大象传媒

My father was aged 15 when the Yanks came to our part of England. He lived in a small country village in rural Norfolk, approximately 14 miles south of Norwich. He was already an avid member of the ATC, and to find himself in the middle of all the american air bases,was for him, a dream come true. School days were only made tolerable because when the school bell rang at the end of the day, there was only one thing on my fathers mind,how fast could he get to the airfield.He and his friends would run as fast as their feet would carry them and head for tibenham. they became friends with the yanks, like many young lads all over England, and when allowed spent all their spare time at the base.My father recorded all the times he actually flew in a liberator from that airfield, and the day after VE day, flew down the MALL in a liberator with a crew who had survived the long war in Europe, sad in the knowledge that they would all be returning back to the states eventually.My father is a carpenter by trade,and went to work with his father at the Snetterton Heath airbase, home to the 8th American AIR force.They became friends with a young american pilot called clifford who bought a motorbike from my grandad. My father told me it was like another world there on the base. The Yanks had everything the english people didn't, due to rationing.My father and grandfather would have their breakfast there every morning before starting their days work on the airfield.Clifford became a regular visitor to their house and always brought along provisions for them to share,which of course were always welcome. When the war ended and all the yanks packed up and left, there were many mementoes to be had at every base in the area,comics,gum,sweets,pennies, and anyhting at all interesting were gathered up by children of all ages as keepsakes of the many happy hours they had spent with their AMERICAN FRIENDS. My father managed to trace clifford down about 5 years ago, living in Seattle.He went to visit him and together they relived old memories, good and bad. Sadly clifford died 4 months after my father had visited him,ironically on my fathers birthday.This is only a very brief account of my fathers time during the war, but he has so much to tell, and i am fascinated by every word.He probably has as many books about ww2, and the yanks,as the Forum in Norwich, and indeed when he dies he is leaving them to me, and i will treasure evey one of them, as he does. We need to ensure that future generations continue to learn about history, and all the stories that go with it, to keep it alive.

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