No 2. & No 7. Platoons apparently did not find regular members to start with, or if they did, I have no record as to who they were.

The Company was run with considerable enthusiasm and kept going largely by the time put in by Bill Abbey and H.C. Gregory who seemed able and willing to devote much of their whole time to LDV matters. A meeting of Platoon Leaders was held once each week and after this meeting had finished their work Section Leaders joined in and the duties and information from the Platoon Officers meeting was then given out to the Section Leaders. Considerable freedom of expression was always allowed and taken, and all the Company duties were discussed to find the best means of dealing with them.

Tuesday and Friday evenings seem to have been the principal training evenings, but something seems to have been going on most evenings. I have a note dated the 21st August 1940 that complaints were being made of too many guards. It worked out at 3 in 10 days, another complaint was that rest was broken by visits from both a Battalion visiting officer and a Company Visiting Officer, one coming just after the guard had settled down from the visit of the first.

On Sat. Aug 24th, 1940, we had our first allotment of Pilning Range and 3,000 rounds to use.

The then: - 
         - No 4.   Platoon provided 24 men and 2 markers
         - No 7.   Platoon provided 24 men and 2 markers
         - No 8.   Platoon provided 8 men and 4 markers
         - No 11. Platoon provided 8 men and 2 markers
         - No 18. Platoon provided 8 men and 2 markers

10 rounds each were fired.

We had no regulations to work on and so established our own standard. What it was I have no record of, but I do know it was not too easy a one.

By the:

- 11th Sept, 236 had passed and 20 failed - 11th Oct, 381 had passed and 30 failed - 11th Nov, 418 had passed and 57 failed

No record of our tenure of Westbury ground would be complete without an account of the Royal Engineers demonstration at the Passage Road Block. Almost a last-minute notice was sent round and made known as far as possible, although no one knew what to expect or what it was all about. An oil tank had been built behind the wall at the side of the road in the Brentry Colony grounds. A hinged and perforated pipe could be swung over the road and the surface flooded with the inflammable mixture.

Quite a bunch of Red Tab Staff Officers were present, and as a matter of interest Colonel Chapman was carrying a Browning Light Auto, the first occasion which we had an opportunity of seeing this weapon.

A Royal Engineer Colonel took charge of the demonstration and he had a Section of Regulars to assist, I believe one solitary Policeman was also there. The crowd had grown to quite 100 by late arrival LDV’s. The first part of the demonstration consisted of the handing round of sticks of gelignite and detonators for inspection, which were never completely collected before the demonstrations continued. In fact, at the very end there were volunteers with a stick of gelignite in both hands trying to find someone to hand them back to. The Company Suicide Squad of Bombing Instructors I believe laid in quite a stock on this occasion. LDV Regular Officers had closed up onto the trap while the rails were being piled up and the demonstration explained. They were now shooed away, and backed reluctantly and slowly, stopping whenever the shooing ceased. The cordon of soldiers were across the road on the country side of the trap only about 15 yards away. On the Bristol side, there was only the odd Policeman to control and keep back the medley of children, LDV, and What-Not. Obviously, the man with the exploder must of misunderstood the signal, for he did his job and let off the charge while the crowd were still dangerously near and still being urged to move further away. The result was certainly most impressive - a horrific explosion with a blast which everyone felt very distinctly. The rails sailed into the air together with stones, clods of earth, and other bits and pieces of various sizes. Some of the rails, taking a considerable time to come to earth, hit the road among the audience who had somewhat scattered as an immediate reaction. No one seemed to be hit and the rails bounced off the road again to continue their hurtling flight in various directions. Several people were hit by stones and received minor abrasions, but considering that some were still holding sticks of gelignite - some detonated in their hands - left from the first part of the demonstration it is a mercy nothing further developed.

All the cars belonging to the Staff Officers present were parked in a line in the side road Ridgeway. The Auxiliary Territorial Service drivers were talking together by the side of the first car, which happened to belong to the R.E. Colonel who was staging the demonstration; it was a brand-new black saloon. One of the tram rails turning over and over in the air, cleared the trees on the corner of Ridgeway still gaining height, slowly and gracefully it seemed to descend, missing the group of ATS by a foot or so, and crashed right across the roof of the saloon car. We were all just a little shaken by the tempo and realism of the demonstrations, and somehow it seemed right and correct that the only serious casualty or damage should have involved the car belonging to the one man who had been responsible for the close shaves so many of us had experienced.

