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Extract from my autobiography entitled "My Life", chapter 5, The War Years.

On September 1938 before my 17th birthday we as territorials were mobilised and camped out in Essex. This was a false alarm. The Prime Minister had obtained an agreement from Germany, "Appeasement" it was called, so we all came home and I returned to my job as apprentice at the Enfield depot. However, during the following months it was clear that war would be imminent. Councils issued air raid shelters to be dug into the back gardens, and they also introduced the post of air raid wardens - my dad was one of these early volunteers. They issued gas masks to the public with special ones designed for babies. Talks were given by local representatives on how to prepare your house for bomb blasts. Windows were to be covered with strips of paper glued to the glass in order to prevent glass shards and important buildings were protected by building walls of sand bags. Lamp posts and kerbstones were to be painted with white strips so as to be seen in the dark.

On August 26th 1939 the Territorial Army was once again mobilised so I was called to the colours - this time we knew it would be for war. Messages were sent to men at work and I received mine at Enfield and went straight home. Most people at that time of the day were either at work or out so I could not tell anyone at home what had happened. I put on my uniform, kitted myself out and left home leaving a note on the table to say that I had gone to war. It was months before I saw my parents again. Our Regiment took up defence positions on the east coast and our unit's first site was near a Hunting Dog kennels at Harlow where the dogs used to howl all night. There were three packs of these huge dogs held there.

When War was officially declared on 3rd September, Neville Chamberlain, the then prime minister, was soon ousted and a coalition government formed to run the country, this was headed by a man who had made a name for himself during the Great War of 1914/18, Winston Churchill. Now Street lights were put out; lamp posts and kerbs painted white; vehicle headlights had to be masked. All windows had to be blacked out at dusk, people made blackout curtains from black material and air aid wardens patrolled the streets at dusk to ensure no lights were showing.

The British Army was sent to France to defend against the expected German invasion but for months nothing happened except for us at Harlow kennels where we were stationed and because of the war, orders came for the owners of the kennels to reduce their packs of dogs to one pack. This meant the slaughter of about 40 dogs which we saw being shot then incinerated on huge fires.

For our Unit it was very quiet for the first few months. We lived in canvas tents; those pyramid tepees you see in old army photographs. Our entire unit of ten men slept in one, they were actually designed for 16 soldiers sleeping with feet towards the centre tent pole and head towards the out side wall of the tent and all of our possessions were retained in a kit bag near your bed. We slept on the ground and for our bed we had been issued with a palliase, this was a white canvas bag 6ft long and 2ft wide stuffed with straw on which we slept, protected from rising damp by our ground sheet. The ground sheet was in reality a cape for use in the rain. The palliase had to be filled weekly with fresh straw obtained from the nearby farm. The only light in the tent during darkness was from a paraffin lamp suspended from the pole in the centre.

During the day all kit had to be shown neatly on display with blankets folded according to regulations and heaven help you if it did not come up to scratch. Buttons, leather belts and boots had to be polished and all webbing on your equipment had to be blancoed a nice green. At that time none of us were really prepared for war and we were issued with only enough ammunition for the sentry on duty, none for the rank and file and the only site protection we had was one 1914 Lewis Gun, but we did build a lot of sandbag emplacements for the protection of the equipment.

After a while, Nissan Huts were erected and our uniforms began to change. First we were issued with new style trousers [part of the new Battle dress] and we discarded the leather tunic belt, the tight fitting trousers and the puttees but still retained our large peaked cap and tight fitting Tunic buttoned up to the neck. Later the whole uniform changed completely to a Battle dress consisting of a Glengarry [type of beret], Blouse, Trousers and small ankle gaiters. This new uniform was to do away with all the spit and polish required to keep your badges, belt and buttons shiny so now the enemy would not see sun flashes from your equipment. We were also not to polish any brass buckles on our pack or side arms and we were issued with cloth Regimental Badges and wound packs. The Boots issued now were already black and shiny instead of our original issue of yellow leather which we then had to stain black then polish. You can imagine how glad we were when we realised that there would be no more spit and polish. Our Unit was constantly moved about the area and finally ended up operating on the east coast of Anglia near Brightlingsea. It was about this time that we all had to fill in our "Will" portion of our Service Book so we knew what to expect.

