Recollections of Maurice L Howard

I was conscripted into National Service on the 4th August 1949, at Cove, Farnborough as I thought and remember as 262 party and was later re-designated 49.15 party, we were in the’ spider’ at the bottom of the passageway and backing onto the railway to Southampton. My number was 22167942.

Being ‘Postal’ after the ‘basic training’ of 4 weeks I was posted to the Army Post Office in Knightsbridge London and 8 Lennox Gdns became my home for 4 weeks, further foot training was the order of the day and we undertook the ‘slow march’ within the sorting office complex supplementing this training at the Chelsea and Horse Guards Barracks.

Our mess was in Belgrave Square, and here I must tell you a little story of about 5 Sappers who after crossing over Brompton Road were approached by a Troop of Household Cavaly, in awe they were transfixed by such a sight, not realising their posture and their requirement to give the officer a salute, well with all that braide who was the officer the leading guy (officer) bringing his hand up to bring his troop to a halt and exhalting ‘Don’t you lot salute officers then?’ Well I ask you? What pertinance!

We were moved to Victoria and Eaton Place until 9th December when on draft we moved to Liverpool and embarked on the Empire Pride – destination unknown in those days – we slipped our moorings in the late afternoon early evening to the strains of ‘Now is the Hour’ by the company of the whole ship, we sailed down the Mersey and into the Irish Sea on the morning of the 10th December, at about 0500 hrs we were bidden over the Tannoy System – those guys wishing to see the last of the U.K. and say their farewells should come up on deck now as the English Coast was fast dissapearing into the merk of a British winter.

Later that day in the Bay of Biscay we were to loose the use of one of the ships engines and so we limped down to Gibraltar at reduced speed. On arrival at Gib. a maintenance crew came on board and repaired the engine. That evening leaving Gib. and entering the Med. we were met by a horrendous storm, the bow of the ship dipping into the waves that were multi story high, the stern coming out of the water and the screw whirring to a crescendo and then crashing back into the water, the ship taking on water down the hatches where the troops quarters were awash, kit being washed from one side of the accommodation and of course the sea sickriess-ofthe guys was to be seen, as we approached Valletta, Malta to be advised over the Tannoy tbat we had experienced the worst storm tbe ship had ever encountered.

We layed-to in Valletta Harbour to have the ship repaired, we sailed a few days later for Suez and I will never understand why we didn’t put into Tobruk and dissembark then, we arrived at Port Said to the announcement that the master of the ship required a clean ship and that we should all dissembark into the Transit Camp there, my first night on foreign soil, not a very happy chappy? What with all the rumours and leg pulling going on I now realise.

In reverse the following day we re-embarked leaving Port Said, the water like a mill pond a reflection of the ship mirrored on the sea we headed at last for Tobruk, but no, the engine decided to pack-up again and we entered stormy conditions again, the ‘Pride’ not being able to enter the natural harbour of Tobruk, it was back to Valletta again where we were allowed shore leave and a few pounds ‘credits’ from our pay, and of course now Christmas Day aboard the ‘Pride’ our eventual dissembarking at Tobruk 28/29 December 1949.

Our arrival at Tobruk amongst all the sunken shipping was a sight to behold, it was said that you could walk across the harbour without getting your feet wet, I would perceive that could have been quite true, we were allocated 10 ton lorry’s in which to climb aboard and commence the next stage of our journey heading into the desert, observing all the brewed-up armour we soon became accustomed to the sight and the novelty of our interest soon disappeared. To arrive at Derna, negotiating the hairpin bends of the Derna Pass, that evening in transit we settled in for the night to reboard our vehicles for the next stage of the journey the following morning which was to take us up the West Pass of Derna, we were struck in awe as we travelled this road that on the other side of the waddy that a road at one time had existed, this road had been blasted out ofexistance for about 3/4 of a mile and laying in the bottom of the waddy(valley) there was all this brewed-up armour laying about. (I learned only last year, while playing bowls and talking to an ‘old soldier’, that the armour was in fact German) to exit this mountain range we arrived at a pass with a pinnacle of rock to the right of the road to enter a plain, the lorry followed a curving right hand bend for about a 1/3 of a mile and there lay this Panzer with its gun still trained on the pass we had just a few moments before travelled through.

We arrived at Benghazi APO (S/247) to the announcement from the Orderly Corporal that we were not wanted at that place and time and that he refused to take us on strength, because of an A5 proforma sextuplet that he would have to prepare just for 2 days, well who could blame him, I wouldn’t either. A note for my record book shows that the homeward journey on the ‘Devonshire’ took just 7 days and was uneventful. Where the outward jouney had taken 21/22 days.

