Legend of Blitzkid

[Blitzkid]

March 1945 the billet room Sergeant put a hand on my shoulder, woke me, then signalled me to stay Quiet, the billet room snored on, and to talk in his room at the end of the hut, no need for you to wash or shave or touch your bed, he said, in his room, put valuables in your locker, put on your uniform, no training for you today, take your rifle to the armoury, then report to Hut 'P', Hut 'P' was a special room of special soldiers, it was around 5am.

I did just that, in room 'P' there were two other' plus a special sergeant, right take everything from your pockets, watches, rings, money, I don't want to find any thing more than an handkerchief, place them in box, each. Now listen up, You have to think you are in enemy land, On the table, there are three bits of paper, on them is the name of a person, find him he as a message you need to bring back here Take one each read and memorise, you will be released from the Army until midnight tomorrow night, If you are caught either by Military or civilian police, we don't want to know till midnight tomorrow. My paper said-----Twisted spire--Queens---George ---the only twisted spire from school lessons was Chesterfield. I had no money, I was starving, and was two miles outside of Folkestone. I needed to think damn fast? the other two had their own message. The sergeant took us to the camp gate, said go and we separated.

I ran back to a drivers 'cafe' looked at the lorry's, I was in luck a van said on the sign a Coventry firm, I walked in slammed the door, all heads turned to look at me, i said in loud voice, who's driving the Coventry Van, all heads went to a driver who was having breakfast, I walked over, I'm a coventry kid, have a problem, I need a lift to Cov can you help me, I will pay you for the trouble, he eye;d me up and down, 'Not if your jumping ship ' he said, as if to turn me down ""no quite the opposite', I will explain, but can you afford to buy me breakfast I have no money, he smiled, slapped his hand on the table, I pointed to my badge, we do all kind of things, trust another Coventry Kid, he did, bought me a breakfast, gave me a lift. I explained enough for him to help me.

Just before Coventry we pulled into another lorry drivers cafe, I made arrangements to pay him through the owner of that cafe He found me another lorry going to near Chesterfield. from there on it was a doddle, I found the Queens hotel, George was the owner, the message when I got back to camp with time to spare, was half a torn playing card, that fitted to the other half the sergeant had.

I passed the test, but never saw the other two boys again --they must have failed.

[rebbonk]

There is obviously more to this, Blitzkid. I await the next instalment.

[Blitzkid]

Oh yes, about four days later, about a dozen of us was released, but this time we wore, second hand clean civilian clothes, no money again, and for a whole week, the police Military and civilian, the home guard, and others would be on the look-out for us, we had 24 start, and we could not go out the Southern parts, I went to the street, next to the camp, others raced off trying to get as far away as possible. at around six pm the doors opened to the local Bingo Hall, I looked around, found a woman in her sixties sitting alone, so sat by her, asked to show me how the game was played, got chatty, gained her confidence, said I'm new to the district, have no where to stay do you know anywhere I could stay. You can stay with me and my husband if you will help to move him about, he's an invalid in a wheel chair. Bingo, I had struck lucky again, or was it that I could judge people? I think she thought I was escaping from the police, anyway, I stayed the whole week with her, helped her with her Husband, dug the back garden, made my self useful, mended things, ate as little as possible to eke out rations just for a week, and all the time only a street from camp.
When the week was over I thanked her and returned to camp.
The following morning, I was taken to a room, and a sergeant of the Military Police wanted to ask me about where I had hid, he wanted to know every thing, I said nothing, not one word, he tried cups of tea, friendly, I never said one word, he got rough and threatened me, I sat silent, until they gave up, the Army had put me to a test that involved civilians, no way was I going to get her involved.

[rebbonk]

This is getting very interesting, Blitzkid. I have questions but I think I'll hold on to them for now; I feel that I might just be getting ahead of your story.

Please keep this going.

[Blitzkid]

But this was the end of these manoeuvre's, the army had advanced to quickly, had overtaken the rocket sites, but ask whatever you wish, My next foray as to do with the Doomsday book., but later.

