- Contributed by听
- A7431347
- People in story:听
- Peter R. Bassett
- Location of story:听
- London, Sevenoaks, Lake Huron, Wick
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A6825963
- Contributed on:听
- 09 November 2005
When war broke out in 1939, I had just started work in Westminster Bank in London aged 18. I was living at home in Sevenoaks so I travelled daily to London. I was accepted in the RAF when the Americans joined the war. I was posted to Canada to train for nine months spending most of the time at Lake Huron, so well positioned for weekends in Detroit or Toronto! We were spoilt with excellent food and extras we had not seen for years in Britain and found night flying so easy which caused difficulties back home with the blackouts!
On our return to Britain at the end of 1941 we were posted to Wick to guard Scapa Flow and keep an eye on German shipping which was heavily employed carrying 'heavy water' down from Northern Norway to Holland.
Many thanks to the Navy for all their many rescues at sea and to the many American bombers flying down from Wick to Essex and Cambridgeshire which often gave us a lift home!
This story was submitted to the People's War website by Helena Noifeld of 大象传媒 Radio Kent and has been added to the website on behalf of Peter Raymond Bassett with his permission. He fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
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