大象传媒

My father - W.W. (Bill) Iddon - was in the RAF in WW2. Much of the time he was stationed in the Shetland Isles. He was mainly flying Hurricane fighter planes on the mission known as the "Shetland Bus". The fighter planes acted as escort and protection for supply ships bringing essential goods from Scandinavia. Obviously he came under enemy fire both from the air and from marauding German ships.

His younger brother - J.T. (Joe) Iddon - enlisted in the Royal Navy. Eventually he was posted to a battleship by the name of H.M.S. Devonshire. Devonshire was detailed to steam to the North Atlantic to give extra cover to the Scandinavian supply ships. The ship harboured at Scapa Flow in neighbouring Orkney.

Returning back to his Shetland base after a harrowing mission, Bill realised that he was being fired on and just managed to take avoiding action and creep home. Shortly after touchdown, the airbase recieved an apologetic message from the cruising H.M.S. Devonshire, explaining that they had misread a signal and assumed the worst - the worst being an attack by a German plane! They hoped they had done no serious harm.

The term "friendly fire" would have hardly been adequate had brother Joe and his ship managed to shoot down his elder brother Bill!

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