[rebbonk]

What I was wanting to know, Blitzkid, was what particular qualities were being sought? How did the Sergeants decide on just who was the right calibre? Equally, were all sergeants involved in talent scouting, or was it only a few in certain camps?

You've really got me hooked, I find this type of thing intriguing.

[Blitzkid]

When I was 17 I went to Coventry drill Hall to volunteer I had medical and some kind of tests, I was called back a few days later and more tests, didn't take much notice, time I was17-half I had papers to report, Thought it would be Budbrook and the Warwicks where all my friends went, but no Pirbright Surrey, I had never been out of Coventry, so I had to find out, but my older sister did that, Oh my, London and the tube train and Surrey, in those days people was not used to travel like today, the media was a lot more backward, anyway I found the barrack's, Oh gosh they were all etonian's cambridge and oxford schools, lord sons, dukes and Earls, three beds from me, was Geof Howe a roly-poly sort of kid, It was a month's training ground for kids to learn army ways before going to Sandhurst.I had requested the Parachute regt. On education I bottom of class among those guys, but on the sports field, and guns, I was far in front. I couldn't afford a new tie, that alone Mess fees and all the trappings of an Officer, after a fortnight I was taken in front of an officer, now you can finish this course, or you can go to a new course in the Para's, did they need to ask, next day I was on the train to Shorncliff just outside Folkestone.
At the beginning of the war the S.O.E was formed a bunch of dare devil men that went behind the lies and did sabotage, Rommel named them the phantoms' mixed bunch from many regt' so they wanted the army to recognise them, there own name, they settled for SAS, about VE day they were disbanded as were many old weapons and units. the only specialty I had was memory, I could read a book, six months later I could write it down all most word for word. So yes the Army put you tests; if you failed, 60% did you were sent to your parent Regt', We had Psychology tests too.

[Blitzkid]

In 1942 the yanks came, the first thing they wanted was a military prison, so we Brits gave them Shepton Mallet in Dorset, this was our oldest secure prison, (made of rock I believe) they soon filled it, plus a death row, around VE day, they shipped their prisoners home, gave it back to us.

About that time I had passed all my test, they had dropped the Atom Bomb, I had been given two weeks leave, and sent to a transit camp in Dorset, awaiting to be shipped abroad. But I took ill with glandular fever, after three weeks, I and about eight others and staff were the only ones left in Camp.

We were told the eight of us were kept back for special duty, most of us were from "P" hut. nothing was known, no rumours, no hint of this duty, we were taken by lorry, a small field, with three huts about a mile from Shaftesbury, one hut for us and a doctors and nurses rest room split in half, one hut for some secret rooms, the other hut surrounded with danette wiring, barbed wiring and iron bars across windows. A dozen life prisoners from Shepton Mallet was here for hospital treatment, they had jumped off walls, injured themselves just to get a break from the dreaded life of prison.

Here I heard tales of historic papers, documents, paintings, etc that had been stored for safety by the Gov't during the war, I believe the yanks did not know. These British prisoners returned to Shepton Mallet had helped load them on lorry's to be returned to scientists and others, among them were crates ad crates of manuscipts of the Doomsday Book. But they were an hard bunch to look after, one went to the toilet, the guard left him to it, suddenly there was a mighty crash, he had placed the cord to a single light bulb around his neck, jumped of the toilet seat, and brought the ceiling down.

The doomsday book was compiled by people for William the Conqueror in 1025-80 to know just how much he was worth by invading Britain. The book contains several suburbs Of Coventry. About 1980's my brother and I were in that area, there was no sign of the camp, not a foundation brick and the local pub people knew nothing about the camp. The secret hut was about spies Etc, I believe Agent Zigzag was there, can't be sure.

[rebbonk]

Please keep these memories coming, Blitzkid. I'm really enjoying them.

[dutchman]

The secret hut was about spies Etc, I believe Agent Zigzag was there, can't be sure.

Yours is the first mention I've ever read of 'Zigzag' (alias Eddie Chapman), an interesting character to be sure.

He was apparently part of the deception programme which persuaded the Germans to aim their V-weapons short of their original intended targets in London which you've alluded to elsewhere in the forum.