From Horace Basham in New Zealand.
Tom Holloway (xuegx@CSV.WARWICK.AC.UK)
Sat, 18 Oct 1997 10:59:46 +0100
>======================
>Wilson Stuart School
>wilson@rmplc.co.uk
>Karen Player - teacher
>>Some students in yeaar 11 have some questions about life during the second
>>world war.
>>
>>WHAT WERE YOUR FEELINGS LIKE WHEN YOU HEARD THE FIRST AIRD RAID SIRENS.
It was three or four hours after I had heard that war had been declared on
the 3rd Sept 1939. I was at that time walking across our local public park
on my way visit my uncle and aunt. I was, I remember a little, perplexed.
Not being sure if it was for real. It was a quiet sunny day. As it turned
out it was a false alarm.
>>
>>WAS IT LIKE AN ADVENTURE TO BE IN THE HITLER YOUTH?
I being a young Cockney lad of 15 years of age when war broke out. I don't
think I would have taken kindly to have been in that position. What being
the Hitler Youth? I would have probably been shot first. Weren't we lucky
that did not occur.
I did joined the Air training Corp.. The #4f (founder) squadron of the
Ilford Wing, Essex. I was determined to join the RAF when I was old enough.
I did volunteer but was rejected on the grounds of having to wear specs. I
did manage to get into the RAF when I was sent my call up papers. I often
tell the story, when I was asked. "How ever did you get into the RAF" I say
"They must have been desperate. They counted my eyes. Fell to see if I was
warm, and said 'Right in you go'."
In the ATC it was for me a great time. As with other lads we had a purpose
in life. We felt a comradship and we were doing something to aid the
country. I was learning advance Maths. and polishing up my English. Also I
was learning about aircraft engines. And what is more I joined the Band as
a trumpeter. I couldn't and still can't read a note of music. I had a good
ear and picked up tunes easily. So well I was soon a solo trumpeter. This
band had 24 French Cavalry trumpets and eleven drums, one a bass drum. We
were reckoned to be the premier ATC bad in the North and East London. We
played at all the big parades in and around London. Even as far out as
Rickmansworth West of London. The big parade in Whitechapel, among the bomb
out blocks of houses was a great affair. We played the RAF salute when
Wing Commander Billy Bishop VC. inspected the parage. And we lead the
parade in the march past. Billy Bishop was a well known Canadian First
World War fighter pilot ace. The band was engaged to record for the BBC for
the programme Youth Magazine. I wonder if those recording are still in the
BBC's archives.
>>
>>WHAT WAS IT LIKE DURING THE BLITZS?
It was frightening. I was sort of relieved when I was called up to the RAF.
I felt much safer then. It was for me a terrible time. During the heavy
raids on the docks and Thames side at Silvertown and Nth. Woolwick (I was
working at the Standard Telephone and Cable Co. Nth. Woolwick. I later
transfere to work in the Victoria docks with my father.) Thus it was only
when I came home on leave that I felt unsafe again. You must realise I
lived in West Ham in the eastend of London near the docks. I worked in the
Victoria and Albert Docks before I was called up, salvaging and recycling
bombed building materials. Not very safe places to work during air raids.
>>
>>WAS YOU EVACUATED AND IF SO WAS IT AN ADVENTURE?
No. My younger brother and my sister were. They went down to Somerset. near
Bristol. They had a good time livingin the counrty.Fortunately they had kind
folks looking after them. They were not billeted together.
>>
>>DID YOU FIND RATIONING HARD TO COPE WITH NOT HAVING THE THINGS YOU LIKE
THE >>MOST AS MUCH AS YOU DID BEFORE.
Having a largish family we were able to pool are rations. Mother having been
in service as a cook in her young days was a good manager and provider. She
was able to give us wellcooked good plain wartime fare. We were healthier
through not having a lot of sweet stuff and junk foods.
>>
>>WAS IT HARD TO RATION YOUR SWEETS?
As I said we did nothave a lot of swet stuf. What we did have was soon
gobbled up. Then we forgot about it till the next ration came along.
>>
>>WHAT DID YOU DO IN YOUR ANDERSON SHELTER?
We were never in the shelters for longer than necessary. Our shelter was
dug into the garden. Soit was not very comfortable. Inspite of it being
bigger than most to accommodate our numbers. We used to,listen to the
radio and during the raids listen for the direction the enemy was coming
and where he was dropping his bombs. But then we were often out of the
shelters to put out fires and incendiary bombs. I was also a nighttime fire
watcher at a paint and warnish factory before I was called up. I had to
attend there when rostered. Not a good prospect as paint and varnish meant
highly flammable goods.
>>
>>WHAT WAS IN LIKE IN YOUR HOUSE WHEN CHAMBALINS SPEECH ON THE RADEO ABOUT
>>BRITIAN GOING TO WAR WITH GERMANY.
We had to resign ourselve to the fact. We had expected it to happen for
sometime.
>>
>>WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT BRITIAN GOING TO WAT WITH GERMANY.
I have answered that above.
>>
>>WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WEAR A GAS MASK.
Civilian respirators were uncomfortable smelly things. I only wore one
once when it was fitted. When in the RAF I had a service respirartor. That I
wore three times in drills. Once on the rifle range. Once in the gas tank
where we had to take it off before running out into the fresh air. That was
supposed to give us a taste of what tear gas was like and to give us
confidence in the effectiveness of the repirator. It did that sure enough.
>>
>>WHAT WAS THE BLACK OUT LIKE?
It varied when it was moonlight it made no difference. When it was black
we had to use dimmed torches on our bikes. It was diabolical in the fog.
>>
>>DID YOU SING SONGS IN THE ANDERSON SHELTER.
Sometimes. There was a lot of singing going on during the war. It kept the
spirits up.
>>
>>WAS THE WAR LIKE A GAME TO YOU.
Not bloody likely. It was too serious. It may have been for children, at
first.
>>
>>WHAT DID YOU FEEL LIKE WHEN YOUR MOM CAME TO WAKE UP TO TELL YOU THAT THERE
>>IS AN AIR RAIDE AND YOU MUST GO DOWN TO THE ANDERSON SHELTER.
My mom did not have to wake me up. Our dog Floss did that. She was better
than an air raid warden. She used to keep mother alerted during the day when
we were at work. Mom was somewhat hard of hearing, so did not always hear
the siren. When Floss made a fuss at he back door if she was in the garden,
or started running to and fro from Mom to the back door, mom used to gather
up her purse with the valuable house hold papers and go to the shelter. The
dog was the first in the shelter and the last out. Sometime she made a fuss
when the siren had not sounded. She knew enemy planes were coming.
Sometimes the all clear would sound. If she would not come out of the
selter we knew there were enemy planes still around. Sure enough on one
occasion a plane was around and it dropped it's remaining bombs before
scuttling off home.
==============================================================================
Horace
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The Waitakere Ranges. Auckland N.Z.
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Horace A.Basham Writing from the Foothills
20 Opanuku Road of the Waitakere Ranges
Henderson Aotearoa
Auckland 1008 Land of the Long White Cloud
New Zealand horace@hbasham.pl.net
(+64) 9 836 8342 horace@hbasham.ak.planet.gen.nz
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----- End of forwarded message from Horace A. Basham -----