蜜芽传媒

Army Apprentice WW2 1942-45

My career started when I joined the Army Apprentice College at Arborfied in October 1942 to train as a vehicle mechanic. Early days of my apprentice training I found very boring, filing and fitting seemed to go on forever. I always looked forward to sport activities as a means of relaxation. The training did instilled discipline and the ability to take the 鈥渞ough and tumble of life鈥�. Several times in my career these qualities were commented on.
Gradually training became more interesting but my real interest was aroused when in 1944 The College became a staging area for 鈥楧鈥� Day and The College was evacuated. I was in a group of apprentices posted to a REME workshop at Ashford, Kent.

Before going to Ashford we went on several weeks leave. My hometown is Gosport, Hampshire and for 鈥楧鈥� Day it was a huge staging camp. The Solent, Spithead, Southampton Waters and the harbour was crammed with boats from large warships to amphibious vehicles. This had a lasting impression on me, a sight never to be forgotten. Vehicles of all types were parked along the side of the roads with soldiers living along side of their vehicles. Toilets and washing facilities were very primitive. A Canadian soldier who could shave with a piece of broken glass intrigued me. Many of the roads were re-enforced because the extra traffic was causing large potholes. A friend of mine lived on a 鈥渟harp corner鈥� and with in a short space of time the front garden disappeared, he watched a convoy of tanks drive through the garden early one morning. The family was promised compensation after the war! One day I was nearly covered in smoke from a smoke canister. To explain the use of smoke canisters I will go back to the blitz. In the blitz Portsmouth and Gosport suffered badly. A part of the defence system was mobile ack-ack guns and smoke generators, which could be parked outside your house. The smoke generators were oil burners on trailers producing filthy black, repugnant smoke. When the generators were operating it requires little imagination to visualise the state of properties in the vicinity. Windows, doors etc. had to be sealed with newspaper to stop the ingress of the smoke into the house. We preferred an ack-ack gun to be parked outside. I think the smoke generators upset people more than the bombing. Gradually the generators were replaced by chemical canisters electrically operated by wires trailing from lamppost etc. The canisters were withdrawn with the decrease in bombing but were installed again for D-day. To return to how I was nearly covered in smoke, I was walking past the canisters when there was a hiss and smoke started to bellow forth. Several other people and I had to crouch down in the centre of the road to avoid the smoke and later I learnt it was a trial run.

There must have been a thousand or more ships, etc. around the shores and I remember an oily film covering the sea. The residue was still there after the war. Part of Mulberry Harbour was built on the coast and I watched several times as the large caissons were launched into the sea. An object that intrigued me was a large drum with what looked like a very thick cable wrapped around it. I later learnt the it was PLUTO (pipeline under the ocean). The pumping station was further along the coast. It must be remembered that in the last war battles were often curtailed or lost due to the lack of fuel and PLUTO was an assurance against ship loses. PLUTO was a success. It vindicated the designers who worked against quite considerable odds.

There was a contingent of USA navy personnel with DUCW鈥橲 (amphibious vehicles). I became quite friendly with them and they explained the vehicle and its operation to me.

Most days a flotilla of motor torpedo boats (MTB) was on stand by with the engines running to repulse any attack by the German navy. My interest in the possible attack by the German navy is that I live in Devon not far from Slapton Sands where the German E-boats (similar to MTB) attacked the USA navy and army rehearsing for 鈥淒鈥漝ay. In the confusion there were over 700 USA servicemen killed. The civilian population had been evacuated from the area and the area was handed over to the USA forces. Many people were aware of this disaster and were very reluctant to talk about it.

A story I will relate about MTB shows how technology changes. A friend of the family served on MTB and he often talked about operations at the beginning if the war before sea borne RADAR was used. The MTB would cruise off the enemy coast with the exhaust discharge deflected in the sea for low exhaust noise. The main detection of E-boats was by listening and smell; the E-boats had diesel engines and smoked badly. The MTB had petrol engines, which were considerably quieter. When an attack was launched 鈥渁ll hell was let loose鈥� the exhaust baffles came off the engines went under full power the boat virtually leapt out of the water, speed was there saviour. The noise was deafening, the boats being wood construction and carrying petrol, fire was there biggest fear. When RADAR came in to use, they were told where to patrol and what objects to investigate. All personal initiative was lost.

