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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Roger Marsh of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Norman Hoare and has been added to the site with the author’s permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

These memories are taken from a special edition of a newsletter kindly submitted by Longstone Local History Group. It was edited by Liz Greenfield and published in Autumn 2002. Longstone was a village which sheltered evacuees and was comparatively unaffected by air attack, although the night sky was often lit by the fires of the Sheffield Blitz.

Longstone Local History Group - Norman Hoare’s Story
by
Norman Hoare
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Other parts to this story are at:

Introduction: A7887487

Roy Finney’s Story: A7887784

Frank, A and S Hurst: A7888396

Flames of Sheffield: A7888657

Molly Thornhill’s Story: A7888882

Tony Greenfield’s Story: A7889133

Martin Simon’s Story: A7889557

Stella Holmes’ Story: A7889971

Home defence remembered: A7890230

Burma servicemen Remembered: A7890492

Norman Hassal’s Story: A7891202

Women’s Institute: A7891888

One family’s War Part One: A7892562

One Family’s War Part Two: A7893534

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in 1939 I was working as a plumber's apprentice, first at Hailwood of Ashford, then for Broomhead's of Bakewell, who then had a base on Buxton Road, down the side of Granby Garments. Early in 1941, as all building work was practically at a standstill, I left and went to work for Pheasey's of Ashford as a mechanic. Eventually Bill Pheasey taught me to drive a heavy goods vehicle and I moved on to milk collection from farms and delivery to the dairies in Mansfield and Sheffield.

I was in the old air training corps squadron at Lady Manners School. I had a 400 cc BSA motorcycle and a black Labrador dog. It was on a motorcycle trip through Matlock Bath that I met a young lady from Cromford who was to become my wife after the war.

In mid-1943, I was called up into the Royal Air Force and did my initial training at Padgate, near Warrington. I passed an exam and interview for aircrew. I was told that I would be sent on a flight engineer course but as I would have to wait almost a year for the next one, I could choose another course meantime. I chose a despatch rider course, and was sent to Weeton, near Blackpool, for the six weeks training. After that, I was retained as an instructor and promoted to corporal. I also got engaged.

After five months, a request for an experienced despatch rider came through from Hereford. I volunteered and was posted to Madley, near Hereford. Every morning, at 4 am, I called at two RAF stations and carried despatches to operational HQ and the record office in Gloucester, a journey of 36 miles. On the return journey, I carried despatches to both RAF stations and an SAS unit. I went training with this unit over the Brecon Beacons.
In mid 1944 I was posted to India and was stationed at Risalpur on the northwest frontier, near the Khyber Pass to Afghanistan. I was training in American Liberator bombers and Dakota troop and supply carriers, morning and nights, and escorting convoys and carrying despatches to Divisional HQ in Peshawar most afternoons.

Early in 1945 I was posted to Bahmrouli airfield, near Allahabad for a few weeks and then I joined the combined operations base near Calcutta. I was dropping supplies and paratroops into Burma from Dakota aircraft, and bombing Japanese airfields with Liberator aircraft. I was also involved in some ground operations with the 14th Army.

When the far east war ended with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I heard that the National Fire Service in England was in need of new recruits, so I applied and went before a selection board in Delhi. I was accepted and, a few weeks later, flew back to England in a Dakota. I was stationed at Bruntingthorpe airfield for a further period until I was demobilised in June 1946.

In July 1946, after three weeks leave, I went to the National Fire Service Regional HQ at Nottingham. I had further training, then I was posted to Louth fire station in Lincolnshire. I married in April 1947.

Pr-BR

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