大象传媒

This story is taken from an interview with Robert Christie at the Ballymena Servicemen鈥檚 Association, and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interviewer was David Reid, and the transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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I was in the RAF. Ground crew. I was an engine fitter. I joined up on the 16th of August 1939, about a fortnight before the war started. [I was] 19 years of age. I signed on at a place called West Drayden, and then I was posted to Uxbridge, which was the number one training camp at that time, outside London. And after my initial training there I was posted to South Wales, to Clunaffens. To do my trade training. I did my trade training there, then I was posted to a Squadron in Yorkshire. At Finningly, actually. And I joined a Hamden Squadron there. A Bomber, a Light Bomber. One of the ones they used early in the war. Funny enough, she was mainly used for dropping mines in places like the Kiel canal and whatnot, to try and disrupt the German shipping. I was there for some time, and there I was posted to a satellite on an Aircraft called the Manchester. It was the initial aircraft, a twin-engine aircraft. Prior to the 4-engine aircraft coming in. She was the background actually for the Lancaster. And while I was there I had to report back to Finningly, to base camp.

And while I was there I was posted overseas. And I went overseas in one of the largest convoys at that time. Early 1941. Going overseas at that time we went to S Africa, and the Convoy parted. The convoy called into Durban on the east coast of Africa. And we were posted from there, eventually, posted from there to the Middle East.

And I joined a Squadron there that was formed up mainly as a Heavy bomber unit because they found out that the big German Tiger tanks, using 2klb bombs against them. The 2klb bomb could overturn them and do all sorts of things to them, but it couldn鈥檛 put them out of pain all completely. A 2klb bomb! So our Squadron actually was Wellington Mk IIIs with Merlin engine, not the usual radial engines like the Bristol Radials. It was indeed [in the Spitfires]. But she was able to carry a 4klb bomb. And during the period prior to and during Alamein, that was the heaviest bomb used in the Middle East.

And our Squadron was used, for a while, based on intellignce from the army, bombing the wadis where these tanks would form up at night and what-not. When they were grouped together. Now, the 2klb bomb may have done them damage somewhat, but the 4klb put them out of pain altogether. Finished them!

We were flying constantly. Our base camp was a place called Kabrit, on the canal zone. That was our base camp. Down the suez canal. And they were mainly bombing Targets like that.
Plus the harbours and ports and what not. The Germans were bringing in supplies from Italy and whatnot. And attacking shipping was a very important thing, because the Germans were trying to supply their forces in North Africa as a counter to the 8th Army. And Rommel, great general, was committed. At one stage Hitler more or less ordered him, posted him to North Africa to stem the thrust of the 8th Army. Because the 8th Army was actually in a position where they would have annihilated him. But Rommel was one of the greatest generals who ever lived. And he managed to rebuild the German forces, and the Italian forces. He became their supreme commander. And where we had driven them right back, into Tunisia, he re-formed it all and they forced us right back to El Alamein. And at El Alamein was a massive exercise, a massive battle. And the result of that battle is well known, well recorded. And eventually drove the Germans and Italians right back, the whole way back into Tunisia.
And I was posted from there with my Squadron to Malta, that time, because Malta was the key base to attack German shipping and all, coming across [from Sicily]. Bombing ports like Benghazi and places like that.

For a period we were actually seconded to the 8th Army, and the 8th Army directed our operations for some time. Especially against the Tiger tanks. But afterwards we became part of the RAF again, and carred on. Bombing mainly the harbours and shipping and what-not.

For a period we were losing an aircraft a night. And on an odd night we would lose 2 aircraft. [The Squadron had] round about 18. Then one night my own aircraft was coming back, and it was attacked by, I think it was a JU-88. The Germans used them as Fighter aircraft as well as bombers. She was badly hit and had to land in the desert. Miles from anywhere. Both engines packed up. And I was one of the crew picked to go out and recover that aircraft. About 300 [miles] from base.
We couldn鈥檛, we tried to take a crane with us, but the crane couldn鈥檛 make it because of the soft sand and had to turn back. And all we had with us was what they called 鈥渟heer legs鈥�, for lifting the engines off the back of the truck. So we had to dig the truck into the sand to get it low enough. To give the lift. And between man-handling and whatnot we managed to change the engines. It took us a fortnight to recover that aircraft.

When we went to Malta we were still committed to bombing north Africa, and still bombing north Africa. And then we started to bomb the South of Italy, and round, you probably heard tell of it, a base called Taranto. A very powerful Italian naval base, and the Squadron was committed to bombing that for quite some time. Actually, between them and the Navy destroyed most of the Italian fleet.

While I was on that exercise in Malta I took sandfly fever. I had to go into hospital. I was out of action for about a fortnight, and by the time I got out again my Squadron had moved. Moved to Sicily, in fact. And I was posted to a Spitfire Squadron. And I was operating on Spitfires as an engine fitter while I was in Malta for quite some months. Then eventually I was posted back to North Africa again. I was part of a very large MU handling all American aircraft.

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