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This story has been written onto the ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War site by Cornwall CSV Storygatherer, Martine Knight, on behalf of Alfred Jeffry. His story was given to the Trebah WW2 Video Archive, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2004. The Trebah Garden Trust understands the terms and conditions of the site.

I was in the Mullion Home Guard, joining when I was seventeen. When I was 18 they made me a Lance Cpl. We were the first Home Guard unit to have a particular sort of ammo — 18mm steel ball shot — and we were each given one cartridge to practice with. One colleague — who was known as a good shot — was told he’d missed the target, but closer examination showed that he’d actually blown the entire bullseye clean out.

My wife and I met early in the war and both decided to join the RAF. She was stationed in Coventry & I was at Edghill, about 60 miles away. I often used to go to see her, sneaking back into camp in the early hours.
I was an electrician and worked on the rewiring of 7 Halifax planes in order that they could use the latest radar/anti radar technology. We worked 18hr shifts to get the work done before D-Day.
I was then given a 4-day pass to return to Helston to get married and returned, by train, on D-Day morning. The train was deserted and the guard said that I must have been the only serviceman on leave.

When the war in Europe ended I was posted India. We had been heading for SE Asia to sort the Japanese out, but were diverted to Bombay. From there we crossed India, by train, to an air force base outside Delhi.
On Xmas Day 1945 a few of us were gathered at the Viceroy’s Palace — where an area had been given over for troops on R&R — when the Viceroy himself (General Wavell) came in. He had quite a long chat with me about my work and how he used to visit Marconi’s radio station at Poldhu, before the war.

Video details CWS040604 14:45:00 to 15:10:30

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