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George Spenceley relives his army training days in the 1950's and the many friends and memories he recalls
In the army it was training, training, and almost every day we'd go into the Essex countryside to practise for war, then spent longer periods in Thetford woods as our regiment was on constant standby.
In February 1953 it was a particularly cold, wet and windy Saturday night when orders came through that the night's storm had caused flooding and damage on the east coast of England and in Holland.
We were to go and help on the coastal areas and attempt to stop the sea from causing more damage. A number of our lads were sent to Albrough in Suffolk to help the American soldiers.
Some went along to Canvey Island and our troop went to Clacton to the stretch of coast as far as Walton on the Naze. Vehicles took us as close as possible to the flooded area then we boarded army 'DUKW's', vehicle's that could travel on land and water.
We reached the sea at Saint Osyth and the sight was unbelievable, it appeared as though a giant sweeping brush had swept all the caravans and summer huts and anything else that had got in its path away from the sea and in doing so had smashed them to pieces.
The water had broken through the sea wall defences and gone inland and our task was to bridge the gaps in the sea wall and prevent further flooding. Day after day we spent filling sand bags, we were soaked to the skin but knew that we had to continue whatever the weather until the holes in the sea walls were blocked.
When it was all over we sat in the NAFFI chatting to the others about what they'd seen in their areas. Those who had gone to Albrough came off best for they had been fed in the American Airforce Base and lived on beef steaks for breakfast among other treats.
We had our usual stale haversack rations, bread and spam or bread and jam with stewed tea, no NAAFI wagons for us.
George Spenceley, 2002
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