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The Staff Chalets, Canteen & “Knocker Upper

The next task after arrival was to be allocated a staff chalet. The main staff chalets and canteen were in a gated compound (yes – surrounded by a high wire fence) at the east end of North camp, beyond the York dining hall. They mostly accommodated two staff in bunk beds. They were not very spacious! There was a wardrobe each and a washbasin. Unfortunately, in 1965 I was ‘billeted’ with a chef who worked totally different hours to a barman! I started mid-morning & finished late at night whereas he started at 5 am. He drank prodigious amounts of lager in the staff canteen and would go to bed late, oversleeping as a result. When he didn’t turn up to cook the breakfasts the “knocker upper” would be sent round and would rat a tat tat on the window with a coin – just by my head on the top bunk. If necessary, he would come round again and poke a branch through the little window – waking me up to rouse the hungover cook. Not only that but he smoked in bed and of course, the smoke rose and curled around my head above. After a while, I bunked with Norman, a fellow barman, and then I had the last 2 weeks on my own after he left.

In 1964 (Staff № 5263) I was in a 4-bed chalet with 3 dining hall workers so, once again, totally different working hours. The chalet was noisy and the bed “b……dy awful”. The guys were great though and the photos show Ken & Gareth plus the one they took of me. The other photo shows the staff ESR chalet lines which were pretty desolate. Redcoats, supervisors and senior staff had chalets in the campers’ lines, either on their own or two single beds (like in Hi-de-Hi), in much better chalets and surrounded by flower beds. In 1965 I had trouble getting a chalet as there were so many staff but was allocated to one in ER4. My chalet mates were pretty inconsiderate but after 6 weeks I moved in with Tony in one of the new staff chalets on South Camp. They were double-decker and a vast improvement. The ablutions were on the lower level as shown in the photo. The Animals had a hit in 1965 with “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place” and whenever it was played the staff belted out the chorus with gusto. The high fence shows my attempt to escape!

The staff canteen was at the entrance to the main staff lines. The campers’ menu rotated weekly but for the staff it was fortnightly, giving us a little more variety. There was a long servery and, just like a Force's cookhouse, you took a tray and the food was doled out as you progressed along. The tea urn at the top was lorded over by “Dirty Gertie” and throughout the day she would top it up with water and add more tea leaves, sugar and milk. Stewed and not very appetising! The staff bar and recreational facilities were very basic and plain with little atmosphere compared with the fancy facilities of the campers.