大象传媒

This is my grandfather鈥檚 story about his contribution to the war effort. His name was Stanley Arthur Quincey and he before he died he dictated a number of stories to my father for our family archive.

After many years of studying at night after his day job, Stanley had finally achieved a degree in electrical engineering in 1939 when he was 32. He was in London collecting his degree on the day war was declared and remembered the trains leaving Kings Cross station that night with no lights showing in case of an early bombing raid. Due to his qualifications he was given a civilian post with the Air Ministry and by 1943 he was made Station Engineer at the newly created aerodrome of Shipdam in Norfolk, which was occupied by U.S.A.F.

Stanley was responsible for all the electrical and mechanical problems at the base and had a jeep and driver provided to ensure he was always available day and night to keep the airbase open. His compensation for this 24 hour availability was the award of two officers鈥� ration tickets for the American P.X where many items were available that had become distant memories for most of the UK population by this point in the war. My father recalled that his popularity at school may have had something to do with the ready supply of chewing gum and chocolate he had access to!

The base was frequently attacked by the Luftwaffe. They dropped many of the notorious butterfly anti-personnel bombs, which exploded if touched. My grandfather鈥檚 assistant Dot was badly injured by one of these bombs when their van drove over it. He was in charge of a large staff but they were drawn from many walks of life and his comment on managing them was likened to sailing on a pirate ship. There was a lighter side of life on the base such as the day Stanley swore to give up alcohol after seeing elephants parading across the local countryside one evening; they turned out to be from a circus that had to walk between towns to give performances due to the general lack of fuel for non-essential activities.

By June1944 the airfield was filled with gliders preparing for D Day and the lanes surrounding the base were stacked with high explosives. The silver American Liberator planes still filled the skies but they were not all going to Germany. Apparently, the American staff lacked for nothing and it was not unheard of for a plane to be dispatched 鈥渁cross the pond鈥� to the USA to collect turkeys for Christmas, booze, ice cream and spare parts for the planes.

After the war when it was time for the 鈥淵anks鈥� to finally return home they offered rides in their planes for all those who had served with them. My grandfather quietly declined as he privately believed they were all quite mad!

Stanley was not to leave the Air Ministry until 1947 and spent his final posting at Colby Grange near Lincoln. He remembered that winter being bitterly cold and seeing snow drifts up to the top of the telegraph posts. Once back in civilian life he joined the electrical installation department of what became the Midlands Electricity Board after nationalisation, where he remained until he retired in 1972. He did not talk much about his war experiences unless pressed but the glint in his eye when he recited these tales led my father to believe that his war had been one of the high points of his life鈥�..

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