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"This story was submitted to the site by the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Peoples War Team in the East Midlands with Peter Marwoods permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

On May 17th 1942 I enrolled as a cadet in the Air Training Corps 1214 Squadron, Carlton Nottingham. I was 15 years old and just in time for me to be included for camp at RAF Syerston on the A46 just south of Newark, Nottinghamshire. We had just missed the week before when the RAF had done their first 1,000 aircraft bombing raid of the war to Cologne — this was on the night of 30th/31st May 1942.

The first week of June 1942 was the start of our camp and what a week it turned out to be with the second effort of 1000 bomber raids to Essen. The day started very early with the ATC Cadets of 1214 squadron being taken to 3 Lancaster bombers on dispersal. We all watched as the ground crews prepared for the night operation, a number of us sat across the 400lb bombs that were being loaded along with incendiaries - we had been to the bomb dump on bomb trolleys to pick them up.

At about 9 at night we were again taken to the end of the main runway to await the take off times. I remember to this day the still and quiet, but then as I looked up into the clear sky ( it was double British summer time) it suddenly filled up with hundreds of aircraft, it was at this point that our own airfield came alive with 40 odd four engine Lancaster’s bursting into life at the same time.

Very quickly they all made their way to the take off point, time 1030, away they all went one after the other and then it was again very still. In the early hours of the morning they started to return — it was amazing that all 40 aircraft came back as we escorted them safely back.

I was just 15 years old — what a week it turned out to be.

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