大象传媒

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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Bramley History Society and has been added to the website on behalf of Susan Brenton with her permission and she fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

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Not everyone demobbed after WWII was thrilled with life back in England.
My father had been a pilot with the Pathfinder Force and was demobbed in late 1945 at the age of 33. He had no idea what he would do with the rest of his life and despite his recent marriage obviously missed the camaraderie of the crew and station life as these excerpts from some letters show:

December 1945
鈥淗iya Pal!
鈥︹�f you get this you鈥檒l read that I have now shaken the dust from the RAF off my shoes and am attired in a gent鈥檚 natty hacking coat and green hat. Geeze! How I wish I were with you; apart from Betty, of course, civvy life is bloody from what I鈥檝e seen so far. Absolutely nothing laid on! However, I鈥檓 preparing to corner the market in matches after X鈥橫as.
鈥︹�hen do you come out? I can鈥檛 remember your release number. For God鈥檚 sake let me know when you are coming back. I鈥檒l go nuts if I don鈥檛 see some of the old gang again soon. 鈥︹�︹�︹��

January 1946
鈥淲辞迟肠丑别谤!
鈥�..England is just about the dreaded end now. When are you coming back? I did not go to the P.F.F. do because I was afraid that if I got among the mob again I鈥檇 find myself back on extended service; I suppose I鈥檝e got to settle down to civvy life sooner or later.
鈥︹� can鈥檛 give you much news because damn all happens nowadays apart from a few strikes and lock-outs. You know, of course, that the old horse buses have gone and that English women now wear their hair short鈥︹�� 鈥�

May 1946
鈥淗别濒濒辞!
鈥︹�︹�ife drifts along here apace. 鈥︹�his place (the Pathfinder Club, Mayfair) is bloody good because I see so many of the old types and we are doing a roaring business. Most places in London are desperately short of booze but I鈥檝e managed to keep up to high water mark here in everything from Drambuie to lemonade.
鈥︹�︹�� By the way, what are you going to do when you come back? Matches are pretty scarce and the curbside market is just about to be nationalised, so that鈥檚 out!鈥︹�︹��

The letters were written by G. Alex Thorne DSO DFC, Master Bomber, one of the founder pilots of the Pathfinder Force 635 Squadron to his navigator Boris Bressloff DFC who was then stationed in Bangalore. After the War he ran the Pathfinder Club in Mount Street, London until about 1956. There was a club bar and dining area in the basement under a butcher鈥檚 shop and overnight accommodation available above and in the building next door. I lived there with my parents for a time in 1952. 鈥淒own Your Way鈥� (大象传媒 Home Service programme) visited the Pathfinder Club and I have the 78 rpm disc of the programme. Later in life he wrote 鈥淟ancaster at War 4: Pathfinder Squadron鈥� published by Ian Allan ISBN: 0-7110-1882-0. When I first read the book, I sat up till 3 in the morning wondering if he got back from the various missions! Statistically he should have been killed three times over.

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