After performing my 3 years with the N/S reserve and about 7 years later I re-enlisted into the T&AVR (Postal and Courier) for which I undertook 13 years with the Reserve and received a Medal of Proficiency, performing duties in Mill Hill Barracks, Dusseldorf, SHAPE at Mons and NATO in Brussels. Our exercises were always of interest and the use of helicopters for Courier work became the norm. providing a network of services to our forces in Germany and the Low Countries and all those countries associated with NATO. I resigned with the rank Sergeant and am now currently – A Life Member of Royal Engineers Association. I attended the 5Oth Anniversary of National Service Royal Engineers at Brompton Barracks where about 4,000 men were ‘On Parade’ I hope that in my attending I somehow represented those who were unable to attend and be’On Parade’ What a splendid Corps! ! !

More recently and last year it has been my honour to observe in our Nominal Roll of the Posthorn that Mr John Corrigan is now a member of the association John as WO II of No 9 L. of C. greeted us at Benghazi APO our correspondence shows and confirms that he had on just one or two accasions had been chased across the Libyan Desert by Rommel.

In March/April 1950 the occasion of 48/15 party embarking for de-mob and a vacancy occuring in the Postal Orderly Room, I volunteered for the post, no I couldn’t type and I had no experience of book keeping or knowledge of filing systems, and under his guidance and instruction I persevered and I have been doing secretarial work ever since now being secretary of my local Bowling Club, thanks to John his kind of discipline has remained with me the whole of my life and it is to his honour that I owe him this kind of respect.

Recollections of Maureen Brown (nee Merritt) WRAC

In 1953 it was decided to include the trade of postal worker into the WRAC. The first batch of girls, after 5 weeks basic training at Guildford, were posted to Richmond Park, Kingston on Thames under the command of 12 Bn WRAC.

We travelled, daily, to Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill, to be taught how to sort 1,000 letters, by hand, an hour. How to tie them into bundles, breaking the string with a twist and a strong tug, with our fingers. How to tie up a sack of letters with string and a lead seal. Learnt the postage rates of letters, packets and parcels, airmail and surface, to the different BFPOs all over the world.

Armed with all this knowledge we were now able to deal with the real mail. We then travelled, daily, to Home Postal Depot (HPD RE) which was situated in Raphael Street, London, near Harrods. It was originally a night club that was damaged during the war and was patched up for our use. There was no heating or modern facilities, we wore slacks and leather jerkins, and in winter worked in overcoats as well during the night shifts.

Our CO was Lt Col Reading RE, and in the beginning all the NCOs were RE, and we did exactly the same work as the lads. We worked three shifts round the clock: 0600-1400, 1400-2200 and 2200-0600, six days a week for a 48 hour week. In the build up to Christmas we started an hour earlier and finished an hour later, overlapping the shifts, making a 60 hour week. The night shifts were 5 weeks long and the other ten weeks with one week early and one week late alternating. There were no mechanical aids and a full mail sack is quite heavy. We soon learnt that two hands on the top of the sack, knee in the side, a heavy kick and lift and it could be thrown into the back of a 3-tonner.

The mail came from all the London Railway Stations day and night. We sorted it into airmail and surface and bagged it up to the various destinations. The airmail was flown from Heathrow daily and all the weights had to be phoned to the airport, before despatch, in ‘kilos’ (no faxes in those days). It was unheard of for a truck to be late and miss a flight, and at night during the London Smog it had to leave earlier with two people, with lamps, in front of each wheel walking to guide the driver round the traffic islands and parked or crashed cars.

How many can remember being on early shift and running for the coach, which left on the dot of 0500, with a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich, because the cooks had overslept again?

I was on SOIII shift and my name, then, was Maureen Merritt. Does anyone remember me?

Recollections of Cliff Howes

I volunteered to join the army in 1945 and a few weeks later I received my papers to report to No.96 P. T. C. Ranby Camp, Retford, Notts. On completion of my Basic training, I requested a posting to Royal Engineers (Postal Section) and so it came about that shortly afterwards I arrived outside the Loading Bay at Queen Street, Post Office, Nottingham where I was directed to report to “the Officer in there”. I went into a large empty office where a Lieutenant RE, was sitting at a table, so I went up to him, saluted and gave my personal details, to which after he had returned my salute, he put out his hand and shook hands with me saying “Welcome to the R.E.P.S., we hope that your time with us will be enjoyable. You will be taken to the Postal School at Whatton Camp shortly, in the meantime, you will find Tea, Coffee and Biscuits over there, help yourself and make yourself comfortable while you are waiting”.

Now I had just finished training with the Rifle Brigade so after that experience, I began to wonder just what I had come to!.

In due course transport arrived and off we went to Whatton Camp to be met by no less a person who became something of a legend in the R.E.P.S. namely C.S.M. Harold (Chad) Westbrook, who made it quite clear what he expected from us. Anyhow we settled down to our B.3 course with our Instructors Corporals Sadler and Lowman, who was known behind his back as the “Bishop” because he was a member of the Salvation Army. The course passed quickly and we were all posted to the various Sorting Offices in Nottingham. I arrived at Bulwell, Padstow Road Camp working at Daybrook;, after a month or so I was posted back to Whatton Camp to take the B.2 course and, at the end of that period, I went to Queen Street Sorting Office working 3 shifts, the interesting thing was, when I was on the late shift (3-11) at 5.30 p.m. I used to take over from the A. T.S. operators and man the H.P.D. switchboard. It was a very pleasant time with plenty of variety off duty , a large NAAFI Club, Cinemas, Ballrooms etc.

