大象传媒

In 1944 I was stationed in Northern Ireland serving as a Fitter II Engineer. Prior to D-Day an appeal was made on orders asking for volunteers for Western Europe, I put my name forward and as a result I was posted to the Casualty Air Evacuation Flight, part of 4271 Servicing Echelon which provided maintenance of 271 Squadron Dakotas and Handley Page Sparrows at RAF Down Ampney Gloucestershire. Down Ampney is probably better known as the birthplace of Vaughan Williams.

After D-Day as the front progressed our aircraft were bringing wounded servicemen back from France and later Belgium. The Sparrow aircraft were able to land on short fighter strips close to the front line.

When the planes came into Down Ampney the wounded were taken to the casualty centre by stretcher bearers, normally they would finish duty in the early evening, should any late flights come in a message would be transmitted over the Tannoy speaker system to all parts of the camp asking for Volunteer Stretcher Bearers.

It was one such occasion when I was enjoying a pint of bitter in the NAFFI canteen when the message came. The NAFFI emptied quicker than if the Orderly Sgt had come in and called everybody out. I had my racing bike with me so I had the advantage over those riding service issue bone shakers. Only about the first dozen at the centre got the job, I was the first there, must have been three or four dozen turned up.

The first man I helped to carry from the plane to the centre turned out to be a Yorkshire man from his accent. I asked him what part of Sheffield he came from, instead of answering the question he said 鈥淚 know you, I have seen your photo, you are courting my niece Marie Denley鈥�. We had never met but he was right, he turned out to be Norman Denley serving with The Hallamshire Battalion of the York and Lancs Regt.

He had been working in the Stores when an Officer handed in a loaded revolver which for some reason went off and shot Norman in the stomach. Who said Officers were more intelligent than the rank and file.

After being examined at the centre the wounded were sent to various hospitals in the country according to the nature of their wounds. I made enquiries the next morning as to where Norman was sent, he had gone to Birmingham. I sent a telegram to his brother to inform him. It was two weeks before they received official news, by then they had had already been to see him.

Sadly Norman didn鈥檛 live for very many years after the war but his niece and I had nearly 56 years of marriage.

Oh and my pint was just where I left it, but like all NAFFI beer somewhat flat.

Donald Sims
Ex 1516184 Cpl Fitter II E.

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