大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Storygatherer Jane Chanter on behalf of William Henry Burgoyne. The story has been added to the site with his permission and William Burgoyne fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.
I joined the R.A.F. on 30th May 1940, being 19 years old and after initial training I became a DMT (Driver Mechanical Transport) and an ACI (Aircraftsman 1st Class) on 25th January 1941, being detached to RAF Mountbaten, Plymouth to a Hurricane Squadron at Roborough. I had to take night fighter pilots from Roborough in a three ton covered Bedford truck to RAF St Eval, Cornwall.
Whilst at the dispersal area I had to ferry the night staff to the H.Q. area for meals and whilst driving around the perimiter I was conscious of enemy bombers approaching, when all of a sudden all hell was let loose. For apart from dropping HE bombs they dropped hundreds of incendiaries, by which time the warning siren sounded, as the whole aerdrome was lit up, which could be viewed from miles around.
I drove a short distance before the night staff decided it would be better to bail out and take our chance. We were approaching the hanger area when I noticed a brand new photographic reconnaissance unit Spitfire with incendiaries around it, with a few underneath the wings and as fortune would have it, there was a heap of sand and shovels available as the runway was under repair from previous air raids. Another "erk" and I grabbed the shovels and extinguished the incendiaries, saving a valuable aircraft. A Flight Lieutanant appeared as if from nowhere and complimented us on our efforts and told us to follow him which fortunately I did and survived but the death of 21 men was only minutes away as a parachute mine scored a direct hit on their shelter. A single survivor was taken to hospital severely injured, but died the next day. There were two officers among the twenty two killed. I still have vivid memories of that night, as did Roy Dunston whose book 'My Life With RAF St Eval' detailed this as Corwall's worst bombing raid of WW2.
I was passing through London on leave when I got mixed up in the September 1940 heavy bombing raid, which was not a very pleasant experience.
Whilst serving overseas from 22nd April1941 to 20th June 1944, for the first couple of months I was an ambulance driver at 102M.U. Abu Suier,Egypt, and was duty driver during three night bombing raids, when very severe damage was caused to supplies of new aircraft and tyres etc, which caused the Station to be reduced to a care and maintenance Unit for a period until re-established as an important operational station.
After these unpleasant experiences and now aged 84, it is good to be around.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.