the mechanic
(This photo is slightly out of since with the others I am posting up from Uncle Walter, fast forwarding a year from Antwerp in '44 to Berlin in '45, but the story about the mechanic pictured relates to an ealier incident.)
"The short fella was one of our mechanics, he got me into trouble he did. He was a driver the same as us, but then he became a mechanic. It was when we was driving from the Chateau to Antwerp, to work. It was during the winter, and you know what it's like trying to keep anything clean. Obviously we were going through muddy sites, and the wagons were covered in it. The wagons had to be inspected fairly regularly, somewhere in Brussels. Anyway, in Boom fire station they allowed us to use the hoses on the wagons, to clean them off. Well that was fine, but I went down there, and hosed it all down, and it wasn't too bad, but by the time I got back up to the Chateau it was freezing. I went to the garage where they were doing the vehicle checks, and he was there. My wagon was thick with ice by now. Of course you regularly had to pump grease all over the wagon, there were grease nipples all over it, which obviously I used to do, but because my wagon was all frozen underneath, he put in the report that it was in a filthy condition! Of course I had to go up before the platoon sergeant in the evening. He said "I've had a bad report about your wagon. Why?" And I told him, but he said something and I lost me temper and said "You can keep yer bloody wagon!" Of course that Cockney corporal I didn't get on with was there, he said "I'll get two men in!" Sergeant says "There is no need for that." Anyway next day I was in the Orderly Room, and I went in to see the officer, and they took the wagon off me, and I was working in the cookhouse. Best thing they ever did! I used to get up early, with the cooks. We used to light the fires and get the water boiling, and help the cooks get all the things going. And come mid-day I was off duty. I used to get meself spruced up, looking me prime, and I used to bugger off into Antwerp! This went on for ages! I don't know how it happened, the platoon sergeant said he didn't know anything about it. He asked what I had been doing, and when I told him I always finished mid-day, same as the early shift cooks, he said "I think you should have your bloody wagon back again!"
With all this spare time on me hands, I used to take photo's, around the Chateau. I used to get films for the lads, and take photographs of them. Then I used to take the film into Antwerp and get it printed. I could have made a good racket but I never did, so that's why they gave me my wagon back again! The camera was my mothers."
the mechanic
(This photo is slightly out of since with the others I am posting up from Uncle Walter, fast forwarding a year from Antwerp in '44 to Berlin in '45, but the story about the mechanic pictured relates to an ealier incident.)
"The short fella was one of our mechanics, he got me into trouble he did. He was a driver the same as us, but then he became a mechanic. It was when we was driving from the Chateau to Antwerp, to work. It was during the winter, and you know what it's like trying to keep anything clean. Obviously we were going through muddy sites, and the wagons were covered in it. The wagons had to be inspected fairly regularly, somewhere in Brussels. Anyway, in Boom fire station they allowed us to use the hoses on the wagons, to clean them off. Well that was fine, but I went down there, and hosed it all down, and it wasn't too bad, but by the time I got back up to the Chateau it was freezing. I went to the garage where they were doing the vehicle checks, and he was there. My wagon was thick with ice by now. Of course you regularly had to pump grease all over the wagon, there were grease nipples all over it, which obviously I used to do, but because my wagon was all frozen underneath, he put in the report that it was in a filthy condition! Of course I had to go up before the platoon sergeant in the evening. He said "I've had a bad report about your wagon. Why?" And I told him, but he said something and I lost me temper and said "You can keep yer bloody wagon!" Of course that Cockney corporal I didn't get on with was there, he said "I'll get two men in!" Sergeant says "There is no need for that." Anyway next day I was in the Orderly Room, and I went in to see the officer, and they took the wagon off me, and I was working in the cookhouse. Best thing they ever did! I used to get up early, with the cooks. We used to light the fires and get the water boiling, and help the cooks get all the things going. And come mid-day I was off duty. I used to get meself spruced up, looking me prime, and I used to bugger off into Antwerp! This went on for ages! I don't know how it happened, the platoon sergeant said he didn't know anything about it. He asked what I had been doing, and when I told him I always finished mid-day, same as the early shift cooks, he said "I think you should have your bloody wagon back again!"
With all this spare time on me hands, I used to take photo's, around the Chateau. I used to get films for the lads, and take photographs of them. Then I used to take the film into Antwerp and get it printed. I could have made a good racket but I never did, so that's why they gave me my wagon back again! The camera was my mothers."