At home, people were getting used to being on a war footing and by now were on food rationing and clothing coupons. This early period became known as "The Phoney War". However, in May 1940 things really started when the Germans began their offensive, driving into France and they pushed our forces right back to the French coast having taken Paris on the way. The push was finally halted in a ring about a seaside town of Dunkirk. It was now that the famous Dunkirk evacuation was undertaken. Our army was trapped on the beach so the Navy organised ships, and any boats that could float, to go to Dunkirk and take off as many troops as possible. Even civilians with small pleasure launches took part. The RAF fighters fought German aircraft attacking the beach and in June 1940 through everyone's effort, over 30,000 personnel were safely brought back to England.

In August 1940 the bombing attack on England began and so started what was to become known as "The Battle of Britain". England stood alone with only the RAF for defence. But what a defence, that small band of men fought night after night bringing down literally hundreds of the enemy. Winston Churchill in his speech to the nation coined the never to be forgotten phrase:- "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".

Now during the period 1940 and 1941 things got really bad; you will have read about the dreadful air raids over London. Our Unit was busy every night engaging enemy planes as they flew over the coast on their way to London. During an Air Raid we would engage the light to search out for the planes in order to direct on to the target either our fighter planes [Spitfires and Hurricanes] or the Guns which ever was to be used at that time.

By now we were issued with more up to date equipment. This consisted of stronger lights and a huge mobile sound system which now had four parabolas [listening trumpets] and separate seats on which the listening crew sat suspended above the ground. The whole thing rotated as the men controlling the listening ears [the parabolas] electronically moved the equipment which now was actually converting the sounds into electronic signals. By watching a small hooded screen I could centre this visual signal and direct the lights or guns onto the target. This was one of the early radar type systems. We were also issued with machine guns because enemy planes would sometimes fire their machine guns down the beam in an attempt to put it out or they would jettison their load of bombs. I remember once just after we had been heavily bombed in this way we had to go into action with many of the bombs around our unit unexploded, one was directly under my seat as I swung over it. It made me sweat a little and no mistake. Some of the bombs went up the following day and the rest were dug up by the bomb disposal squad. Many were the times bombers unloaded their bombs onto us having been unsuccessful in dropping them on London.

Our Unit worked in close liaison with the fighter Aerodromes, North Weald being our nearest. This was good because during quiet periods we were invited to visit the Aerodrome when they had entertainment laid on. I remember once going to listen to Henry Hall and his band. We could also have a most welcome bath then as we had nothing on our site other than an old bath in the hunting dog kennels which was a very grubby place. Later, some of the local civilians, having taken pity on us, allowed us the use of their own baths.

During this early period of the War I was sent on an NCOs course and promoted to Lance Bombardier. Later I was to go on a training course to be a Physical Trainer and then took the Company on early morning exercises whenever we returned to central camp. Because I also had the ability to quickly absorb training instructions I became efficient in the use of weapons and Square Drill [marching in step and moving as directed] I would often assist in the military training of new recruits into the Company. Back on site during night operations we used to sleep at our equipment as and when we could and, because of the dreadful conditions, I contracted pneumonia and was sent to Colchester military hospital. There they tried out the new drug M and B [May & Baker] on all us soldiers. It must have worked as I was sent back to the Regiment. What had helped to achieve this quick recovery was my training as a physical training instructor. Being fit was one of the attributes of a volunteer force I applied for and I was transferred in 1942 and sent to 64, Baker Street, London for examination, this was the London Headquarters of what I was to find out, the ISRB. {Inter Services Research Bureau].

Before my transfer however, and during the early part of the war my eldest sister Sally married a colleague at work and my younger sister Betty joined the WRNS. Mother always remembered a funny incident that happened during these early war years. One day when I was home on leave from my Unit in Anglia I met two of my cousins there, Billy Blashford, Aunt Ebbeys son, who was a sailor and George Roper who was in the Air force thus with me being in the Army meant the three fighting forces were home all at once. Then during an Air-Raid when all were sitting around the kitchen table with Mother, [Dad because he was an air raid warden was out on duty] when suddenly the shrieking sounds of a falling bombs were heard. In a flash the three service men disappeared under the table, leaving Mother sitting alone. Heaven help us she said, I thought that with all the fighting forces at home I would be safe. The bomb fell elsewhere and she saw the funny side of the incidence. The war made everyone equal. Another day when travelling from my original unit in Anglia I came home one morning to Tottenham and had to wade through the most appalling destruction I had ever seen. A Land Mine had fallen and demolished a whole street, houses shops and vehicles were strewn all over the place.

