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Harv: "The place we came to was an island in a lake about a one and a half hour's train ride from Glasgow. It was set up as just what they called it, a rest and recreation camp.
(thinking) "It was called the Rosneath and Keloreggan anchorage."
"Did you get a chance to see Glasgow?"
Harv: "Oh yes. Glasgow was a great city, and the people thought that the sun rose and set on the US NAVY, so you know how we were treated. Of all the places in this world I have been to, that is the only place I would really like to go back to someday (They didn't like the Army or the Marines and I don't know why). We had absolutely ten of the best days of our lives in this paradise."
"So after your r&r, what happened to your group next?"
Harv: "Thirty of us were sent to a borough of London, right on the Thames river, where we were ordered to set up another amphib. repair base. In less than a week the Nazis started their V-1 rocket attack on London proper, and I can still hear those monsters today."
(Long pause)
Harv: "Yeah, it was one of the most horrible sounds I have ever heard before. We decided they had no real control over where they landed, because of the random hits, but later found out they did knew approximately where they were going...mainly because one night as we were listening to Axis Sally, she said "you Navy men at Deptford need not feel safe because tonight you are going to get it by two VI rockets".... Boy was she right!"
"So they found their mark?"
Harv: "We were hit that night alright, but as long as you could hear them you were in no danger. It was when they shut off that they came straight down."
"Give us an idea of what happened as one hit."
Harv: "As the first one shut off over us, we all headed for the shelters. A duty officer raced to the shelter in his jeep, but as soon as he got to the shelter (still near the vehicle), the VI engine turned off and came right down on him. We were all sure we wouldn't find enough of him to pick up.... (Grins) But when we went outside of the shelter after it was over, there he was! His jeep rolled up like a cigar and he was completely stripped of all his clothes! It was as if someone had cut them off with a razor, and outside of the fact he was in shock....there was not a scratch on him at all."
"Unbelievable!"
Harv: "Yeah...well, we set up rescue teams to help the people in the surrounding neighborhood that were hit, and we pulled a lot of them out from the burning rubble. We even set up mobile generators so everyone could work at night on rescue attempts.
"It must have been strange, to have come from such a relaxing time as Scotland, directly back into the war like this."
Harv: "Strange in some ways, yes. Like for instance another strange but certainly not funny event happened when we went over to a big building that was just hit by a V1, and we found more dead bodies than ever before. We were shocked at the loss of so much life, as we never had that many before with no survivors. We found out the next day that the building that was hit was a mortuary. Our group suffered only one casualty, and I cannot begin to explain about the terrible death that fate had brought this poor man."
"Then give us an example of what you did there in between the more serious times such as these."
Harv: "Ok. During this time in the war, We all had favorite pubs that we haunted....that is, when we could get away from the daily routines and such."
"Where was your favorite?"
Harv: "That's easy...mine was in Greenwich (which is where Greenwich mean time comes from). One time while in that pub (I was full of dark ale) they were having the annual dart contest finals. The same old gent that usually won had been the champ for several years, so in my slightly high condition, I challenged him and he laughed but accepted my quest anyway. Well to cut the story short, I beat him and he paid up and stormed out of the pub, and never came back until I met him on the street days later. I ask him to try me out while I was not higher than a kite. He grudgingly said ok, and we went back to the pub and LO! He whipped me very soundly! So in conclusion, he was again the champ and was happy enough to invite me and my good buddy home for a well cooked meal."
"Thank you Harv for the stories and the incite into your time during the war...Can we expect more in the near future perhaps?"
Harv: "Well, there are many funny stories to tell, but I shall save these for a later time."
"Then we look forward to hearing about this and perhaps what you did after England soon."PG1 | PG2 | PG3 | PG4 | PG5 | Main
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