Sgt E H Smales

Eddy Smales was bourn in 1920 in to a comfortuble middle class familey his father was a Major in the Royal Engeners in WW1 and with Eddy's Uncle ran a sucsefull Civil Engering Company in Acton. Non of this interested young Eddy, he wanted to work in the film industery, he did not "Mattriculate" and left school at 16 to go and work at the near by Ealing Stuido's as a Tea Boy, then claper loader, then focuse puller and asstant camer operator.
Like a lot of young men in the late 30's he couldsee the clouds of war garthring and he joined his local TA unit (Royal Engeners Surch Light unit in Acton), at the out break of war his unit was activated and he spent the first months of the war with his TA unit working all over southern England eventuley ending up in a muddy feiled in Hunttingdonshire just our side a small hamlet called Eaton Soton not far from St Netos.
There was a yong woman living in Eaton Soton Caled Philis, who hated being called Philis and demanded to be addressed as Phill> I think the term used then was "they started to walk out togather".
At this time the British Army had started to look at forming its own Film Unit, it started to go through its files and invited pepole who had experance in the filed of Film and Photographe to form the nwe unit which would be come the AFPU, notices were put up throught the arny asking for volinters, Eddy saw one of those notices, put his name down and promtley forgot about it. By this time his unit had transfurde to the Royle Artilery. He was suprised on morning when the Battery Sgt Major requested his presents in the battery office to explan this ourder for him to report to some new unit.

This story will be continued.

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