大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Pennie Hedge, a volunteer for 大象传媒 London, on behalf of Ron Smith and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Smith fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was just about 15 or 16 years old when the war started in 1939, and training to be a baker, and then I became a cake decorator. I received my conscription papers in 1942 and I was soon in the Airforce, training to be a fitter. I wanted to be a pilot, but my eyesight wasn鈥檛 good enough for that.

I spent two years or so up in Lincolnshire, working mainly on Lancasters. Very interesting work and it was quite new to me, as I was so young, only 19 or so. Then after a while I was posted down to Devon. In Devon I was working on trainer aircraft, and also Mosquitos. And then I began working on Spitfires and Hurricanes. And then suddenly one day the Sergeant came up to me and said, 鈥淩on, you鈥檝e been posted.鈥� 鈥淲here am I going?鈥� 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going overseas.鈥� 鈥淥h, where?鈥� 鈥淚鈥檝e no idea at all.鈥�

We were posted in 1942, around Christmas time, and I settled down in Egypt, where I had the job of looking after a gang of men, young men, looking after the aircraft, in what they call the graveyard, just outside Cairo 鈥� Heliopolis. I had this gang working for me there, taking aircraft apart so that we could use the parts for other aircraft. Suddenly I was posted from there to the Bahrain Islands. We were there for a few days, and I had to use mosquito nets for the first time. All very new to a South London boy. I then suddenly discovered that I had been put into the Pioneer Squadron, to go to different parts of the world to set up airstrips. It was very rough work.

I did a lot of travelling. It sounds a bit odd, a young man at that time going to so many places: Egypt, the Bahrain Islands, Karachi in India, Bangkok in Thailand, Rangoon in Burma, Hong Kong and Kowloon, Hiroshima in Japan, Palambang in Indonesia, Singapore鈥� Before the war I鈥檇 only been as far as Holland and France on school journeys. This was all new to me.

How did I get to all these places? My secret was that as soon as a notice went up in the centre of the camp 鈥渇itter required for Hong Kong鈥� or wherever, I鈥檇 think 鈥淥h, Bing Crosby went there鈥� and I鈥檇 sign up for the job. I鈥檇 volunteer for these things, not because I was particularly brave, but I was just young and enthusiastic and I wanted to see the world. So we had a good time travelling round.

During the war we saw films of people fighting in different parts of the world. And the one place I did not want to go to was Burma. I had a horrible impression of Burma being a hot place, and rainy, monsoons and very very dangerous. And so I鈥檓 saying in my heart that I don鈥檛 want to go to Burma, anywhere but Burma. And suddenly when it came 鈥淎ircraft fitter required for Burma鈥�, I thought 鈥渙h, I think I鈥檒l go.鈥� I decided to go.

We got off the aircraft just near a clearing, the men getting off with me, and when the Sergeant came out, someone called out 鈥淪ergeant, where are the tents?鈥� 鈥淥ver there鈥� 鈥淎nd where are the beds?鈥� 鈥淏eds? What do you want beds for?鈥� He said 鈥淚f you want a bed, there鈥檚 a jungle over there, go and cut yourself some bamboo and make yourself a bed.鈥� So it was a real Pioneer Squadron. But we really enjoyed it.

After that, our next posting was Hong Kong. That was interesting because we had taken over a school, a very modern school, and we were even allowed the young girls to come and see us, even cook a meal for us, or do our washing. Quite the opposite to being in Burma. A life of ease. Some of the young men married these young girls too.

One day in Hong Kong we received a note saying there鈥檚 an aircraft broken down in Japan. Would anyone like to go and help get it going? 鈥淵es, I鈥檒l go.鈥� So I went to Japan to fix the aircraft. This was a few months after the end of the war in 1946. So we fixed the aircraft and the pilot came out one day and said 鈥淥kay to test fly it?鈥� And I said 鈥淵es, sure.鈥� So he said, 鈥淲ell jump in, we鈥檒l try it.鈥� I wasn鈥檛 expecting that.

I jumped in, with the navigator and the pilot. The navigator said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not far from Hiroshima, where they dropped the bomb. Can we fly over it, Sir?鈥� The pilot said 鈥淵es, why not.鈥� So we flew over Hiroshima. A very very sad sight, terrible sight. And I鈥檝e never forgotten it.

Soon after that I had a posting to Palambang. So I went down there, to a new unit. I got out of the aircraft, walked across the field, and all I could see was army personnel. I told the Sergeant that I鈥檇 just come down to join Squadron so-and-so, he said 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a little late, I鈥檓 afraid, it packed up 3 months ago. They鈥檝e all gone home.鈥� So what do I do now? I saw an officer who told me to make my way back to Singapore. That was about 1,000 miles away. 鈥淲e can fix a flight for you, but you鈥檒l have to hitchhike the rest of the way, on your own.鈥�

So I got back to a transit camp in Singapore. I was waiting there to be appointed to a new squadron. While I was there I went into the tent I鈥檇 been allocated to, tent 24. As I approached it, with my kit bag on my back, I saw on the tent in chalk 鈥淚鈥檇 rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord, than dwell in the tents of the wicked.鈥� I thought, 鈥淥h no, I鈥檝e got one of those religious nutters here.鈥� I thought, I鈥檓 going to have a fine time here.

But I watched him, this man, and he was very very sincere. Each day he鈥檇 be doing something sensible around the campsite, picking up the rubbish, the dog ends, the beer bottles, and so forth. Trying to grow flowers in the half desert. I watched him, I talked with him. I watched him particularly at night time when he鈥檇 kneel by the mosquito net to pray. And as the days went by I thought, there鈥檚 something about this man that I鈥檇 like to know more about. So I asked questions. He loaned me some booklets. I know he was praying for me. And as the days went by, I suddenly became very conscious of the fact that I was not right with God. There was something missing in my life that I wanted.

So one evening I went back into the tent, and there he was, as usual, praying. Not a word passed between us, but I went into the tent and saw him there, went out of the tent and looked at the sky. Should I commit myself to God now? Back into the tent, then back outside. It was the most strange experience. I felt somehow that I鈥檇 been called, by someone, somewhere. So I went back into the tent and knelt and quietly said aloud 鈥淟ord Jesus, I want to follow you. I want you to be my guide, my leader and my life.鈥� After that, we both stood and shook hands. And he said 鈥淩on, what you鈥檝e just said, its in the Bible.鈥� I said 鈥淚s it?鈥�

Two days later he went back to his unit in Ceylon. And the only time I鈥檝e seen him since was a couple of years later in London, he was getting onto the bus I鈥檇 just got off. We only had the chance to say 鈥淗ello鈥� and the bus drove off.

I was in the tent alone. What do I do now, Lord, do I carry on this strange thing I鈥檝e done, or do I forget all about it? Well by the grace and goodness of God, I decided to go on with God. I went along to Singapore, found a church, joined it. And I said to the elders in the church, I鈥檇 like to be baptised. So these four Chinese elders took me through a series of classes, assured themselves that I was a Christian, and baptised me.

And I came back to this country with the certainty that I was going to be a missionary, but not going from England to Africa, China, or somewhere, but coming from China to England. And that鈥檚 what I did. I became a missionary in London.

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