大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Joan Wakefield and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

When World War 2 broke out, I ws at a convent school in India, a girl of 14 years, and not always well informed of events occurring outside the walls of the convent. The news of the outbreak of war excited us girls, as we had been wrongly informed that all schoolchildren would be sent to live in the huge Agra or Delhi Forts, safe from the enemy. Of course we had other things on our minds, like being away from nuns and teachers and church services, and with the boys whom we loved from afar. But we did not go into the Forts.

When I left school to go to nursing college, I met a few young airmen, went on dates and got to know them, young men, mere boys, so sweet and innocent, away from home to fight a war, which many of them did not know much about, but to fight for their country.

Life was not a hardship in India then, but in retrospect it was good for them because you literally never knew when they were sent on sorties into Burma if they would ever return, a lot didn't.

I left nursing and joined the Women's Army Corps of India (WACI) to do my bit for the war. It was great fun, we felt we were in it all together. We were stationed in Peshawar, North West Frontier of India. The airfield was huge, and since Peshawar was close to Kabul and Russia, there was always a large military presence there, the army with famous regiments made their mark, I think forever. We loved the Scottish Regiments in their kilts and glen garries (caps) and trews in the evening to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Oh! the pomp and splendour and music on occasions, which only the British Army provided is second to none. To the reader this sounds not at all like war, there were lighter moments, for instance there was the funny football match on Christmas mornings, always in fancy dress, and New Year's Eve Dances, which were held in the enormous hangars, music provided by the RAF bands, beautiful music, which still thrills me and brings back lovely memories of the beautiful British Military boys. A time of innocence and tender care for each other.

When the war was over and the troops were being repatriated back to Blighty, their Indian "servants" (more like brothers and friends) cried. I was asked by my friends to help them to buy presents to take back to their loved ones, I loved it, and felt very privileged to have been asked.

I married an RAF Squadron Leader in Delhi. When the war ended in Japan, there was a march past for everybody and Lord Louis Mountbatten took the salute, and we were introduced to him and Lady Mountbatten. As usual the British Army, Navy and Air Force put on a grand show - there is no other military force as good as the British ever. I listen to the 大象传媒 Radio on Sundays at 10pm Malcolm Laycock plays all the lovely music, which was our type of real music and brings back lovely nostalgic memories.

"It ain't half hot" was very realistic of the friendship between the boys and the Indians. Sometimes one longs for those days. Where is the peace now?

Each generation has something special of their own, but I think our generation ws the best, and one of the reasons is we were really innocent and the boys who left their homes in England to go to foreign lands were very brave and that is one of the things that made Britain great.

I can not end this article without writing a comment heard a few times by the young men - "We didn't realise what a big world we come from" and they loved most of the things they encountered.

I have accepted the invitation to write the article in loving memory of the young men who lost their lives.

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