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"This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jean Brown and has been added to the website on behalf of Albert McMillan with his permission and he fully understands the site's terms and conditions".

I was about 19. It was 1940 or 1941. In Manston on a detachment… busy time looking after aircraft. We lost an aircraft. Three went out on 'flap patrol' (bombing the anti aircraft ships) and 2 came back. I didn't know the crew because I was on maintenance rather than ground crew with the aircraft. But I had four to look after.

It was lovely lying on the grass looking out to sea. For some unknown reason we got a long weekend. Came back on the Monday, and there it was, all wrecked. In one sense it had been bombed so many times, it didn't make any odds. You'd have to experience extensive bombing to understand. When you're in London, you could walk through parts which were damaged, still smouldering, dust in the air… but I knew the 'ack ack guns' (anti aircraft guns) were looking after you. Thought they didn't manage to bring many aircraft down, they gave people moral support. Any bombing raid you're in, you're bound to feel disturbed. I don't know how to relate it to these days, maybe like a car coming in through your front door.

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