However, my mate Arthur Collis and myself decided to volunteer for overseas draft and it wasn’t long before about 30 of us went to Barton Stacey in Hampshire and from there we were taken by train all the way back to Hull where we embarked on the “Empire Lance”. We hadn’t got a clue where we were going but 48 hours later we docked at Cuxhaven, Germany at 2200 hours and that night we slept in a large shed on the Dock. Next morning we were issued with dry rations and put on a train with wooden slatted seats and off we went across Germany until we finished up at Bielefeld Holding Unit where we were kept for a week while our documents were sorted out. As is the case with transit camps you get all sorts of jobs to fill in the time. I had one that I wouldn’t wish to repeat, until were were ready to move out, I was a guard on the Military Prison, but move out we did and finally got to our ultimate destination -No.101 Z.P.D. Herford, we were billeted in the town and worked in a large factory which had been taken over called POGGENPOHL. I hardly had time to settle in when my name appeared on Orders “Posted to A.P.O. E.560, Berlin”. Amid remarks like, “You jammy B………. ” and “How did you fiddle that”, it became obvious that Berlin was the best posting in Germany and so once again on the night train which arrived at CHARLOTTENBURG Station next day.

The Berlin A.P.O. staff were billetted for accommodation and rations with the Berlin Signals Squadron, Royal Signals but later we were transferred to H.Q. Brit Troops Berlin quarters.

The Building in which the A.P.O. was housed was a large detached house on its own grounds, the front part was 3 storeys but the rear part was a single storey flat roof section, this was the A.P.O. The Caretaker and his family lived in a part of the front and on the first floor was a large room with a row of French windows opening out on to the flat roof. The interesting fact was that when the first A.P .0. troops took over, they found some reels of the film “Mrs Minniver” and it transpired that the large function room was used by Josef Goebbels to show “forbidden” films to his chosen friends.

The unit itself consisted of a Postal officer (Captain), 2 Sargeants, one who was Chief Clerk, Postal Branch, 2 Corporals, 1 L/Corporal and six Sappers. In addition, we had 8 German females operating the teleprinter link 24 hours a day working shifts, also 6 German females on forward Sorting and 2 German males to do heavy work, loading, unloading etc. The R.E.P.S. staff did all the other jobs, Counter (2 positions ), Inwarding sorting, Courier etc.

We had quite a bit of variety, once a week the French army and the Russians used to call for mail and then twice a week we took mail to the U.S. Army at their base in DAHLEM.

The Russian transfer was a bit of a mystery; , we used to get about 6 or 7 sealed parcel bags which seemed to contain a large box in each one, the bags were – addressed to the Baltic States, VILNA and RIGA and a Russian Officer and 4 troopers used to collect them, we never did know what we were handing over.

When we went to the American Post office the guys on the counter couldn’t understand why we didn’t carry arms, they all carried loaded 45’s.

A RAF ‘York’ at GatowLife was very pleasant in those days, we had a large NAAFI Club with its own Dance floor, a Bar, Cafeteria and a W.O. and Sgts Club;, in addition there were 2 British Controlled Cinemas, we could also go sailing at the forces Yacht Club, horse riding through the Grunewald Woods, play tennis and of course visit night clubs which had been licenced as “in bounds”.

In due course, I received a fairly rapid promotion and within 12 months I had gone from L/Cpl to Sgt at Postal Branch.

Then on the 25th June 1948 (my birthday), the Russians decided to Blockade the City and the following day the first aircraft of the Berlin Airlift landed. It didn’t really affect us a great deal other than re-organising our incoming and outgoing mail to liaise with the R.A.F. at Gatow. Electricity was cut off every night at 1800 hours because the Russians controlled the Power Station, we got around that by installing our own Generator. Our food was monotonous, everything was dried. Potatoes, eggs, milk and so on. Leave was postponed for a time until the airlift got fully organised because the only way in and out of Berlin was by air, but life went on much to the annoyance of the Russians. I think this was the point where the Civilian Population really began to appreciate our being there, they certainly didn’t want a Russian occupation.

So life went on and eventually my demob came round, I flew out from Gatow in a Dakota to Buckeburg airfield and then on to the demob centre at Aldershot (Woking) where I was issued with a Civvy suit etc. I then went back to work at my local Post Office counter.

I look back and remember the Officer I met on my first day (Lt. later Capt. Meatyard) and his words “We hope your time with us will be enjoyable”. It certainly was, I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.
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