大象传媒

MY TWO UNKNOWN RAF 61 SQUADRON 5 GROUP AIRCREW.Chapter 1

As Ex-Barnardo鈥檚 boy (Dr Barnardo鈥檚) I, like so many hundreds and thousands of boys and girls, who were put in some form of home like Barnardo鈥檚 because their father was at war or killed in action (KIA) and their mothers could not look after her children or child. From the Second World War, I was staying in Barnardo鈥檚, and like many others whose parents did not keep in touch, either by writing to their sons and daughters, some never even asked Barnardo鈥檚 how they were, 鈥渏ust kept silent鈥�.

My own mother put me in care from the age 3 until 15, because she could not offer to keep me just like many parents. As for myself my mother did keep in touch with Barnardo鈥檚 for the first two years after that she never really asked Barnardo鈥檚 how I was, my mother just did the same like many mothers 鈥淛ust kept silent鈥�.

I must have started thinking about my parent again at the age 36, in Dec-1979, whilst having my birthday, I wondered what happened to my mother and father and why was I put in Barnardos鈥� care in the first place. Maybe my father was at war and my mother could not offer to keep me so I needed to know who my parents were and what really happened to them.

It was my ambition to research for my mother and father - just think back I was born in or almost at the end of the war. My first task was to look up my own birth, to know my mother and father鈥檚 real name, by visiting Somerset House Family Records Centre (FRC) in London, this had moved to a new home in: 1 Myddelton Street London EC1R 1UW.

After receiving my birth certificate, stamp mark back in 1980, age 36, from Somerset House and finding my mother鈥檚 full name but without a name for my father, this was a shock. It read: my full name and date of birth and also the district where I was born in Cheater Hospital. And my mother full name was: Kathleen Gwendoline Valentine, formerly Parry, but nothing read of my father, why I asked myself, only to have this feeling that my father may have been at war and mother could not remember who the real father was at the time, who knows?

Somehow it has raised some serious issues. I had this mixed feeling maybe it was the wrong time because she maybe remarried again with her own children, my decision over her marriage was - no way do I wish to break up this fundamental move. I put a stop to this asking myself the same question what happened to my father? am I doing the right thing? The answer was 鈥淣O鈥� my reason was mother was maybe still alive and remarried with a new family who knew. If I did go ahead and find her, she was more likely to tell me, she had not heard of anyone with the name of first husband, I stopped this for some years.

Once a year Barnardo鈥檚 hold a big reunion garden Fete at head office in Barkingside (Essex) for all Ex-Barnardo鈥檚 Boys and Girls and in July 1995 (but this one was a very special celebration) marking 150 Anniversary in memory of Dr Thomas John Barnardo.

It was there that Barnardo鈥檚 had agreed to open the files to all old Ex-Barnardo鈥檚 only if they wished to know, I was one of them being bought forward.

I will always remember seeing Joan L in September 26-1996 who is my After Care from Barnardo鈥檚 to see my report in reading my entire document. I told Joan my next move was that I鈥檓 going to look for my mother and also what happened to my father, knowing too well finding my father is going to be very difficult task.

Joan offers me help by asking if I would like The Salvation Army to try and find my mother. I took the opportunity, thinking they do know something of finding families, but at the same time I told Joan that I will also be looking for her myself, let鈥檚 see who gets there first, after all The Salvation Army may not find her said Joan with a smile and also they only try looking for mother and father and not other family - I accept this.

The document reports about my time at Barnardo鈥檚 that was very interesting, but not much was said about my father the only clue was: she named someone called George KIA from the RAF but did not say which year, and the other clue she was living in Suffolk at that time. It was sometime before I found the house that belonged to George as my mother was living with her mother-in-law, at my time of staying at Barnardo鈥檚, from my research I was told from some of the neighbourhood that she had a MG sports-car. That did surprise me, not many women could drive a car in those days she must have been in the Military herself - after writing to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) they confirmed that she was in the RAF, maybe she met George there, they Married in 1933.

I took myself to visit the (FRC) 1 Myddelton Street London EC1R 1UW. I Looked up the marriage and found she had married George Valentine, so he must be my father I thought.. After a long search I found his name was right but still unsure about being with the RAF.

I wrote to the MOD again for more help and I received a letter and forms from them, they said his full name was George Engebret Valentine with the RAF that sounded the same as the marriage certificate, I was also told to write to RAF Imperial War Museum Gloucester for more information. From there I received a letter and more forms with a pleasant surprise; the surprise was that he was a Wing Commander,
No 61 Squadron and 5 Group, his Manchester plane was shot down and he was (KIA) over Frankfurt Berlin on: 2 September 1941, I did not accept this at first.

It just happened that I called at W.H. Smith鈥檚 and saw the name of Lancaster Planes and that was named after the Manchester, it was a one of Fly-Post鈥檚 Special magazines so I wrote to them at Lancaster Magazine (Fly-Post, Special) in October 1998. I received a letter from the Editor of Fly-Past on 30 October 98 who put me onto D Richards; once again I needed to write to him. I received his letter on the 11 November 98; he also put me onto Dr Robert Kirby who had written a book called 鈥淎vro Manchester鈥� a book worth having. I also needed to write to him. I started my letter by explaining how I found his name and told him of the Book of 鈥淎vro Manchester鈥� that I have borrowed from the Library and by the word of mouth from doing my research.

I found this is so interesting to know that I had found some parts of my family history from this book of yours that you had written in 1995.

Wing Commander George Engebret Valentine. Was my mother鈥檚 first husband -she married George E Valentine, in 1933 and her full name was Kathleen Gwendoline Valentine.

I received a very long letter about the book and what鈥檚 more he sounded overjoyed to hear from another Valentine.

鈥淚 thank you for your most moving letter of 9 January 1999 concerning your late father, George Valentine. As it happens, I was standing in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Charlottenburg, a suburb of Berlin, at the end of October 1998 in front of the grave of your father and his crew, paying my respects鈥�

From then onward the ball started rolling faster and faster I knew that I was on the right road to finding out what real happened to George, I was receiving so many letters from Ex Airman who served with him in 61 Squadron and 5 Group, all aboard his Manchester aircraft plane.

Some of the nice letters read:
(Continued in chapter 2)

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