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This story was submitted to the Peoples War website by Noreen on behalf of George Lock and has been added to the site with his permission. George fully understands the site terms and conditions.

George Charles Albert Lock - Ex RAF/commando
People in Story: George Lock and Comrades in RAF
Location of story: Salisbury Plain, Inverary Gosport, Lille, Antwerp and Qaestina
Background to story 鈥� Preparing for D. Day

Now 81 yoa, I live in Christchurch Dorset.

I signed on when I was just over 17 and wanted to became an air gunner like my dad 鈥� I had contracted Mumps and day after my 18 birthday call up papers arrived so I was two weeks late in joining the group. When I passed out I went on the Armourer course.

However I did not want to spend the whole time training, I wanted to get to the action, so I opted to be sent wherever there was a vacancy, so they sent me to Scotland to Inverneshire and I started off with dirty jobs 鈥� cleaning up captured German aircraft and the machine guns- some still had fingers attached in the Breech block!!

Then I heard about volunteers wanted for service with the Commandos, so immediately volunteered and ended up at Seals in Wiltshire - training on Salisbury Plain, running in full kit trying to get down to 8 miles in 1 hour, going up and down the Plain.

Then we had to learn to drive. The instructors said we were the quickest he had ever taught. The C.O told us the objective was that we were to be in trucks, wheels moving in less then 30 minutes after notification of moving 鈥� we got down to 20 minutes!!. The C.O was the only one who knew where we were going, and what we would have to do when we got there.

All the vehicles were self-contained units, for whatever was your trade- armorers truck, engine fitter鈥檚 truck, wireless fitters truck. But at the same time, we all had to be able to do full inspections on all the types of aircraft that were to be used on D-Day. The aircraft would be signed off by you and therefore had to be safe and running OK. We had a visit from an Air Commodore, who said 鈥渨e are expecting 80% casualties so be prepared - ensure that all these aircraft will be able to fly and it is your job to make the landing a success鈥�.

This was because the German Tiger tanks were not worried about the British tanks at all 鈥� they outgunned ours, out-armored them and were faster than ours 鈥� but did not like rocket fired aircraft. These had 2 types of heads 鈥� armor piercing or explosive heads. Once these started attacking the tanks, they were highly successful. Connecting them up was very delicate, because sometimes they back-fired an you could be seriously injured,

After that, final training was to go to Inverary 鈥� our C.O told the CO at the camp we went to that his men were 鈥渟uper fit - they double everywhere they go鈥� 鈥� so that鈥檚 what we did!! On one occasion had to jump into 80 fathoms deep loch in full battle order 鈥� Mae West partly inflated 鈥� we were told by there were men standing by to rescue if need be 鈥� one chap put his hand up for help, and the rescuers nearly drowned him trying to pull him out!!

Sent back to Wiltshire to get ready for loading lorries onto boats to go across channel for D .Day. We had to back lorries onto the vessels - off seafront, I think at Gosport 鈥� had to line up for the loadings along the roadway and await special signals to load up.

There was a Stonemasons yard where we parked with head stones an monuments etc around 鈥� so we all took turns to lie in the monuments 鈥渉ow do I look in this??鈥� 鈥� gallows humor, as we were all expecting to be in major fighting shortly, but it was best to try to make light of it 鈥� not everyone felt like this tho鈥︹��

On journey over, order came to fire the ship to make smoke, because of enemy aircraft flying over to give the camouflage.

Arrived via Bailey bridge to an airfield 鈥� discovered it was Villiers le Sec, near Dieppe. Farmers field had been bulldozed flat by Royal Engineers. Got ready to receive the flyers, when a Mitchell bomber arrived 鈥� 3 crew 鈥� tore up the runway, came out of aircraft and ran like the wind 鈥� we had gone to help them, but when we saw them running away, we ran too 鈥� but plane did not explode. We had to repair the strip so the other planes could land.

Spitfires, Typhoons came in 鈥� they brought newspapers and bread with them 鈥攚e would exchange for tin hats and German weapons. Used the newspapers to cover the ejection slots to keep dust out 鈥� we painted them with red 鈥渄ope鈥� 鈥� this smells like nail varnish remover and best not used in a confined space!!- and because of the angle of working, the paint went all over you 鈥� my mother saw a picture of me and thought I was covered in blood - this all only took a few days in total. Our uniforms began to look like the same colour as Germans because of the dust, and our albatross became indistinguishable fro the German eagle鈥�

Powers that be wanted it to be seen that the RAF was not just in the air but also on the ground, so we had to go and set up the bridgehead.

Canadians came down - we were waiting posting to other units 鈥� I was sent back to Blighty and then posted to Lille and then Antwerp - King George visited 鈥� all lined up but after 3 cheers, the visit was all over and he had gone.

Saw U2 rockets going off there. I was in a cinema when one landed in building next door. One day the roof of armory went up and came down again 鈥� 2 x bodies lying there 鈥� quivering, no bones left 鈥� totally dead. There were also Cluster bombs there 鈥� very dangerous 鈥� bombs lying about could blow up easily 鈥�2 bomb disposal guys 鈥� one day had to blow up un-detonated bomb 鈥� I went with him to help 鈥� up for anything me!!! 鈥� it was so distressing 鈥� people wandering around in a daze -

We wrapped it up with gun cotton and a detonator and then packed it with sandbags and then moved away into the slit trench and blew it with the plunger - I was told I would be mentioned in dispatches, but shortly after I volunteered to go to Japan and so did not get any mention.

In the event, I was instead posted to Palestine, and I attach a photo of a bunch of us in Qaestina in 1946.

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