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Early January 1943 Harold Taylor, at the age of 17 went to the Wireless School in Chiswick, London, to train for the Merchant Navy. He took lodgings not far away in Grove Park Road, overlooking one of the teaching hospital's rugby grounds. This was not far away from Chiswick House, which at that time was used as a British Restaurant. Harold remembers his time there.
Half the trainees at the school were Polish, in fact one of them lodged in the same house. I think they were all Merchant Seamen and many had come from the Stefan Batory, their well-known passenger ship, which had recently been on the North African landings.
One or two of the English lads were also Merchant Navy and had suffered torpedoing or tragedy of some sort. Others were students from college or school. I believe I was the only 'workman' among us.
I met some useful friends among the Poles and tried to learn their language, for which they forgave me. I did at one time have a room mate who was a Pole, but he decided to move to where his mates were, nearer Hammersmith.
There were four of us lodging at this three story Victorian house. There was a family of four plus two other lodgers, one of long standing. The family lived in the basement. The first floor front was the dining/sitting room, which we rarely used, other than for meals.
Initially I shared a large double room with Paul Tomlin, who was nephew of Clement Attlee, with whom he appeared to normally live. Weekends he would be off to their home at Bushey Park. He had been a pupil at Marlborough College, where he had been in the Cadet Corp. and was anxious to rejoin them locally. I went along with him to the nearest unit, which was at Shepherds Bush. They accepted him and were prepared to offer him an officer post in the cadet corp. They were unsure whether they would offer me even a corporal's position, so I did not join.
The other three of us decided to join the A.F.S. and went along to Gunnersbury Park to enrol, but because of our age two of us were only taken on as messengers. The H.Q. was at Ealing.
We did one evening per week training and one night standby duty on the Great West Road at a toothpaste factory, where we spent the night in the sports pavilion. I seem to think it was the Gibb's factory.
There was another lodger in the house, who occupied a single room. He had been on a previous course, but stayed on. When he moved on, this room became available, and two of us decided to share, turning one single room into a shared bedroom, and the other room, which had a gas fire, we used as a sitting room. In this fashion we were able to entertain the other trainees as well. Evenings would very often be spent playing cards instead of studying.
I came home for a weekend in February, probably around the 13th, which is my birthday. I was to discover that about two days previously, a German aircraft had flown low over the town from the west and dropped several bombs, which straddled the shops in North Street.
One bomb had dropped onto Field's Garage, next door to Woolworth's. It had obviously been deflected by something and landed on its side in the middle of the road, then shot up into the air and through the window of Geering's opposite, where it had made an air burst. This blew out the roof and the cash, much of which was found in Priory Park.
One other bomb had landed in St. Martin's Street, and damaged the home of my friend Alfie, but I do not think any of the family was injured. After the war this clearance made room for Marks and Spencers to expand.
My father told me of a woman's arm being found on the Dolphin roof. I do not recall if anyone was killed, but there was a headline in the local paper, which read something like 'Nine people and a carpenter injured in bombing.'
Round about this time bombs were also dropped near the St. James Road Control Centre. A lot of houses in the Armadale Road area were damaged, and I think one of the injured was Mrs Hearn who had lived at 9 Alexandra Road. A later catastrophe was a Liberator bomber, which crashed near the Electric Laundry (now Covers). This plane had a full load that exploded.
After this first visit home, all future visits were by cycle. I usually started out early on a Saturday morning and went down through Richmond, Kingston and Guildford. On the first occasion I went down from there via Midhurst, but subsequently went via Petworth, which I think is the shortest route. It certainly seemed to be quicker. I would arrive soon after mid-day, and have the whole of Sunday there.
Monday morning, my father had learnt that Farr's sent a lorry up to London as a regular trip. So, come 6.00 a.m. on Monday, I would be waiting outside the garage in the St. Pancras, put my bike in the lorry and off we would set. The only snag was, that on the way there would be deliveries to make, and I was expected to help. In general this was not too bad, but when I had to help shift a heavy grand piano, I thought it was a bit much.
We would arrive at Putney Bridge at about 11.00 a.m., where I would be deposited, to arrive in class for the afternoon session.
One of the people I met on my first visit home was Pop Palmer, one of the locals. After enquiring how I was getting on, the question of finance came up. He offered to lend me some money and gave me a cheque for £1.
When I got back to Chiswick I had such a palaver changing it, and it was embarrassing, as I had never handled cheques before. I was refused payment because it was not made out to cash, and I declined opening an account, as I would be drawing the money straight out again. I had, in the end, to deposit it in the Post Office Savings Bank and leave it there for 7 days before I could draw on it. Just as well I was not desperate for cash, although it did cause a lot of walking about; I used to walk to the shopping area at Turnham Green to save money.
About the same time that I joined the A.F.S., most of our group at the college found ourselves jobs. I think initially we all went to the same place, which was the Western Margarine factory in Hanger Lane, Acton.
Here we did a three or four hour shift, two days per week, for which we earned £2. Later some of the lads went on to work on a Saturday morning at one of the breweries in Chiswick. I think they got the same money for working 6 hours. They also had free beer and did not have to pay the train fare to Park Royal, as they did for the Western job.
I did not have the added expenditure of transport, because I had the bike. One was able to secret out quite a bit of margarine, which was welcomed by the landlady.
The exam for the Wireless Telegraphy Certificate was sat in August, and we all passed. The Poles were particularly jubilant, and I was invited along with them to celebrate. Off hand I do not remember which pub we went to, but I do know that it was an all spirit affair. In those days I was a beer man, and un-used to the amount imbibed. I do recall that I had eight, but whether doubles or singles I would have no way of telling.
I went home afterwards and lay on my bed. It was the first time I had had the experience of the walls circulating about me and the ceiling and floor mixing with the walls in ever moving circles. I could even see them when I closed my eyes. I was not in a much better state when I awoke, and was glad to think that the following day I would be able to relax.
The following week was spent doing little odds and ends, which were necessary before we could embark on this new career. First of all we had to go to Upminster to register with the Merchant Navy Officers Union. This was an all day job. Then there was registering with the three main organisations that employed radio officers for the shipping firms. There were also approaches to be made to individual shipping firms that employed their own operators, especially the foreign ones, Polish in particular.
There was the Special Service Branch to be approached. We booked in to take a two day visual signals course with the Navy at Aldgate, for convoy work, also a two day gunnery course with the Navy at Shoeburyness.
Having got these tasks dispensed with in that first week, we headed for home. I must not forget that in the meantime we had gone to get ourselves measured for uniform etc. at Harvey Nicholls. I think that in total the bare requirements cost me £60. By this time I was over £100 in my sister's debt.
By the time I came back from London, my 5 friends were all in the forces. I think that perhaps Ernie and Fred had gone before, both to the R.A.F, although Fred was in the R.A.F Regiment, but later transferred to Air Crew Training. His brother Ron, also went in the R.A.F on Air Crew Training, as an observer; and was supposed to be on Officer Training. They wore the white slip in their forage cap which indicated so, whenever I saw them.
Tony went into the Navy as a gun layer, and I was to meet him in Australia, with several other school acquaintances.
Fred would come home and tell us stories of having been on bombing raids over Germany as air gunner, despite the fact we knew he had not yet finished his training! One did not know whether he was really telling the truth, or just had a vivid imagination.
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