Carpenter, Eric
Eric CARPENTER
RAAF, Number 73983
Leading Aircraftman
Memories of an N.E.S. Messenger
Prior to joining the R.A.A.F. in 1942, Eric joined the N.E.S. (National Emergency Service) as a Messenger in the Municipality of Hunter's Hill in Sydney.
Hunter's Hill at this time was classed as being in a No. 1 Danger Zone as it was surrounded by the following; Vacuum Oil Co., Texaco Oil Co., Shell Oil Co., Cockatoo Island Engineering Works, Spectacle Island (which then was the Navy's main ammunition storage depot), Woolwich Dry Dock and the North Shore Gas Works. These installations were all situated within a one mile radius of Hunter's Hill and Woolwich, some, such as the Vacuum Oil Co. and Woolwich Dry Dock, actually being located within the Municipality. These oil companies' depots were the main storage tanks for all of Sydney and NSW needs.
Eric joined the N.E.S. in late 1941 and was attached to No. 1 Sector, which was located just across the Lane Cove River from the Shell Oil Co. His duties were to carry messages to and from the Chief Warden's Control Centre and the No. 1 Warden's Post.
The days prior to the entry of Japan into the War were mainly taken up with weekend exercises and the occasional Municipal and Zone demonstrations. They included teaching the residents how to deal with H.E. bombs, incendiary bombs, how to tape up their windows and what precautions to take inside the house, such as filling the bath with water and having buckets of sand available and how to put up blackout screens.
To enable him to do his messenger work, he had to have his bicycle fitted with a generator light masked with a ¼ inch slotted card, which just gave him enough light to see where he was going. The Chief Control Centre was located about 2 ½ miles from the post. He was equipped with a 'tin hat' and respirator (gas mask) and had to wear it whenever he was on duty.
The exercises he referred to were carried out at varying times and would cover the whole of Sydney or just a local Municipal or Zone exercise. On one occasion, when returning from the Control Centre and going down a rather steep hill, he hit a bump and his helmet fell off, making all the clatter under the sun. He had to stop and replace it on his head and carry on. Carrying on to the Post and along the main street, he came across a group of people and as he rode past, one of the wardens called him to stop. He replied that he could not stop as he had an urgent message for the Head Warden and then carried on to the Post. On the way back, the Warden stopped him and said that he was a casualty as he had ridden across a circle in the middle of the road, which was supposed to be a bomb crater.
On another occasion, the wardens of No. 1 Zone who, in the main, were aged between 50 and 80 years, were giving a demonstration on how to deal with incendiary bombs. The Zone Chief Warden welcomed all present and then said a few words on what to do and how to do it. He then handed over to the two Wardens to give the practical demonstration. These two were among the older members of the team. One manned the stirrup pump and bucket and the other had the sand mat and nozzle of the pump. He was crawling towards the 'incendiary bomb', holding the sand mat on the 'bomb' and then commenced to spray the area that was on fire. He called out to his mate on the pump and bucket. "Righto Stan, pump away". This would have been alright if they hadn't forgotten to fill the bucket with water. It all caused quite a laugh among the spectators.
Photo: Ken "Skeeta" James and Eric Carpenter.
The blackouts also were rather humorous because as the ferries plied the river, although they were blacked out for the occasion, they stood out like great rocks due to their posphorescent wake. The Manly ferries were blacked out completely from Bradley's Head to Manly, this being due to their crossing Sydney Heads. Whilst actually crossing the Heads, even their navigation lights were turned off. This action was carried on for the whole of the War years. They also had the words 'Manly Beach Excursions', which were painted along the gunwale, painted out, the reason for this being that it did not assist the enemy to know where they were, in the same mode that they removed road signs in England.
The most impressive duty he had to do was on the night of the 31st May/ 1st June, 1942, when the Japanese submarines raided the harbour. His mother and he had been to the city to see a film and caught the last ferry home to Woolwich, where they arrived at about midnight. As he had to go to work next morning, he retired to bed. His mother was pottering around doing things such as filling the bath, checking the gas and power and just as she was about to retire, she came in and woke him and said, "Hurry up and get dressed. The sirens have sounded and you have to go on duty".
He dressed, grabbed his helmet and respirator, went to jump on his bike to find that it had a flat tyre. This meant he had to run with his bike for about half-a-mile to the Post and fix it when he arrived.
The nearer he got to the Post, the more he could see flashes and hear gunfire on the harbour. It was quite disturbing at the time. He arrived at the Post to be told that it was a red alert and they would most likely be on duty for some time. They spent the night at the Post and he had to do a couple of runs to the Chief Control Centre and meanwhile the Wardens were out patrolling the streets and the blackout. Little did he realise that as they were travelling home on the ferry, they could have been blown to 'Kingdom Come'.
One very funny incident that occurred that night was in a house a couple of doors from their home. Two elderly people were in bed on the upper storey and the wife was heard to say to her husband, "Weeill, one of these nights there will be a real air raid and they will be sorry for waking people up at this time of the night". This was said at the top of her voice. They were still in bed. He was deaf and so she had to shout to him. That was the way she called him in her English dialect.
Getting back to the raid, they received the 'all clear' about 4.30 am and he was able to go home and get back to bed. When he arrived home he found his mother had dragged a double mattress out of the bedroom and thrown it on the big oak table and then put blankets around it for protection.
She had two young brothers staying with them and she put them under the table with a candle for light while she checked everything out.
Suddenly, she smelt rubber burning and after running to the power box, she looked under the table and there was the cause of the smell. The elder brother, aged 14 years, was laying on his side burning a piece of rubber tubing. His mother tore strips off him, to which he replied, "A bloke's got to do something to pass the time away".
He went to work next morning and told the staff in the Department about the night's exercise. The next thing he knew was that the Staff Manager sent for him and told him, "Go home and have a good sleep on full pay". The firm was Sargood Gardiner Pty. Ltd, in York Street, Sydney.
On his way back to the ferry, he discovered that the Navy had positioned three auxiliary cruisers, HMA Ships 'Westralia' and 'Manoora' between Cockatoo Island and Long Nose Point, Balmain, and HMAS 'Kanimbla' between Long Nose Point and Goat Island.
Their boats were searching the upper reaches of the harbour and Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers with echo sounders for the missing submarine. However, they returned to Garden Island in the late afternoon.
Thanks to Eric Carpenter we have a humorous look at how Australia was handling the War. Eric's war became even more involved when he signed up to the RAAF. After an eventful war he was discharged Air Force Head Quarters 18/2/1946.
By Eric Carpenter, Edited Geoff Litchfield.
The Spitfire Association
