大象传媒

My parent鈥檚 story:

My mother was still at college in Oslo when on April 9, 1940 she watched the Germans march in to the city. Her cousins slipped away to join the underground and she moved out of her digs and into her aunt鈥檚 house so that it didn鈥檛 look obviously empty. Her parents lived in the very north of Norway and were frantic to find her. Their letters to her were heavily censored and eventually returned. She travelled north when she could and took scraps of news with her sewn into the hem of her clothes. Her father, who was the manager of a mine, slowed production down until he was sacked.

My father joined the RAF on September 8, 1939. He was 19. He began his flying lessons on July 2 1940, flew his first solo test on his 20th birthday and his first night flight a month later. His flying instructor asked him how old he was and shook his head saying 鈥渄on鈥檛 forget to reach the aerodrome laddie 鈥� we only just cleared the hedge鈥�.

He flew with Coastal Command in Whitleys and Wellingtons mainly. He was also a flying instructor. He flew from Feltwell, Sywell. Grantham. Squiresgate, Silloth, Limavady, Cranwell, Chivenor, Castle Combe, Ein Shemer, Aden, Socotra, Cairo and eventually to Fornebu. His missions included searches for the Sharnhorst and Tirpitz and blockade-runners, low level bombing and convoy escorts. He was with squadrons 502, 612, 172, 203 group, 621 squadron and 46 group. When Coastal Command had no more missions for him he switched to transport, flew supplies into liberated Norway and met my mother.

My father was de-mobbed on March 5, 1946 but served and trained with the RAFVR until he was 40. He and my mother had been married over 53 years when he died last year.

I have his medals, log books, record of service and albums of photographs taken by both my parents during those years.

My mother is still with us 鈥� she will be 82 in December.

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