My lasting memory of my leave was from a cycle ride I and several friends took early one morning as it was getting light around the hills above Gosport and Portsmouth. It must be remembered we were use to the blackout and low vehicle traffic. The noise was the first thing we noticed from vehicles, boats, trains, generators, aircraft and human noise. There was a glow in the sky from all this activities that we could not remember seeing before. As we cycled around the country lanes we met hundreds of troops marching in full kit. This we learnt later this was to keep the troops fit. Many will remember the slogan 鈥渇ighting fit and fit to fight鈥�. I doubt whether anyone will see so many troops on the march again and you certainly would not hear them with the modern army boot. I must mention the army boot of this period, with its regulation number of studs and steel protectors and the fight one had to break them in! A company of troops marching could 鈥渨ake the dead鈥�. When I worked on design of army equipment one of the first things I learnt was the army boot was nearly as destructive as the enemy. When it got light it was a lovely clear day and we could see Langston and Portsmouth Harbour, The Solent, Spithead and Southampton Water with the vast invasion fleet assembled a sight never to be forgotten.

I was not at home when D-Day occurred but my parent鈥檚 description was as that Gosport had emptied after D-Day.

My interest in design and development started at Ashford and the events and work had a profound influence on my career. I started to take a great interest in all things mechanical and some of the books and journals I collected in the early part of my career I still have stored in the attic! Life at Ashford was free and easy when compared to Arborfield. We worked with men and women in the workshop. It was summer time and like many memories the weather always seemed sunny. Scrumping apples, catching rabbits and the ability to roam over the countryside seemed a world away from Arborfield.

Many of the REME personnel were unfit for active service and many were excused marching. Parades were amusing when non-marchers 鈥渇ell out鈥�. The apprentices and the ATS were virtually the only personnel left on parade. On one occasion the REME mechanic I was assisting had damaged his back and was in plaster from neck to hips. He came to work with a box of powder supplied by the army to stop itching under the plaster. Cosmetic powder was in short supply so he was a favourite amongst the women. Why he had to always disappear to supply the women with powder I do not know but he always looked please with himself when he returned!

I first encountered the Jeep at Ashford and several other vehicles, Diamond 鈥淭鈥�, Mack, White and Scammell. All these vehicles encountered later in my army service and it gave me a good insight into the difference between USA and British design criterion.

My first encounter with the Scammell was when I was told to adjust the clutch brake. I looked in the cab and I thought one of the many levers was the clutch brake until I discovered the brake was operated by the last two inches travel of the clutch pedal. The clutch brake is used for changing up only. A driver had to be aware of this otherwise driving a Scammell could be difficult. Driving vehicles like the Scammell was very exhausting, no power assistance like today鈥檚 vehicles.

Some of the vehicles I worked on were waterproofed for wading ashore for the invasion of France. The engine, gearbox, electrical system etc. were sealed with a sealant. The sealant was like thick grease on a waxed linen cloth, and if required removing it was a very messy job. Several types of vehicles had a snorkel device to allow the engine to breathe under water and some vehicles had the fans removed. It was found that some fans would distort or break when the blades hit the water and damage the radiator.

My first work on armoured vehicles was at Ashford. The work varied from tanks to wheeled armoured vehicles.

We had a rude awakening when the Germans launched their V1 (doddlebugs) against London. The V1 would come over in batches with their characteristic pop pop sound from the pulsating jet engine. The defence against the V1 was a line of AA guns on the coast, a fighter screen roughly over the Ashford area and a barrage balloon screen nearer London. The conventional fighters of that period, Spitfire, Tempest, USA Thunderbolt and Mustang had great difficulty in catching the V1 in level flight. These fighters would circle at high altitude and use the high speed in a dive to catch the V1. One day we saw twin engine fighters flying very fast and easily overtaking the V1. This was the first action of the Meteor jet fighters. When the fighters fired at the V1 and made a hit one of two things normally happened. One the V1 would explode, showering debris over a wide area and two the engine would cut out and the V1 would circle and suddenly dive to the ground and explode. When the engine cut out it was a question of either getting your 鈥渉ead down鈥� or watching the V1 hoping it was not coming your way. One V1 crashed in the camp. Fortunately no one was injured.

The amusing story about this was the Company Sergeant Major (CSM) 鈥淓rbie鈥� Depper was as wide as high and he could not get in his slit trench. After the explosion when the dust and leaves cleared 鈥淓rbie鈥� was standing by the slit trench flapping his hat to clear the dust from his face. We thought this was very amusing. The result was we had to widen the slit trench with steps outside of his billet so as he put it, he could walk serenely into his slit trench. We did not like to point out that he could be any where in the camp if another V1 crashed on the camp otherwise we would have had to alter all the other slit trenches.

I regretted having to return to Arborfield but I did find my apprenticeship more interesting, I moved on studying all aspects of vehicles. I passed my trade test for vehicle mechanic in May 1945 and left Arborfield in October 1945 for infantry training at Canterbury. The training at Canterbury was no great hardship; we often knew more than the instructors did.

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