大象传媒

I am now 82 years of age. I joined the RAF in 1941, after training. I went overseas to India in 1942 and was told being single I was there for four years. My weight at this time was 10 and a half stone, conditions were poor at this time and steadily got worse. With D-Day in view everything was stockpiled in England. Field Marshall Slim called us the Forgotten army, this was true. Supplies were short in everything, how we carried on I shall never know. After D-Day and victory in Europe there was a real improvement, the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, we all thought we would soon be going home but no such luck. I eventually boarded a troop ship in August 1946. The RAF boys were incensed, wireless operators chatted to each other, the outcome was that a decision was made top call a strike. The authorities were notified, Air Marshall Sir Keith Parkes flew to London for talks with the government, by this time Clement Atlee was Prime Minister. His message was that if we did not return to work ten airmen should be arrested and put in prison, shooting was also discussed, we all wanted to return home after nearly four years, the war over.

Eventually they started repartition, what a wonderful feeling, we had waited so long for it. My RAF blue uniform had been washed in petrol a few times, all my shirts were khaki, my socks white wool and my shoes, made in India, had split. My weight was down to six stone and I was yellow through taking mepacrine tablets for malaria, I looked terrible, my fiancee was on the station at Truro to meet me, she walked past me, I had to call her.

I was eventually demobbed in December 1946.

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