A Gasman's memories

This story of WWII memories is submitted by Mike Parriss and was extracted from notes compiled by my late father, Robert Parriss at the time of his retirement presentation in Barnstaple (N.Devon) where he was the District Engineer, after 47 years service in the Gas industry. The date was June 1971. Until I discovered these typewritten notes, I do not recall the details ever being discussed in the family and were new to me. The locations mentioned are Gosport in Hampshire & Falmouth in Cornwall. I should mention that father was the Assistant Engineer at the Gosport gasworks and Engineer at the Falmouth works and also that these were reserved occupations during WWII and consequently he was not called up to active service.

"...Later came the war and we were surrounded with barrage balloons, but before enemy air attack started seriously Jerry had a wonderful game of shooting down these balloons, with spectacular effect. As a result we began to get short of hydrogen and it was decided to fill the balloons with coal gas instead. I was given the job, plus a pass from the C.O. at Fort Grange, to visit all the sites to take particulars for the gas supply. Everything went alright until I got to a site at Brockhurst where there was an officious little corporal in charge. He dogged my footsteps and in retaliation I measured up his entire camp. When finally I left he enquired where I was going next and I told him Privett road (which was home) and that was where I made my big mistake because when I arrived there I was met by a reception committee with fixed bayonets. I was put into a tent under an armed guard as a suspected German spy. I suggested they checked up with their C.O. and after about half an hour he sent his apologies for not notifying the sites to expect me - so I didn't get shot after all.

In 1940 I went to Falmouth as Engineer to the Falmouth Gas Company and I have many memories of wartime Falmouth. On one occasion we were called out to repair mains at the cross roads between the Falmouth Hotel and the railway station. The ground was sand and we had a crater 40ft. across and about 15ft. deep, gas and water mains were severed in several places and both water and gas were going full blast. When the Water Co. turned up I asked them to get their supply turned off so that we could tackle the job. I also told them to be careful not to catch the lot on fire - 'Oh! We be very careful we don't do anything like that me handsome - George! give me the pick' and the next moment George's pick went into the ground and the whole place was illuminated. Then Jerry came back and started firing tracers all around and we had to retire underneath the nearby railway bridge - luckily without casualties.

During the war the stokers were so hungry that they used to catch seagulls during their shift, pluck them and eat them right away.

I was on firewatch at Falmouth works on D-day and shall never forget just as dawn was breaking seeing the scores of landing craft slip their moorings and silently put to sea. I went home along the Falmouth front and watched ships of all sorts come out of every harbour within sight and go towards the Lizard while large battleships and other big ships came round the Lizard point to join them."

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.