Peoples Stories - Bevendean History Project
Douglas Victor Brown's Life Story
Army Days
I decided to join the Army; I was under age so had to put my age up by twelve months. You could get away with that in those days. (This was in 1947 when I was 17 years old).
I signed on as a regular for seven years. I was sent to Colchester in Essex for my basic training after which I was given a weeks leave before undergoing more advanced training and then a transfer to the Royal Sussex Regiment.
I was sent to join the first battalion who at that time were stationed in Trieste in northern Italy. The journey was by ship to Calais then a train journey all the way to Trieste. This journey took about a week with stops along the way for meals and showers then three days at a transit camp in Villach in Austria to await the next troop train to Italy. This was a very interesting journey with some of the most gorgeous views as we travelled along the border of Switzerland then south to Austria and Italy.
I decided to join the Army; I was under age so had to put my age up by twelve months. You could get away with that in those days. (This was in 1947 when I was 17 years old).
I signed on as a regular for seven years. I was sent to Colchester in Essex for my basic training after which I was given a weeks leave before undergoing more advanced training and then a transfer to the Royal Sussex Regiment.
I was sent to join the first battalion who at that time were stationed in Trieste in northern Italy. The journey was by ship to Calais then a train journey all the way to Trieste. This journey took about a week with stops along the way for meals and showers then three days at a transit camp in Villach in Austria to await the next troop train to Italy. This was a very interesting journey with some of the most gorgeous views as we travelled along the border of Switzerland then south to Austria and Italy.
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Douglas Brown in Italy |
We spent about a year in Trieste in a camp in the hills on the edge of
the town. Our on duty times were spent guarding a mass of stores and
equipment left over from the war and which were no longer required. We
guarded large petrol and ammunition dumps also huge vehicle parks,
which contained every type of vehicle that you can imagine. They had
been used during the war and were no longer required; some of these
areas were so large that we had to patrol by jeep; the barbed wire
fences went on for miles.
We were all very well off for money. Due to the inflation rate in Italy at that time our pay was worth a great deal more when changed into lira. What is more we were able to buy cigarettes and chocolate very cheap in the NAAFI stores. These items were in very short supply in Italy and so were worth a lot of cash or female company when taken into town, so I am told.
We all had a great time in Italy, nice weather, plenty of money, some very attractive Italian girls and not forgetting all that good vino, I could have stayed forever.
All good things have to come to an end. We had to pack up and leave this wonderful life. We headed off to Venice where we boarded a troopship for Palestine.
This was a far less pleasant place to be. We were stationed in tents, in the middle of a desert, all very basic, nowhere to go, and nothing to see. We spent most of our time trying to stop the Jewish immigrants from entering the country, also searching out the Jewish terrorist groups. They hated us as we were trying to prevent them from taking over what they called the Promised Land. They were a very evil lot, we had some of our men killed by bombs, booby traps and mines etc. Others were killed or injured while out on patrol, many of them shot in the back. Two of our sergeants were captured and then hung from trees. My own platoon had men injured, one of whom was a good friend. You can well imagine our feelings for the people responsible for this. I am very pleased to say that many of these murderers were sent to their final promised land. Revenge is very sweet.
I don’t recall how long I was in Palestine, but some of us were lucky enough to be chosen for home leave.
After my leave I had to report to Dover barracks along with chaps from many other units who had just finished their leave.
We were told that we were to be transferred to the Royal East Kent Regiment, “The Buffs”.
The first battalion was stationed in Hong Kong and required some reinforcements as the Chinese were threatening to take back Hong Kong by force. What a bit of luck, four weeks on a troopship from Southampton to Hong Kong via the Mediterranean and Red Sea, with shore leave in Colombo and Singapore. I really enjoyed every minute of it.
“The Buffs” were part of a force guarding the border with China. We were stationed in a place called Fan-Ling and under canvas. It was a nice little spot near a waterfall and pool in the hills, where we went to cool off. We were very happy with our position in the line as we had Gurkha units on both sides of us and they are some of the best fighting men in the world.
We were given plenty of time to spend on Hong Kong Island. All the inhabitants both Chinese and white treated us very well. They did not want the Chinese army moving in and were depending on us to save them, some joke. We would have been too busy trying to save ourselves, if the Chinese had attacked with their huge army they would have walked all over us.
