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I joined the RAF at PADGATE I did a few aptitude tests mainly ‘morse’ tests from there I was sent to BLACKPOOL. Then to MADLEY for further, training and from there I was posted to Dumfries to start my flying career. I trained on DH Dominee / Percival Proctor aircraft and finally on Avro Ansons. From there I was posted to WHITCHURCH where I met my crew.
There were 5 of us trained on 2 engine WHITLEY bombers, known to us as the flying coffins.

From there I was posted to an operational station at FAIRFORD. This was the start of our operational flying and I completed 26 operations before the war ended. Being in the RAF helped me to get a trade, which I put to good use in later life.

Back to my operational duties, some were good some were bad.
The worst ones were at ARNHEM. First of all we went in with gliders then paratroops and later when the paratroops were cut off we started to drop supplies, most of these went to the German troops, Arnhem was a total disaster. Most of our paratroops were surrounded and had to retreat the best they could. I remember the tracer bullets hitting our aircraft. This was no joke because we had a big hole in the floor were we had recently dropped the paratroops. But then we were lucky because a lot of the paratroops never returned. At least we lived to fight another day.

We later went on the Rhine crossing. All of my ops were with 190 Squadron with Stirling bombers and as the war in Europe was coming to a close, we were sent to Norway to liberate the Norwegians. They were all out waving their flags. I had done several ops over Norway these were mostly at night but it was different in daylight, we flew in at low level and we could see all the people waving to us. That was the war in Europe finished. After that I was posted overseas but that is another story.

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