大象传媒

This story is taken from an interview with Geoffrey Metcalfe at the Dublin WW2 Commemoration, and has been added to the site with their permission. The authors fully understand the site's terms and conditions. The interviewer was Neil Graham, and the transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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I started in 1941. I was called up in 1940, and I actually went to Belfast to join up. Grifton Street. I stayed, and I was released in 1946.

[was Belfast ready for war in 1941?]
not really. I didn鈥檛 notice anything very much at that stage.

[it wasn鈥檛 really different. From the mainland?]
Not really at that stage, no. 1941. it was only a one-day trip. Up on the Enterprise [train] in the morning, back in the evening. So I didn鈥檛 even see if there was any blackout.

[what unit were you stationed with?]
I wasn鈥檛 stationed. At that stage I came back home. I waited til 鈥� that was actually late 1940, October. And then I wasn鈥檛 called up until January 1941. I had to report to Padgate. Which was the square-bashing place in Warrington in Lancashire. So I never saw the north in that period. I did later on. One night in Knutts corner. Was it Knutts corner? I鈥檓 not too sure. I was in Ballykelly near Derry for a period of time.

[why were you in the RAF?]
I joined up! I decided I would join the Air Force because I had a few school pals as well had joined at the same time. There was another chap I was at school with, he also joined up the same day. But several of my friends had joined the RAF at that stage.

[what age were you at that stage?]
I was 19.
I was going to go into the electrical business, and I had started. That鈥檚 why I went into the RAF as an electrician. I did my training there, but I had done about 6 months before here in Dublin before going into the Air Force.

[did you work on bombers?]
Beaufighters and Mosquitos. Blenheims were just being faded out at that stage. As I鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e aware, there鈥檚 an awful lot of electrical gear on an aircraft. Everything鈥檚 electrical. And I suppose there鈥檚 more-so today. In those days there was a lot of electrical stuff 鈥� indicators for everything to tell you the undercarriage was up or down, everything.

[do you remember the rationing?]
You were very lucky when you were in the Armed Forces, because we got a better ration that the people outside, the civilians. We always got a, for example, we always got a fried egg on Sunday and a rasher! And the aircrew got it always before they went out. They always got a fried egg. But we had no shortage of food.

[did you notice the RAF taking heavy casualties?]
You do. But an awful lot of them get posted from time to time. They might be on this sqdn, and then they鈥檙e posted to some other sdqn and you get a new batch in.

[Was it difficult to make friends?]
They鈥檙e fair-weather friends. You go out and you have a few drinks, and say 鈥渁 great guy, that fellow, so-and-so鈥� 鈥� then you mightn鈥檛 see him again. I had a cousin, he also joined the RAF stationed at Cambridge. And he came down to see me - I was stationed in Cornwall. I got a call from the flying control officer to report to the flying control. The flying control officer, Robinson wished to see me. Of course, I knew exactly who it was 鈥� it was a cousin of mine! I met him there, and we went out. A good night out, that. And 2 days later he was gone, drowned in the channel.

This one that I only got a few weeks ago is a Russian Medal.
It鈥檚 all 50 years ago. 1939-45.
They might have [given it out to everyone] in Russia, but there鈥檚 only 6 of us here who got it. Don鈥檛 ask me how I got it!

[when were you demobbed?]
October 鈥� no, about July 46. I was about 25 then. I joined the RBL as soon as I got out, and I鈥檝e been a member ever since.

[did you go back into the electrical business?]
I didn鈥檛 follow that. I don鈥檛 know why. I went into travelling on the road. Fullers, a high-quality confectionary business based in London, they鈥檝e got a branch in Dublin.

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