In 1942, after being interviewed and examined at Baker Street I was accepted then taken to a place in old Welwyn, Hertfordshire. I wondered what I had gotten into when I arrived having been driven there in a private car by a FANY driver. The place was at the top of a long drive, through gates guarded by Military Police accompanied by Alsatian dogs. Strict security was maintained and having first produced satisfactory identification we were permitted to enter. What greeted me on entry was a beautiful building surrounded by lawns and flower beds and in the grounds I could see large workshops and other huts. The building I was to find out was called The Frythe, Station 1X and had once been a beautiful hotel until 1939 when it was taken over by the War Office at the outbreak of the war. I was also amazed at the variety of people, there were civilians, and military personnel from all the three services, and I wondered what I had got myself into. All military personnel retained their own regimental badges and uniform and many of the civilians were either professors, scientists or craftsmen. After my interview with the Adjutant, I was taken to the hut in which I was to stay and what a surprise that was. There were real single beds [not bunks], proper mattresses [not the straw palliase we had had in my old Company] and best of all clean white sheets on the bed. After my experiences of sleeping arrangements during the early War days, I thought I had been sent to heaven.

I was to be a member of the Special Forces working for The Inter-Services Research Bureau making and testing secret weapons. If you can read books called "SOE, The Scientific Secrets", "The Secret War", "DMWD", "The White Rabbit" or "The Small Back Room", these will give some idea of our work. Because during my interview I had expressed the desire to work on engines and my hobby being motorbikes, my first job was to be an assistant to a Mr Lester an ex-racing bike designer who was at that time working on the production and testing of a prototype of a small folding motorbike that could be dropped in a parachute container and be used by the paratroopers. He had started from just an idea then using a child's little two wheel bike, finally produced the "Welbike" this was to be the first operational transport for individual parachutists. I remember being sent to the Special Operations School at Arisaig in Scotland and demonstrating it to the commando forces.

At the same time the Unit was working on the design and development of the miniature one man submarine, named the Welman. In the huge workshop we made the prototype and then tested it in St Marys reservoir at Staines in Ashford. Now, prior to the testing on St Marys reservoir and as the final prototype of the Welbike had been accepted so I was available for other work. Consequently I and another NCO were appointed to assist in the tests of the Welman and to remain as guards on site until the end of the trials. At first our accommodation at the reservoir was on a twin engine private sailing boat on which we ate slept and kept all our possessions. It was some time before proper huts were built. We used to launch the Welman sub down the very steep incline on the reservoir basin by loading it onto a cradle then lowering into the water by winch. It was then moored to a small jetty ready for the test pilot. You did not have to suffer from claustrophobia when piloting such craft.

One of my duties was to calculate the speed during the trials by taking the time over a measured distance and calculate the knots per hour. Just imagine me on a very cold and windy day trying to read off the results on my slide rule; we did not have pocket calculators then. Once during my stay at the reservoir we gave a demonstration to the Earl Mountbatten who was the head of our ISRB at that time. My job then was to assist the naval diver who was on standby in a large whaling boat and I helped to dress him and then man the air pumps when he was under water. The final tests on the Welman took place at Fishguard in Wales.

Later we designed and produced the three man submarine called The Welfreighter and the under water canoe called The Sleeping Beauty. To have the ability to operate the use of this equipment I was sent on a diving course by Sebe Gorman [Diving Equipment Manufacturers] and put through my paces in their deep water tank wearing Davis Submarine Escape Apparatus. Later this company designed a small breathing set for us to use in the sub. At no time during all the tests on submarines were the public aware of our goings on. To give an example; during one of the submarine tests, a heavy steel divers later came loose from the boat and fell onto my leg necessitating medical treatment. The hospital was told that I had been painting a hut and had slipped resulting in the ladder falling on to me. This statement was even put on my accident records.

