Demobbed at York

Did Leo and Hubert get demobbed before you?

'Our Leo came home after, he came home after me. Our Hubert did as well. Why aye, I came out early, man, Class B. Our Margaret, she was out in Nairobi I think at the end of the war.'

You had to wear your uniform while travelling home on leave?

'There was no civvies then. You'd go on leave with your uniform on.

You had no other. There was no civvies when I was in, That came on after.'

But you could wear civilian clothes once you got back?

'Oh aye, but I had to come back from where I was stationed in my uniform. And then get changed when I came home.'

Did nobody got changed on the train?

'Our Hubert used to do that. He had a jacket and a pair of slacks. I never saw our Hubert in his uniform. Never. We used to miss each other on leave. I never saw him with it on. There was nobody saw him with it on. He used to get changed on the train.'

Can you remember your last night in Scotland?

'Oh, we were out!'

You and the other demobbed men?

'No there was only me. We had a night out in Dumbarton. It was just along the road, about two or three miles. We used to get the bus or the tram. There was all the young 'uns in the platoon and the NCOs and we all went along to this pub and had a night out on the Thursday night. Aye, I was on the train on the Friday morning.'

And at York?

'They were lobbing these suits and that out. You had to pick your suit, shoes, shirt, socks, underwear.'

Just one suit?

'Oh aye, and a trilby hat. Oh, it was a good suit. It was like in a big cardboard box, it all went in like that.'

So you didn't leave your uniform?

'No, you came back in that. You kept your uniform on all the time.'

So what happened to it?

'Oh, I used mine for work. I took the tapes off. I put my top coat in. It was a smasher as well, a lovely coat. I handed that in. I think I got about two quid for it, something like that.'

Did you get a final handshake?

'No, you were just away. Everybody was out on the station with their boxes. And these spivs were on there, too.'

Trying to buy the suits?

'Why aye! There was some of the buggers, they used to take the box, get the suit out, and then they'd fill it up, pack it up again and maybe they'd be running for the train and these spivs would say: "Give you a fiver, give you a fiver for your suit!" And they'd get the bugger, pay for it; the train would be off and they'd be opening the box and there'd be bugger

all inside it!'