大象传媒

I turned sixteen in 1940. I joined the local Home Guard as a volunteer and we met across the road from where I lived. We had a uniform, guns and ammunition, and every sunday we went shooting.

I do remember a beautiful day in 1940. The sun was shining before the sirens went. I said to my brother that I was sure we would see a plane if we went to an upstairs window, so we went upstairs, taking our rifles with us.

Sure enough, a plane came very close to us. I knew he would move to the east, so as he opened fire, I aimed my rifle. I'm sure we hit him.

We saw the plane go down, so we ran across to the beach. He had made a perfect landing on the sand where the tide had gone out. The pilot was taken away.

When I got back to the Home Guard, I was asked why my rifle was so filthy and had I been using it? 'No Sir!' I replied.

I joined the Royal Marines at eighteen. I spent time in Sicily and Italy. I also went across Denmark and Germany and saw some awful sights, particularly at the concentration camps.

During the war I met my future wife, a Derbyshire girl, on a blind date. We married on the 7th July 1945. We were married for over fifty years.

Our generation was so different. We worked from the age of fourteen.

I still go out with fellow members of the Royal Marine Association.

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