大象传媒

Grandma Roberts had a large number of children of whom my Mum 鈥楳argaret May Knibb鈥� was the senior and referred to by some of the others as 鈥楲ady Margaret鈥�. Anne was one of the youngest.
One of the oldest was John who emigrated to America before the first World war. He lived in Boston. When the Great War came John was dismayed at America鈥檚 staying out of it. A family story is that he hung a Union Jack at Bunker Hill and went directly to Canada and joined a Canadian Scottish Regiment.
Uncle Willy joined the navy and survived the loss of his ship('The Warrior'?) in the Battle of Jutland. He stayed on after The Great War as a Diver.
Mum was a welder - 鈥楢n autogenous welder鈥� she emphasized.
Uncle Arthur had a withered left arm due to polio鈥︹�橧nfantile Paralysis鈥�. He was a Boy Scout and a messenger somewhere in World War One and joined The Regular Army as soon as he could. He was a natural soldier in spite of his one arm. His service, in The Pay Corps, included time in China, Egypt and the Sudan. He worked up through the ranks (including Regimental Sergeant Major!) and retired, after the Second World War, as Major Arthur Roberts.

Grandma鈥檚 two youngest were Redvers (鈥楿ggy鈥�) and Edward (Eddy鈥︹�橬eddo鈥�). They were both sickly and as soon as possible after The Great War Grandma took them from the polluted air of Liverpool to the clean air of a little cottage on Halkyn Mountain: 鈥楪arden Cottage鈥� on the Windmill Road . Life was simple: Cooking was on an Iron range and a Primus Stove, Water collected at a spring. (It was a help to have the two buckets supported away from the legs by a wooden hoop!). Garden cottage had a big L-shaped garden meticulously managed by Gram and Neddo. The two Privies had to be attended to.

The view from the mountain, from 鈥楪arden Cottage鈥�, included part of The River Dee far below, then across The Wirral to Birkenhead and to Liverpool twenty miles away.

鈥楾hey also serve鈥︹��:

With the coming of War, Neddo joined 鈥楾he Observer Corps鈥�. An 鈥極bservation Post鈥� was probably established nearby on the mountain but I never saw it. Neddo studied 鈥榓ircraft recognition鈥� and changed his job, from Courtaulds in Flint, to a factory on the mountain at Rhes-y-cae.

Neddo was not war-like. I knew him as gentle and no longer young. He was deeply patriotic as was all the family.
One may speculate his Observer Corps role was to watch for aircraft especially any threatening Merseyside.

Such is life, all Neddo may have seen of the enemy 鈥� besides a jettisoned bomb falling nearby - was Liverpool ablaze! For the Bombers came at night!
Who can say what profit there was in Neddo鈥檚 hours spent at his Observer Post or in his knowledge and skill at 鈥楢ircraft Recognition鈥�.
It is easy to suppose there was none!

So the Second War continued with Neddo at his factory or at his Observer Post or tending vegetables and fruit bushes in Halkyn and the churchyard.

Then Neddo, who had rarely been away from Halkyn, disappeared!

Aunty Lil got cards from time to time telling her not to worry as he was all right.

A couple of months after his disappearance he reappeared as suddenly as he had gone.
He laughed as he told of his home coming鈥� 鈥淟il was dusting the Policies鈥� was the way he described it to me.

This gentle man whose brothers and sisters had been involved in War whilst he had not. Whose relatives had cowered under the Liverpool Blitz whilst he had not. This man, who was not a young man, had been to Normandy. He was there only a short time before returning to UK and being stood down. Could there have been a shorter Active Service Appointment ever?

Neddo had been appointed 鈥楨nsign鈥� in the US Navy I believe on anti aircraft duties I assume.
One may imagine he had some say whether to 鈥楽hoot鈥� or not.

It is now known there were very few Axis aircraft in the Normandy area at that time. What could be more fitting than the gentle Neddo's skill at aircraft recognition contributed to the safety of Friendly Airmen in that gigantic battle...

I enquired of the USA about Neddo but drew a blank. I never thought of asking The Observer Corps.

I should make an effort to visit the grave of the Edward Roberts family in Halkyn: The baby, Cecil, aunty Lil and Neddo.
I wonder where his son, my cousin David Arthur, is? He would know more (and more accurately) of his Dad's story.

John Knibb

[This story was submitted to the People's War site by Wolverhampton Libraries on behalf of John Knibb and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions]

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