大象传媒

Ronald George Beck鈥檚 story

War started in 1939. I was a scout and then became a messenger.
In 1941 I was fire watching where I worked then I saw a plane fly over in front of the moon, I thought it was an allied plane, then I heard a whistle and it hit a neighbouring factory. We had to stack thousands of boxes full of t-shirts by the side of the road.
In 1941 I volunteered to join the royal navy. I was in the fleet air arm, after that I volunteered to be a mechanic.
In December 1941 I went to Great Morvin to see the HMS duke and spent six weeks being taught by a chief. There I learnt how to use weapons. Etc. we had to pretend to fight, I thought it was disgusting,
We went to the RAF locking, near western super mere I spent six months there learning to be an air craft mechanic. I didn鈥檛 really get on with everybody.
After that I went to Cornwall there I joined a training squad. We used to fly aircraft鈥檚 and towed a target. We almost hit an aircraft. My view I thought it was very dangerous.
In 1943 we went every where, to the Far East, to the top end of Ireland, Greenland, America, Spain, Brazil and Africa. We stayed in Capetown and were put a shore. We stayed there for three weeks in a South African army base. We didn鈥檛 do much, all we had to do was show our faces at nine then the rest of the day we had free.
We went on a ship called johanvanoldenbarneveldt. We went to Southampton then to saint Merlin in Cornwall. There I was in charge of the flights.
I know that lots of people went through a horrible time. I got extremely nervous. My younger brother learnt how to operate electric typewriter.

My view: most people who fought in the war if had been given the chance wouldn鈥檛 have been there. I was concerned about the way Germans treated the Jews. I know that anyone at sea was at danger.
I am a pacifist-I believe war is the wrong way to solve problems.
I think that war is a shocking waste.

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