 |
| Sam Wait in Calcutta, India c.1943 |
My father fought against the Japanese in Burma during WWII with the 4th Field Royal Artillery. They were part of the Fourteenth Army, or what became known as the Forgotten Army. This was due to their operations in the Burma Campaign (the longest campaign of the war) being overlooked by the contemporary press. When the joyous VE celebrations were being held in towns and cities across Britain on May 8th 1945, these troops were still driving the 55th Japanese Division out of the Burmese jungle. This aggrieved many of the soldiers, including my father, who in protest, threw their medals away during their journey home. (It wasn't until 1978 that he was finally persuaded to re-apply for them). The Japanese eventually surrendered on 15 August 1945 - VJ Day.
 |
| British soldiers in Burma |
Sam began his journey back to England in July 1946. He sailed from Rangoon in India to Liverpool where he was given the repatriation number 36. After his partial demobilisation (demobilised from the armed forces) on the 17th November 1946 he returned to London and lodged with his grandmother Jane Lacey (née Stuck) at 118 Pendle Road, Streatham in London.
.jpg) |
| Pendle Road, Streatham, London SW16 |
Once back home and out and about on civvy street, my father, with his army pal (possibly John Tucker 6104538) were continually eyed-up by the local young women who thought, because of their deeply tanned skin, they were Australian. But like many soldiers of that time, my father became disillusioned and restless. His grandmother was upset by his behaviour after his return and told him that the army had spoiled him!
 |
| Sam Wait's discharge document 2-12-47 |
Above is one of Sam's military papers dated the 2nd December 1947. It is difficult to understand the jargon, but with research I have gradually managed to piece it together.
It gives his army number 6148833 and the fact that he has been discharged in consequence of his services being no longer required on his enlistment into the 'TA'. His army rank is that of a gunner and his military conduct exemplary.
Sam's demob paper, shows that on the 17th November 1946 he was given a Class 'A' Release and Released to Class 'Z' (T) Royal Army Reserve.
So what does this mean?
The Class 'A' Release was announced in September 1944. It divided serviceman into two classes. The majority were in Class A. The order in which their demobilisation was calculated was by assessing their date of birth and military service. Each serviceman was allocated a Release Group Number. The older you were and the longer you had served the earlier you got out. All able-bodied de-mobs were technically released into Class Z in case of a need for re-call in time of an emergency. So it was only partial release in that it was to the Territorial Army Reserves.
The Medals and Decorations box shows that Sam was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the Burma Star, the War Medal 1939/45 and the Defence Medal.
In the 'next of kin' section, his father, (sometimes known as Richard) mother and sister have all been crossed out. Sam's father (actually William Robert Victor Wait 1899-1966) had left his wife shortly after the birth of Ruth in 1926. William moved to Brighton and later married Lily Baker in the Spring of 1942. So Edith Wait (née Lacey) had taken her children, Sam and Ruth, to live with her widowed mother in Welham Road, Tooting in London.
Later, tragically both Edith (d.1940) and his sister Ruth (d.1946) died of tuberculosis. So Sam's next of kin is listed as his grandmother Mrs J Lacey, previously living at 50 Welham Road and now 118 Pendle Road.
Below the Record Officer's signature is, Z (T) 1 year 15 days. After being in the Royal Army Reserve for 1 year and fifteen days he attested for service in the Territorial Army in Balham on December 3rd 1947. So he went from the Royal Army Reserve into the TA for three years (as can be seen below).
 |
| Sam Wait's Territorial Army enlistment |
The TA was restructured and expanded in 1947 through the reactivation of some of the 1st Line Divisions that were initially disbanded after WWII. These attestations into the Territorial Army were probably a safety measure by the government. This was due to the instability of the world at the time, with an eye on Korea and the looming Cold War.
I do not know if my father attended any TA meetings or if he completed the three years. But this document (above) does hold a great deal of information. Mysteriously his postal address is given as 115 Pendle Road, Streatham, when in later documents its given as 118. In box 6 it shows that Sam had formerly been a clerk (apparently for a local dentist). Written up the side of the page can be seen, date of birth at first attestation 28-6-1922. This confirms that he had lied about his age (making himself a year older) when he first enlisted at the start of WWII in September 1939. In box 9 of the document it confirms this with, 9th BTN Royal Fusiliers - 3 months Sep 39 - Dec 39.
Apparently in December 1939 his mother and grandmother had informed the recruitment officer of his real age after four months. Sam was very upset by this. He was told by his Sergeant Major to,"come back in a year's time when you are old enough!" His real date of birth, 28 June 1923 can be seen in box 7.
So a year later Sam enlisted again. In box 9 we can see his army number 6148833 and East Surrey Rgt. -: 22-11-40 till 28-11-42. And then below that, Royal Artillery (Field) -: 27-11-42 till 17-11-46.
After confirming he had truly stated the whole of his previous service, in Box 11, Sam agreed to be willing to be attested for service in the Territorial Army for the term of three years. It confirmed that he would be appointed to serve in the Royal Artillery and posted to 624 LAA RGT RA (RF) TA. The document was signed on the 3rd December 1947.
In December 1940, while Sam Wait was at Milton Barracks, Gravesend, with the 70th Battalion East Surrey Regiment he was given the tragic news that his mother Edith had died of tuberculosis. Not wanting to show his grief, Sam climbed a hill away from the troops and sobbed. Meanwhile a soldier went around the barracks with a hat, collecting money for a wreath. She was buried at St. Nicholas Church, Amen Corner, Tooting in Wandsworth, London.