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Somewhere about this time it was thought we had reached a period when we could stand on our own feet and release R.S.M. Stacey from the very onerous duties he had so readily undertaken. Bill Abbey organised the presentation, and a handsome clock was presented to R.S.M. Stacey to mark the appreciation of “R” Company for the immense amount of help he had so cheerfully given.

Lewis guns arrived and about this time we had our first visit from Colonel Chapman, the Zone Commander. He arrived on a white horse, in civilian clothes, and being entirely unknown was not too well received.

No one was familiar with the Lewis gun, but several quickly came forward who had known the weapon in the last war to help instruct. These included M. Law, W. Hunt, M. Gregory of VIII Platoon, and eventually Mr. Inchboard, who joined the Company by transfer providentially at this time. We also had a number of enthusiastic bomb instructors, “The Suicide Squad” – who manufactured their own bombs both for instructional purposes and for real use. These instructors included Les Harley, Dennis Foot, Wheatley, Beale, and T. Thresher. They were given the job of training the whole Company in throwing bombs which with a Company stone ball sling was no light undertaking. It was obvious that someone would have to take charge of this instruction, and one Sunday morning the instructors were asked to talk the whole matter over amongst themselves to get out a plan and decide which of them should take charge of the bombing instruction. At the end of the morning, they had worked out their plans and had also decided that Les Harley should be their leader. From this time on the bomb instruction was well ordered and enthusiastically carried out.

A wonderful car appeared with steel plates instead of glass in the windows, with small perforations to allow the driver sufficient vision. Sandbag walls were also built on, and practice bombs, homemade of varying degrees of effectiveness, were hurled at this car as it was driven round the Westbury Cricket ground. It provided excellent practice at throwing at a moving target from behind stone walls and other cover. Another enthusiastic member of the Company was Bond, who learnt the Light Browning when it came with no instructions of any sort. He and his fellow pioneers from other Companies, started from scratch and took the Browning carefully to pieces, learnt its construction and operation and succeeded in putting it together again with not even one odd piece out. Having mastered it themselves these intrepid mechanics then proceeded to instruct sufficient men in the Companies to man the guns issued. So started the continuous effort to keep these valuable automatic weapons manned with trained personnel. The manpower of the LDV and HG has always proved to be a constantly changing and shifting one, and specialists of this kind have always had to be constantly replaced. The great difficulty in getting men keen to handle this wonderfully efficient weapon has always been due, in the early days, to the absence of sufficient 300 ammunition to allow the No’s. 1 & 2 to fire on the range, and so learn the accuracy and efficiency of the gun by practical experience.

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Blaise Castle
Somewhere in July, or the beginning of August 1940, a new duty was given to “R” Company which was carried out for a week or so before it was handed over to “Q” Company. This was the provision of an observation post on the Sham Castle in Blaise Woods. This appeared to be in a dominating position and eminently suited for the purpose of covering the country, in front of our defensive sector, where landings of enemy from the air might be expected. Actually, it proved a disappointing position. There too was much dead ground, and most of the country that would be covered was better observed from other Observation Posts such as Brentry and the Air Ministry, Stoke Bishop.

The building was a weird place to do a duty in. Trophies of various sorts, picks, (not HG), shields, arms and What-Not hanging on the walls. No blackout of course, the Guard locked themselves in and questioned visitors over the battlements. The sentries were mounted on top of the highest tower and a private telephone, which then failed to work, connected the post to the Wardens Headquarters in Henbury village where the public telephone continued the good work and connected the Observation Post with the rest of civilisation. The Guard collected rifles and the key from Westbury Police Station and on more than one occasion the key was overlooked and the omission only discovered when the climb to the Castle had been completed. We had a sneaking idea that the Police hoped the key would be overlooked and never reminded the Guard Commander of it when handing over the rifles. The first night this duty was done, two Sentries, both still in “R” Company, had finished their period and decided to relieve nature over the battlement walls, rather than to climb right down to the bottom and let themselves out. Either by accident or puckish design, a jet was directed for a short while into a chimney which seemed to be placed conveniently right in the correct position. On joining the remainder of the guard, sleeping or trying to on their palliasses, one with his head near the fireplace enquired, “What sort of a night it was?”, “Glorious”, said the Sentry, “Says you!...” says the enquirer, “…the rain has beat beating on my face down the chimney”.

