Open Writing

After the march from Catterick Camp we boarded the train at Richmond Station, bound for Poole in Dorset and the Queen's Bays.

When the train arrived at Poole we were paraded in one long line. Someone of authority walked down the line. He stopped and said: 'You men, over there.' Then he walked further along, stopped and repeated this. We didn't realise what was happening, but then were enlightened: 'The first group will join 'A' Squadron, the second group 'B' Squadron, the third group 'C Squadron, and the last 'HQ' Squadron'.

At Richmond Station Captain Pedder had left us and had gone back to the camp at Catterick. Here at Poole no one knew of my heroic volunteering act. Ronnie and I were separated in the general melee that resulted after we got off the train. Ronnie found himself in 'B' Squadron and I was in 'C Squadron. After all the fuss I now realised that I wasn't so important any more. We both felt very unhappy about being separated, but had no time to talk it over or commiserate with each other because we soon found that the squadrons were located in different towns. So Ronnie stayed in Poole, and before I knew where I was, I and other men were loaded into trucks and carried off to Wareham, about ten miles away. Ted Ryan and Jimmy Turner were also in 'C Squadron.

Our other friend, Lin Wood, wasn't posted to the Bays, but sent to the 4th Hussars. Later he was taken prisoner and sent to Stalag XVIIIA in Germany. Unfortunately after a while I lost touch with him. Ronnie and I wrote to each other but didn't meet again for about six or seven weeks. We were then in France.

The Bays were a cavalry regiment formed in 1685 and, as the name implies, had bay horses. They remained a mounted regiment right up to 1936, when the horses were replaced by tanks and the Bays became a 'mechanised cavalry' regiment. In the South of England there were numerous cavalry regiments, many famous Hussars and Lancers amongst them. The Bays were one of three such regiments who formed the 1st Armoured Division, the other two being the 10th Hussars and the 9th Lancers. The cavalry regiments regarded themselves as elite army units and many officers were from the landed gentry. In 'HQ' Squadron there was Lord Knebworth and in our squadron we had Lord Erleigh. This of course was to change when the war started, with the influx of enlisted men.

We 'rookies' had been sent from training corps to increase the strength of these old regiments, and at first the regulars were a little resentful of us. We weren't too keen on some of them either, particularly the NCOs, who were forever telling us what it was like 'when we had horses'. This wore a bit thin after a while so we all began saying 'Oh yes, but when we had horses.' However, we got used to each other, and eventually we integrated.

On arrival at Wareham we were allocated to different troops. A troop consisted of three tanks. The tank commanders were usually an officer, a sergeant and a corporal. There were five troops in a squadron, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 which were fighting units, and 'HQ' (Headquarters) which was in control of the squadron. In addition to the tank crews there were other soldiers, administrative staff, fitters, technicians, cooks, lorry drivers, spare crews and others on general duties, so that the strength of a squadron would be about 120 men.

Ted and I were both in No. 1 Troop, Jimmy was in No. 2. A regiment consisted of four squadrons, A, B, C and HQ. A, B and C were fighting squadrons and were all controlled by the Commanding Officer in HQ Squadron. HQ Squadron always brought up the rear, as did the HQ Troops in the squadrons. And so the total strength of the Regiment would be about 550 men, although this figure could fluctuate.

Ordinary soldiers were not privates but, not surprisingly, troopers.

Wareham was a small, average, country town, very quiet with no entertainment for young soldiers, although there were some pleasant walks along the river bank. Lawrence of Arabia was killed while riding a motorbike near Wareham and is commemorated in the church.

We were billeted in houses, some occupied, some empty, there being no barracks in the town. Our troop was in an empty house on East Street. Walking along the river bank wasn't the most exciting way to occupy one's time, but of course there were girls in Wareham, and young soldiers in uniform were an attraction, as were the girls to young soldiers in uniform! A teenage girl, whose name I forget, seemed particularly attracted to me, and when we left she pleaded with me to write to her. I didn't feel particularly inclined to keep in touch, but because of her insistence I half-heartedly agreed to write, but I never did. Looking back now all these years I'm sorry I didn't write, at least a couple of times, but being a teenager and with more soldiers moving into Wareham after we left, she probably soon got over it.