Although working in close relations with civilians we were always aware of our military standing and continued to drill and practice small arms firing. Each day we would form up for roll-call then be assigned our duties. Our food at the Frythe was excellent, we lived on civilians rations with some extras, mind you because we worked all hours and did some quite dangerous work we really needed it. I did not know it at the time but it was to be four years before I left that place.

As I have mentioned earlier, within the grounds were various huts and workshops. I was to find out later that each housed a separate section of research and development, i.e.

[1] "Engineering Section" which had two large workshops, one for [weapons and transport] and the second for seaborne craft.

[2] "Wireless Section". [All types of radio communication]

[3] "Physico Chemical Section", [explosive devices and materials for sabotage]

And a couple of sections even I was not at the time allowed to know. Each section was under the control of an Officer and had its own staff and was responsible for its own security, only authorised personnel allowed. All personnel both military and civilian had to sign and were bound by the Official Secrets Act and adopted the habit of never discussing your work with anyone not involved on that particular project and so even though we all were on one site, many people had no idea what was going on. Indeed we did not know that we were actually SOE until near the end of that war and until the national press began to publish some stories in 1999 I never talked about our work.

In order to identify a particular product produced by Stn IX the prefix "Wel" [for Welwyn] was used. Hence you have the name, The Welman, The Welfreighter, The Wel Gun, The Wel Rod, and The Welbike and so on.

At Station IX we also produced special silent handguns, explosives [limpet mines] and all sorts of weird things for agents and freedom fighters including pencil detonators, explosive rats and explosive coal. It was also at the Frythe where experiments were carried out on various types of radio transmitters for agents to carry in suitcases. Also gadgets to burst tyres of vehicles, telephone wire cutters and many other important tools for agents; the range is too large to list here.

Prior to my joining the Frythe I had had a serious operation on my face, the operation, although extremely painful, had been a success. However after about two years working on the production at Stn.1X, I began to suffer chest problems this of course meant I was taken off experimental work and took over supplies duties but remained involved in the training of the Military personnel. Later on I became the Quarter Master in charge of all equipment and materials and finally the Sgt.Major responsible for all military personnel.

The Special Forces Unit at the Frythe had originally been called "The Inter-Services Research Bureau" under the control of the SOE. However the Unit was taken over during the later part of the war 1945 by the Navy and re-named An Army Element of an Admiralty Naval Establishment, D.M.W.D. quite a mouthful.

I loved motor bikes and drove a variety of makes during the war, but the army generally used BSA. However my C.O at Stn.1X often let me borrow his Ariel Square Four, [a 1000cc. twin engine] and I remember clocking 100 mph during a run up the A1. It was this bike that I used to take home all the Christmas stuff for Joyce and her family.

In 1944 whilst having tea in a place called "Smokey Joes" at Welwyn I was introduced to a nice looking ATS corporal called Peggy [now known to be Joyce] who in civilian life lived in a village in Buckinghamshire called Penn. This "Smokey Joes" was a real dump of a place, constantly filled with military from the local camps and civilians having cups of tea and food with everybody smoking like mad making the atmosphere so thick you could have cut it with a knife. At the time I met Peggy [Joyce] she was working in the Bakery Unit stationed at Danesbury Park, a part of the Army Service Corps. They worked extremely hard baking bread during the day and night for the Army. They made 30,000 loaves per shift, working three shifts per day. Like all military personnel they lived in Nissan huts and had to wash and bathe in tin shacks open to the weather and worked ungodly hours. This was awful as you could imagine.

We dated and I took her dancing in the local Village Hall, can you imagine me dancing in my heavy army boots but I did, and was good at it too. Later on, after first asking Joyce's father if I could marry his daughter, [this was the normal practice those days], we were married on the during August 1944 in the big Parish Church at High Wycombe. At that time Joyce had, not only her dear parents, but also three brothers and four sisters. My Wedding Day was the finest day of my life not only because I had a lovely girl as my bride but had gained a large happy family as well, and I loved them all very much. Why Joyce was called Peggy in the Army I don't know, but she told me that is what she had been called when first enlisting. I did not know then however she would finally became the mother of Clive and subsequently Geoffrey.

