Wally Stockley and his wife Margaret came to Normandy with us in June 2009 to commemorate the 65th Anniversary
Wally (right) with fellow veterans ...Some time later I moved to Oldenburg to be stationed in the Flak Barracks. We were not there long before one of my mates who was on duty driving the passion wagon (so called because it took the lads into town and back to the barracks later) asked me to park the 3ton Austin outside the barrack gate for him, which I did.
A couple of days later I was called to the Battery Office and told to wait. Two big chaps came in minutes later, one a Warrant Officer, the other a Staff Sergeant who introduced themselves as SIB (Special Investigation Branch). One night an army vehicle had knocked two German civilians down and didn’t stop. They said that I was the person seen driving the vehicle that night, I told them I had but only as far as the Barracks Gate. The Sergeant was a big arrogant sod who didn’t believe my story. An hour or so later they left saying "We will be back". They never did come back once they realised that they had got the day of the accident wrong and the guilty person was found. Still, from then on I did no more favours.
August 1946
The bombardier in charge of the MT office was granted fourteen days compassionate leave, plus a month’s course in England. I was put in charge of the MT office for the six weeks. The work in the office could be quite hectic, for instance recording the daily, weekly and monthly petrol issued to each vehicle, recording daily, weekly and monthly mileage done by each vehicle, the VOR State etc. This apart from detailing vehicles for their daily jobs, and getting their Work Tickets signed by an officer. Once the Bombardier returned, I got back to my normal duty as a driver.
The next ten months past over and the time came for my demob at the end of June 1947. I collected my discharge book, gathered my kit together and travelled to the Hook of Holland to board a ferry for England. The ferry docked in Harwich, from there I caught the train to London then from London to York. After reporting to Fulford Barracks to hand in my kit and to be issued with a suit, trilby raincoat, shoes, shirt and a tie I caught the train back home to Liverpool.
In December 1947 Margaret and I were married at Queensbury Parish Church exactly one month after her 18th Birthday. We went on to have 8 children, 16 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. On 20th December 2009 we will have been married 62 years.
