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This story was gathered at Bedford’s VE/VJ Celebration event at Castle Mound and submitted to the People’s War site by Gillian Ridley for Three Counties Action on behalf of Captain F B Dawson and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

I was 17 1/4 years old in 1943 when a school friend Roger Kirkpatrick said he was off to join the Army that afternoon, so I said I would go with him and decided to enlist too.

I went home and said to Mother you’ll never guess what I’ve done this afternoon; I think she thought I’d scored a try at Rugby. When I told her she burst into tears, but Father said he’ll be all right it’ll make a man of him.

So we had to wait until we were 18yrs old then had to report to Bury St Edmonds for basic training.
I wanted to go into the Indian Army Roger didn’t he wanted to stay in the British Army, the Royal Sussex.
I was posted to the 4th 6th Ghurkha Rifles.

On D Day (we didn’t know it was D Day at the time) we set off for India flagged by two Navel Destroyers I suppose we were a precious cargo.

I did a stint in India and Burma after my time I was due leave in advance of PYTHON in England.

By then the war had just finished I came home. On the 7th June 1946 I got married at St Bead Church, on Derby Day. I asked what was running they said that I should back air born so I did at 33/1 it came up so I got a double that day.
Although I was a Captain at 20yrs old my Father still had to sign my consent form to get married.

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