Now on the day of my wedding because of restrictions imposed by the War we were not permitted to have photographs taken outside the church, ours were taken inside a Photographers studio. However, as we came out of the church after the ceremony, I had seen an American Soldier photographing us together with a Guard of Honour our Army colleagues had formed outside the church. In the faint hope of getting copies I wrote to the American Base in High Wycombe and the C.O. was kind enough to trace the soldier who sent me the photos of the Wedding. For anyone to have a wedding reception during the War was extremely difficult, what with the food rationing and possibility of air-raids, nevertheless we had our own reception in the local village hall. The Sgt. Cook at the Frythe made a two tier wedding cake from ingredients he had managed to obtain; he even iced and decorated it beautifully. Some feat that was, and it had to be brought to High Wycombe, this we did in an army pickup. At the announcement of my impending wedding at the Frythe, the men had arranged a collection and gave me the total sum of £4.12.6d [a fortune then]. As well as our own parents and families we invited our Army friends from our own units. After the ceremony these friends formed up outside the church and made a guard of honour.

We spent our ten days honeymoon in a very old 17th Century county cottage in the village of Penn in Buckinghamshire. Joyce's very old and wizened Grandmother lived here but because she lived, slept and ate in the one room downstairs she allowed us the use of the big upstairs bedroom. Now this cottage was an eyrie place at night because it only had paraffin lighting and the old lady slept on a sofa by the old kitchen range in the room downstairs. There was no kitchen only a very small and dark scullery which had a small sink and no water tap, the water was on tap outside the front door. There was an outside bucket toilet in a little shed behind the cottage there was a beautiful garden. The old place has long since been demolished so whatever it was has long gone. Still it left an impression on me that I shall never forget.

My marriage nearly did not take place for, because of my seniority and military experience; I had been chosen to go with a small SOE unit from Baker Street to observe the D-Day landings together with the use of specialised equipment. Now as the proposed invasion was such a secret I was forbidden to tell anyone about this so the wedding plans continued, however I was lucky and everything went well. I have never divulged this until now because I was able get married on the day we had arranged.

Because we were married during the war, and the rules governing ATS were that no married woman was aloud to enlist, Joyce was discharged from the Army soon after our marriage and we found a place to live in High Wycombe, Bucks. Before she left the army however, I am ashamed to say I was responsible for her getting 14 days punishment and confined to barracks. I had mixed up our dates when on 10 days leave so that when Joyce returned to barracks she had been absent without leave for 24 hours. I tried to intervene but their Sgt.Major wouldn't have it. Anyway she settled at our new home this consisting of two rooms rented from a man living there and soon obtained employment in a factory called "Cossers" making radio valves.

Some time later the man who had originally rented the house in Gordon Road did a moonlight flit taking some of our stuff with him but as he had told the landlord to let us have the house we did nothing, being so pleased to have a place of our own. Until the end of the war I travelled to High Wycombe to see Joyce when on leave. When going from the Frythe to see Joyce, at first I used to get a free railway warrant to High Wycombe, but later I borrowed my COs motorbike an Ariel Square Four 1200 cc. I remember going to see her one Christmas and my bike was so loaded I don't know how I got there. It was a bitter cold icy day and I had a big turkey strapped to my chest, a Christmas tree down my back, two scooters that I had made for Vera and Shirley down my side, food on the petrol tank and jewellery for Joyce in my pockets. No I didn't fall off but was glad to reach home. Once when I was home on leave and went with Joyce to meet my parents at Wood Green we had got as far as Finsbury Park Station when the sound of a doodle bug which was going over us suddenly cut out, you knew it was going to fall but not where so you just crouched down and hoped for the best. We were lucky that time.

Finally, the war ended and demobilisation began. I was demobbed in 1946 and sent to the demob centre where I was given a civilian suit [they were awful], shoes, socks, shirt and tie, a hat and overcoat. At that time, you could always tell ex-servicemen by the clothes they wore. Because of the condition of my health at that time, I was given a disabled discharge and so returned to civilian life, a life I had not known for seven years.

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