大象传媒

I was born in 1924 and was 16 and living in Coventry when war broke out. I was training as an engineer at Dunlop, making Aircraft wheels and gun firing systems, and lorry and tank wheels. It was precision engineering. I tried to take my ONC and HNC exams but failed them.
Instead I joined the Fleet Air Arm, and was sent firstly to RAF Henlow, and then to Melksham in Gloucestershire. It was there that I met my wife (I winked at her in the Church choir!)

Part of our training was in London. We heard a 鈥減ut-put-put鈥� sound and went up to the top to see the first flying bombs. The next day one landed outside, just missing us.

On D-Day I was in Lee-on Solent, guarding the Fleet Air Arm Station. I was sent5 to Scotland doing maintenance on Swordfish, Walrus, and Spitfires. While I was there I joined EVT 鈥� Education Vocational Training. We were training all sorts of people; artists, actors, and university students. In Middle Wallop on Salisbury Plain, we set up an EVT from the word go. We then went to Somerset, to another camp after the war. Then to Staffordshire and I was demobbed.

During the war all my mates went to Australia, but I had Scarlet Fever and couldn鈥檛 go. It was to train people for the Pacific War, but the Atomic bomb was dropped and they were turned back.

I went back to Coventry, but my old factory had been bombed 11 times, so I joined the firm鈥檚 fire brigade. I was on duty at weekends.

At 21 after the war, I had to resume my training, night school and exams, but I had a wife and young baby so it was hard work to get my qualifications but I managed.

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