大象传媒

My name is Ronald Gamble, I鈥檓 73 this year.

My first memories of the War being declared are actually on Sunday the 3rd September. We were all gathered around the radio set (an old Cosser) listening to the Prime Minister announcing the fact that we had gone to war. I remember turning to my Father and asking him, 鈥淲hat does that mean?鈥� He replied, 鈥淚t means that a lot of people are going to die. It鈥檚 not going to be very nice.鈥� We were particularly worried because my brother Jack had joined the R.A.F in 1938: he鈥檇 passed out and was serving with a squadron. The day after war was declared he was on operational duties dropping leaflets to reassure the Poles that we were with them.

He had quite an eventful life with the R.A.F: After Dunkirk he came back - he came on leave and he looked very, very tired, very frightened. He then went back to his squadron and we didn鈥檛 see him again until the Christmas time of 1940. The Battle of Britain had finished by then and he鈥檇 been there. He said 鈥淚鈥檓 transferring to 220 Squadron, Coastal Command鈥�. It was a new squadron; (I think they were resting them after the Battle of Britain).

One day I asked him, 鈥淒o you think we鈥檙e going to win this war?鈥� He answered, 鈥淥nly if the American鈥檚 come in, we just haven鈥檛 got the wherewithal, we haven鈥檛 got the supplies, we haven鈥檛 got the operational means to make ammunition and things like this. It鈥檚 the men and it鈥檚 the supplies and it鈥檚 the American economy that will make it work: but I can鈥檛 see them coming in.鈥�

He went back off leave for the New Year, but 15 days later we had a telegram to tell us he was missing. He鈥檇 joined his squadron, and they鈥檇 gone out on their first patrol: they鈥檇 gone after the U-boats in Norway so it seems. His fianc茅 who was working on operations control heard the last transmission and apparently the voice signal had gone from what they call strength nine to strength zero in seconds - that meant the plane had gone in. We had the telegram to say he was missing believed killed, and two weeks later we had a letter confirming the worst 鈥� it said that due to the length of time missing he was presumed dead 鈥� he was only 19 when they went missing on the 16th January 1941 鈥� his 20th birthday would have been in the following April. He never had a grave of course, but he is on the Runnymede Memorial.

My mother never gave up hope about my brother. She pestered the Red Cross in 1947 asking if anyone had been rescued. But I doubted very much if anyone would have survived in the Fiords 鈥� In Norway in January they would have been even colder. I was in Air Sea Rescue and I knew that if they鈥檇 hit the water and stayed in just a few moments then hypothermia would set in and they鈥檇 just have died instantly 鈥� that鈥檚 it.

I joined his squadron 10 years later (as a tribute to him I suppose). In 1950 I went into the RAF and after my initial training I went to Cranwell and later on joined his squadron. I served in Malaya during the Communist uprising and in Korea: I had five years in the RAF.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Ron Gamble and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Gamble fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Ron's stories:

• 2) The Totty Sisters
• 3) To have loved and lost
• 4) Jack鈥檚 last letter
• 5) The hazards of bird watching
• 6) It was a strange time really鈥�

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