Charles Walford (1930-2008) National Service Photographs

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Charles, also known as Charlie, whose national service photographs are reproduced in this article, died suddenly in hospital in April 2008. He was 78 years of age. Charles and I (Ron) were friends in our earlier days. We were also work mates in the electrical trade for many years and rugby club team mates for several seasons. Furthermore, we were national service soldiers together with a tank regiment in Libya in 1948-50 (see below for more details) I had the highest regard for Charles. His passing is a sad loss.

His funeral took place in York where he latterly resided. Prior to York he lived in Whitby and prior to there he lived in Leeds where he went to school. At the funeral I met Charles's partner, members of his family, and many of his friends. Among the family was one of Charles's grandsons, Stephen. During conversation with Stephen I told him that his grandfather featured in my website banner logo, in my national service online article and in my book on the same subject.

As a result of the conversation Stephen sent me a number of photographs relating to his grandfather's national service. The photographs had been found among Charles's personal effects and are of considerable interest. That Charlie, father of three, kept the photographs for 60 years when they could easily have been lost or discarded is testimony to the high regard that he had for that period of his life - a sentiment shared by many national servicemen, myself included.

Stephen has provided the following details relating to his grandfather. Charles, he says, lived in Whitby for nearly 25 years in Henriette Street which leads, via 199 steps, up to Whitby Abbey. Whilst in Whitby Charles developed a great love of the sea which included sailing and deep sea diving. He became a well known local figure in Whitby and enjoyed the company of friends in Whitby's hostelries particularly the Board and Duke of York public houses. Charles moved to York with his long term partner, Pat, in the mid 1990s. He spent much of his time tending to his beloved vegetable garden, Stephen says. He continued to do electrical work for family and friends and it always amazed Stephen that his grandfather never forgot the electrical skills he learnt in the 1940s.

The detail on the reverse of the Charles's photographs is sparse but Stephen recalled conversations with his grandfather which provided explanations and comment for them. I too have provided comment for a number of the photographs. In addition I am including several illustrations from my previous national service article and the regimental magazine which link with Charles's 1948-50 photographs. I am also including a montage of photographs of Charles and me taken in more recent times.

The photographs, except for the montage and one other scene, are of soldiers and views relating to the 4th /7th Royal Dragoon Guards (subsequently referred to as the Regiment) in which Charles and I served during our periods of national service. The Regiment was a cavalry regiment which relinquished its horses when it converted to a tank regiment in the period between the two world wars. Some years previously in India the Regiment formed from the amalgamation of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and the 7th Princess Royal Dragoon Guards. It had a distinguished record of service in the two world wars and other conflicts, Palestine for example. From 1948 to 1952 the Regiment had substantial accommodation in a former Italian barracks at Sabratha, Libya, where they formed part of the occupying force in that country. The western part of the force was the British 1st Infantry Division of which the 4th /7th Royal Dragoon Guards was the divisional armoured regiment. The divisional headquarters and several units of the division,

Grenadier and Irish Guards battalions for instance, were in Tripoli forty miles to the east of Sabratha which itself is about the same distance from the Tunisian border to the west. (See map below)

In 1948-50 Charles and I were among 600 national servicemen serving with the Regiment. We served alongside and harmoniously with 300 regular soldiers. The latter largely held the senior appointments, i.e., sergeants and above. National servicemen in the main served for two years which included training in the UK. When their periods of service expired they returned home as Charles and I did but not together for my service began and ended a few months before that of Charles. My 18th birthday and call up for national service was in November 1947 whereas Charles's call up was in the February of the following year.

We were not required for actual combat in Libya as were national servicemen in other places, Malaya and Korea for instance, but we were trained to do so should the need arise. Our presence in Libya was to occupy territory and thus safeguard British interests in the region. National servicemen were a vital component of the Regiment as the numbers stated above indicate which are typical figures. Without national servicemen many units, if not most units, would not have been able to fulfil the various duties assigned to them whether they were stationed in the UK, Germany, the Middle East, the Far East or any of the other places where Britain's army, navy and air force were deployed.

A visiting field marshal to the Regiment at Sabratha when Charles and I were there, the Viscount Slim, said that he was pleased to see us all looking fit and well. He congratulated us on doing `a great job for Britain`. We gave him a rousing three cheers as he left us to visit other units in the division. We all felt invigorated by seeing and speaking to him which he had encouraged us to do after the formal parade. I spoke to him and I think Charles spoke to him as well. The photographs show how we were at the time.

