Gnr. John Evans 3rd Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment, 11th HAA Battery Royal Artillery
I had long been wanting to join up, being a reluctant scholar, and brought leaflets home, one being about RAF apprentices which appealed, but my mother was to be my dependant relative and no way was I going to get her permission to join up. However, with call up looming, I reasoned that I may as well go early and choose my own unit, to which she agreed, so off I went to Liverpool recruiting office to be greeted by "wouldn't you like to join the Guards" before I could get inside the place. I declined, and in fact, once inside I had no idea of what I wanted to join, I was in there and savouring the moment. I was pointed in the direction of the person recruiting for the Royal Artillery as it had a choice of units, so I was given my options which included anti-aircraft. Now there were two things which drew me to that. I had been subjected to air raids and hitting back appealed, and ack-ack trained at Oswestry, which I thought useful for a weekend pass, it being nearby, so ack-ack it was.
I was to report on 13th March, 1941, and I had been on the streets with a cousin on the night of the heavy raid of March 12th/13th when many were killed and I learned what a parachute mine sounded like as it descended,a very menacing sound indeed, not the quick swish of a bomb.
So off I went after a couple of hours in bed, telling mother who was accompanying me on the bus for whatever reason, that I wanted no fuss.
Parkhall Camp, Oswestry. Get those windows open on frosty nights. The nuisance early risers disturbing the peace. Parading with knife fork spoon and mug held behind back to march to breakfast.
I wanted, boy-like, to be on a gun, but a written test I undertook saw me selected for radar training which I did in Buxton, Derbyshire, where we slept on the floor in the vast Empire Hotel after going to a farm to fill up with straw the flat old mattress, which surely was from WW1?
Off to a cold windy place in North Wales, Tonfannau, with sea to the front and mountains to the rear, and cold water washing and shaving. A train up to Barmouth, and the memory of that seeing me and my wife going there for the occasional few days; the picture I had of breaking waves
recalled from those wartime days. It was there that I heard the constant stream of bombers going to Liverpool on the occasion of the seven consequitive nights blitz.
Posted to 177 Battery, Newcastle about May, 1941.
Newcastle was alive with uniformed people, saluting every few yards, officers and men fed up with it. One visit to a cinema and half a pint of beer returning to the site.
Why so little to spend? My 17/6- reduced by a 7/- shilling allowance made in respect of my dependant relative. I had been earning 17/6- at age 17 in a shop, and having quit that for better money, had been earning £3-15-0 take home pay, albeit for a six night working week, and a 65 hour week. That was at the Co-op bakery where I was putting up orders for confectionery with two others, one a conscientious objector, for the 47 horse draw vans which even then in 1941 were doing their rounds with bread and cakes, seven vans doing the shops. I wrecked my spine there with a stupid lift, though not knowing what was in store for me late in life as a result. I still can't believe it.
Embarkation leave and off to Woolwich.
Strange these old buildings, three stories high and bare. The body of men gathered there were located in a room at ground floor where battery orders were posted. Three of us decided we would occupy a room elsewhere,and I shared a food parcel with Ron Thirling who lived in Catford. I was to be a bearer at his funeral in Thailand.
We sauntered down to join the main party to find them on parade in full battle order ! "I'll give you two minutes " said a nice man, "two minutes to get back here properly dressed". Well, webbing equipment never went on so fast.
To the stores for equipment, six shirts, sis pair of shorts, a khaki drill uniform with topee, short puttees, extra this and extra that, but why oh why was I , a stripling at 11 1/2 stone and five foot ten , seen to be large ? Others had reasonablty fitting gear but mine went around me near twice. I always was unlucky.
Off to Glasgow with an overnight journey, and ferried out to the Empress of Canada, I returned there in 1991 for an apology of a holiday at Dunnoon.
The only way to see the world is by sea, and once again sleeping on the floor; deck this time as hammocks we could not cope with.
"Any complaints" said the orderly officer? They moaned about mashed spuds and moaned when they got two in their jackets. The sausages were steam cooked of course and looked doubtful, so the tray was passed along, some gravy taken, and the sausages went out of the porthole.
Then came the 'chicken'. Odd to see a ring on a leg, along with the odd feather, so wise men forsake that, but those who were bent on suicide partook of it and were in trouble in the early hours.
Capetown gave troops a wonderful reception, and when we left, returning to ship on Bonfire Night, oranges had been taken aboard. Now these were on sale at 1 1/2d each, and we suspected that they were a gift from those lovely people, so few bought them.
Our group of radar men were posted to a regular unit, who were posted to Singapore in 1938, and we experienced Changi Barracks which matched the comfortable life led by those who ran Malaya. Fancy being shaved in bed , a torch on your chest, a murmured word in foreign language saying -what?
Off to a gunsite in Jahore, we newcomers under canvas and kit turning green with mold.
It's night and I am manning the receiver as the transmitter scans to the north. I ring the command post-" formation of aircraft bearing 35 something" Not easy to get men unused to action out of bed and they got only seven rounds off. I heard nothing from the direction of Singapore, though I read on BBC People's War a Eurasian youth who was awakened by gunfire. Well, if he could hear us, we should have heard the bombs which he said were dropped!
Guns sent up to Kuala Lumpur and radar to Mersing on the East coast, guns turning back as all else were retreating. WE on radar were relieving a static Royal Air Force radar unit, but left soon after as attention had been drawn to this tiny strip of beach by rifle fire directed at a Jap aircraft, and was followed by three bombers calling with slight damage to the radar, but our range was short and for guns only, sending us to Mersing was quite useless but appropriate to what was going on.
Anson Road Stadium was a football ground and 11 Battery was sited there, with Kepple Harbour behind and Kalang airfield ahead with an Indian battery close by. inn spite of anything written or said to the contrary, they, plus a lone Bofor gun were the only ack-ack defence, both taking casualties from direct hits. Twice daily a formation of 27 aircraft blanket bombed with mainly anti-personnel bombs , and the said are was where they dumped them. We with radar had been pushed around from pillar to post as radar was for night use only. We were with the Indian battery when our generator and transmitter were destroyed and a direct hit on a gun.
We heard that 11 battery had taken a beating, with seven dead via a direct hit on the height finder and the battery close to being wiped out. There must have been ten or twelve bombs on site on that Friday 13th.
only one HE bomb which just missed the ammunition on Saturday, but Sunday, the final day saw the battery taking on low fliers before engaging a formation of nine heading for the naval base. Two salvos were each smack on the nose of the leading aircraft which forced them to turn away. Alack and alas, they detoured and came in from Kepple Harbour with the sun behind them and the one very big bomb we took proved where they had been headed. I suppose we surprised them as the battery must have been seen as done for on Friday.
There was no other fire apart from ours, and the Indian battery I can only assume was quiet after the direct hit on the gun.
11 Battery were both first and last to engage the enemy.
The Japs must have been impressed with the much cratered site and continued resistance, and it was said by an officer of ours that we had been selected for the job on Saigon docks for putting up a good show, though of course, all artillery went there.
