Memoirs of WW2

I started my first job as a 16 year old clerk - telegraphist at Warrenpoint Railway station in 1943. I had sat the Railway open competitive exam in Dublin, had passed the medical and was happy in my new job.
My Dad's brothers were railway men, all four of them and now I was proud to be one too.

Very few railway stations had telephones and all messages between railway stations were sent and received by the telegraphist who also issued tickets to passengers and handled all enquires.

Trains ran to timetables but with Northern Ireland in a war situation with hundreds of thousands of troops both British and American, regular trains were packed to capacity and special trains had to be run to handle the volume of traffic. Each special train had to be fitted into the ordinary timetable and departure and arrival times mapped out and I as a telegraphist spent most of my time receiving and transmitting this information. How many caps, kitbags, overcoats, were left behind and then enquired about only heaven knows and again telegraphy was used and the click-clack of this machine still rings in my ears. Passengers on wrong trains,luggage misdirected, trains running late and conflicting with regular services was all part of railway chaos.

It was believed that a quarter of a million troops were based at Ballyedmond outside Rostrevor and all arrived at Warrenpoint. USA troops were issued with "K" rations before they left base for Warrenpoint and when those troops arrived at our station 90% of them left their "K" rations on the train. Our railway porters searched the 10 coach train and collected left behind items and invariably there were at least 1000 "K" rations. The "K" rations were designed to support the owner for about four days with all basic requirements for survival.
Each "K" ration measured about 9 inches long by about 5 inches wide and were tightly wrapped in brown paper and the whole package was sealed with cellophane; it could only be opened with a stout knife -or a bayonet. Inside were 6 or 8 long compartments, one container with 3 cigarrettes, another with 6 matches, another with a small tin of salmon, another with 3 malted milk tablets and another with a condom.

We collected about 500 such rations off each train and gave them to our friends and I must confess that this is when I learned to smoke. Also however a word of warning about the malted milk tablets they were as hard as iron and when sucked would last for hours. Their affect was to quench hunger pains for at least two days, and yes, I tried those too.

Usually we had 1000 of these "K" rations lying around the various rooms and the station staff took them home in armfuls.

The railway goods shed was converted into a temporary dining hall for American troops and being friendly with the R.T.O. (Railway Transportation Officer) we went together to the dining hall for coffee and doughnuts every day.

Errol - or Earl had been a clerk telegraphist with the Canadian Pacific Railways and told me there was a job waiting for me for sure, for sure, if I ever decided to emigrate to America.

Where is Earl today, and who requires a telegraphist? However I still retain the skill and use it frequently as a Radio Ham, under my call-sign Gi4NEZ.

Pat Harbinson
18th June 2004

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