大象传媒

My recollection after 60yrs of the Evacuation of myself C.J.A.PETIT, aged 11yrs nine months in June 1940, And the Family and the stay on the Mainland England, during the war years,

I did try to help the war effort by volunteering for the Fire Watcher's.
This entailed walking around the Village during the Blackout, with a partner, one carrying a bucket of
Sand and the other with a bucket and a stirrup pump, the headgear of the firewatcher's was a tin helmet,
This was very boring and did not last long. To have bit of action, with a friend we went to join the
Fire Brigade as message carriers on bicycles, we had training in firefighting etc, but after two or three
Months wanted more action.
Thinking back to the school club I remembered the schoolmaster Mr Stocks, was associated with the Royal Observer Corps, which was mobilised in 1936, in fact he was the Chief Observer of the local unit, on speaking to him one club night, he informed me that I could not join officially until I was sixteen, but under the circumstances and where I came from, gave me some tuition, and when I was l5yrs and six months, January 1 944, was able to attend duties during the times when he was on duty, to see what it entailed, after a couple of months I was asked if I wanted to join, so I did and was officially made a Royal Observer Corps member, having to attend many meetings of Observations and competitions of spotting Aircraft, and had to learn all types and Nationalities, and Then having to relay the information to the Headquarters in Lincoln, by mike and headphones, also Of direction and grid numbers on graphs. Being in the area of many airfields, the aerodromes such As Scampton from where the Dambusters flew ,also Willingham, Waddingham, Wigsley, Waddington and Many other Airfields. This did not interfere with ordinary work the of week, our watches were of four
Hour periods, mostly at nights, or weekends, to periods being according to your availability, the Rota
Was posted the week before so that you knew your rota, and who with, as all of us were workers, except
Some of the elderly men of 65yrs to 85yrs, who only did regular rota during daylight hours, and no
Weekends. I was stood down from duty on May the 12th 1945, V.E. day along with all other members. Although there has been a continuation of the Royal Observer Corps of which members have
Visited GUERNSEY for Liberation Day Parades, and I have met them, I have only known of one local
Man who was in the Corps, and that was Mr Idon Critchlow, who I got to know through boating Although of information I have since received there were five other members on the Island, but not all local, Local residents the Corps is still in being.

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