But what a place to be stationed in, so much to see and do, everything was so cheap as it was what is known as a free port.
We were all very well off for money. Due to the inflation rate in Italy at that time our pay was worth a great deal more when changed into lira. What is more we were able to buy cigarettes and chocolate very cheap in the NAAFI stores. These items were in very short supply in Italy and so were worth a lot of cash or female company when taken into town, so I am told.
We all had a great time in Italy, nice weather, plenty of money, some very attractive Italian girls and not forgetting all that good vino, I could have stayed forever.
All good things have to come to an end. We had to pack up and leave this wonderful life. We headed off to Venice where we boarded a troopship for Palestine.
This was a far less pleasant place to be. We were stationed in tents, in the middle of a desert, all very basic, nowhere to go, and nothing to see. We spent most of our time trying to stop the Jewish immigrants from entering the country, also searching out the Jewish terrorist groups. They hated us as we were trying to prevent them from taking over what they called the Promised Land. They were a very evil lot, we had some of our men killed by bombs, booby traps and mines etc. Others were killed or injured while out on patrol, many of them shot in the back. Two of our sergeants were captured and then hung from trees. My own platoon had men injured, one of whom was a good friend. You can well imagine our feelings for the people responsible for this. I am very pleased to say that many of these murderers were sent to their final promised land. Revenge is very sweet.
I don’t recall how long I was in Palestine, but some of us were lucky enough to be chosen for home leave.
After my leave I had to report to Dover barracks along with chaps from many other units who had just finished their leave.
We were told that we were to be transferred to the Royal East Kent Regiment, “The Buffs”.
The first battalion was stationed in Hong Kong and required some reinforcements as the Chinese were threatening to take back Hong Kong by force. What a bit of luck, four weeks on a troopship from Southampton to Hong Kong via the Mediterranean and Red Sea, with shore leave in Colombo and Singapore. I really enjoyed every minute of it.
“The Buffs” were part of a force guarding the border with China. We were stationed in a place called Fan-Ling and under canvas. It was a nice little spot near a waterfall and pool in the hills, where we went to cool off. We were very happy with our position in the line as we had Gurkha units on both sides of us and they are some of the best fighting men in the world.
We were given plenty of time to spend on Hong Kong Island. All the inhabitants both Chinese and white treated us very well. They did not want the Chinese army moving in and were depending on us to save them, some joke. We would have been too busy trying to save ourselves, if the Chinese had attacked with their huge army they would have walked all over us.
But what a place to be stationed in, so much to see and do, everything was so cheap as it was what is known as a free port.
 |
Douglas Brown and 3
platoon mates outside the Fleet Club Hong Kong |
Although Hong Kong was a British crown colony there was a strong
American influence. One thing that comes to mind is that we were seeing
some American films before they were released in the U.K. Also in the
service men’s club you could get a real large American steak with
all the trimmings.
Now what about those beautiful long silk dresses with the long split up the side. Also that wonderful Oriental perfume. Wow, I’ll say that again, Wow.
Some of the Chinese and mixed race girls were so very pretty and a lot of our service men got married while there. We had a great time in Hong Kong and the Chinese army stayed away. We spent about a year in Hong Kong before returning to the U.K.
We were stationed in Dover for a while before being sent to Norfolk for special training. It was the middle of winter and Norfolk can be a very cold place with all that wind and snow.
We did manage to get into Norwich most weekends to defrost a little and we had a good NAAFI club in the camp.
I did not like the cold, but I did enjoy some of the training. Among other things we were taught how to handle explosives.
One of my favourites was 808 plastic. It looked like green plasticine, in fact you could model with it, and you could jump on it, throw it on a fire, and it would just burn. But, put a detonator in it and look out. It would take down trees, pylons, bridges, you name it. It’s a great feeling blowing things up, or down.
The next tour of duty and we were off to Cyprus. Never had much chance to see a lot of it as we were only there for a short time before being sent to Port Said in Egypt, (on an aircraft carrier would you believe) we spent all our time helping to unload ships in the harbour, as the locals had all gone on strike and were refusing to unload any ships that had supplies for the British forces.
I recall that it was hard work but it had its compensations in the fact that lots of crates containing beer or cigarettes somehow managed to drop and break open. Very strange that our officers (bless them) were always looking the other way at the time.
