大象传媒

This story has been added to the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Volunteer Kate Langdon on behalf of the author John Harvey, who understands the terms and conditions of the site.

In 1940 we came to live at Rose in the Hill Farm, which is now part of Culdrose Naval Air Station. I went to Helston Church of England School and afterwards worked in the town.

When I left school I spent two and a half years meeting the train on weekdays at Helston Railway Station, a branch line from Gwinear Station this was an artery that serviced the Lizard peninsular, Predannack Airdrome, etc. We had bombs dropped around us and one cloudy day we heard the sound of machine gun fire overhead. A plane plunged out of the sky and crashed - 1st April 1941, a Whirlwind Dobson's Gap, 1.5 miles W.SW Mawgan in Meneage, out of Portreath, the Airdrome.

Upon leaving school young boys below Home Guard age were required to join something. I joined the Army Cadets and some of my friends the Air Training Corps. Some Sundays there would be trips to Predannack; there would be a church service and rifle practice on the range down towards the cliffside, shooting across a valley into a quarry, looking over planes that had limped back, off course, from across the channel operations. Some had been shot up.

Predannack Coastal Command: If the weather was right there were flights to be had. Some long, some short - mine was 15 minutes up to now - that is all I have done. A 'war time flyer', 15 minutes. At our weekly evening meetings we had talks from pilots. They told us that night time operations were in their infancy and very dangerous. One night time flyer had shot down two planes, "Both our own".

There were soldiers billeted in Helston, ours and then American. With them we saw their training. We teenagers could see that we were only a short time away from joining them. Their discipline was carried out for all to see; punishment being marched up and down the street, with full kit, at the double.

There were no teenage yobs about. The best part of having the army around was to watch the inter-commands football matches. Some players were signed on for soccer clubs. I watch the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry play and win; their captain was a Sergeant Ramsey. After the war he rejoined Southampton, then went on to play for England and finally managed the English Football Team.

Our recreation was the Flora Cinema and the snooker hall. On Sundays the cinemas at Falmouth would be open. Air raid warnings would be flashed up on the screen "you may leave for shelter"! In later days no one did.

It was Battle of Brtain time. I didn't see much of that but from the high ground above us we could see the barrage balloons by day over the dockyards at Falmouth and at night the enemy aircraft caught in the beams of searchlights, bomb flashes and the Ack-Ack explosions (anti aircraft). One night a direct hit, the explosion of which lit up the surrounding countryside, also a glow in the sky which was Plymouth burning - about sixty miles away. We were removed from this and just sightseers who looked upon this as a spectacle (loss of life was for someone else)

Ships that pass in the dark: Our house between Helston and Gweek was a little way down from the road, which is now the runway for Culdrose Air Station. One dark night there was a knock on the door, the person was asked in and informed us there was a chink of light showing through the blackout. He called many times after that and partook of a glass of milk and crust of bread whilst walking in the night from Helston to Manaccan. He said his name was "Yates" and had connections in the newspaper world.

My sister, looking after a father and four brothers, received her call up papers. We told Yates of this and he wrote a letter which was posted. We heard no more. In the area he was heading for was a training point and take off for agents into France. These facts came to light after the war.

The Helford Passage and Gweek played a part in the war, a take off point for agents into France and also the invasion. At Gweek there were two unloading points (wharves), one for farm feeding stuffs and the other side for coal, which was taken over by the Americans. The GIs came to Helston and we took them into our way of life and vice versa.

"Got any gum chum?"
"Got a sister mister?"
"The customer's always right."

Being a member of the Godolphin Hall Club, myself and other young members were allowed at the back of the hall when the GIs had a travelling show. Once it was a big band and to this day I don't know whether or not it was Glen Miller. We were also made welcome to their party fare.

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