261939 Drv. Norman Dobson British Army 101st Coy. Royal Army Service Corps from:Blackhall, Co. Durham Norman Dobson had been a delivery van driver for a grocer before the war. In April 1941, at 19 years of age, he joined the RASC and trained at different locations across England. He talked of how they were taught to waterproof the engine of their Bedford QL troop carriers and how, as soon as they landed in France, they had to remove the waterproofing to allow the engines to breathe. The tank barrels had to be carried in a certain position in order not to be stressed by the poor suspension of the vehicles. In June 1944, he was transporting tank barrels to the front and bringing back injured soldiers to first aid stations through Arromanches, Brussels, and Nijmegen.
Like other returning soldiers he bought back souvenirs. We have a group photograph of A Platoon 68 men in four rows, along with his 4 WWII medals.
In 1946, he was lucky to get his old job back at the grocer’s business. Once, one of the staff made tea during a break and asked Norman how he took his tea. Norman said 'I don't know'. 'Why not?' asked the grocer. 'Because in the Army, they just throw tea leaves, sugar, milk, and boiling water into a large container. You just take whatever comes out from the tap. There's no choice’, he replied.
Norman went on to become a coal miner at Blackhall colliery for the rest of his working life. The pit face is 1.5 miles out under the sea at Blackhall.
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