After that we were sent down to the Canal Zone. To a place called Tel-El-Kebir, here we spent our time guarding a very large supply depot and the military hospital.
Now what about those beautiful long silk dresses with the long split up the side. Also that wonderful Oriental perfume. Wow, I’ll say that again, Wow.
Some of the Chinese and mixed race girls were so very pretty and a lot of our service men got married while there. We had a great time in Hong Kong and the Chinese army stayed away. We spent about a year in Hong Kong before returning to the U.K.
We were stationed in Dover for a while before being sent to Norfolk for special training. It was the middle of winter and Norfolk can be a very cold place with all that wind and snow.
We did manage to get into Norwich most weekends to defrost a little and we had a good NAAFI club in the camp.
I did not like the cold, but I did enjoy some of the training. Among other things we were taught how to handle explosives.
One of my favourites was 808 plastic. It looked like green plasticine, in fact you could model with it, and you could jump on it, throw it on a fire, and it would just burn. But, put a detonator in it and look out. It would take down trees, pylons, bridges, you name it. It’s a great feeling blowing things up, or down.
The next tour of duty and we were off to Cyprus. Never had much chance to see a lot of it as we were only there for a short time before being sent to Port Said in Egypt, (on an aircraft carrier would you believe) we spent all our time helping to unload ships in the harbour, as the locals had all gone on strike and were refusing to unload any ships that had supplies for the British forces.
I recall that it was hard work but it had its compensations in the fact that lots of crates containing beer or cigarettes somehow managed to drop and break open. Very strange that our officers (bless them) were always looking the other way at the time.
After that we were sent down to the Canal Zone. To a place called Tel-El-Kebir, here we spent our time guarding a very large supply depot and the military hospital.
 |
Douglas Brown in Egypt |
This again covered a huge area but instead of patrolling in a vehicle,
the miles of double barbed wire fence had towers with a searchlight and
machine gun, we manned the towers. These were placed every few hundred
yards around the wire. Not only did we have to stop the local thieves
getting in but we had to shoot any wild dogs that tried to get through
the wire.
Don’t feel sorry for the dogs, they were very dangerous animals and had to be kept out; they would attack anyone if hungry. The hospital even had armed patrols in the grounds as some would always get through.
The next move was to Port Suez at the south end of the canal. There was a lot of trouble from a local terror group. They had killed a number of unarmed black soldiers from one of the African units of the British army.
A company of our men were sent in and soon sorted out the problem.
Here we go again, this time by ship from Port Suez to Port Sudan. Then a long train journey to Khartoum, the place where General Gordon was killed. We spent some time here in a very hot and very boring place. We had very little to do and nowhere to go. Hunting around for scorpions and snakes was a favourite way of passing the time, or maybe getting a few beers down in the NAAFI.
We returned to the U.K. Once again and spent some time in Dover before the battalion received orders to go overseas again.
As I was getting near to the end of my seven years service and soon due for discharge. I remained at Dover to help hand over the barracks to the next unit coming in.
Once this was done I was sent to Canterbury barracks, which was a training unit. The officer in charge did not know quite what to do with the three of us old hands who had been landed on him. This is when I got very lucky, it seems that they required someone to help out in the unit post office, so I told him that one of my jobs in handing over at Dover had been to redirect all the mail. I got the job; this was true by the way.
This is one of the best jobs in the army. Much importance is placed on the mail so the post corporal is excused all other duties.
This left me plenty of time to spend in the city or the NAAFI. I had about six weeks of this before my discharge.
One of my new mates had a motor bike and we would go out at weekends to places like Margate and Ramsgate.
I must have been very brave or mad then to go out on the back of a motor bike, I would not do it now.
I was pleased that I went into the army. I saw all the places that I have mentioned, I travelled on four or five troop ships, one aircraft carrier, one destroyer, many types of landing craft and two transport aircraft one of which was my all-time favourite the good old Dakota. I left the army with the dizzy rank of full corporal. As far as I am concerned this is the best rank to hold.
The private has to take orders from everyone and if he gets into any trouble he ends up confined to barracks or in the guardhouse. The lance corporal gets told what to do by the full corporal and has to take the flak if anything goes wrong.
A sergeant has to move into the sergeant’s mess away from all his old mates and has to pay out a lot in mess fees.
If a full corporal gets into any trouble he just ends up with a reprimand as I did when we were in Norfolk and I was caught shooting rabbits with a 0.303 rifle.
