A Son's Memories of an Absent Father
Mike's father, Desmond Galley, joined up in 1939 before the conflict started. Mike was born in his absence, in 1940. His father was then in the RASC, attached to the 8th Army. He saw action in Sicily, Italy and Egypt. In later years, he told Mike's brother that he actually enjoyed the war, being away from home and having the company of comrades.
Mike himself remembers his father describing two episodes from his service experiences:
-At El Alamein, when both the Allied artillery and German artillery commenced firing it felt like an earthquake.
-His father reached the rank of Corporal. However, when he and six friends got evening passes to go into the local town, they all got drunk, arrived back late and he was demoted. Mike thought that he got his stripes back eventually.
Mike's grandfather, Joe, was head cowman at Sutton Farm and his grandmother, Alice, was in service at Sutton Hall. Mike, his siblings and mother lived with his maternal grandmother in Prittlewell, Southend. He has two personal recollections of wartime. Firstly, he remembers diving under the table for shelter during bombing raids. His second memory is of a single occasion when his father came home on leave. He thought this was only once in six years. He gave Mike the gift of a wooden spitfire, but Mike had no idea who he was, having never seen him before.
When he was demobbed, he returned home, but it was evident that he was used to being in command. He would inspect his son's shoes every day and if they were not clean, Mike was punished. Mealtimes were horrendous, for if Mike didn't have his tea, he was given it for breakfast next morning and so on, until it was eaten. If he picked up too much food on his fork, his father would wack him across the hand with his knife. He was always very strict. When Mike's brother was born, father's attitude softened towards the new arrival who was treated much more leniently.