大象传媒

In the 1930s I lived in Surrey where my father had a small country garage. In the summer of 1939 I decided to join the Royal Air Force. With my application to enlist I had to include two character references. The contract of service would be for six years and I would receive training for a Flight Mechanic.
At the end of July I received notification to present myself at Adustral House Kingsway and take with me small kit, (toiletries). On that day there were many young men like myself eager to become airmen and all carrying a small case or bag. By the time we had a medical examination and a simple educational test it was the middle of the afternoon. We were then each given a ten shilling note after which we were then escorted by an old Warrant Officer to the nearest underground station.. The Warrant Officer then gave one of the party a travel warrant for West Drayton where there was an old RAF station of the same name.
At RAF West Drayton we were given food and a bed for the night and slept in a camp bed for the first time. The following afternoon, August the 2nd, we were sworn in and six weeks before my twenty second birthday I became RAF number 652033.
The next day with rations we travelled by train to Warrington, where, on arrival, we were met by RAF Sergeants and escorted to Padgate, a recruits basic training camp just outside the town. Padgate was a big new camp and the buildings were of wood construction. Accomodation were wooden huts set out in neat rows with nearby ablutions. In each hut was a round heating stove and the floors and everything else highly polished and spick and span. There was more than one cookhouse and dining hall and several squares for drilling. The staff were all men including the N.A.A.F.I.
We were allocated huts and issued with a knife, fork and spoon and a large white china mug. The food was excellent. For the first two weeks we were allowed out at nights and weekends.
It was soon evident that there were men from every corner of the British Isles and that the biggest percentage were training as flight mechanics and flight riggers although there were a good many other trades.
We commenced foot drill and arms drill in our civilian clothes and we were given inoculations and vaccinated. The drill instructors were mostly corporals.
About a week before the declaration of war we were confined to camp and on the Sunday morning September 3rd we were all gathered in our huts around the radio to hear Neville Chamberlain announce that we were at war with Germany. Most of the chaps cheered but I could see nothing to cheer about. There were two men crying. When I asked why I was told that they were married and I then thought to myself that they were the only ones with sense. After September the 3rd, all huts and buildings had blue light bulbs which gave a dim light. It was about that time that we were fully kitted out and issued with two uniforms. Before being allowed to wear our uniforms and greatcoats, they were tailored. The camp tailor, a little man with horn rimmed spectacles, lived just outside the camp. After being issued with my uniform, I sold my sports jacket and flannels for a few shillings to navvies making air raid shelters on the camp.
We continued with our foot drill and arms drill and we did PT and played football and what is now basketball. We were instructed how to make our beds and how to leave the bed neat and tidy during the day with blankets and sheets neatly folded: how to lay out our kit for inspection and assemble our webbing and make up our packs for full marching order which included our water bottle. We were also issued with gas masks and went into a hut that had tear gas to test for leaks.
At the end of September all airmen for training as mechanics and riggers left Padgate for No2 School of Technical Training, Cosford.

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