammocks slung from hooks embedded in the walls. When we returned from 鈥榮hore leave鈥� most of our shipmates had bedded down for the night and we could not find our hammocks amongst so many sleeping men. Being rookies we didn鈥檛 want to make a fuss and disturb everyone so we settled down on the floor in our greatcoats. In the morning when most of the men had left for duty we found our hammocks stowed neatly just as we had left them!

We spent 10 weeks in Gillingham Naval Hospital learning to become Sick Berth Attendants. The normal training for regular sailors in peacetime was 9 months and the pass mark was 80%. But in the emergency situation we had to learn and pass our final exams within the 10 week period our only concession being a pass mark of 60%. Those who passed were sent on to a hospital and those that didn鈥檛 were returned to Chatham. I鈥檓 not certain what happened to them or if they got a second chance. I passed mine at 66% and after a 14 day gas training course I spent the next month on the orthopaedic ward at Gillingham before being sent to work in Dartford Naval Hospital. After just over six months duty in Dartford I was told to report to the regulator鈥檚 office in Chatham for a posting. There I found my old ship mate Maurice waiting to tell me that we had both been posted together to a new training establishment; HMS Shrapnel in Isleworth Middlesex. In the regulator鈥檚 office I was given all the paperwork and informed that although we both held the rank of sick birth attendant I was to be the senior. I questioned this as Maurice was older than me by 10 years. But, since we had both joined on the same day, under the peculiar rules of the navy my 鈥榮eniority鈥� was due to the alphabetical order of our surnames; Smith coming before Ward!

Our orders were to set up the sick bay at HMS Shrapnel prior to it opening and our medical kit was the same as the ones issued to sick bays on naval destroyers. Shrapnel was to be a training school for Able Seamen to become qualified motor mechanics for work on gun boats and torpedo boats. The premises were formally the Fraser Nash car firm at London Road, Isleworth and the navy had taken over the workshops and showrooms, including the Fraser Nash motor mechanics who became civilian instructors. There was no accommodation for anyone at Fraser Nash and the entire ships company, including us, were billeted with local families. Being a training establishment we worked office hours over 5 and half days with Sundays off. We shared our doctor with three nearby bases and he visited every working day. The rest of the time we were in charge of the sick bay on our own.

Whilst at Shrapnel my duties included 鈥榟ome鈥� visits to sailors from any ship or shore establishment who had reported sick and was in accommodation in the London area. My duties were like those of a triage nurse, to save doctors鈥� time. I had to assess how sick the men were. If they were just 鈥榮winging the lead鈥� I told them I was reporting them fit for duty and they should return to duty immediately. If they were obviously under the weather I had the authority to sign them off for two days shore leave. If they were seriously ill and needed urgent medical treatment I would send a signal asking for a doctor to attend. I remember one lad I visited who showed all the signs of meningitis. All I had to treat him whilst he waited for the doctor were APC tablets [aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine citrus]. But at least they might bring down his temperature. So I gave him 2 tablets then and told his mother to give another two in 4 hours if the doctor hadn鈥檛 arrived. Back at base I had a phone call from an irate duty doctor leaping up and down about my diagnosis. I confirmed the symptoms which were text book for meningitis. Later that lad came to visit me and to thank me. He said he hadn鈥檛 fully recovered and the navy was going to give him his 鈥榯icket鈥� out.

In 1945 I was to get my ticket out through ill health. I had been suffering with severe and excruciating pains in my leg and was diagnosed as suffering with sciatica. Eventually, in 1944, I was sent to see a specialist, Prof Pilcher, at University College Hospital London, who found that I had a slipped disc and recommended and operation. I was, therefore, one of the first patients to undergo a lamenectomy. After 3 months rehabilitation they decided they could do no more for me and I was invalided out of the navy.

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