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Osterley Park, an unofficial training centre for the LDV was beginning to make itself known, but vacancies at the school were few and difficult to come by. The school had to serve the whole country. Jackson on a visit to London, by exercise of his charm, influence, or whatever it may have been, succeeded in obtaining some vacancies unofficially which had been surrendered by other Units who could not make use of them. He granted these to himself, Harley, Foot, Podd, Wells, Bond and Bailey, and still having one vacancy free decided, as I appeared to be having some small say in the training of the Company, that it was imperative that I should attend the course. It was useless pleading that I had no time, I was simply instructed to attend the course - in due course I received travelling instructions and was privileged to attend this school on Sept 12th, 1940. No one could have had better company to work with, and the weekend will always remain one of the most pleasant of milestones in the LDV.

Our journey by road was not uneventful. We were distributed between two cars, Jackson’s Humber and Harley’s Standard. The latter developed mechanical trouble short of Marshfield, and the Humber went on. Foot succeeded in telephoning and obtaining a relief car - which turned out to be a Sports open Singer. We had some of the others luggage, having had more accommodation in the other car, and by the time all this luggage, plus the somewhat bulky addition of Foot, Harley, and Bailey had been decanted into the available space, and the hood erected to keep out the rain, there seemed little space remaining for me. The night was dark and difficult, and we soon ran into a district over which raiding aircraft were operating. Police on the road insisted on no headlights and the strain of driving necessitated a frequent change of drivers. My turn came and I found the car refused to do much less than 50mph in top, while the weight made the car stern heavy and delicate on the steering with a disconcerting desire to wander. The sidelights made no impression whatever on the darkness and how the car remained on the road while I was driving has long since remained a complete mystery. One's first impression on arrival at the Osterley Arms, very late, tired, and hungry, in the middle of falling bombs and a substantial barrage, was not improved when we found the Inn shut up in darkness, and everyone gone to bed and not inclined to answer the doorbell. We found two others from the 11th Battalion on the same course - Emery and Wilkins, and incidentally, during our few days then saw something of the Battle of Britain.

There is no point in going into details of the course, but the instructors all made a favourable impression. The conception of modern warfare and the LDV’s place in it, by Major Slater, who had commanded a brigade in the Spanish War, made the greatest impression on me personally, and next probably Major Vernon, with his careless familiarity with explosives. The Yank, a most colourful personality, brought a definite air of romantic adventure to the school, and the Spanish demonstrators who monkey walked at incredible speed and threw bombs a most phenomenal distance all helped, but possibly the most useful lectures and demonstrations, were those on personal camouflage, by an absolute master and his young scout assistant. It was also most interesting to meet Tom Wintringham himself, to whom I believe the course primarily owed its existence, and possibly the greatest value obtained was the encouragement to the students to use their own brain and think for themselves. This was the last course of the school as an unauthorised enterprise, from this time on it was to receive official backing and direction.

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It will be of interest to record some of the instructors who were then helping to train the Company, but of course, this list must not be considered complete. Those who may be overlooked must please forgive an indifferent memory, and incomplete notes.

P. Neil; Cliff Davies; Glyn Davies; A.A. Jones; S.J. Alexander; H.W. Cooke; S. Willis; J.R.C. Allen; J.S. Jones; Cove; H.T. Bethell; and Captain A.J. Maloney, all instructed in Musketry.

Atkins instructed generally and smartened up his classes, being an old Guardsman.

Searle also worked hard. W. Hunt, Redway and E.W. Gibbs on the bayonette.

Dr. Wills - Maps.

All the Section and Sub Section Leaders also took their turn.

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An alteration was made in our defence dispositions and it was decided to push “R” Company further out. Blackwell with his Platoon looked after a concrete block roadblock at Charlton by the School Room and were busily engaged in constructing fire positions to cover this roadblock.

Mr. Bethell’s Platoon similarly looked after a roadblock on Charlton Rd., and a brick-built Pill Box was made to cover the Railway cutting. A tree or telegraph double pole roadblock was sited on Cribbs Causeway, and two concrete Pill Boxes were constructed on either flank with the help and direction of Mr. French the Bristol Architect.

