大象传媒

I am a genuine war baby(11-03-43)
The folowing story are famil;y based recollections of the events which personally affected my family during WW2.
At the very beginning of WW2 my father was a volunteer policeman and my mum was a voluntary nurse.
My father became unemployed 1n 1930 after going one Saturday to see his team Bradford PA play a cup match.
He went in on the Sunday to make sure the Scenery he was building was ready for the transport yet still got the sack.
In 1935 they lost a baby girl with viral Pneumonia at 9 months old this was attributed to poor diet and poor living conditions so when the war started after 9years out of work my father was eventually called at the age of 32.
I believe he thought his health wopuld stop him but surprisingly he passed A1.
He decided to join the RAF.
Initially in the Medical Corps was eventually transferred to Salvage as he was always fainting 24 hoiurs after traumatic incidents and they feared for his health.
He was ststioned at Nafferton and Driffield in Easr Yorkshire.
There he endured numerous german bombing raids and many6 direct hits.
One time there refectory table was cut in two by machine gun bullets and the two personnel at either end were killed outright.
They also lost many WAFS as there underground bunkers got direct hits killing all inside so bunkers had to be filled in with the WAFS inside.
Once saved a WAF's life as they did not reach the bunker in time as they were being
attacked before everyone reached the underground shelters.
In June 1942 my father wa allowed home on unofficial leave sanctioned by his commanding officer as he was being shipped abroad on the following Monday but he could not tellhim where to.
My father was to be at Liverpool docjks on the Monday morning.
He manage to cadge a lift from a convoy coming past his house on the Saturday and as he was leaving on the Monday no need to use your imagination as to what happened next.
On the train to Liverpool my Mum was taken ill and she startled dad by saying she was sure she was pregnant she emphasised this by saying she woukd send a telegram if she wasn't as she felt she would not be sending it as they were so poor.
As my sister is 10 and a half years older than me it came as a double blow.
Destination West Africa (Sierra Leone to be exact)
After a dreadful journey and numerous attacks one leaving shrapnel embedded in his leg(saw him cutting it outwith a pen knife when I was about 13 )it was the top cap of a bullet.

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