Ex-Sapper 1908815 J.R. Jackson

January began cold and frosty, I worked on the construction of a new army camp in Newark - built by R.G.Tarran of Hull for the Royal Engineers. At the end of January I had received my enlistment papers to report to Clacton on Sea on the 5th February. I attended the funeral of Mrs Eling the vicar's wife and carried the cross to the graveside.

February 5th I left home, not knowing what was in store, and caught an early train from Newark to Clacton on Sea, arriving mid afternoon and was met by a sergeant who marched a crowd of new recruits to Butlins Holiday Camp where we billeted in the chalets for a couple of days. The beds were damp, the food was not good, and snow was on the ground. On Wednesday February 7th about 200 of us young men were moved by train to Chatham St Mary's Victorian Barracks and formed Z Company R.E. Thursday February 8th we were all issued with army kit and rifle (no 3910) and spent the day trying on and swapping and changing with each other to get the nearest fit possible. Friday February 9th we were sent home on embarkation leave, taking all our new kit with us (a full blown soldier in less than a week!). I enjoyed 2 days at home and returned on Sunday night, Monday February 12th, started military training and guard duty also attended sick room for teeth inspection and inoculations. More training and marching during the next week or so. Food not too bad. Wednesday February 21st we lined the route taken by King George VI on his visit to Chatham Naval Docks and had to stand for several hours waiting. After return to barracks 12 of us were sent to join a company of REs formed by men from Somerset - after 1 night we were sent back to Chatham without knowing why! February 23rd the same 12 of us were posted to Gillingham to join up with 706 Company RE, formed by men from Aberdeen. I was billeted in a Temperance Hotel along with three others. The beds were damp and food very poor. We spent the next few days doing training on a piece of land called 'The Lines" between Chatham and Gillingham, we also went into a gas chamber and attended lectures etc. about gas warfare.

February 29th we set off for Southampton and boarded a cross channel ferry boat for France. The boat sailed from Southampton and anchored out at sea, we were able to buy duty free goods from the canteen, and in the evening we played 'Housy Housy' until time for lights out! During the night the ship sailed on its journey and the sea was a bit rough, causing us all to be seasick for the first time. We arrived at Le Havre at 10 am next morning and soon boarded a tain for an unknown destination. Travelling through the night we reached Baupaume in Northern France at 9 am next day, marched four miles with full kit to a place called Greyvilliers, and were billeted in Nissen huts - just erected for men to live in while working on constructing a new airfield. The place was awash with mud and made it difficult to keep clean.

We spent three weeks working like navvies digging top soil away and laying stone foundations for the runways. We had half a day off and went to a cinema at Baupaume and saw 'May Time' on a small screen, also visited Arras and the Cathedral. Then we were moved again to a place called Thelus near 'Vimy Ridge', and built Nissen huts for a hospital. We heard over the grapevine that the Germans had bombed Greyvilliers just after we left, and had done a lot of damage. After a couple of weeks we moved again to a place called Bertangles (near Amien) and built a camp for the RAF. 18 Westland Lysander planes flew in and we mixed with the RAF men and spent four or five weeks building Nissen huts and defence posts around the airfield. We visited Amiens several times.

May 13th, Whit Monday - we moved to a quarry about 10 miles away; 30 of us working all day cutting and loading stone which was taken to airfields to make runways. A detachment of RASC drivers and lorries were doing the transport. I struck up friendship with a Scottish soldier, but after about a week at camp we were ordered to leave at short notice so I was separated from my new friend.

We rejoined our company at a place called Movencourt, staying only one night before moving off again. At this time we didn't know what was happening, moving all the time, marching by day and sleeping by the roadside at night. During the night we were ordered to destroy RAF planes on a nearby airfield which were unable to take off due to damage making them not airworthy. A pilot was aroused from his bed just in time to escape being burned alive. The roads were now crowded by refugees moving away from the advancing German army. We erected barricades across the road in an effort to hold the invaders back, and when we marched through Abbeville we were ordered to fix bayonets so we didn't get separated, the place was so crowded. The Germans also had what what was called 'fifth column' agents whose job it was to frighten the French people. We were also being strafed by ME109s and Junkers 87s which had built in screamers to cause panic.

We approached the outskirts of Calais but were not allowed to enter, being turned away further South towards Boulogne, where we arrived on the 22nd May. (My Scottish friend found me here). We then boarded a ship and arrived back at Dover at 6 pm, and the following day we arrived at Tidworth barracks where we stayed 2 days.

Saturday 25th May we arrived at Chester and camped on the racecourse (Rhodee). Whilst at Chester I was visited by Rev. Eling and Connie his daughter, but I had gone to Chester to post a 21st birthday card to my fiance, and so missed seeing them. After 2 days we moved again up to Lincolnshire, Hemswell aerodrome, then Scampton, finally to Digby where we stayed for a couple of weeks. Whilst here I borrowed a bicycle and rode home for the afternoon (about 20 miles).

June 8th we moved to Finningley RAF station and spent a couple of months building perimeter defence posts etc. and I was able to get home quite often.

August 4th we were ready to move out, and stood by all day waiting, then we boarded a train at Lincoln at 11 pm. Arrived Avonmouth 5.30 am and boarded ship by 8 am. The ship was called 'Mohamed Ali el Kebir' and was used by King Farouk for his honeymoon ship. We set sail during the afternoon for an 'unknown' (to this day) destination. A destroyer called HMS Griffin was our escort.

Wednesday 7th August there was a heavy swell causing the ship to roll, and many of us were seasick. At 9 pm there was a terrific explosion. I had been sleeping amidships, the most stable part of the ship, and was startled by the bang and a falling crate which hit me on the head. We had been hit by a torpedo astern, and the ship started to sink stern first. I ran to get to my quarters but was unable to get there as the torpedo had hit just where I was quartered. We were all told to report to lifeboat stations but when we got there most of the lifeboats had been loosened by the explosion, so the only alternative was to get on a raft, which was full of men and the water came up to the chest riding the swell. Later I got onto a lifeboat and sometime after midnight we were picked up by the destroyer escort. The destroyer was jammed with men, I tried to comfort a Scottish soldier who had lost both his legs and lay on a table amongst the crowd. We reached Greenock by Friday morning and were put into a large warehouse, checked for injuries and re-kitted out.

On Saturday we were sent home on survivor's leave for ten days. My family were a bit surprised to see me! On return to Greenock we were sent to Kenley and Biggin Hill. I spent most of the time at Kenley. The airfield had been heavily bombed the day before we arrived and our first job was to clear the mess and to fill the holes on the runways to allow aircraft to take off again. Every day air raids took place, and we spent a lot of time in shelters. The house where we were billeted was destroyed by a direct hit, but only one soldier was killed.

The Battle of Britain was fought in the skies during our stay at Kenley. An unexploded bomb hit a shelter that I was in.

I came home for Christmas 1940.

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