A Tough Unruly Mob

The battalion then moved down to Northumberland to guard that coast line from any attempt by the Germans to invade. On reaching our destination we marched through a village named Red Row. I was puzzled by the absence of the villagers as the place seemed deserted, not like the usual scene when soldiers are on the march however I did spot some people peering out from behind their curtains. I heard later that the reason for this was that rumours had been spread around that we were a tough unruly mob but when the locals got to know us they welcomed us into their homes, and treated us with great kindness.

Jock, Sandy and I met a nice family and we were invited to tea quite a few times. Nearly all the men were coal miners, and in one of their clubs (The Buffs I think it was called) the soldiers got cheaper beer than the locals. During the nights drinking if you got up on the stage and give them a song you would get a ticket for a free drink. So you can bet there was quite a few budding Caruso's once that news got around.