大象传媒

This story was submitted to the the People's War site by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries on behalf of Michael Bailie and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

A story from Michael Bailie.
In 1943 I joined the RAF as a trainee wireless operator in aircrews. I went to the Aircrew Receiving Centre in St John's Wood in London. One morning there was a Dakota flying over with part of it's wing missing. Obviously it must have hit a balloon cable. It swung round looking for a safe place to land and he came in low over Regents Park but he crashed with I believe, no survivors. That was in 1943.
We learnt radio operation and theory up to 1944 when they found out after D-Day they didn't need so many and started to cut back. That was at Radio Madley in Herefordshire.
From there I went to RAF Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey. That was when the Doodlebugs were coming over. At night we could see the fire from their tails. Massive anti-aircraft fire lit up the sky like fireworks. At that time there was a massive balloon barrage to protect London.
We were given the choice of joining the army or going down the mines so I joined the army. I was attached to the parachute regiment in 1945, qualifying in June just as the war was ending. I finished up in Palestine in the peace-keeping force.

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