They Also Serve

PEOPLES WAR, WW2

Title THEY ALSO SERVE.

WHO AM I?
Born in August 1924 of an agricultural working couple in the village of Ramsey St Marys in the Fens of Huntingdonshire.
Educated in the village school from the age of 4 until 9 when I passed the 11 plus and went to Ramsey Abbey Grammar School in September 1934. I passed the Oxford School Certificate with the necessary 5 credits at 14 in July 1939, and worked in the harvest field in the Summer break. War broke out and our school took in the evacuated Hornsea High School Girls in the mornings.
The boys attended only in the afternoons, so I did not return after the break.
In September 1939 I started an apprenticeship at 10 shillings per week as an Engineering Draughtsman at Peter Brotherhood, of Peterborough on equipment for The Royal Navy. This turned out to be a `reserved occupation`, although several draughtsmen had already been `called up`.

PRE-WAR YEARS.

From about 1930 the Headmaster spent about 30 minutes every morning, at assembly, on the latest news in the morning newspaper about the situation in Germany and the rise of Hitler and the inevitability of WAR. In consequence our Geography and History were much neglected, apart from Europe. He campaigned to get the Government to take action to get Hitler stopped from rearming, but he was labelled as a dotty scaremonger.
I worked in the fields from about age 6 years alongside my father and mother; necessary to help support the family, as Dad’s wage was 30 shillings (£1.50) a week, (cheese was 9d, about 4p, per pound)
Working day was normally 7am till 4pm, and then in the Summer 5pm to 8pm. Lunch break was 10.30am to 11.15am, usually in the field. The temperature could be over 80 degrees F or several degrees of frost, and frostbite was common.
In 1936 they started building Upwood Aerodrome, 3 miles away. They used steam-ploughing engines with heavy cables to root up all the trees, which forced out dozens of rabbits, which we ran down and took home for the pot.
Dad got a job there as a labourer which, with overtime, almost doubled his wage.
Income tax and NHS were unheard of.

THE WAR YEARS

HOME CONDITIONS
The first German bombs were dropped somewhere in Scotland, and the second were dropped the next night on Upwood Aerodrome where they were practising `take -off and landing`. That shook us out of bed!
At 15 years I cycled each day 13 miles each way to work. The bus fare cost would have been 2 shillings per day, which would have consumed my whole pay. We worked unpaid overtime until 7pm, when I went to `night school` until 9pm and then cycled home. Usually my folks were in the shelter. Food rations were meagre, but the family were helped by me having lunch in the Works canteen. That was my only meal of the day.
We grew our own seasonal vegetables, and kept the occasional pig and a goat.
The village was chosen to host child evacuees from the East End of London. They arrived on our single line railway and the village WI, of which my mother was Chairman, had the job of allocating individuals to an official list of homes. Our house was not on the list as it did not have the minimum spare room, but there was one 7-year lad `left over`. Mum took him in. These children obviously came from very different home conditions to those in our area. Our lad, like most others, only had what he was wearing, and his gas mask. He never had a single communication from his mother in the years he was with us. His father was a soldier, and he sent one parcel of NAAFI utility chocolate. We had a shock when he wet the bed, as this was unheard-of in our village experience, but was a frequent occurrence among the evacuees.
Many of the men from the village were called-up which was strange as they were vital workers producing the food for the nation (` dig for Victory` they said, and then took away our workers) Help came from Land Army girls, and Italian POW`s. These and the GI`s always cycled on the `wrong side`of the road.

INDUSTRY
The engineering work was very intense and vital. One morning we had an urgent telegram from The Admiralty that our Turbine-driven Electric Generators on Destroyers were failing in battle because when depth charges were dropped they shattered the mountings. This meant that at the vital moment the ships were out-of-action. A high-ranking official came the same day, and by its end a new design was on the drawing board.
Similarly the emergency overspeed tripping devices were shutting down the generators because the Admiralty had forgotten to include a clause about the effect of depth charges. The problem was put to the whole office to solve and at only 15 years I came up with the solution, although I was not experienced enough to perfect the design.
Throughout the war the company products included; - steam turbines and steam engines, driving electric generators or compressors for high pressure air (used by torpedos0, torpedo engines, 2000 horsepower diesels for S class destroyers, paravanes for minesweepers, Beaufor guns, as well as domestic items such as bottle filling and washing equipment, banknote printers for the Mint.
There was an on- site made diesel-engined powerhouse and the noise inside was deafening.
Towards the end of the war we designed the first UK Nylon-spinning machine (the US already had them).

HOME GUARD
The village Home Guard duty was 3 evenings per week and Sunday morning. I found that instead I could volunteer for service in a rocket battery in Peterborough for one overnight duty. This was a big advantage, as it allowed me to go to evening classes and cut out a return journey home. Fringe benefits were that I got a ration-free cooked breakfast, which I had never had before in my life and I could wear the Army clothes for 2 days, reducing wear and tear on my own. I was a Plotter receiving Radar tracking of overnight enemy aircraft and producing firing data to the 64 strong barrage of rockets.
SOCIAL
We cycled everywhere; in total darkness after sunset.
The girls had a good time, with all the RAF on their doorstep, and the GI`s and the Army Camps.
These men were older than us and we had virtually no money, so couldn’t afford to go into a pub or go to the cinema.
But we could go dancing for less than a shilling, and did learn to dance if there were some `wallflowers`.
Some girls that we were very fond of got `put in the family way` by these men.

TRAVEL
Most cars were `laid-up` as there was only petrol for essential travel. This included journeys to essential work.
Consequently cars could be bought very cheaply. Dad bought a 1932 Austin 7 for £15. As soon as I was 17 I got a driving licence. One morning when it was raining and dad could not work on the land I drove 13 miles to work and 13 miles back in the blackout, with dad, and that was the total driving instruction I ever had. Next day I went on my own. The biggest initial problem I had was the double-declutching I had to do to` change —down`. To make the car travel financially possible I took 3 paying passengers (which was illegal). Later on I bought a 1932 Riley 9 for £20, and dad had his car back.
I did not ever take a driving test as there were none for the duration and after the war full driving licences were issued at the next renewal.
After evening classes I went to the NAAFI canteen in Peterborough to offer lifts to RAF at Upwood for people who had missed the 9pm last bus to Ramsey. The problem was that there were usually more than I had seats for, so many times we were grossly overloaded.

VICTORY
When Germany surrendered I drove 90 miles to London in the Riley (where I had not been before) on 8 May 1945, with lads out of the office. We joined in the celebrations and we were outside Buckingham Palace when the King and the Queen, Churchill, and the Royal Children came out on to the balcony. We slept on the floor of an empty bombed house.
When Japan surrendered I again drove to London with my brother and lads from the village on 15 August 1945. We went dancing in the Royal Albert Hall. It was a very warm night so we slept on the ground in Green Park.
We slept soundly in spite of people stumbling over us.
On the third Victory Celebrations I did it again, but did not stay overnight .As we travelled back we joined in organised celebrations as we passed through the towns.

LIFTING of LABOUR MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS
Very soon the regulations prohibiting job-changing were cancelled so I was able to move to a town where I could get advanced technical education and recognised qualifications, which had been difficult during the war.

Mr R W Peters, 4 Webb Ellis Road, Rugby, Warks CV22 7AU.

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