大象传媒

I would like to pay tribute to all the comrades that never came back.

I was a corporal in the RAF regiment - 2873 Squadron. This regiment was instigated by King George VI as he felt the RAF should have their own Defence Force. Our main role was to capture and defend the airfields using offensive and defensive roles. Our regiment served in nearly every theatre of the war.

On New Years Day in 1945 I was in a Dutch farmhouse getting water when the Germans flew over in a final operation called Bodenplatt. They sent out 800 planes to all the bases in France, Belgium and Holland. The Dutch girl in the farmhouse pointed up to the ceiling and said 'Bosch'. I thought she meant there was a German on the roof and I realised I had left my rifle back at the base. But in fact it was the German planes flying overhead. I saw a German Foch that I could have shot at if I'd had my rifle!

I got back to my squadron and into a slit trench and we fired 565 rounds. We brought down four planes and damaged several more. This is in the official records.

On June 8th 1945 I was in Germany on the Dortmend Ems Canal when we heard that the Germans were going to surrender. We went to all the farms around and got enough chickens so that everyone could have at least half a chicken each. The Sun newspaper published a picture that we sent of the men plucking the chickens and the caption said: 'Sod the eggs - we want your chickens'. We fired a Victory Salute and ate the chickens!

Then we moved further into Germany until I was de-mobbed in 1946, just before Christmas.

I met my wife, who was in the army, in a pub and we now llive in Essex. I was a wood machinist for 43 years and have two sons and a daughter and five grandchildren.

Earlier this year, under the 'Hero's Return' fund, I was given 拢780 and I took my wife, my son, daughter-in law and one of the grandchildren and we went to Eindhoven where I had been based. We found the house of a Dutch friend who unfortunately had died three years previously, but I am waiting to hear from a nephew of hers to get a picture of her - Karen Hendrickson.

I've gone back to the beaches four times since the war. Some of my friends who had been sent to Burma never came back.

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