大象传媒

Joe Carver was the father of my late husband Ronald and his elder sister Audrey. Joe's wife was Lily. When war broke out my husband was two and sister four.
They lived at 233 Canning Street in the West End of Newcastle. Joe was in the Fire Service but he went and enlisted in the R.A.F. even though he was exempt from service by being in the Fire Service. Joe went to enlist with two pals they failed to get in but Joe was accepted. My late mother in law Lily had a sister Doris who was serving in the W.R.A.F. On hearing the news of Joe's enlistment she wrote to Lily "He has signed his own death Certificate."
Joe was the middle gunner in Lancaster Bombers. He lost his life on 31st December 1944 at Solingen Grafrath in Germany. All the years that followed Joe's death, my mother in law thought the plane had been shot down.However ast year I found out they were actually flying in formation when the plane flying above them was hit and exploded coming down on top of Joe's plane. The rear gunner's tail was smashed off first the others that could,bailed out. Unfortunately they crashed into some sort of repair yard and whilst the ordinary Germans rushed to the rescue the German police pushed the people back and shot the survivors. The policeman was condemned to death under the Geneva Convention for war crimes at Solingen Germany. I do now know if he was hung or not. His name was Fritz Schulze.
Only last year I was able to get all this informatiion through the kindness of Mr John Reid who I saw in a newspaper and was air force crew and still alive and decided to write to him. He was of immense help because of all the information he got me. I was able to speak to Sgt. Welbourne's wife sadly Mr Welbourne had died two years earlier. He was the only crew member who was neither killed or shot. He had been the rear gunner. Mrs Welbourne remembered Joe Carver. She has a photograph of him in her home. Sgt Welbourne had visited all the families of the crew he had flown with that had been killed.
My husbands paternal grandparents lived on Lovaine Crescent in Newcastle, they also owned a grocery shop in Prudhoe Street, Newcastle. Joe's family were at the grandparents house for New Year. My mother in law told me how upset she was as Joe was the only one not present. Just two days later she received a letter saying he was to be commissioned on the 1st January, he would be leaving for further training in Canada, but telling her he believed he would not get up in the air much after that "because Germany had been flattened." However Lily my mother in law said she went to bed on New Years Eve very upset she dreamt a big wrought iron gate separated her from Joe. The next morning she decided to rush home and see if there was another letter from Joe, her brother in law Jack Carver went with her, alas a telegram was lying telling her Joe had failed to return on his last mission. In due course she was informed he was dead.
The Headteacher at Canning Street school sent her a letter asking if she would like a job working in the school meal service. Knowing her circumstances she accepted the offer. One day the Headmaster asked to see her regarding her son Ronnie. He told her he wanted her to enter Ronnie in the exam for the Royal Grammar School as "he would walk the exam." She said she was thrilled but when she told her friends at work they said "but Lily where will you get the money from to buy all the things he will need for school. She immediately contacted the R.A.F. Association and asked if they could help. They replied "we can supply a blazer satchel and trousers but that's all". She therefore did not dare let him sit the exam. He did however pass the 11 plus and went to Rutherford Grammar School. He trained to be a Public Health Inspector with Newcastle City Council he became Assistant Director but left in 1979 to be Director of Health and Housing in the New Forest.
My mother in law always said "Joe's life has only been worth two school uniforms." His sister had also been given a uniform when she was eleven.
Had Joe been killed one day later on New Years Day, it would have made a big difference to her pension as he would have been an officer. My mother in law remarried in 1949 and of course lost the pension for herself just getting I think about 拢2-10 shillings for Audrey and Ronnie. I think all war widows get a very raw deal.
My husband did most of his National Service in Germany. He was allowed to visit his father's grave. In 1966 my husband and I drove to Austria. We took his mother and stepfather with us and called at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. We saw my father in law's grave all kept in perfect condition 'Forever England'.
On our way there we called at Arnhem, to buy flowers for the grave. The lady who owned the flower shop gave us them for free, saying my debt can never be repaid to those who liberated Holland and tears poured down her face. One could never have found the grave if you did not have the number because whichever way we looked North, South, East and West there was nothing but graves. I remember the pilot was only 19 years old, the others were of similar age with the exception of Joe who was 34 years old.
We owe them so much and yet I think they are forgotten by many.
From correspondence in my possession when Joe and his crew were killed it was going to be their 40th trip over Germany, that's why they were being grounded on New Years Day.

Many years later my husband went to help with the elections as a Presiding Officer it was in a hall, when he got there to open up his clerk was waiting outside. My husband greeted this man with "Good morning my name is Ron." He opened the door with the key when he turned around the man was weeping, my husband asked him what was wrong. He replied "it's you, you are so much like my best pal". It turned out this man was indeed one of the men from the fire station who had gone with Joe to sign up. He told my husband he was the image of his father but it was my husbands voice that had the man choked, he said it was like having Joe beside him once again. My husband ended up having to make him a cup of tea.

Because Lovaine Crescent were big houses my husbands Grandparents were made to take servicemen in sometimes to lodge.

Sheila Oxley Carver.

As told to staff at Whickham Library

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