There was no natural feature to hide these constructions and they were very bold and inviting targets to draw any enemy fire, so efforts had to be made to camouflage them. One was turned into a hayrick and the other went through various experimental stages at which it did its best to look like an advertisement hoarding. The cows in the fields were hardly cooperative however and those which did not eat the hayrick almost twice nightly insisted on walking over or laying on the supports of the advertisement hoarding. We never felt that the camouflage was really effective, or at any rate for very long. Another roadblock of the concrete roller type was sited at the Lamb & Flag and considerable work was put in constructing trenched and sandbagged defences on both flanks of this roadblock. Other defensive provision was also constructed for us by I believe the Gloucester County Road Surveyor, and a guard was slept in a barn by the side of the Lamb & Flag ready to man these positions. Another guard also slept in the Cribb itself to man this forward roadblock. They were not too happily placed, being out beyond their defensive positions, and they were not so comfortable as the guard at the Lamb & Flag. The empty house at the Cribb seemed damp and cold and the straw with which the palliasses were filled was also damp and lively. In spite of these drawbacks the Cribb was always a popular guard to be on; some say because it was in the heart of a good fruit district. It was here that Rands caught his pneumonia, which although a serious and lengthy illness for him, proved in the long run to turn to the advantage of “R” Company. Full of enthusiasm and keenness when convalescent, he took on the issue of Petrol Coupons, and from this start slid automatically in due course into the position of Administrative Officer, in which capacity he served the Company so well, and from where he progressed as vacancies occurred until he eventually took over command of the Company.

The weather had been particularly kind and friendly and I only remember one bad Sunday. On this day there were no half measures and the rain just emptied down with no apparent hope of cessation. I drove up to the Westbury ground not expecting anyone would turn up and simply went as a duty to officially dismiss the few enthusiasts who might brave the conditions. The parade appeared to be just as strong as usual, but it seemed obvious there was no training we could do. Accordingly, the parade was cancelled; but a deputation came forward to ask if they might go for a Route March, and on permission being granted a goodly number voluntarily fell in and started away in the pelting rain. As far as I could see only those employed in the Armoury, with the Quartermaster, and on other similar work did not join the march.

The winter was obviously approaching.

The roof of the Pavilion had been badly perforated by splinters from near bombs, and fragments from our own Anti-Aircraft shells. Many of the windows had also been blown out, and the Mobile Guard, still sleeping each night, could get no sleep and had to stand to dodge the rain which poured it. It was also cold, draughty, and cheerless to a marked degree and on the 21st of October 1940, the White Tree Garage became our winter quarters. It must also have been just prior to the move, from Westbury to the White Tree Garage, that W.G. Abbey left to take up a Commission in the Army, and Fitzgerald took over the duties of Quartermaster. Another period had commenced. These quarters had been in use by the National Fire Service, and coming from the wintry solitude of Westbury Cricket ground they appeared the height of luxury on first sight. It was one bare room on the 1st floor over the empty shop windows in which cars had been displayed for sale. Entry was gained through the entrance to the garage, a dim and unlit cavern with hazards to trip the unwary in the form of cars in unexpected positions and various oddments lying about. The entrance door having been found, which in itself was no easy matter, one ascended a narrow and steep flight of stairs to emerge into the accommodation itself - one long bare room with glass windows forming one complete long wall. The wind whistled up between the floorboards and one regulation stove had been installed as sufficient in size to heat a small night watchman’s shelter. This of course was totally inadequate to raise the temperature above freezing point - as we learned in due course. In addition, the flue was only a few feet long and almost any wind quickly diverted all the smoke into the room so that the fire had to be quickly put out to prevent asphyxiation of all those in the Headquarters.

A wooden partition was built across one end near the stairs to make a Company Office, and another across the other end, to form a Q.M. Stores and a small armoury where stores and weapons could be kept under lock and key. The scene each training night at these Headquarters is really beyond description. A guard, some 20 to 25 strong, mounted and slept there, while all the training, except when it took the form of outdoor night walk, had also to be conducted in the same place. This included Lewis Gun Instruction, Light Browning (later on Medium Browning with two guns), Musketry, Bayonette, and all the rest. The Company Office became an Office in name only, and the office work went on in competition with whatever training class had been compelled to invade the room. The Section best catered for was the Q.M. Store. They bolted and barred themselves in and their allotment of space quite rightly seemed quite generous and adequate.

On many occasions, the Guard during the training period were compelled to stand about outside the Headquarters in the sleet. There was just no room for them inside until training was over and the parades had dispersed.

Another stove was purchased privately; and personally installed in a most professional manner by Doug Wright who was a willing and hard worker in “R” Company in those days. This was a good stove which made life a little better, and on which many suppers were cooked and many a mug of tea brewed.

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