Three months before Sam's return to England, his sister also died of pulmonary tuberculosis. Ruth passed away on the 22nd April 1946. She was just 19 years old. It was during this year that clinical trials of the antibiotic streptomycin were first carried out. This would eventually become the first effective treatment for tuberculosis.
 |
| Descendants of Samuel Lacey |
Sam was also later diagnosed with tuberculosis. The date of this is unknown. Similarly it is also unclear what he was doing between the years of his demob and when he began showing the symptoms. But he must have been terrified.
 |
| TB poster from the 1940's |
Tuberculosis is spread rather like a cold or flu, but not quite as contagious. You have to spend prolonged periods in close contact with an infected person to catch the infection yourself. So TB infections at that time were usually spread between family members. General signs of the disease are weight loss, tiredness, fever, chills and in some cases coughing up blood. However, not everyone with TB is infectious.
 |
| 118 Pendle Road, Streatham, London |
 |
| Preston Hall, near Maidstone in Kent |
At first only one of Sam's lungs was diagnosed as seriously infected, but it was later discovered that the disease had spread across to the second. Thankfully the recent advances in treatment enabled better chances of recovery:
"In 1946, the development of the antibiotic streptomycin made effective treatment and cure of TB a reality. Prior to the introduction of this drug, the only treatment (except sanatoria) was surgical intervention, including the "pneumothorax technique", which involved collapsing an infected lung to "rest" it and allow tuberculous lesions to heal" (Wikipedia)
My father spent his days on Ward 4 at Preston Hall convalescing with about twenty others, including Peter Ling (1926-2006). While on the ward, Ling began submitting scripts to BBC Radio and writing an Eagle comic serial. He also penned his first novel, Voices Offstage (1947) and went on to create the successful television soap opera Crossroads (1964-88).
 |
| Sam Wait (middle row second from the right) with some of the patients |
 |
| Sam Wait (top left) |
I only know the name of one other patient who was on Ward 4 at that time. His name was Tom Horsham. When he recalled being on the ward with my father he said:
"Good ol' Sam would get up at 6 every morning and make all of us on the ward a cup of tea."
It is such a pity that I cannot put names to the faces of the other patients in these pictures. If anyone reading this can help, please get in touch.
While Sam was recovering at Preston Hall, his grandmother Jane Lacey (née Stuck) moved from Pendle Road in Streatham to 53 Talbot Street near Leeds in Yorkshire to live with her son Maurice, a headmaster and his wife Mabel (née Bachelor) a teacher. Sadly Jane Lacey died at St. James Hospital of cerebal thrombosis on October 3rd 1949. She was 81 years old.
 |
| Jane Lacey's (née Stuck) death certificate 2c 432 |
Gradually Sam's health started to improve and he was moved to the rehabilitation chalets in Preston Hall grounds, including Crossfields and the Gordon Larking Pavilion.
 |
| Sam Wait outside one of the chalets |
 |
| Some of the staff on Ward 4 |
My father was very fond of these three staff members (above) who worked on Ward 4 at Preston Hall and fortunately he did tell me their names. From left to right is Nurse Hutt a Red Cross Volunteer, Doctor Golebiowski and Sister Tremlett. My research has since led me to discover that Dr. A. K. Golebiowski was a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Preston Hall and the South East Metropolitan Division. On April 10 1969 he was elected a Fellow of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges.
 |
| Sam Wait (second from right) rehearsing with Club Quintet |
 |
| Sam Wait (left) |
 |
| Club Quintet |
By the time the pictures above were taken, it seems that Sam Wait's health had considerably improved. With three other musicians he toured the wards of the hospital with a group called Club Quintet.
 |
| Club Quintet |
Club Quintet entertained the patients who were too ill to get out of their beds and also performed at hospital dances. I would be interested to know the names of other members of this band.
After WWII the Ministry of Labour introduced many training schemes and the British Legion was awarded financial grants in conjunction with the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and 1958. In about 1948, Albert Chip Chipperfield, who was one of the patients at Preston Hall Hospital, asked Sam if he was interested in becoming a printer and working at the local British Legion Press. Sam decides to give it a try and enrols at Maidstone Art College (near to Maidstone Museum) and started training to be a compositor.
Art classes began in the Picture Gallery of the Charles' Museum in St Faith's Street, Maidstone, on the initiative of the Reverend Henry Collis in 1867. Because of its tremendous success a new building in St Faith's Street was built connected to the museum and in 1948 it became known as Maidstone College of Art. By 1936 classes were held in commercial art, architecture, dress design, house painting and decorating, typography, jewellery and silversmithing, general crafts and weaving.
Printing classes were held for eleven sessions per week in typography, process reproduction, letterpress and lithography. Sam often recalled how he used to see the beautiful cherry blossom in the orchards around Allington on his journey to classes at Maidstone Art College on the 109 bus.
James Butler, the noted sculptor, attended classes at Maidstone Art College between 1948 and 1950 and Tony Hart, the artist and children's presenter, attended at the same time.
By 1955-6 Maidstone became the centre of the Mid-Kent Department of Printing. After his training at Maidstone Art College and a seven year apprenticeship my father became a compositor at The British Legion Press.
If you would like to research your family history please get in touch.
