大象传媒

After four years voluntary service in the ARP from the age of 16 鈥� 20, I was conscripted to the RAF on September 22nd 1942, leaving at home my widowed mother and two sisters. I trained and served as a General Armourer until 1945 when I was remustered to Clerk-Accounts.

On 22nd September 1945 I was awarded a Good Conduct Badge for 3 years clean conduct sheet. I was a Leading-Aircraft Man and my pay was 6 shillings a day. This award added 3d making my pay 6/3 a day. This meant that I had to make 6p a day more from my pay to the allowance deducted for my mother as the 鈥渃ut-off鈥� line was 6/-.

My mother never received any extra. The Air Ministry lowered their contribution by 6d a day! So my mother continued receiving 21/- a week from the Post Office.

Therefore 鈥� for being of Good Conduct for three years, I was 3p a day worse off than if I had committed some small misdemeanour and not been awarded a GCB. This lasted until 7th February 1947 鈥� the effective date of my last day of service.

For the last 60 years 鈥� on and off 鈥� I have written to and visited many organisations and individuals for help to put right this miscarriage of justice, but they all find various excuses for not being interested:-
庐 MPs - 鈥淐annot interfere in matters concerning the Armed Forces鈥�;
庐 Press 鈥� 鈥淟ack of space鈥� (but very sympathetic);
庐 TV (大象传媒) 鈥淟ost your letter, please write again鈥� (This I did, but heard no more);
庐 Ex-Servicemen鈥檚 Organisations: (1) 鈥淵ou do not live in our catchment area鈥�
(2) 鈥淐an only help if you are 鈥榙esperate鈥� 鈥� ie if you are sleeping on a park bench or shop doorway or are hungry! (This was at a personal interview where I think I would have been treated better had I been an ex-officer.)

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.