Figure 1. Map of parts of North Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea. The position of Sabratha in the coastal region of Libya is highlighted

Figure 2 Charles and Friend One of Charles's Photographs

This is an excellent photograph of Trooper Charles Walford (left) and one of his friends who is possibly Lance-Corporal Dale. His first name is presently beyond recall although I remember him well as one of Charles's squadron friends. He lived in Settle, North Yorkshire. Charlie and his friend are well turned out in neatly- pressed cotton shirts and shorts and web belt with brass sliders and buckles. Leg-wise they are wearing khaki woollen hose, anklets (also known wrongly as gaiters) and boots well polished. The rather nonchalant way that both Charles and his friend have pushed their berets to the back of their heads is noted. Clearly they were far enough away from the sergeant major to feel safe to do this. It is likely that earlier, or later, in the morning (the long shadows indicate that the sun is still low in the sky) Charles and his friend would have been among the troops taking part in a regimental parade of the kind shown in an accompanying illustration or indeed during Field Marshal Slim's visit to the Regiment. .

Figure 3 The Regiment on Parade. One of Ron's Photographs

In the scene the commanding officer (Lt-Col TGG Cooper OBE) and the adjutant (Captain A McL Morrison MC) are in the lead as the Regiment marches along a road in the camp. Parades of the kind shown in the photograph took place each Saturday morning and on important occasions. The band is just off the picture to the right. The leading troops are those of `A` Squadron, 4th /7th Royal Dragoon Guards. This was Charles's squadron and he would be among the troops in the front of the parade. Ron would have taken part in the same parade. His squadron was `HQ` Squadron and he would be in the rear part of the parade. The entrance porch of Charles's barrack room can be seen in the background.

Figure 4 Desert Scene. In which a group of soldiers are seen possibly resting. Note the recumbent figure in the left middle foreground. One of Charles's photographs.

At first sight the scene in Figure 4 appears to show just a group of soldiers sitting or lying in the sand somewhere in the desert passing their lives away in nondescript activity, or no activity at all. However a closer look at the photograph reveals several points which might indicate what is happening in the scene as well the reason why Charles kept the photograph. For instance tank tracks can be seen in the middle background. Five soldiers are in cotton shirts and trousers or possibly tank overalls. They may be the crew of a tank just off camera and are resting. Or it may be that the soldier stretched out in the centre of the group (who Ron thinks is Charles but Stephen thinks is not him) is receiving medical treatment from the soldier in the right foreground. He is wearing battle dress and has a water bottle hanging from his waist belt. He is probably a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps but this is conjecture on Ron's part. The rest of the group appear to be waiting for the treatment to take effect – assuming that treatment has been administered. An alternative explanation for the scene is that it is all part of divisional exercise in which units were deployed in their combat roles. Ron remembers these well. In the exercises the divisional medical units would have practiced their skills in real incidents if and when these occurred or in umpire-controlled simulated incidents which Ron thinks the above scene portrays. See two further illustrations relating to a divisional exercise. The soldier at the left in the scene is an officer. He is wearing a silk neckerchief and has goggles pushed up onto his forehead. His webbing shoulder straps suggest that he is wearing a pistol holster. The presence of the officer in the group seems to indicate that something more than just resting is taking place for it was the custom for officers and men to rest separately.

The officer is almost certainly Lieutenant Basil R V Z de Ferranti (1930-88). He was an officer in `A` Squadron, 4th /7th Royal Dragoon Guards, the same squadron as that of Charles. It may be that Lieutenant de Ferranti commanded one of `A` Squadron tanks and Charles was one of his crew possibly the tank driver for which he received training in England. Charles may have kept the photograph as a memento of an incident or accident to himself or to one of his tank crewmates. On the other hand Charles may have kept the photograph as a memento of his crewmates and their commander. Lieutenant de Ferranti was subsequently a businessman and then a Member of Parliament first of the British parliament and then of the European parliament.

