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In 1940, July; I joined the Royal Air Force at the age of 18. I served six years in all. But in the first encounter of training I was at Blackpool, originally for the RAF Regiment. It actually was started in that time, but I later on transferred to the Royal Air Force as a gunner, training on the aircrew conditions. But in the meantime, having completed the training I was seconded to the Polish Air Force in Scotland, who had been disseminated on the Continent. They actually started a squadron to resurrect the squadron number 309 Polish squadron, near St Andrews, to be precise. That was 1940 and I continued with them; it was a mobile squadron actually, with Lysander's; it was an Army cooperation unit. So we were more or less liaison personnel. There were 12 of us British. The remainder were Polish so that it was very difficult to make them understand English, and they didn't understand what we were saying and vice versa. Consequently, I learned to speak Polish. One would try something after three years wouldn't we?
I had a very happy time with them traveling about. I've since then met a tremendous number of Poles that I've come across; and they are very, very good people.
Eventually, after the, er, D-Day; this was all in preparation for D-Day then, our jobs were finished so where did we go? They sent us to the Far East; that was three years after the, er; that was in 43. And we went out on a troop ship, was straffed and we went through the Suez Canal; which was most unusual, because they hadn't been down there since the start the war. And we were the first troop ship to go down a 3 ft… which got stuck halfway down. And we had to wait for a tug to come up in the opposite direction, to drag us ofF a sandbank. The place they came from was called … near the …Lakes, that's the far end of; from Port Said, far end of the Suez Canal. It eventually docked in Bombay and went to a transit camp. All RAF personnel by the way; of all trades and ranks. We were dispersed, and I finished off in Ceylon; which was called Ceylon then … I did probably a few months on there, on different jungle stations; in the Royal Air Force proper then; Airborne Control, it was known as at that time.
Er, finally, I went; I was transferred to the, to India. We went across by train through the 'Daneshkoli Ferry'; that was the peninsular, and the gap between India, and Ceylon itself. Crossed over and finally finished up at 'Sekunderabad'; that's in the Hyderabad State. There are two Hyderabad's. One's in so-called Pakistan now, which didn't exist at that time; and this one was in India which does exist and that's the Deccan.
And, er, three years later on in I was demobbed from there. We flew about, giving supplies of, all over India. Finally, I was demobbed in June 1946; and I didn't comeback on the troopship, they flew us back, in a 'Liberator' bomber, which had been converted to carry 12 passengers in the bomb bays. There was bucket seats on the floor of the bomb bays; and we were sitting looking at one another, six each side; and we came via the Middle East.
We were diverted en route to the Persian Gulf through sandstorms; to a place called 'Abhania'; and stayed overnight and we did some alterations to the engines. And, er, we took off, er, for Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv was very, very; a big stop, because there were the Stern gang in operation at the time and they were firing on the ends of the run-…; in the end of the runway at that time so there was an upheaval; we didn't stay long. We took off again; we should have gone up to Marseille for the refuel but we didn't; so we continued onto Lincolnshire and then we, er; we finished our journey there.
The Stern gang were this, er; well, they were a revolutionary party opposing the government. They were called the Stern gang. I didn't go much into where they originated. It was in Tel Aviv, yes; in the Middle East.
My journey finished in Blackpool. That was where I was demobbed. It actually began there, so a six years cycle and I finished off exactly in the same place I started. But this time with civilian clothes; the trilby hat, a long overcoat and a suit. They were provided, yes; I was 34 demob number.
So, although the war finished; we were the last to come away from India before the partition, when, er, in 1947 it was the partition between India and Pakistan as they called it. Here ends the story.
That's a war medal it was 1939 to 1945 Star (points to). The Victory Medal and the End of Cessation of War; I didn't qualify for the Burma Star because I didn't actually land in Burma, although I flew over. We were on Transport Command, you see. Carrying supplies in the aircraft; and it was a 'Dakota'. They were American planes but obviously, they sent a lease and an amount over. Even the 'Liberator' was American. And they had to go back to being written off in England so it is never proved after the time we got off it; if we put on the dispersal day and say, " Well that's one of the planes that we don't have to pay for."
Actually, I was never a pilot; obviously a passenger; being a gunner you sat behind the pilot; a two seater.
Well, yes, it could have been anywhere because they interrupted the service by wanting a liaison personnel to train the Polish air force.

This story was submitted to the People's War site by a volunteer from Wyre Forest Volunteeer Bureau from a recording made by Robert Prinn and has been added to the site with his permission

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