大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Rupert Creed on behalf of Mark Niman and others and has been added to the site with their permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I LEFT SCHOOL AT THE AGE OF 14 yrs, IN 1932. I CLEARLY REMEMBER MY FATHER PAYING 拢80.00 FOR ME TO HAVE AN APPRENTICESHIP AT AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS CALLED MAITLAND CO.LTD. IN MANCHESTER. 拢80.00 WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN THOSE FAR OFF DAYS.

I WAS THERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, ACTING AS AN ELECTRICIANS MATE, THERE WAS NO FORMAL TRAINING, BUT I ENJOYED THE WORK AND LEARNED QUITE A LOT.

ABOUT THIS TIME I BECAME VERY INTERESTED IN RADIO (WIRELESS AS IT WAS CALLED), AND ALSO A NEW INVENTION CALLED TELEVISION. I LEFT MAITLANDS AND STARTED WORKING FOR A FIRM CALLED TOUBKINS WHO HAD PREMISES IN FARADAY HOUSE TODD STREET MANCHESTER, JUST OPPOSITE VICTORIA STATION. I WAS IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
OPPOSITE FARADAY HOUSE ADJOINING CHETHAMS, WAS A RAF OFFICE, AND I NOTED RAF PERSONNEL GOING IN AND OUT EACH DAY IN THEIR VERY SMART BLUE UNIFORMS. AS THE SECOND WORLD WAR HAD JUST COMMENCED I REALIZED THAT I WOULD BE CALLED UP, SO I DECIDED TO JOIN THE RAF, STRAIGHT AWAY AND IMMEDIATELY WENT TO STRETFORD TOWN HALL, THE NEAREST RAF RECRUITING OFFICE, AND VOLUNTEERED. I WANTED TO BE A 鈥淏RYLCREEM BOY鈥�

I WAS SENT TO PADGATE NEAR WARRINGTON, AND WAS DISGUSTED WHEN THEY ISSUED ME WITH A FIRST WORLD WAR 鈥淒OG-COLLAR鈥� UNIFORM. I WAS SO UPSET THAT WHEN PASSES WERE ISSUED FOR A SHORT 鈥淗OME LEAVE鈥� I REFUSED MINE, AND DID NOT GO HOME UNTIL I WAS ISSUED WITH PROPER OUTFIT.
AS I HAD BEEN TRAINED IN THE WIRELESS AND ELECTRICAL FIELD, I WAS POSTED TO NO.1 RADIO SCHOOL AT YATESBURY WILTSHIRE AND BECAME A WIRELESS OPERATOR. I VOLUNTEERED FOR AIR CREW DUTIES AND DID AN AIR-GUNNERY COURSE AT JURBY THE ISLE OF MAN. AT THE END OF THAT COURSE I WAS POSTED TO MY FIRST OPERATION BOMBER SQUADRON NO.10 AT LEEMING YORKSHIRE. THIS WAS EARLY 1940. THEY WERE EQUIPPED WITH WHITLEY BOMBERS.
MOST OF OUR NIGHT OPERATIONS WERE OVER GERMANY, BUT WE DID GO TO ANTWERP BELGIUM ON ONE OCCASION, AND IT WAS ON THIS TRIP THAT I HAD MY FIRST LUCKY ESCAPE. IT WAS ON THE NIGHT OF 15/09/1940 , WE DEVELOPED ENGINE TROUBLE ON OUR RETURN AND 鈥淒ITCHED鈥� INTO THE NORTH SEA JUST OFF GRIMSBY. WE WERE TOSSED ABOUT IN OUR DINGHY FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WHEN WE SPOTTED A SHIP COMING TOWARDS US. AS IT GOT CLOSER WE NOTICED THAT GUNS WERE POINTING AT US. I THINK THEY RECOGNIZED THE LANGUAGE WE WERE USING AND DECIDED THAT WE WERE ON 鈥淭HE SAME SIDE鈥�
THEY PULLED US ABOARD, THEN TOLD US THAT WE HAD LANDED IN A MINEFIELD, WHICH THEY HAD JUST LAID. THESE BRAVE MEN WERE ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.
THEY CARRIED ON WITH THEIR MINE LAYING FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS THEN TOOK US BACK INTO GRIMSBY FOR A PUB CRAWL. THE RAF ARRIVED LATER AND TOOK US BACK TO LEEMING. THIS SHIP WAS CALLED 鈥淜URD鈥� AND I MANAGED TO GET A PHOTOGRAPH OF IT,RECENTLY FROM THE WEB. I BECAME A MEMBER OF THE 鈥淕OLDFISH CLUB鈥�

MY SECOND LUCKY ESCAPE WAS A MONTH LATER 14/10/1940 WE WERE RETURNING FROM A SUCCESSFUL NIGHT RAID ON A OIL REFINERY IN STETTIN POLAND. AS WE APPROACHED BASE, WE WERE INFORMED THAT IT WAS 鈥淔OGBOUND鈥� AND THAT WE
WOULD BE GIVEN A DIVERSION. WHEN WE TOLD BASE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A FUEL PROBLEM, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CLIMB TO 8000ft. POINT THE AIRCRAFT EAST AND 鈥淏ALE OUT鈥�. ALL FIVE OF US 鈥淏ALED OUT鈥� AND LANDED SAFELY. IT WAS A COLD NIGHT ON THE NORTHUMBRLAND MOORS, SO I KEPT THE CANOPY WRAPPED ROUND ME, TILL THE FOLLOWING MORNING , WHEN ALL FIVE OF US WERE PICKED UP BY THE HOME GUARD AND MARCHED TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION. THE LOCAL SQUIRE CAME ALONG, CHECKED OUR STORY,CONTACTED LEEMING AND AFTERWARDS TOOK US TO HIS MANSION AND TREATED US TO A PHEASANT DINNER. I REMEMBER IT WAS AWFUL.
I FINISHED MY 1ST TOUR OF OPERATIONS ON 08/05/1941 AND WAS POSTED TO AN
OVERSEAS AIRCRAFT DELIVERY UNIT. I HAD BECAME A MEMBER OF THE FAMOUS CATERPILLAR CLUB.

MY THIRD LUCKY ESCAPE WAS WHEN WE WERE GIVEN THE TASK OF DELIVERING A BOMBAY AIRCRAFT TO 216 SQDN HELIOPOLIS CAIRO. WHO USED THESE FOR TROOP MOVEMENT.
THE BOMBAY WAS NOT DESIGNED TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES AND SO WAS FITTED WITH INBOARD BALLAST TANKS FROM WHICH YOU COULD 鈥淭OP UP鈥� THE WING TANKS FROM TIME TO TIME. THERE WAS A HAND PUMP FITTED AND IT WAS THE JOB OF THE NAVIGATOR TO DO THE TOPPING UP. HE HAD TO COUNT A CERTAIN NUMBER OF STROKES THEN STOP.
I WAS THE WIRELESS OPERATOR , AND SUDDENLY NOTICED PETROL DRIPPING DOWN MY PORTHOLE WINDOW, AND REPORTED AT ONCE TO THE PILOT. WHO SENT SOMEONE ALONG TO STOP THE NAVIGATOR PUMPING, IT TURNED OUT THAT HE HAD FILLED THE WING TANKS AND THE OVERFLOW WAS GOING INTO THE SEA.. I SENT A MESSAGE TO GIBRALTAR, WHO IMMEDIATELY SENT ML121 OUT TO MEET US. JUST AS WELL BECAUSE WE HAD TO 鈥淒ITCH鈥� ABOUT 20 MILES SHORT OF THE ROCK. A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT,THIS TIME IN AN AIRCRAFT WITH A FIXED UNDERCARRIAGE. THE SKIPPER OF THE ML121 DECIDED TO TOW THE BOMBAY INTO GIBRALTAR, AND HAD A HAWSER TIED TO EACH OF THE TWO ENGINES , THEN VERY SLOWLY MOVED OFF. TO OUR AMAZEMENT THE AIRCRAFT SHUDDERED SLIGHTLY AND THE TWO ENGINES FELL OFF INTO THE SEA. MOST AMUSING.
I BECAME A TWO-DITCHED GOLDFISH鈥�
I WAS THEN EVENTUALLY POSTED TO NANYUKI KENYA, PRECISELY ON THE EQUATOR AN WIRELESS INSTRUCTOR AT 72 OTU. GOT A COMMISSION AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO OPERATIONAL DUTY. GOT A POSTING TO 259 SQDN. MOMBASA MAY 1943 ON CATALINA FLYING BOATS, SEARCHING OUT SUBMARINES, I THEN WAS POSTED TO 209 SQDN ALSO ON CATALINA FLYING BOATS, ALSO ON SUB PATROL. WE DID FLIGHTS WHICH SOMETIMES LASTED 20 HRS, I RETURNED TO BLIGHTY EARLY IN 1944 AND JOINED 192 SQDN. THIS TIME WE FLEW HALIFAX鈥橲, I WAS NOW A SPECIAL OPERATOR, CHECKING ON GERMAN RADAR, A MOST INTERESTING OCCUPATION.
I WAS PRESENTED WITH THE DFM BY KING GEORGE V1 AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON THE 13th. OF MARCH 1945, BOTH MUM AND DAD CAME TO THE INVESTITURE . THEY WERE THRILLED TO BITS. I WAS DEMOBBED IN 1946. HOW I SURVIVED THE WAR, I鈥橪L NEVER KNOW, BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, I WAS UNIMAGINABLY LUCKY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I LOST SO MANY OF MY DEAR FRIENDS, AND COLLEAGUES.

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