Look - Click Here for -

My Army Life by Bill Morris

My home was in Winchester and I joined the Army because I could see that the war almost inevitable and wished to serve and choose which unit I joined. When I eventually joined the Gunners (Royal Artillery) on 2nd January 1939, for training at Woolwich Arsenal, I found the Army a good life.

After training, I went from there to Plymouth Citadel, where we had two 8” and 6” guns. A short time at Larkhill Camp followed and while there, our unit had orders to move during the morning and by 10.30 at night we found ourselves on board ship, on route to France and the port of Cherbourg.

The trip there was one of the worst times of my life and I was so ill that I chose to spend most of the time on the floor of the toilet. My officer tried to move me, but I told him to ‘bugger off’, which thankfully he did.

On landing at Cherbourg as part of another British Expeditionary Force, the second in a matter of a few decades, we found we had to walk 14 miles and after the first 3 to 4 miles I almost returned to some manner of normality after my seasickness.

When in action against the Germans in 1940, we found their artillery very accurate and after a while we ended up being instructed to walk the 45 miles to Dunkirk. We marched in a small unit of eight men and for two days had no food at all

Eventually we came to a farmhouse that we had used on the way out, and found a supply of Maconochie Stew which I devoured with relish, ignoring the fact that earlier I had hated it, along with most soldiers.

We completed the final 12 miles to Dunkirk and when we reached the beach, a Major instructed us to wait in lines. We all did this for some time, and then along with my mate, I walked into the town and on towards the Mole.

Nearby, there was an officer who was asking for volunteers and we soon found ourselves helping to transport wounded out onto a Red Cross ship. We got onboard and hid in a cupboard, but we were discovered and sent back onshore, as this would have broken the rules of war, in having fit men on board a Red Cross Ship, who when evacuated, could have then returned into action.

We made our way back into town and attempted to shelter in a cellar which was full of hundreds of French Servicemen, who sent us away. We went back onto the mole and finally got onboard a ship for home.

We were sent to Orkney, to man the defences at Rerwick Head and spent nearly 18 mths there, during which time my main memory is the cold, as we hardly saw the sun at all in all that time. We were on a battery of two 6” guns which was helping to protect the Royal Navy’s strategic fleet of battleships stationed at Scarpa Flow.

WW2 defence remains at Rerwick Head, Orkney

While these battleships existed, Hitler’s Admirals would have certainly thought twice about crossing the channel and invading the UK, as this force would have certainly cut their cross channel supply lines.

I came to Mumbles in 1942 and spent my first night on the stage of the Swansea Little Theatre at Southend. (Later taken over by the Mumbles Motor-Boat & Fishing Club, now occupied by Patrick's Restaurant with rooms.

I had quite a surprise when the four Anti-Aircraft Guns above us on Mumbles Hill, fired at German Aircraft overhead and almost shook me out of my bunk.

A later view of what was the Theatre

I met my wife in Mumbles and we married in Winchester in 1943.

The old causeway to the Lighthouse and the causway today, after it was blown up around 1960, to restrict access to the island

The Lighthouse Island, with the Fort, where there were two 4.7 inch guns, on the fort ramparts

I was stationed on the Lighthouse Island, where we formed the ‘Examination Battery’, which had for that duty two 4.7 inch guns, situated on the fort ramparts. The 30 men were split into two shifts, manned the guns, supplied the ammunition and crewed the command post. We checked the ships travelling into Swansea Bay and if they did not stop when ordered, we fired a round across their bows from one of the guns. It usually had the desired affect and they very soon stopped to be checked.

A typical 4.7 inch gun and a plan of the Lighthouse Island defenses

The approach to the Lighthouse and Fort

At times, I was in charge of the guardhouse, which was the first building on the island as you come over the causeway. This was manned at all times and when there was a low tide, we had a sentry out as well. We lost two men drowned on the causeway who had tried to cross at a time when it was being covered by the incoming tide. I found the causeway very slippery even at low tide and you had to be careful while crossing to the mainland.

We were able to use our small communications boat to harvest some of the shoals of fish just off the island. These buckets full of fish were then handed to the cook, to give us a very welcome variety to our usual wartime ration.

This view to shore shows the Gunner Barracks. (corrected)

The Engine House, which supplied the power for the two searchlights

We once had to look after a deserter who had family problems; he was just sitting in the guardroom, as we had no actual lockup on the island. Well, he made a run for it over the causeway and I told the next man to take over the guardroom, as I was the best runner in the Regiment and chased after him. He managed to get right away, but when caught a few weeks later, was only sentenced to 15 days detention on his unit. He could easily have been shot for deserting his unit during wartime, but probably the general shortage of manpower during WW2, along with his basic problem being family based, must have moderated his sentence. I subsequently gave evidence to the Commanding Officer at the following inquiry and I was lucky that he was satisfied as to why I left my post.

On the Bracelet Bay side at the top of Mumbles Hill headland there were a further two 6” guns along with its fire control, all in separate concrete casements. Near to the guns, there were ammunition bunkers at the bottom of steps.

This was in addition to the four Anti-Aircraft Guns which were based nearer to the Thistleboon common end. They were a completely separate unit from us and were manned by a mixed unit, of Gunners (Royal Artillery) who crewed the guns and ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) 'girls' whose tasks were to handle all the other aspects of control, including prediction, range finding, and communications, as well as as Drivers, Telephonists, Mess Orderlies, Cooks, Bakers and Store Keepers.

In early days we were billeted at a house on Overland Road, and at Coastguard House and finally in eight Nissan huts that were built alongside each other in what is now Bracelet Bay car park. There, we had two generators to maintain, which we cleaned in our spare time. Under the coastguard centre near what is now Castelamare Restaurant,, was taken over by the Royal Navy, as a Port War Signals Station, manned by WRNs, who controlled all naval traffic.

While there, on the island and the hill, no bombs were dropped on us, but plenty of incendiaries.

They eventually took the 4.7 inch guns from the island and we were sent with them to Flat Holm, for about 18 mths. There we manned two 4.7” guns and two Pom Poms.

[Reports suggest that the 4.7 inch guns on Mumbles Lighthouse Island were replaced with 4 inch guns and I am awaiting confirmation of this single report. editor]

Mumbles Hill with Mumbles Hill House at the lower right

Mumbles Hill House postwar (formerly Somerset House)

After the war I was stationed in, Barry for a time until I volunteered to look after the 6 inch guns on the hill while the battery was dismantled. I lived there with my wife for about 7 months in what I now known as Mumbles Hill House > (formerly Somerset House) which I was told used to be the home of the Belgian Ambassador.

The house was divided into two and I shared the duty with another caretaker. Part of the house, the conservatory, was filled with some of the more valuable items dismantled from the battery and awaiting collection. The ammunition and other items were also eventually taken away.

I have many happy memories of living on the hill with my wife and in fact, my eldest son was born there. I now live in Woodville Road having decided after the war to stay in my wife’s home village.

I am a past chairman of Ostreme gardening Club.

As told to Peter Dover-Wade and John Powell, December 2004

More: The Second World War >

More: The Guns of Mumbles Head >

More: Aerial Photos of Mumbles Head >

More: Mumbles Hill House >