A comic account of his call-up, written by Spike
Milligan in Hitler – My Part in His Downfall
(1971).
One
day an envelope marked OHMS fell on the mat.
Time for my appendicitis, I thought.
‘For
Christ’s sake don’t open it’, said Uncle,
prodding it with a stick.
‘Last time I did, I ended up in Mesopotamia,
chased by Turks… Weeks went by, several more OHMS
letters arrived, finally arriving at the rate of two
a day stamped URGENT...
It was a proud day for the Milligan family as
I was taken from the house.
‘I’m too young to go,’ I screamed as
Military Policemen dragged me from my pram,
clutching a dummy.
At Victoria Station the RTO gave me a travel
warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler
marked ‘This is your enemy’.
I searched every compartment, but he wasn’t
on the train.
How
useful is Source B to an historian studying what it was
like to be called up? Use Source B and your own
knowledge to answer the question.