Part Two - Billeted in Luton, October to November 1941

Summary

Tuesday, 7 October

There never yet was an Army move that I’ve been in that went off punctually. Well before 10 everything was loaded on to the lorry, and the rest of the section was in the other lorry, waiting, waiting. Probably about an hour we were parked outside the billet. We four on baggage party raked out my gramophone from the pile and passed the time with music: splitting the morning air of our select residential street with the Radio Rhythm Club Sextet [featuring Harry Parry on clarinet], the Lecuona Cuban Boys and Ambrose's band. The sight of a portable gramophone playing on the tailboard of a bomb-disposal lorry never failed to raise a smile from passers-by. Just before we left a lady from one of the houses came out and presented us with a bag of apples, and the road to Luton was littered with cores.

Yes, Luton – I see no security reason why the move of one BD section should be treated with secrecy in this diary. The other place which was at first rumoured as our destination was Cambridge. One section (which includes most of the dozen who came from [No.] 1 Company NCC) has moved, the other remains in Bedford.

I suppose the main disadvantage of the move is that I shall now be 20 miles from the BBC Symphony concerts at Bedford. (But that isn't an impossible distance to travel.) In most other ways, Luton is an improvement. Thirty miles from London is very, very good.

Anyway, the journey was uneventful. We ate apples, shouted at civilians from the back of the lorry, and felt cold until, a few miles from Luton, we suddenly ran out of the mist into bright sunshine. (Typical of the shouts: To small children – ‘Where's mum?’ To women – ‘Have you got it with you?’ To old men – ‘Hey! I’ve seen you before!’ Those were the usual shouts. Special cases had special greetings!)

We drew up in Luton outside what seemed a very desirable billet: a detached house in another pleasant tree-lined residential road. There was a stampede to bag the best rooms, and our little gang again managed to get the first floor front bedroom.