大象传媒

At the age of 4 years my family moved from Butts Road, Heavitree to Rectory Cottage, Gittisham to enable my father to take up the post of Chauffeur/Gardener to the Rector - the Reverend Charteris Duncan. Although it is only during the latter years of my life that I have come to appreciate the wonderful environment we all enjoyed during our 11 years at Gittisham.

I attended the village school and sang in the choir until I was eleven, then off to Honiton Primary, now the site of the McCarthy and Stone flats. (Homelace House) Mr Barnes was Headmaster - a wonderful teacher and Master.

My father thought hairdressing would suit me as a job for life - a after a few months of working 54 hours per week, I gave in my notice and really upset my father. At about this time 1936 my mother died - she never recovered from losing my sister Barbara.

I next worked for a short while for a dairyman, name of Westlake. Had great fun learning to ride a three wheeler bike, but at that time of my life I hated discipline so left for pastures new. The Co-op at that time required help on one of their delivery vans assisting Driver Hurford. At about this time war broke out.

A few months into the war the local Air Training Squadron was formed, but on enrolment evening we were as usual running late with our deliveries. I was determined to enrol so Driver Hurford returned to Honiton leaving quite a few deliveries outstanding. Enrolment was achieved and I was given the sack on reporting for duty the next morning. This did not bother me unduly as plenty of jobs were available and I successfully obtained a job at Mr Brock's bakery as an improver and delivery assistant. This lasted until I was called up in July 1942. I was seen off at Honiton Station by my father (who served and was injured during the first World War). The look on his face as the train pulled away has stayed with me all my life.

Arrived at Crewe station, about twenty platforms (quite a shattering experience) to catch a train to Warrington to meet transport to take me and many others to Padgate.

The two weeks at Padgate were a little traumatic, but we survived and were sent to Filey on the East Yorkshire coast for square bashing and rifle drill - something I never really mastered. From Filey I was posted to St Athans to start fourteen months of concentrated studies to enable me to become a Flight Engineer. The first course was about four months, studying airframe mechanics, this course I passed. We were then posted to Blackpool for a fitters course. We were bused out to Squires Gate Airfield each day for a six month course. I passed this course quite successfully. Our next course was back in St Athans to complete our ground training with a Flight Engineers course. So fourteen months after I joined the Royal Air Force, I passed my Flight Engineers course with a marking of 67% - 3% short of an appointment as a Pilot Officer - this was a great disappointment.

I was posted to RAF Riccall, near Selby, Yorkshire to join heavy conversation unit where pilots, navigators, gunners, Wireless Operators and Bomb Aimers were crewed up with their Engineers to be taught how to fly a four engine heavy Bomber namely a Halifax. My first trip was a short one on circuit and bumps as a rear gunner.

I was eventually crewed up with Sgt. Sparks (Pilot). Sgt. Kelly (Navigator) P.O. Matthews (Bomb Aimer), Sgt. Haley (Wireless Operator), Sgt. Williams (Rear Gunner) Sgt. Palmer (Mid-Upper Gunner). We eventually passed at Riccall our flying training on Halifax Mk 1 & 2s. We were then posted to a new Squadron 578 being formed at Burn Airfield, two miles south of Selby. We did various cross country exercises before the whole squadron was equipped with new Mk 3 Halifaxs which were powered by four Sleeve valve Hercules engines which were air cooled, instead of the four Rolls Royce liquid cooled engines. This modification proved a great success and made the Halybag a much better aircraft.

On leaving the RAF I returned to my trade as a Baker and Confectioner , but could not settle and eventually joined the Civil Service at Dunkeswell as a Storeman. I married my childhood sweetheart Betty Solman. This truly was a wonderful moment in my life. My feet were itchy and I applied for promotion successfully and transferred to a new Home Office Sore at Bealieu, Hampshire as Warehouseman in charge. I stayed about a year and was transferred to Home Office Store, Reading, as Warehouseman for a wonderful pay rise of three shillings a week.

My stay at Reading was three years and I was promoted to Officer Grade in the Civil Service and posted to Home Office Store, Marston Moor, as Assistant Officer in Charge,. Whilst this was my rank, I was actually in charge with a Senior Officer at Leeds acting as my Supervisor with his store at Yeadon and another store at Snaith. He proved to be a difficult man to work with and all requests to alter various things at Marston Moor were met with a NO. My stay at Marston Moor was three years. I was then posted to Home Office Sub-Store at Prees Heath, Shropshire with another satellite store at Calvelley under my control. My stay proved to be six of the happiest years of my life, with a wonderful staff and a Supervisor who allowed me to have full control.

My stay down in the County of Salop came to an end with my promotion to Officer in Charge of the main store at Yeadon, Leeds with two satellite stores at Marston Moor and Snaith. My stay back in the County I love lasted four years and I was posted to our main store in the Midlands at Meir, Stoke on Trent with satellite stores at Ashbourne, Cleverly and Prees Heath under my control.

This posting lasted for about four years and I was posted to open a new store at Shirley, south of Birmingham with a satellite store at Nuneaton. At this time our role as a stores organization was changing from storage of Civil Defence vehicles and equipment to the storage of prison goods and chattels and raw materials for workshops, then the finished goods. It soon became apparent that a different type of storage accommodation would be required and new accommodation was found at Branston, Stoke on Trent. This store eventually accommodated the eight stores under my jurisdiction and a few others.

At this time the Superintendent of Stores at our Headquarters was retiring and the powers that be decided to promote me to this post which meant that I was in charge of our nation-wide storage organization in an advisory capacity at our Corby H.Q. I remained at Corby until I retired. It was during this period that the Firemen throughout the country decided to strike for better conditions. Home Office decided to cover the whole country with Green Goddess Fire Engines. The Army and Air Force personnel to man them. I was the chief liaison Officer and handled all the problems of supply and demand of spares and equipment. This proved to be a mammoth task, but with my Assistant Joe Leedham we coped and I ended up being awarded the MBE for this work.

On retirement in June 1983, Betty and I returned to Devon and Honiton to live, we then enjoyed eighteen months before she died.

Late 1986, I met Pam, my present wife and as I write this little bit of history we are in our fourteenth year. We both bowl. Pam is the Ladies captain and I am the General Secretary of our club - Feniton. I have also been playing golf since 1984.

It is now the 11th August 1999 and we have all enjoyed the eclipse of the sun by the moon, the bowling season is nearly over and indoors beckons us. I have not bowled a lot this season because of a damaged shoulder and arm - look forward to next season! Pam has enjoyed her season so far as Captain of the Ladies Section at Feniton Bowling Club.

We have just been entertaining our landlady from Tenerife for a long weekend, she owns a rather nice villa there. We have been going to Tenerife for two months for twelve years now to escape the months of January and February.

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