- Contributed by听
- RAF Cosford Roadshow
- People in story:听
- John Edward Adams RAAF
- Location of story:听
- Peterborough, Lincolnshire
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A2743364
- Contributed on:听
- 14 June 2004
In 1943 as a qualified pilot, I landed in Scotland, posted to Brighton, farmed out to Peterborough, to do refresher flying training in a Miles Master.
One day on a local flying exercise to familiarise myself with the lay out of the land - I found myself lost! Having spied a large town with a large airfield below I decided to drop in to ask for directions back to my base.
Upon landing a loud speaker was heard bellowing "Get the hell out of here! Bombers returning from Europe!" I made a hasty retreat North and spotted The Wash which showed me the way to go home.
I later transferred to 93 Squadron flying Spitfire Mk 5 at RAF Clyffe Pypard and soon transferred to North Africa, Ismailia. I converted to Spitfire Mk 9 and followed the war up into Italy where we landed at Rimini on mesh strips on the beach.
We were an army support unit for the New Zealand Army and during this time we were trained in the art of shallow dive bombing. Any German movement was either bombed or straffed, tanks, trucks, trains, anything - you name it. We went on to Ravenna, Udine, and from thence through the Alps to Klagenfurt Austria, at which stage the War ended in Europe on May 8th.
About a week later I was flown to Cairo to get a transport plane to Burma however it didn't arrive and the Far East War ended. The plan was for a ship to pick us up from Cairo, however the first one caught fire in Liverpool and another was sent. Eventually we went by sea back to Australia to arrive around Christmas time. So ended my War.
漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Recommended story
Story with photo