大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by CSV/大象传媒 Radio Nottingham on behalf of Leonard Albert Parker with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

This begins with my 18th birthday, 20th April 1941, when I applied to join the RAF. Because I was in the engineering trade and on war work, I could join only in an air crew which was fine. So after a short space of time I was told to report to an assessment centre in Birmingham where I underwent tests for health and eyesight as well as academic standard.
The result was that I could only be accepted as wireless operator or air gunner. In August my call up came to report to Padgate for initial training. After a few weeks my intake were sent to Skegness to finish our training and on completion I was posted to RAF Halton for technical training as a flight mechanic. Whilst there I contracted pneumonia and spent three months in Princess Mary鈥檚 Hospital Halton which put paid to my hopes of flying, as I was told I could return to civilian life. But my ward M.O had already told me that I would receive better treatment in the RAF than I would as a civilian. I returned to the flight mechanics course albeit a later intake and I finished my training in March 1942. I was posted to Filey for a four week refresher course in basic training and then posted to Shawbury near Shrewsbury on the border with Wales, this was an Advanced Flying School for Pilots (P.A.F.U.).
In the course of the training we were often called upon to fly as an extra crew member in a twin engine training aircraft and it was wonderful to see Wales from the air, and I was always ready to undertake that duty. I also had a period of flying with the Flight Commander on weather tests and was given leave to hold the aircraft steady while he would be taking readings with his sextant.
During my time there I was given the opportunity to take a direct entry exam to become a fitter 2 engines which was an advanced grade. As it was I didn鈥檛 achieve the minimum standard required but was to be recommended for the full course.
I believe it was September when I found myself posted to a new operational squadron in Norfolk. This is where I was destined to be for the rest of my career, number 107 squadron stationed at Massingham in Norfolk, and being equipped with Douglas Boston medium bombers. The workload was somewhat heavier than I had hitherto been used to and time became paramount. My 鈥渃hiefly鈥� Flight Sergeant Sedgely, was a reservist who had been in World War One, and admonished me for standing on the wing of the plane to refuel, this when there is no other way to do it. I felt I was being used as a scapegoat. But to make matters worse I received a posting from RAF records to go back to Halton for my fitters course, which Flight Sergeant Sedgely tried to cancel, but without success, and I believe I am only one of a few mechanics who were sent from an operational squadron for this purpose.
My fitters course lasted fifteen weeks and then it was back to a now fully operational squadron, and I was admitted to the 鈥淩epair and Inspection鈥� section to renew old friends George Smith, Joe Peel, Bill Grainger and Bill Mourell to name just a few.
Massingham was just an airfield with no hardcore runway and our billits were about a mile away, so we did have transport when available, and although we did have our rough periods, and nothing in the way of entertainment except a couple of pubs and village dances in Harpley which were well attended, we were quite happy and the Germans didn鈥檛 bother us much except for finding us a constant supply of work.
The following spring saw us on the move to Hartford Bridge near Camberley in Surrey where we joined up with 21 squadron and 88 squadron to form a 鈥渨ing鈥�. We all had Bostons although a later model than we had at Massingham. The 鈥淏oston鈥� was a medium bomber and the targets were mainly Western Europe doing approximately three or four targets a week in daytime and night time.
In early spring of 1943 we were moved to another airfield at Lasham-Hants where we converted to the Havaland Mosquitoes and also were moved to be under canvas completely. We were to be considered a fully mobile unit, when we became operational. The role of the aircrew was to fly in pairs and destroy road and railway traffic or anything that moved in daytime, this meant low level flying and to a very high standard.
This aircraft was ideal for the purpose owing to its speed and manoeuvrability and the crews were happy with it. It could sustain a lot of damage and yet manage to keep airbourne.
As 鈥淒鈥� day approached we were mustered in a hanger and told that we would be going to France as soon as it was possible to find an airfield to accommodate us. We flew by 鈥淒akota鈥� to 鈥淓pinoy鈥� near Cambrai in northern France in September or October, I don鈥檛 recall.
This was shortly after we were given four days embarkation leave, during which I was cajoled by my brother to meet his pal鈥檚 sister, who had been on the point of being married but whose fianc茅e was killed on his last training flight before the wedding in 1941. This had made her scared of a further involvement while the war was on.
Fortunately, I was able to persuade her to allow me to keep in touch, as I fell for her hook line and sinker, we married in 1946 and were together till just after our Golden Wedding.
When we first went to Epinoy, our orders were to keep to footpaths and designated places, as the whole area had been heavily mined and booby trapped by the enemy and it took a few weeks before we had the all clear. Bu we didn鈥檛 have any great problems until after Christmas, at this time (late January and February) we had very heavy snowfalls and below freezing temperatures, and very quickly we became snowbound.
Despite regular teams of snow clearing, working in dreadful conditions, we couldn鈥檛 get the aircraft off the ground for I believe a couple of weeks at least.
To make matters worse, the Germans in a last ditch effort, had broken through the American lines not far from us and were heading our way. We had heard the guns getting louder but up to this point we hadn鈥檛 realised how close they might be.
One night we were attacked by a squadron of the first German jet planes we had heard of, and they raked the drome and buildings with cannon and machine gun fire. This was followed by parachutists being dropped on the drome, who despite many of our comrades being sent out armed to round them up, had disappeared off the camp, leaving only the marks in the snow where they had landed.
This operation became known as the 鈥淏attle of the Bulge鈥�. Rumours were rife and we were all getting edgy. However, I had asked permission to go to a caf茅 nearby, to get some red wine which we had warmed up and added sugar to keep warm, with no thought of possible problems. The trip out was uneventful and on arriving I met up with six soldiers of the 鈥淩oyal Signals鈥� on the same errand. After a natter about the dreadful conditions we set off back to our own respective quarters, but only got a little way when we came under rifle fire and we dived in a ditch at the side of the road. We all had our rifles but I had no ammunition, even so the light was very poor. After what seemed like ages we ventured out and hastened back to the drome. I reported the incident and RAF regiment scout cars were sent out but I never heard of anyone found.
As the situation was getting more serious, we were given instructions that if we had to evacuate, all aircraft would have to be destroyed, the aircrew evacuated by road, but no mention of our fate which created a great deal of speculating.
Fortunately for us this didn鈥檛 occur as a counterattack by the allies checked them, and they ran out of ammunition and other supplies, but they had reached to within twenty miles of us.
Eventually the situation got back to normal, we were able to carry on with the aircraft back to harassing the enemy, and as we all know the war came to an end.
When the ending had been announced, we were told that all aircraft was to be immobilised to ensure no foolhardy antics by the aircrew, and when we had finished our tasks we could stand down.
Many of my friends went to the British sector, but by the time we finished transport had gone so four of us hitched a lift in an American lorry and finished up in Cambrai. We stayed in the American Red Cross Club where we stayed until curfew was announced, our exit stopped when we hit the open air because we all passed out and spent the night in Cambrai goal, feeling rather sorry for ourselves and waiting for transport back to base in the morning.

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