Figure 5. Cromwell tank and two fitters. One of Ron's Photographs

The diamond mark on the tank turret indicates that it is one of HQ Squadron's tanks. Charles's squadron tanks would have had a triangle mark on them otherwise they were the same in every respect to that of the tank shown. Ron, a member of HQ Squadron's fitters troop, recognises the fitter seated on the turret of the Cromwell and facing the camera as Lance Corporal `Lofty` Light, one of Ron's squadron friends. The tank is deficient of a front track guard. This may have been taken off for repair work on the tank. A note on the reverse of the photograph states that it was taken on the `salt flats` which were a mile or so from the camp at Sabratha. We took tanks to the `flats` to test them there after carrying out repair work on them.

Figure 6. Field- Marshal Slim visits the Regiment at Sabratha in June 1949
Reproduced with permission from the Regimental Magazine

1. F-M Slim. 2. Commanding Officer. 3. RSM (W Emerton). The troops can be seen in the background. 4. The approximate position of Charles. 5. The approximate position of Ron. 6. Jeep driver and jeep provided by the Regiment. The F-M arrived at the camp in a staff car which he then exchanged for the jeep. In the above scene the F-M has completed his inspection of the Regiment and is about to be driven into the centre of the parade square for his address to the troops and informal discussions with many members of the Regiment.

Figure 7. Barrack Room Scene. One of Charles's Photographs

The photograph shows the interior of Charles's barrack room at Sabratha, Libya, in 1948-50. Charles is seen in silhouette sitting on the second bed up. The bare-chested soldier in the foreground seems to be writing a letter. Note the collapsible frame of the iron bedstead. The `mattress` was in three parts which we called `biscuits`. The box at the foot of the bed was for the soldier's clothing. The shelves and racks on the wall were to hold items of kit such as large and small packs. The barrack room shown was one of twenty or so in the camp. They were built for Italians soldiers in the 1930s and were quite comfortable.

The photograph shows signs of damage but otherwise it is a good image as it shows a fair amount of detail in the barrack room.

Figure 8. Scene at the Regiment's Tactical HQ during the divisional exercise `Bhaldi` Reproduced with permission from the Regimental Magazine for June 1949.

The Regiment's adjutant (Captain Morrison) is prominent in the foreground of `the photograph. He seems to be wearing an airborne smock. Two officers are seen next to the tank at the right. They are wearing tank overalls. A further two officers are seated or reclining on the ground to the left in the photograph. The innermost of the latter two is wearing a peaked cap (whereas the others are wearing berets). We see also that this officer, whose unit is unlikely to be the 4th /7th RDGs, is wearing a white armband. This indicates that he is an umpire and therefore would be assisting in directing the exercise according to a divisional plan. It is likely that the activity and performance of the medic attending to the recumbent soldier in Figure 4 would have been observed by an umpire such as the one seen above.

Figure 9 A further scene at the Regiment's Tactical HQ during the divisional exercise 'Bhaldi'
Reproduced with permission.

A board in front of the Cromwell tank indicates that the location is the Regimental Tactical Headquarters (the number 44 was presumably part of the Regiment's address group). The diamond sign indicates the Headquarters Squadron of the Regiment. The tank would be the commanding officer's tank. From the tank he would be in radio contact with his squadron commanders on one radio set and with his higher formation commander on another set. Also in the scene is a small aircraft which appears to be about to fly over the TAC HQ. On the ground to the left and just a short distance from the tank a dining table with a white table cloth and a set of chairs can be seen. Looking at the photograph sixty years on I am amazed that no attempt was made to camouflage the Regiment's field headquarters.

Both Charles and Ron took part in this exercise and our squadrons would have been in fairly close proximity to the location seen above. The exercise lasted for four or five days after which we returned to the relative comforts of our camp at Sabratha.

Figure 10. Scene in Camp at Sabratha. One of Charles's Photographs.

Main Group: Italian workman at left; Trooper Charles Walford at centre; friend at right. Arab workmen are in the background on a truck during construction of an internal road in the camp at Sabratha. The truck is possibly a former military truck, either Italian Army or German Army. For there were a number of these trucks and other vehicles some usable and some not so in the vicinity of the camp. They had been left behind by German and Italian troops as they retreated westerly from Libya into Tunisia six-seven years earlier during the Second World War. Charles and his friend seem happy enough to pose with the workmen who were friendly disposed to the British soldiers.

