Ivor Carter

August 2000

Ivor Carter was born in the small Oxfordshire village of Bloxham in 1922. After Local School he became a Printers apprentice (then called a Compositor) and in 1941 at the age of 19 he was called up into the Army after a brief spell in the Home Guard at Bloxham.

Having two brothers already in the army, Ivors father did not wish his third son to risk life and limb and tried to get him off of being signed up, when his time came to join the army. This was not Ivors wish and Ivor told his father that he was joining and that was that! Ivor also had a younger brother who also signed up and went on to serve in Burma.

Ivor became number 11004678 as a Gunner in the Royal Coastal Artillery and went off to receive training at Paignton in Devon and later onto Plymouth. Training involved lots of marching and drilling with the day starting at 6am and finishing sometimes after midnight. Most of the men who were billeted with Ivor were now in their 40's and he was very much considered the baby of the group.

After 2-3 months of training The battalion (21st Battery, Royal Coastal Artillery) was then stationed in Llandudno, North Wales (where they were in House Billets) as part of the vast coastal defense system. The battery operated a range of Field and Navel Guns including 18 pounders, 25 pounders and the great Coastal twin 6 pounder.

The men only had 24/48 hour passes and Ivor remembers many of the men sobbing after a hard day because they were away from their families. The men all supported one another and had some good times. 

On many occasions Ivor would get into trouble for seeing the funny side of a situation. Whilst out marching, one chap decided to try and 'work his ticket' by deliberately marching off of the road, onto the Beach and eventually he was stopped when he was waist high into the sea! Another time the Gunner group got into a pickle about the number assignment for the Gun and three men tried to take the same position, much to the annoyance of their Sergeant!

"We also did what was called 'recording' on the guns - i.e., of Officers and Warrant Officers courses, and recording what they actually recorded themselves, for instance if they recorded right 2.0 minute and you didn't like the officer you could get your own back by recording a different time to that of the Officers, which was done, but may I add only once by me!"

Ivor has virtually lost his hearing now because of the Guns, there was little or no such thing as ear protection back then! Rubber ear plugs were sometimes issued which easily became worn out and offered little protection against those mighty blasts.

Many thanks to Ivor, his wife Sara and their daughter, Rebecca for the wonderful story of an ordinary Bloxham lad defending his Country with such humor and enjoyment, and as ever, helping his fellow man.