大象传媒

My father, Ron Coverdale, was a rear gunner (Tail end Charlie) in a Lancaster bomber. He volunteered for service even though he was in a 鈥渟afe鈥� job 鈥� train driver.
The following two short stories epitomise my father鈥檚 attitude/experience during WW2:
1. Brought up in the era of 鈥淗otspur鈥� and 鈥淰ictor鈥� comics, my brother Neil and I were often asking Dad about the war. He never spoke about the fighting but told us great/funny stories about the people and the tricks they got up to. So we were very surprised when one day we asked if he had ever seen a German night fighter on any of his bombing missions. He replied that he had. We couldn鈥檛 believe our ears. Typically gun ho, 鈥淒id you shoot it down?鈥� we asked. 鈥淣o鈥� was the reply. 鈥淥h you missed鈥� we said. 鈥淣o鈥� he stated flatly. 鈥淗ow come?鈥� we asked. 鈥淗e was going the other way 鈥� why should I attract attention to us?鈥� At the time we were puzzled but later realised how humane and wise his statement was.
2. Years later (after Dad retired from the railways) Mam and Dad were on holiday in Italy. They went on a sailing tour for the day with a group of young Dutch people on board. Dad was sat with feet dangling in the sea. We often joked that he looked liked a German and one of the Dutch people asked if he was. Having explained that he was English, the young lady and Dad exchanged information on where they lived etc. Dad made a passing remark that he had flown over their village during the war in 鈥淥peration Manna鈥� (RAF bombers dropped food to starving Dutch people cut off by the fighting). She was very excited by this information and shouted to her friends. What followed still brings a lump to my throat/tears to my eyes. The story of the food drop had been passed down the generations and the young Dutch people treated Dad as a hero. He was moved to tears and fair choked by their adulation.
I think that the above stories describe how ordinary people carried out extraordinary tasks yet, almost unbelievably, still kept their humanity.
Steve Coverdale.

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