Derrick, the son of Eldred and Eliza (nee Piper) Pearce, was only 15 years of age when he joined the Bealings Home Guard and then the Bealings Patrol. He signed the Official Secrets Act and was given an army rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition and took them home. On seeing these his father asked him what he was going to do with them and suggested that he had better keep them in his bedroom.
The Patrol members were given lace-up rubber boots so that they could move about very quietly (wellington boots made a noise when you moved). Besides being used on training exercises they also proved useful “for a bit of poaching”.
RAF Martlesham Heath, which was the most northerly station of No. 11 Group RAF, Fighter Command, was about a couple of miles from Bealings and as part of their training Derrick remembered that he, Raymond Read and probably other Patrol members were to “break onto” Martlesham Heath (the station having had prior warning that they would be invaded). To get onto the aerodrome they had to cut the barbed wires surrounding the perimeter. They had been trained how to cut the wires, by holding each side of the proposed cut, to avoid the “twang” of the wire when cut. To prove that they had been successful they had chalk-marked aircraft and hangers with HE (high explosive) and I (incendiary).
Derrick married childhood sweetheart Evelyn Read in 1946; they had two children.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bealings Patrol | Patrol member | Unknown | 1942 |
Plumber's mate
Derrick's future father-in-law Ernest Sidney Read and brother-in-law Ray Read were also in the same Patrol.
Derrick was called up and joined the forces in 1942 aged 18. His two elder brothers had volunteered for the RAF. He had to report to Warley Barracks and was then sent to Dorset to join the Devonshire Regiment. He was then sent to Colchester and was taught to drive. A fortnight at home preceded his active service. He travelled from Liverpool to Egypt then on to Bombay then by train to Burma. It took a month.
He saw action in Chindwin where "Ginger" Porter was also present though in a different company and involved in different actions. At the siege of Imphal Derrick was shot in the leg by a machine gun. He removed his equipment and didn't stop until he reached a dug out. He was put in an ambulance and flown out. After he recovered he returned to his battalion at the front. They moved on to Mandalay before being flown back to Poona where they were preparing to take Singapore. The Green Berets were due to go in first followed by the Devonshires to carry on the assault. The invasion never happened as the Japanese surrendered after the dropping of the atomic bomb.
On his return home Derrick joined the Royal British Legion. On 2 July 2000 Derrick attended an Auxiliary Units Millennium reunion.
TNA ref WO199/3389
Veronica Watkins (Derrick's daughter)
Gareath Evans and information from Great Bealings Church