Wartime Experiences of John Leslie Carter - from schoolboy to sailor.

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Towards the end of August 1939 my parents took me on holiday to Salcombe, Devon, little did I realise that it would be the last real holiday I would have for 8 years. On our way home we met a convoy of London buses loaded with troops, clearly the first signs of mobilisation .A few days later on 3rd September I listened to Chamberlain’s broadcast declaring war on Germany. I remember my parents worried expression, my father had served throughout the first world war A few days later I returned to school at Canterbury. That term nothing much changed apart from windows being crisscrossed with gummed tape to prevent glass splinters and the locker room being strengthened to create an air raid shelter. Towards the end of the term I contracted chicken pox which to my great disappointment prevented me from singing in The Messiah in Canterbury Cathedral. My father also had to apply for extra petrol coupons to fetch me by car since I was not permitted to use the trains whilst still infectious.
As far as the next term was concerned in war terms it was equally uneventful though bitterly cold with heavy snow. Later in the term we had a case of meningitis and the whole school was taken by buses to Margate whilst the school was fumigated. It was during this outing that we saw near the coast large metal structures which resembled modern electricity pylons but which were in fact radar masts which did so much to aid fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain but we did not know their purpose at the time.
At the start of the summer term things began to change , Denmark and Norway had been invaded by the Germans and on the 10th May the low countries were invaded, a week later we began to hear the guns on the French coast, clearly East Kent was becoming ever nearer the battlefield. Unbeknown to us at the time our headmaster had been negotiating with government to move our school together with another Canterbury school to two luxury hotels at Carlyon Bay in Cornwall. We were sent home for week whilst the masters and senior boys moved the school furniture, books and other items of equipment together with our luggage to Cornwall, apparently the last guests were leaving as it arrived at the hotels. We took over virtually the whole village including many private houses. A week later we travelled from our homes via London to our new quarters.
When we arrived we were allocated to bedrooms, there were five of us together which didn’t leave much room for moving about but we had the luxury of an en suite bathroom! The large garage which had shortly been vacated by luxury cars was used as an assembly hall and the chauffeurs quarters were eventually converted to classrooms but not until the following term. In the meantime tents were erected on the lawn to serve as classrooms, fortunately it was a sunny and dry summer so it was not too uncomfortable. The fine weather was a wonderful distraction from studies with swimming in both the sea and the magnificent pool attached to the Cornish Riviera Club. Unfortunately the school certificate examinations were rapidly approaching and all the distractions of that term took their toll, I failed the maths exam, which in those days was a compulsory subject, by two marks and though I passed in all other subjects, including German! I failed overall.
Most of the time the war seemed far awaybut we did see a lone German bomber bombing Fowey five miles away. School services were held at the little village church of Charlestown.
During the summer holidays I went fruit and hop picking under clear blue skies whilst the battle of Britain in the air was starting. We had the odd enemy aircraft drop a bomb or two on Worcester but no damage was caused with the bombs falling in fields. In September I returned to Cornwall for what was to be my last term at school, I had persuaded my parents to let me leave at Christmas. I had a second attempt at the School Certificate and this time succeeded with six credits and one pass , an altogether much better result! Later that term we watched as Plymouth was bombed, the fires lighting up the sky.
When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do so my father arranged an interview for me at The Metal Box Company’s, Perrywood Factory in Worcester. On February 10th 1941 I started work there in their Transport Department on a salary of £1 for a five and a half day week The factory was working flat out producing food cans. We had a fleet of about twenty vehicles, some of which were operated by gas bags rather than petrol. At first I was very green having no experience of clerical work and initially I received no training.
As soon as I was seventeen I joined the Home Guard (Dad’s Army!). By this time, May 1941, it was becoming an organised force well armed with .300 rifles supplied under lend lease by USA. The force was mainly made up of men beyond calling up age many of whom had fought in the first world war and a lesser number of young men too young to join the armed forces. We had to report for training at least one night a week and also on Sunday mornings. In addition we had to one night’s guard duty each week, this was carried out at the top of Mount Elbury on the outskirts of Worcester. It was a favourite haunt of courting couples who were most disconcerted when we challenged them with fixed bayonets!
When not on actual sentry duty we would spend the rest of the night playing cards. Finishing at 6.0.a.m there was just time to go home change, have breakfast and leave for the office! Our company headquarters where at the Edward Webb carpet factory in Sherriff Street and from there we used to embark on exercises in the fields at Warndon now covered by hundreds of houses! Occasionally we were required to attend weekend camp in the Strensham area sleeping in army tents. It was there we were taught grenade throwing and other equally warlike activities! I spent eighteen months in the Home Guard gaining my proficiency badge. It certainly broadened my outlook on life for you learnt to mix with people from all parts of society and all walks of life.
If you had any unused rooms in your house you could be required to take in evacuees or billitees, our house had five bedrooms so we fell into this category. Part of the Air Ministry, a government department, had moved to Worcester and my parents were asked to accommodate one of their staff. He was a young man who I believe had never been away from home before Although very polite he appeared very ill at ease and although we knew from his ration book that his name was George Alfred he was known as Mr Johns.
As soon as I was 17 I started to drive the family car, driving tests had been discontinued at the outbreak of war, you just applied for a provisional licence which lasted twelve months before renewal and you could then take to the road without “L” plates or being accompanied by an experienced driver! It has to be said, of course, that there was very little traffic on the roads and petrol was very severely rationed.
The Metal Box Company, for which I was working, had evacuated many of its directors and senior managers to Worcester as the Head Office in London had been bombed. It was the law that everybody in civilian life undertook some sort of voluntary duty one of which was fire watching. The directors and senior managers were not exempt but found a way round the onerous duty. My boss would receive a telephone call to ask whether I could substitute for one of them, being a young junior clerk I was not in a position to refuse, another evening and night gone west!
All these activities left little time for recreation but I did find time for occasional games of tennis. On many Saturday evenings I joined friends for dances at the Cadena Café, Worcester or the Winter Gardens, Droitwich.
Although I was entitled to two weeks holiday a year it had to be taken no more than three days at a time and there was certainly no chance of going away.

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