I passed my driving test in the army and got to drive many types of vehicle from a three ton lorry to my favourite, the Willys jeep. What a wonderful vehicle, it would go anywhere and do anything you could ask of it.
I was very lucky in that during my seven years of service I was never wounded. I had mates who were hit but I never received a scratch. I can only put this down to the fact that I am so religious. Could be that the devil looks after his own? So they say.
I did get involved in a few exciting situations over the years. I will not go into details on that in so much as to say, it was a good job I was wearing brown trousers at the time.
I was told that if I signed on to continue my service I would get promotion to sergeant. But I did not want this; it was time for a change.
I served my five years on the reserve list but was not recalled to duty during that time. I am very pleased to say that I just missed being called back when the trouble started in Korea.
That was a terrible place to have to fight in. The casualty rate was very high and the weather very severe. A lot of the men not killed or injured by the enemy came back with fingers or toes missing due to frostbite.
Don’t feel sorry for the dogs, they were very dangerous animals and had to be kept out; they would attack anyone if hungry. The hospital even had armed patrols in the grounds as some would always get through.
The next move was to Port Suez at the south end of the canal. There was a lot of trouble from a local terror group. They had killed a number of unarmed black soldiers from one of the African units of the British army.
A company of our men were sent in and soon sorted out the problem.
Here we go again, this time by ship from Port Suez to Port Sudan. Then a long train journey to Khartoum, the place where General Gordon was killed. We spent some time here in a very hot and very boring place. We had very little to do and nowhere to go. Hunting around for scorpions and snakes was a favourite way of passing the time, or maybe getting a few beers down in the NAAFI.
We returned to the U.K. Once again and spent some time in Dover before the battalion received orders to go overseas again.
As I was getting near to the end of my seven years service and soon due for discharge. I remained at Dover to help hand over the barracks to the next unit coming in.
Once this was done I was sent to Canterbury barracks, which was a training unit. The officer in charge did not know quite what to do with the three of us old hands who had been landed on him. This is when I got very lucky, it seems that they required someone to help out in the unit post office, so I told him that one of my jobs in handing over at Dover had been to redirect all the mail. I got the job; this was true by the way.
This is one of the best jobs in the army. Much importance is placed on the mail so the post corporal is excused all other duties.
This left me plenty of time to spend in the city or the NAAFI. I had about six weeks of this before my discharge.
One of my new mates had a motor bike and we would go out at weekends to places like Margate and Ramsgate.
I must have been very brave or mad then to go out on the back of a motor bike, I would not do it now.
I was pleased that I went into the army. I saw all the places that I have mentioned, I travelled on four or five troop ships, one aircraft carrier, one destroyer, many types of landing craft and two transport aircraft one of which was my all-time favourite the good old Dakota. I left the army with the dizzy rank of full corporal. As far as I am concerned this is the best rank to hold.
The private has to take orders from everyone and if he gets into any trouble he ends up confined to barracks or in the guardhouse. The lance corporal gets told what to do by the full corporal and has to take the flak if anything goes wrong.
A sergeant has to move into the sergeant’s mess away from all his old mates and has to pay out a lot in mess fees.
If a full corporal gets into any trouble he just ends up with a reprimand as I did when we were in Norfolk and I was caught shooting rabbits with a 0.303 rifle.
I passed my driving test in the army and got to drive many types of vehicle from a three ton lorry to my favourite, the Willys jeep. What a wonderful vehicle, it would go anywhere and do anything you could ask of it.
I was very lucky in that during my seven years of service I was never wounded. I had mates who were hit but I never received a scratch. I can only put this down to the fact that I am so religious. Could be that the devil looks after his own? So they say.
I did get involved in a few exciting situations over the years. I will not go into details on that in so much as to say, it was a good job I was wearing brown trousers at the time.
I was told that if I signed on to continue my service I would get promotion to sergeant. But I did not want this; it was time for a change.
I served my five years on the reserve list but was not recalled to duty during that time. I am very pleased to say that I just missed being called back when the trouble started in Korea.
That was a terrible place to have to fight in. The casualty rate was very high and the weather very severe. A lot of the men not killed or injured by the enemy came back with fingers or toes missing due to frostbite.
© Douglas Brown 2014
| Part 3 Life after the Army | Photos from my time in the Army |
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