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This story was submitted to the people’s War site by a volunteer from CSV on behalf of Ian Joyce and has been added to the site with his/her permission. Mr Joyce fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

This is story about my father Arthur ‘Pip’ Joyce. He was known Pip Joyce during the war. He was rear gunner in Lancaster Bombers during the war. He’s now known for his poetry and you can often hear it on Radio Humberside. He’s 83 this year .

In the war he flew with 514 Squadron out of Waterbeach near Cambridge — they have reunions at the camp and the runway still exists today.

At Waterbeach when they were going on a raid their aircraft were set up ready to go right on the perimeter. This area of the site was known as ‘A for Apple’. Many of the local girls would come and sit on the perimeter wall to wave goodbye to the boys, moral support and some would have boyfriends in the squadron.

The skipper was very crafty and would start the engines then rev the engines to create a back-draft. It was a very calculated move because this back-draft would whoosh up the perimeter wall and blow up the girls skirts showing their knickers.
Because my dad was a rear gunner so he often got the best view!

If I went to war and that was the last thing I saw I think I’d be very happy about it!

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