大象传媒

When I returned off leave we moved from Stade to Blankeneese and here I put my name down for a three weeks course on religion, the course was in Blankeneese and it took about twelve folk at a time, all Airforce personnel both male and female, and as Blankeneese was and is one of the most elite suburbs of Hamburg and this residence one of the better ones here. with a front garden that went right to the river bank, and had its own mooring, it was a nice number for three weeks. All we did for the three weeks was argue over and discuss religious topics, that was suggested by the leader who was a Sqd Leader in rank. A Vicar by trade and the only one I have ever met, that I have had total belief in the fact that He, had total and sincere belief in what he was saying .Not that I have ever been totally convinced, and I have tried hard to be a believer. After the course and back at our camp that was only about 300 yds away, there was a big house just outside the camp main gate, that was the residence of four padre's and because we were in Germany, it was decided that they should not be alone unprotected as Padre's do not carry guns. So I was appointed to sleep over there at nights, but still do my duties on the camp, Fine, for they had entertainment evenings and I was one of the staff so to speak. they also had a big sun lamp in the bathroom, and told me I could us it any time I liked, but they didn't tell me how.

Any way I had a go at this sun lamp lark, and to tell you the truth I could not see anything in it, I would far rather lay out in the proper sun for a tan, I could not understand why my eyes hurt so much the next morning, in fact I was in agony, so much so that I went on the sick parade, and the medical officer, nearly had a fit when he found out what, where and how I had done it, and it was not until he asked if I had wore glasses that I realised what those glasses hung on the sun lamp were for. The medical officer gave me a real verbal going over and said he had a good mind to have me charged. I never used the sun lamp again.

Another cushy number that being well in with the Padre's was that they, that is as individuals not collective, had to perform communion in some way out places, and I not only acted as driver I used to be alter boy as well. They had to have permission off my C O and got into a routine of telling our office staff what days they would need me the following week. this however did not excuse me my guard duties or drill sessions. It was while here that I was waiting for news of Lillian and the birth of our first child, I mentioned it to the Padre, and he made enquiries from home, that is how I found out that Freddie had arrived, and all was well with them both.
People were being demobbed at a steady flow, but I still had a long time to wait, you were demobbed on a point system, length of service plus age plus married or single, so if you were called up or joined at the start and were in your late thirties and married, you would have been in the first batches to go.
We were moved one day in June back to Belgium, to Gent to what must have been an apartments or something, for there was an entrance hall with a light switch you switched the light on, it gave you enough time to get up stairs and put your key in the lock before it went out on its own, the same if you put the light on upstairs too. We had very little to do, and it was just a case of biding our time until it was our turn to be let loose on the labour market. It was of concern to a lot of us that by the time we would be demobbed all available jobs would be filled. Quite a few of the Ladies too were reluctant to give up their new found independence and confidence in jobs that had always been deemed to be the male only. Just look around you sixty years on.

The thing I looked forward to every week while on this waiting game was a trip to Brussels for supplies, Cigs, Pipe tobacco Beer and spirits for Officers and Sergeants Mess's from the site of what had been the World Trade Fair, and was in use as a Military supply depot. on the way there we would stop for a cup of tea and a sandwich. At a road side Military Cafe, that had been the house of a Collaborator and as soon as the Allies liberated Belgium, he was dealt with by the public, and his property confiscated. The Cafe was run by local ladies, purely for the benefits of passing military personnel, travelling back and forth from the Capital. The cafe had two rooms, the front room you entered by the front door this had tables and chairs set out, you went straight across to what used to be the living room, this had tables and chairs too, but also had a long counter like table across at the far side, behind this the ladies served you and behind them a door to the kitchen, We always sat in the front part, and every time we called were always the only ones in, and I had noticed a nice clock on the Mantle piece that I really fancied, so much so that I had made up my mind that, if others could take home eight valve radio's and motor cycles and such, I was going to have that clock. So the following week when we went in on our usual call, I took in my kit bag full of wind and tied at the top, said good morning to the lady behind the counter who could see you as you came through the front door, but not when you took a table and sat down. went and put the kit bag down by the table. Then went with my mate for the tea and sandwich. When we were ready to leave, I opened the kit bag and grabbed the clock and slipped it into the kit bag, while my mate took the empty cups and plates back, then as we were leaving the Cafe the clock that had never ticked in the times we had called before, started to Chime.!!!!!!

We did a quick evacuation, and were undecided as to if we dare call the next week on the supply run. But decided it would be better if we went in as usual, this we did and nothing was said or hinted at. In fact we were convinced that the clock had not been missed.

The day finally came, and I was on my way to Blighty and civi street. I had been in several different units before the R.A.F.R. and several different Squadrons with them, but I am leaving from 2786 Squadron. R.A.F.R. and it is at No. 104 P.D.C. at Hednesford that I became a civilian once more. There was one other thing to do, that was to be tested by the transport officer to have all my military driving qualifications put onto a civilian licence, at no cost.

But the transport officer was on week end leave, and it may be Monday afternoon before I could see him. And today is Sat. and I have a wife and a son that I have not yet seen. Sod it, I'm on that train. I wished later that I had waited, I had to pass a test for a motor cycle, and then for a car, the P.V.C. or Heavy Goods I never had, but if I had waited I would have had them all, and who knows what job opportunities. The only thought though in my mind, as in every other man here was home sweet home as soon as possible, it was turned Eight thirty at night before I alighted onto the platform at Sheffield, and my next train out that stopped any where near Toplocks was nine forty stopping at Worksop, no stops at Kiverton Park or Shireoaks.

I'll worry how I'll get home from there when I get there, so the train duly set off, and I am watching our progress out of Sheffield, and through Beighton where we used to live once, then Kiverton bridge and Kiverton park, I was sat up now taking notice of familiar ground, and a good job too, normally I would have been nodding, but the train started to slow down, then shuddered to a stand still we had just past the style were the foot path crosses the railway then continues up to the canal side by Top locks stables, it's a corridor train, I grab my things and rush for the door, just as I am opening it the train conductoress is coming towards me. " Hey" she calls: " you can't get off the train here." Watch me I called back as I flung my stuff out of the open door and followed. She was giving me some verbal as I closed the door with a slam, she then dropped the window to continue.
"Look" I said: " The train is stopped at that signal, I didn't stop it, but the Good Lord must have, for I don't live more than two hundred yards from here, and it's five miles or more from Worksop, and I didn't know how I was going to get home from there at this time of the night".

So ended my war, I was home with eight weeks leave with pay for services rendered to my country. I had two, then started work,. one week of the two was at Scarborough on a delayed honeymoon and where Jeffrey was conceived. Hence his being referred too as our "Scarborough stick of rock."

As I have said in this account of my war years, I hardly remember any of the names of the men I served with, and the sequence of events and places I went to, I know are not in the right order.
One thing I remember clearly, was the whole Squadron was on the move and we crossed the Rhine
river that was very broad, and we crossed it on a wooden bridge built by the Americans, it was a work of art there is no doubt, but an hair raising experience to cross as it creaked and groaned as we went over it, and I remember our officer telling us during a break that we were very fortunate as we were seeing the black forest for free. Now I can not fit that in any where, I do not know were we had come from, or where we were going. But it was all more than sixty years ago, So sorry.

J.F.Roberts:- Did Service with the R.A.F.
From 14/7/41 to 17/11/46
First as a G.G. Then as a Driver Gunner in the R.A.F. Regemen when it was formed.

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