- Contributed by听
- franticleader
- People in story:听
- IAN ADAMSON, KIT KITLEY, CONNIE( GORDON CONWAY) FUGGY FUGE, BIFF VIENS, GIGGS AND FLEM
- Location of story:听
- LINCOLNSHIRE ENGLAND
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A8732658
- Contributed on:听
- 22 January 2006
Kit (Alan John Herbert) Kitley fighter pilot 136 Squadron The Woodpeckers in his Hurricane 'The Pride of Hampton Wick.' India 1943.
September 1941 Kirton-in-Lindsey Lincolnshire.
THE 136 FIGHTER SQUADRON SPIRIT 鈥擡ARLY DAYS OF THE WOODPECKERS AT LARGE IN KIRTON-IN-LINDSEY AUGUST 1941.....
The evening outings were different now, one was able to recognize the voice that had made the smart crack in a dark corner of the truck and knew who made the expected retort. Names and nicknames were identified with their owner and with his personality. Each started to stand out in different individuality and character.
The evening started off well with the first boat-race. Everybody held their full tankard in the middle of the circle. At the C.O.鈥檚 call of 鈥淐hugalug鈥 the race began. The owner of the last empty tankard returned, paid for the next round. The Brits, operating on their own ground did well at it, but the others were coming along nicely. It was a mixed crowd. Canada and New Zealand were well represented. There were Brits of all kinds, and even an Argentine and eventually a Yank.
Kitley stood out owing to the possession of a tremendous jaw, which appeared to be necessary to balance a pipe that had a dangerous habit of showering sparks, whenever its owner talked down it, which was quite often as any remark would bring forth a painful pun from Kit. He would answer the general baleful stares with an innocent smile and arched eyebrows accompanied by an inane chuckle as if asking pardon for a thing that just could not be helped. Biff Viens, with his bulk and Toronto drawl, provided a peaceful background. Giggs and Flem added the sound volume to the gathering. Fuggy slashed the conversation with his occasional hacking tummy laugh, its originality made people look around and stare searching for the source of such an odd sound. By this time Fuggy would be swaying back and forth, eyes screwed up tight, flicking his arms and hands. Connie would start up a story giving everybody the best of his flashing smile and view of his struggling Errol Flyn moustache. The trip back to base was very rowdy鈥
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