大象传媒

This story is taken from the manuscript of the memoirs of CHARLIE JAMES of Market Harborough, written in his eighties and made available by his daughter, Mrs Marjorie Cowens It is submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a member of Market Harborough Branch, Royal British Legion with Mrs Cowens鈥� permission who fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Charlie James served this Country in both world wars, spent a lifetime with the Railways and in February 1999 at the age of 100, received the L茅gion d鈥橦onneur for his service in France in WW1.He died on 10th July 1999, aged 101.

Remembering life in WW2, Charles wrote "When Children were evacuated from London in September 1939 we had two boys billeted on us. There were allotments at the back of our house and these London Kids started running all over them until we stopped them. They did not know that potatoes and carrots grew in the ground. They always got them from barrows.鈥�

In uniform in World War 2, Charles served in the Home Guard as Platoon Sergeant. He recalled, "We could recognise the sound of Wellingtons from the drome going out and returning. On one occasion a Wellington came down, near by, on fire. Looking out of the signal box I saw a man with no shoes, with thorns in his feet. He had been a member of the crew who had been ordered by the Captain to jump. I phoned to say we had a member of the crew who needed help with an ambulance."

"One afternoon I heard a Jerry plane. It was following the railway line and dropped a bomb just wide of the sidings. He machine gunned the signal box damaging equipment"

"In 1941 our son joined the R.A.F. and trained as a navigator, although he had arranged to go to University to read Maths. He was sent to South Africa to finish his training, promising to send a telegram when he passed his finals. A telegram did come which said - Regret F.C.James died of injuries received in a flying accident - on May 7th 1942. He had passed his final examinations"

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records read
鈥淟eading Aircraftman Felix Charles James
Obs.U/T Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died age 19 on Thursday, 7th May 1942
Remembered with Honour
at East London (East Bank) Cemetery, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Leading Aircraftman James was the son of
Charles and Amy Mabel James of Market Harborough

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