-  148 Battery-68th Regiment / Royal Regiment of Artillery   

"MAIL FROM HOME"

After about 10 days in the Army, we received our first mail from home. Of course we were all aching to open our letters! I had 2 letters, one from Mother and one from my blue eyed Pam. Pam said she missed me terribly, and asked when I was coming home on leave. I’d  been in the Army only ten  days, and she said, "Would I ask the Sergeant for a few days off?"  I don’t know what she thought I was in, perhaps a holiday camp? At this time we were told that we would receive our postings to different R.A. Regiments, and were told to keep reading the notice boards. Incidentally, it was a crime in the Army not to read the notice boards. Part One Orders were Regimental Standing Orders. Part Two Orders were every day orders. I think that's how it went. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong. The following day our names were up on the board; some were going just across the road to 17th. Training Regiment.R.A.

My name was down for the 63rd. H.A.A. Regt. R.A. Shoeburyness, Essex.

A couple of days later we were told to pack up our kit bags and be ready to move off by troop train, en route to Essex. You’ll never believe this!  L/Bdr. Smithson asked everyone to put a little money in the hat to by a few fags for the Sergeant! This was a 'thank you' for training us!  Did anyone else hear of anything like this? If my memory serves me correctly, I’m sure we set off late evening with our haversack sandwiches. I remember marching from Shoebury station very early morning. Sgt. Bob Cavell and the other Sergeants sorted us out into different Batteries, whilst we were assembled on the Regimental Parade Ground. We finally stowed our kit in ‘L’ Block.

About Horseshoe Barracks. We were to be in ’B’ Troop. 91st. Battery.We settled in and were introduced to our instructors, Bdr. ‘Jockey’ Howarth (real name) and Sgt. Cavell . Though they were strict, they were always fair. We didn’t get half the swearing and yelling and screaming that we got at Oswestry!