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You hung about


John Rodgers was told by a Sergeant on his first day at Brancepeth Castle - "You're leaving home and you're leaving your mother. From now on I'm going to be you mother and father and everything for the rest of your Army life". This was the unwelcome reality for thousands of young men who were called up and joined the Army during the Second World War.

Fred Welsh

Fred Welsh 

Icon for pdf Fred Welsh's biography (PDF, 50.0kb)

Fred remembers arriving at Brancepeth Castle in January 1940 and spending a cold night on the floor of a hall in Willington.

Icon for pdf Fred Welsh's transcript (PDF, 34.1kb)


John Rodgers

Icon for pdf John Rodgers' biography (PDF, 52.0kb)

John remembers arriving by train at Brancepeth in June 1940 and meeting his Platoon Sergeant for the first time.

Icon for pdf John Rodgers' transcript (PDF, 33.4kb)


Richard Atkinson

Richard Atkinson 

Icon for pdf Richard Atkinson's biography (PDF, 52.2kb)

A trained Territorial soldier in Gateshead, remembers receiving his call-up papers in September 1939.

Icon for pdf Richard Atkinson's transcript (PDF, 94.7kb)


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