We didn't know where we were and were not allowed out of the camp on pain of being shot. When I came back they had abandoned "that game".Īfter all the preparations at Southend we went to another camp. "Blood everywhere" so off to the medical officer I had to go. No one wanted to do this, but deciding to get it over with, I was the first in and cut just above my left eye. On another training day we had to jump into, and through, five large rolls of dannet wire. Lucky for us, the sergeant was on the ball and grabbed the grenade and threw it out of the trench.
You've about five seconds before it explodes. One chap dropped his grenade after pulling out the pin. There were three of us in a slit trench with a sergeant instructor. I went as a driver/wireless operator.Īfter many weeks of training we were posted to Southend-on-Sea where we had to prepare our equipment and make our vehicles waterproof, ready for one of the most momentous days in history - 6th June 1944 - D-Day.īefore this happened we were on one of our training days where live hand grenades were to be thrown. This was a new regiment and camp at Moat Park, Maidstone, Kent. I turned my head, then there was one.Īfter 16 weeks of training we were disbanded and I was sent to 'A' Troop, 69th Battery in the 6th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. We had been given two slices of bread with our first meal. I recollect my first lesson whilst at Budbrooke. I was put into the Royal Leicestershire's and posted to the Young Soldiers Battalion, The Leicester Regiment. I did try first to join the RAF but was unlucky. In 1941, with Britain at war with Germany, aged 18 years, I had to join the army. I was born on the second day of October in 1923. The story was typed and entered on to the site by a CSV volunteer with kind permission of Robert Dennis Stubbs. This is one of the stories collected on the 25th October 2003 at the CSV's Make a Difference Day held at BBC Manchester.
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