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France 1939
August 1939. I was posted to No 1 FTS Netheravon from Halton, then to 218 Squadron, I with others were flown from Netheravon to Auberive in a Rapide on Sept.2nd 1939.

September 2nd 1939. Complete with rifle and 10 rounds, part of 218 Squadron arrived by air, in a small village named Auberive, located to the east of Reims, France.
218, 103 and 88 Squadrons made up H.Q.75 Wing.

We were accommodated in a hayloft above the cattle quarters, which in time we converted into something a little better. The local women did their weekly washing in a wash house on the river bank. It was all very primitive. Much could have been done to improve our living accommodation but no-one was much interested in our welfare.

September 9th 1939. I sent my mother a model of Reims Cathedral by post.

During the phoney war we set up an engine repair unit, in a shed in the middle of the village. The squadron carried out many training flights practising formation and other manoeuvres. The first flight in anger was early January 1940. About this time a detachment was sent to Perpignon. I with a colleague had to travel by train to Perpignon to repair a squadron ‘Fairey Battle’ damaged on landing. I remember the train journey and the wooden seats and being allocated a room together in a French Army barracks. I remember that he became ill during the night, with hallucinations and being semi-conscious. I had difficulty getting help, but eventually a French doctor arrived and he was sent to hospital. I was instructed not to leave the building and food was passed to me through the window. An RAF doctor arrived, told me that he had meningitis and took me to the same hospital where I was subject to many tests. After several hours I was given the all clear and the RAF doctor took me out for a slap up meal and then back to the airfield. After repairing the damaged aircraft it was a lonely journey back to Auberive.

My friend was treated with a new drug at that time M&B 693, and eventually returned to Auberive, where conditions were even worse. I remember the guard duties, in the bitter weather in addition to our normal duties of servicing the aircraft, no RAF regiment in those days. I remember the French cookhouse and the meals they served. Off duty we produced our own omelettes etc

It was a very cold winter, the aircraft were never under cover and needed defrosting before flight every morning. We used a special heavy vehicle for the job. Cigarettes cost us next to nothing and helped us like a drug to cope with the very poor conditions.

See Article 8943762 for picture and conditions of the airfield.

Some weekend trips into Reims to meet friends helped, as did visits to areas of champagne production. We attended one concert given by Gracie Fields.

German Advance
During the month of May 1940 the airfield and aircraft at Auberive were severely damaged by German bombs. I remember that a delayed action bomb landed on the east end of the airfield near the cross roads. 218 Squadron was evacuated to Nantes, on the West Coast of France. The roads were crowded with refugees and frequently fired on by German aircraft. Airmen were killed on one lorry.

June 7th 1940 in Nantes I and a few 218 colleagues were posted to 65 Wing Servicing Unit, which was formed sometime during 1940 and abandoned 24/06/1940. (Wings can be a sub-division of a Group acting independently or can be a sub-division of a station or establishment and these are usually sub-divided further into Squadrons.) . The remainder of 218 squadron were shipped to UK via Cherbourg. (Dunkirk evacuation 30.05.1940)

The task of 65 WSU was to repair aircraft abandoned in France for flight back to UK. History shows that Panzers crossed the River Loire in the west on 17th June 1940, just days after we joined 65 WSU. We worked our way East, until we reached Le Mans. We used one damaged aircraft to repair another, and carried out some unauthorised repairs, to save aircraft, for example damaged propeller blades on a Battle were cropped and the Aircraft reached UK safely. We airmen taxied the aircraft to convenient locations to facilitate repairs.

July 1st? 1940. Germans brought our efforts to an end. We retreated west taking with us new army motor cycles found under the grandstand at Le Mans.

Evacuation
July 3rd? 1940. Arrived at the coast. We found our Wing had been evacuated. As a group of six airmen living off tins of bully beef, considered our position from a hill overlooking the harbour at St Malo. Two decided to attempt to reach Spain, four of us remained. History shows that the Royal Navy carried out evacuations from ports on the French coast.

July 6th? 1940. A ship arrived, tied up in the harbour, raised a flag and sounded its siren. Soldiers and a few airmen broke cover and made for the boat.

July 8th 1940. We arrived, Portsmouth/Southampton after two days at sea, during which I slept most of the time. We airmen were taken to RAF Yatesbury, dirty and tired, where we were treated like VIP’s. Next day we travelled by train to Uxbridge.

July 10th 1940. Records confirm my posting to 210 Squadron, Pembroke Dock.

Out of the frying pan into the fire
210 Squadron was equipped with Short Bros. S25 Sunderland flying boats. These aircraft entered service with the RAF in 1938 and were produced by Shorts and Blackburn. They were among the largest aircraft of the first half of the 20th century; their ability to land on water allowing them to break free of the size restraints and general lack of land based runways at that time. Atlantic patrols were made every day from P.D. It played a vital role in safeguarding convoys, saving airmen from the sea and sinking German U boats. German military placed high importance on this small town as a military target. It suffered heavy bombing raids in 1940, mostly at night. Oil storage tanks at Pennar blazed for 18 days. Every street in the town sustained some damage and 200 houses were totally destroyed. People slept rough in the country to escape some of it.

August 29th 1941. An overseas posting came up, last in first out and I was soon on my way by ship convoy to Aden via Freetown and Durban.

Injustice/Overview
We felt abandoned in July 1940 and were concerned that the salvage unit (65 W.S.U.) was authorised in France without due regard for the safety of the airmen involved. This injustice affected us through the rest of the war. There was still more to come and no redress.
In our old age we are unable to obtain medical records of treatments and deceases suffered overseas.

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