大象传媒

Eduction ! not for me, despairing of ever being able to assimilate the mysteries of algebra etc, I decided to leave the secondary school where I had spent 3 years, and possibly to avoid expulsion after a fracus with some female students, I fleft in August 1936.

Impressed with thge idea of overseas travel and to emulate my brother who had joined the Army, iapplied for enlistment in the ground trades of the RAF. I was told that the minimum joing age was 17 1/2, and as I was at that time barley 17, I left my name on the list to be called up when I became "of age".

In the meantime i tried a variety of temporary jobs from mixing fruit in huge bath and then pachaging into 1lb pkts to labouring making tiled fireplaces. Finally i obtained a job as a petrol attendant, leading to training as a mechanic where I remained until March 1937 when I joyfully received a letter from the RAF to report for enlistment.

With the speed of a gazelle I packed a small suitcase with my minimum wardrobe, carreid my raincoat, and off to RAF recruiting station Uxbridge.

I was to remian there for 3 months basic training course, square bashing etc, but after a week all new arrivals were to move to RAF Station at Henlow, near Bedford, Although confined to camp until leaving for Henlow, I decided to break camp and nip home for a visit. Consequently, after an evening with a girl friend I missed the last tube b ack to Uxbridge. Returning on the first tube next morning I was charged with b eing absent without leave and was awarded 7 days confined to camp to be carried out at Henlow.

It is ironic, in view of my latter association with Fire Brigades, that I spent my first 7 days at Henlow scarping and repainting Fire buckets. On completion of my punishment, I along with about 100 others hhad to attend a 3 day pre-selection course to decide in what manner we were best to be employed by the government, to protect and maintain the Empire.

During the 3 days of questions and interviews, and because I managed to hold a screwdriver better than a pen, it was decided I was best qualified to become a mechanic. With the 3 months basic training over, and a proven ability to march in step and hold a rifle, 20 of us were moved to RAF manston to the fitters mate training course of 4 weeks. Myaptitude seemed to lean towards engines instead of air-frames. After the 4 weeks course was succesfully completed, I emerged a fully qualified fitters mate, enroute, once again, to Henlow for 9 months, to be trained as a Flight mechanic (E).

The period at Henslow was hard-yacker, but by determination I was able to complete and successfully pass the 9 month course emerging as an AC2 Flight Mechanic (engines), and my first posting january 1938 was to 48 (GR) Squadron at Manston - between Ramsgate and Margate.

In view of the impending war, and with a huge expansion programme for the RAF, 48 Squdron was halved into two squdrons and I was posted to Eastchurch notices appeared on the board with regard to overseas postings to Iraq. A few months wait and I was finally rewarded with an overseas posting to No 84 Squadron at Shaibsh, Iraq and left England in December 1938 via the troopship Gloucestershire outward bound to Basra.

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