Living At Catterick Garrison In 1936/40

A Memory of Catterick.

I was an Army 'brat. My father served with the Royal Tank Corps/Regiment after territorial service with the Green Howards. We lived on the Garrison[Cambrai Lines] in married quarters. Next door neighbours included a CSM with some sons, one of my age. 'Janker Wallahs' [defaulters] were used to assist in his garden. One of the lads asked if I liked radishes - a fruit/plant/veg that I did not know. We carefully pulled up 2 and found them delicious! A row was lifted, eaten, and then the foliage replaced. The CSM - assuming that his garden had not been watered by the assigned people - had a fit, then lifted one radish from the ground!!! We had always been trained to never lie - owned up and were given 15 minutes on the Kemmel Lines suare -'Jankers'. What our fathers did not realise was that drilling [with toy rifles] alongside the real defaulters was a great thrill!! Colonel Jerram was the Battalion C.O. - a true gentleman who ALWAYS remembered the troops' names and those of the family. He always saluted my mother or lifted his hat if in mufti and I called him 'Sir' the first time addressed then 'Colonel' if he spoke to me after that.
In mid 1939 [?] the first A11's [Matilda Mk 1's] were delivered. Although only four years old I remember the day well - and that they did not seem as large as had been expected - and WHERE was the big gun that the propaganda films had shown?
In April 1940 the Regiment - which by then had also received Matilda Mk 2's[later the 'Queen of the Desert'] went to France where the 2 battalions stopped Rommel for 2 critical days thus aiding the evacuation from Dunkirk.
The RTR was to be rapidly expanded and my father was posted to Scotland as cadre for the 7th Battalion. Being a 'family' regiment the CO had posted a notice that this was to happen 'tomorrow at 8am' and that from that time no families could join! Needless to say my mother and me were on the next train to Parth - me travelling in the luggage rack from which some soldiers had removed their kitbags.
  In late 1940 the Battalion sailed for Egypt then went to Libya where my father was killed in Operation Battleaxe - June 17th 1941.