I WAS IN SQUAD 142 AT INKERMAN; WHAT A DUMP. UNFORTUNATELY I WAS IN MAIN BLOCK IN JANUARY, FOOD WAS RATIONED,FREEZING BLOODY COLD AND VERY LITTLE COAL,I'D HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF IN THE SCRUBS OR PENTONVILLE.THOSE LUCKY BUGGERS IN THE SPIDERS DONT KNOW HOW WELL OFF THEY WERE.
ON TOP OF ALL THAT WE HAD HARRY BURDEN LOOKING AFTER US.HE ONCE ASKED ME WHERE I LIVED,I LIKE ANY NORMAL HUMAN BEING REPLIED "WATFORD SIR "
WHICH WAS NOT THE CORRECT ANSWER,IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN "B BLOCK " ONCE ON PARADE WEARING THE ONE SIZE FOR ALL DENIMS,TROUSERS TIED UP WITH A LANYARD,HE SPOTTED A PROB WITH HIS FLIES OPEN,HE BALLED OUT IN HIS BEST OF SHOUTS "SGT THERE'S A MAN HERE WITH HIS DICK HANGING OUT " ANOTHER FAVOURITE WAS " DONT LOOK AT THE CLOCK,IT'S MY CLOCK "
AH UNHAPPY DAYS! I SHOULD IMAGINE IN THE SUMMER IT WOULD BE MORE TOLORABLE,OUR SQUAD SGT THOUGH WAS GREAT,SGT BOMBER HARRIS,WHAT A FINE BLOKE HE WAS,AN EX-GUARDSMAN.HE COULD PRACTICE WHAT HE PREACHED.
WE DIDNT PASS OUT,NO PARADE OR SQUAD PHOTO. WE WERE PUT ON AN URGENT DRAFT TO TRIPOLI,HAD OUR EMBARKATION LEAVE,WHEN WE RETURNED WE WERE TOLD THE DRAFT HAD BEEN CANCELLED,MOST DISAPPOINTING.
I WAS SENT TO LONDON DISTRICT,CHURCH ST KENSINGTON,BIT DIFFERENT TO TRIPOLI. I DONT KNOW WHETHER HARRY BURDEN KNEW IT OR NOT, BUT HE HAD A CLONE BY THE NAME OF RSM FOOTIT, HE WAS IN CHARGE ,OUR LUCK NEVER CHANGED. WE DID FOOT PATROLS ON THE LONDON RAILWAY STATIONS AND THE WEST END, AND CROWD CONTROLL AT PUBLIC EVENTS.
THE LAST THREE MONTHS OF 1950 I WAS SENT ON DETATCHMENT TO WOOLWICH, A GREAT IMPROVEMENT WITH A SGT IN CHARGE AND DECENT FOOD,
JAN 1951 I WAS BACK AT H.Q. SO I APPLIED TO JOIN THE MT SECTON. GREAT! THEY GAVE ME A MOTORBIKE AND SENT ME TO HOUNSLOW DETATCHMENT, H.Q.EASTERN COMMAND. ONCE AGAIN A SGT IN CHARGE WHO SLEPT OUT,IT WAS GOOD. WE DID FOOT PATROLS, MOBILES ON BIKES AND 15 CWT IN ALL THE NEIGHBOURING TOWNS ,LIKE ,WHERE WE LIVED. WE ALSO HAD SCHEMES RUN BY EASTERN COMMAND WHICH INVOLVED PLAYING SOLDIERS IN THE COUNTRY, ROUTE SIGNING AND CONVOY ESCORT LASTING A WEEK AT TIME; THEY WERE GOOD DAYS.
I DID GET CAUGHT OUT ONCE THOUGH, THERE WAS A ROYAL VISIT TO LONDON AND H.Q. WANTED SOME EXTRA HANDS,SO THE DAY BEFORE WE HAD TO REPORT TO H.Q. I HAD MY HAIR CUT,ON ARRIVAL AT H.Q. AS SOON AS I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK RSM FOOTIT SAW ME AND ORDERED ME TO GET A HAIR CUT BEFORE WE WENT ON DUTY. AS YOU KNOW THERE WAS NO POINT IN TELLING HIM I’D HAD ONE THE DAY BEFORE ,SO I HAD MY SECOND ONE IN TWO DAYS. AFTER THE PARADE WE ARRIVED BACK AT H.Q. AND THERE WAS THE RSM WAITING ON THE SQUARE. AS SOON AS HE SAW ME HE BARKED “ I THOUGHT I’D TOLD YOU TO GET YOUR HAIRCUT “ I REPLIED THAT I HAD. HE THEN ORDERED ME TO GET ANOTHER ONE BEFORE I WENT BACK TO HOUNSLOW. YES! THREE HAIRCUTS IN TWO DAYS.
I STAYED AT HOUNSLOW TILL JAN 1952 WHEN I WAS DEMOBBED.
FOR THREE YEARS AFTER THAT I DID TWO WEEKS RESERVE SERVICE AT ALDERSHOT, THEY WERE GREAT, BACK WITH ALL MY MATES I HAD SERVED WITH PLUS MOTORBIKES AND TRUCKS TO PLAY WITH .
AN EXPERIENCE I WOULD NOT LIKED TO HAVE MISSED.
YOURS. {22329414)
GEORGE TOLL.
19th February 2013.