War Time Journey
By Actiondesk Sheffield
People in story: Ken Hoult L/cp J.K.W. Hoult Royal Engineers.
Location of story: England
Unit name: 666 Artisan Works Company, Royal Engineers
Background to story: Army
This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bill Ross of the ‘Action Desk – Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Ken Hoult, and has been added to the site with the his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions....... Having obtained the War Diaries of my Unit, I can now piece together a Train Journey taken in 1940 when the whole of the railway system had been put on a War footing. The journey was from Southampton Docks to Leeds L.M.S. Station, and was done without changing trains and it covered the 4 pre war railway systems. For the uninitiated :- S.R = Southern Railway L.N.E.R. London North Eastern Railway L.M.S London Midland & Scottish Railway. G.C Great Central Railway, which ran from Liverpool to London (Marylebone) and was part of the L.N.E.R. Having started from St Nazaire on 17th June 1940, (which was the date the H.M.T Lancastria was bombed, with the loss of 5000 plus lives), on a boat named The City of Mobile, we docked at Southampton at 8.OOam on the 21st of June. We disembarked at IO.OOam and assembled in one of the sheds on the dockside, which incidentally was the same shed from which we embarked to France in February 1940 After we disembarked, the time was spent having a wash and brush up and having our first substantial meal for 5 days. Then there was a rush to the phone boxes to send telegrams, which cost one penny per word including the address. My address does cause an argument with the operator. I always use the minimum letters for the address which was Hoult North Wingfield. The operators always said that will never find them and my reply was, "You do not know our village." It is a red letter day when the Post Office receives a telegram and the whole village will know before the recipient. On with the journey: At 14.45pm we left by special train from Southampton Docks, as far as we Other Rank's were concerned, to an unknown destination. After we had travelled through Winchester, Basingstoke and were approaching Clapham Junction, it became known that our destination was Leeds. From Clapham Junction thro' London was unknown territory as we bypassed all the London Main line stations, travelling through goods yards and non passenger lines from South to North London at some point, joining the L N E R Railway and travelling through all stations to Nottingham Victoria. It then followed the line of the G C Railway which in peace time, ran to Liverpool, thro' Worksop, Tibshelf, Heath, Staveley and on to Sheffield. The section between Tibshelf and Heath was the most important part of the journey for me as it passed the village of North Wingfield, which was my home. I could see my home and was tempted, had the train slowed down, to jump off. Being mid summer's day, viewing was perfect and in one of the fields below was the Rector of our village taking a stroll. The only thing I had on me was a towel with my name on it and with great haste, I threw it out and I found out later that my family knew I was safe in the North of England. The journey continued to Sheffield, past the Steelworks in the East End, working to full capacity, then on to the L.M.S. line to Leeds City Station. According to the diary we arrived at 0.30am on 22nd of June, and marched across the road to the Town Hall. The 'night' was spent sleeping on the concert platform. Our sleep was disturbed at about 7.00am by the sound of the mighty Father Willis Organ playing music well known to me as 'Rubinstein's Melody in F', by my friend Sapper Cliff Southall. The surprise was that we knew he could play the piano, but his standard of playing the Organ was outstanding and without any music. Good old Cliff. 23rd of June was spent being taken to the Roundhay Park area of Leeds and being found a billet with the residents. I was taken in by the Rodd Family at 7 Shaftesbury Road, Leeds 8 25th June, I was sent on 48hours leave and because my pal Ted Caudwell could not get to his home in London, I took him with me and here is the photograph to prove it. I must have taken the photo on a Sunday, as my family and Nancy, my wife to be, were in their Sunday best...... Pr-BR