大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the People's War site by the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies Department on behalf of G D Sharpe and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions."
I was at school as war broke out; I was 16 in the August. I was in church singing in the choir when the message came on the radio and the Verger whispered to the Rector, Father Blakeney that war had been declared.

I went down to the AFS down Station Lane to join, I was used as a messenger boy, but we took part in drills. We used John Street School, which was a wooden hut; Ernest Wroe who was the headmaster at Highfields after the war was the commanding officer.

In January 1940 I started working at Wombwell Town Hall, then went to Corton Wood as a Clerk. In 1941 had a letter from Barnsley Grammar School Air Training Corps Squadron, requesting me to join, I became a flight sergeant. Engaged prior to joining RAF, September 1942 requested to attend Lord鈥檚 Cricket Ground (all air crew went home first).

We had our RAF training in Wales then Torquay. Not many trained in England because of the weather and air traffic so they had an agreement with Canada and Rhodesia and South Africa for training. I was posted to Heaton Park, Manchester to await posting.

Fianc茅e joined ATS at this time.

Went to Greenock and set sail in May 1943, in convoy, it took five weeks to get to Capetown. It was an American ship; we had two meals a day, 7 am and 7 pm. We had a short stay in Capetown then on to Johannesburg.

First flying school was for flying Tiger Moths. (Elementary Flying Training School - EFTS) then Kimberley Service Flying School (SFTS) for flying Oxfords which were twin engine. I managed to crash one on take off with the instructor in with me. They had retractable landing gear and I misjudged the height, the instructor took over but the plane lost speed so we crashed.

I met with great friendship from the people over there. They formed a guard of honour for Smutts when he came to the station. I visited a diamond mine and held a hand full of them. I got my wings in 1944 and had two weeks leave in Capetown. I was befriended by a family who had a vineyard on the slope of Table Mountain.

I stayed in South Africa as a Staff Pilot, training navigators, air gunners and wireless operators. I then went to Port Alfred flying school and then I was posted back to Capetown. I came back home in August 1945 when the war in Europe had finished. On August 15th we threw our blackouts on board the ship over board.

Arrived home to Harrogate, we were housed in the Imperial Hotel.
I was married on 20th October; my fianc茅e was already demobbed, although I wasn鈥檛.

I went to Melkson in Wiltshire to learn to drive; I started non 15-hundredweight lorries then Dodge 3 tonners.

Posted to Germany, Hamburg, in 1946 to 317 Transport Column.

We were removing ammunition (bombs) from hidden dumps of German Army to the railway where it was then taken to be disposed of. I came home in 946; I was in release group 48 and went to Blackpool to be demobbed.

My wife was stationed at Beeston, they had a worker who came from Guernsey with his family prior to the Germans landing, and he said he came with just what he could carry in one suitcase.

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