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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jenny Christian of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library on behalf of Les Willis and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

My name is Les Willis, now aged 75, so any remembrances are tarnished by the passing of 60 years since the B24s of the 458th Bomber Command arrived at Horsham St Faith Station 123.

At that time I lived at Old Catton, adjacent to the airfield. I remember the airfield being constructed 1938/39
with RAF aircraft arriving in 1940, various types until the American P47 Thunderbolt came for a few short months. The airfield being closed down whilst the concrete runways were built for the B24s.

A question that has often been asked – 'what do you think of that time and was it worth the influx of some 300 Americans into a small rural community?'

I can recall the first time at the base joining in the "chow line", picking up a metal tray and having all the food put into separate compartments, meat, veg, gravy and then peaches and tinned milk. The peaches, albeit tinned were an absolute luxury as they were almost non existent for over 4 years because of food rationing. I was able to obtain entry onto the airfield as I belonged to an Organisation called The Air Training Corps which provided an RAF uniform.

At the time of the arrival of 458 Bomber Command I was still at School, so only able to visit the base at weekends and during school holidays. It was always interesting to see the B24s at close quarters either inside the hangars or out on dispersal points. My friends and I used to cycle round the perimeter track and talk to the various crews.

I can remember my first flight in a B24, we were airborne for just over an hour, it was a great experience and I remember thinking how cold it was up there. Over the next 12 months I was lucky enough to have more than a dozen flights including one from the neighbouring airfield at Rackheath (467th Bomber Command).

The impact on a boy's life at that time was probably not that great for me as I had lived through the coming's and going's of RAF personnel literally on my doorstep. When the 458th did arrive an additional communal site was built close by and I used to spend time there. I used to fetch the ground crew English Fish and Chips.

I have so many good memories of Horsham St Faith airfield, the people and the planes. When the B29 Superfortress visited England in March 1944 it spent several days there and I can recall being one of the favoured few who was able to climb inside the aircraft and I even had a ride in a trolley down the tail.

During my flights in the Liberators I was privileged to take a place in all the interior locations with the exception of the pilot's seat. Don't think I could manage to get into such small places these days!

I trust that anyone reading this will understand that memories can play a lot of tricks sometimes - things we would like to forget come back to haunt us and things we have good thoughts of tend to fade and die with each passing year. Now aged 75 years old with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, pity the younger generation of this country who appear to have little interest in the years 1939 to 1945 and that part of history of the various countries that were involved in the War will soon be forgotten, without the writings of those who were there.

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