This is another good picture of Charles. He and his friend (Lance Corporal Dale possibly) seem to be holding towels and swimming trunks prior to heading for the beach about two miles from the camp and village of Sabratha, now a fairly large town.

Figure 11 Aerial view of North Camp, Sabratha, 1948

The photograph is reproduced with permission from the Regimental Magazines of the 4th /7th Royal Dragoon Guards for 1948-52.

Points of interest. The Mediterranean Sea can be seen between the land and the sky at the top of the picture. Coming down the picture at top left is the Junior Ranks Dining Room for `A` Squadron. Further down on the left are `A` Squadron's junior rank accommodation blocks the last one of which incorporated Charles's barrack room. Almost at the dead centre of the photograph is the Italian-built Triumphal Arch leading into North Camp. To the left of the arch is the Guard Room and on the other side is the Medical Centre. The square building in the foreground is the Equitation Centre where many of the officers stabled their privately-owned horses. Across from the centre to the left at the edge of the photograph is the Regimental Headquarters and Orderly Room. Returning to the top of the photograph and slightly to the right of centre is the Officers Mess and further to the top right is the Tank Park at the edge of the photograph. Note the lone soldier at the lower middle extreme right making his way to South Camp where Ron had his accommodation. Note also, particularly at the lower left, the neat rows of whitewashed stones marking out the roads. Just discernable across the middle of the photograph running from left to right above the Triumphant Arch and Medical Centre and Guard Room is the road along which the troops shown in Figure 3 are marching. The Parade Square is in the top half of the photograph and to the left above the Guard Room and in front of `A` Squadron's accommodation blocks. The Regiment's B` Squadron junior ranks accommodation blocks are off the photograph to the right and were identical to and a mirror image of the accommodation blocks of `A` Squadron seen in the left of the photograph. The Regiment's sergeants mess was in South Camp as was the camp cinema. The outlines of the two camps at Sabratha, North Camp and South Camp, can still be seen on Google Earth.

Figure 12. A view of South Camp , Sabratha, looking out from the vestibule of the Ron's accommodation block. One of Ron's photographs

A striking feature in the scene is the dome and minaret of the mosque in Sabratha which can be seen centrally beyond the camp wall. Additional buildings can be seen to the far right of the mosque. The Catholic church in the village was amongst these buildings and may in fact be one of the buildings seen. The Regiment's Headquarter Squadron's offices and stores is to the right in the photograph. The Regiment's sergeants mess is just off the picture to the left.

Figure 13. Harbour Scene One of Charles's Photographs

We think that this is Valletta Harbour, Malta, but it could be the harbour in Trieste, and that the ship shown is a troopship. The scene shows a fair amount of detail relating to the ship and the harbour buildings. If it is Malta many of the buildings shown Charles may have visited. For we know that he spent one of his leaves in Malta. He would also have been to Malta both before and after his service in Libya. He came home via a system known as `Medlock`. This would have entailed a voyage by troopship from Tripoli to Malta. Then a further voyage by troopship to Trieste. Then from there he and possibly a hundred or so other servicemen would have made a journey by rail through Switzerland and France. Then by boat across the English Channel. Then by rail to Leeds calling in at Aldershot to be demobbed prior to that. An interesting journey no doubt.

Ron came home by boat all the way from Tripoli to Southampton which was an alternative to the `Medlock` route. The voyage took 10 days. Four of these were in the Mediterranean and six were in the Atlantic, during vile weather Ron recalls.

Figure 14 (left) Charles and Ron (then known as Ronnie) in the vestibule of Ron's accommodation block at Sabratha, Libya, in 1949.

Figure 15 (right) Montage of Charles and Ron in 1995-96. The Charles part of the illustration was provided by Stephen. The Ron part of the illustration is provided by Ron and is taken from a photograph of him at his wedding.

Figure 16 Leeds YMCA Rugby Team 1st XV Season 1946-47

This is a photograph of Charles and his team mates which Stephen has asked me to include with his grandfather's national service photographs. Charles is third from the left in the back row. In 1946-47 Charles would have been 16-17 years. This is impressive as the rest of the team are clearly much older than he. His presence in the team at such an early age indicates his excellent sporting and athletic abilities. In Libya he was selected to represent the Regiment in a number of events at the divisional athletics meeting in Tripoli in 1949.