大象传媒

This contribution to WW2 People鈥檚 War was provided at an Event at The RAF Defence Museum, Neatishead attended by the 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk Action Desk. The story has been written and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Mrs Rosina Burrough

After training at Honiton I went to Bude for 6 weeks before being posted to Hayling Island as part of 458 Battery where there were three teams a day.
I was appointed to the rank Subaltern in 1942 and became a Searchlights Liaison Officer.

This poem entitled Searchlight was given to me. I cannot recall the name of the author.
Now I鈥檓 an NCO and he commands the site
He鈥檚 got a sound locator a Lister and a light
And a bloody little Lewis gun in case he has to fight
But it鈥檚 better than the ARP

2 and 3 are spotters with their glasses to their eyes,
They recline in comfy easy chairs and gaze into the skies
But they never see an aeroplane or anything that flies.

4 is on the long arm and he wanders round and round
Waiting for his no 6 to divert him by the sound
But he never sees the target for his eyes are on the ground.

No 5鈥檚 the SLO and he attends the light
He cleans it in the morning and he mucks it up at night
But we never see the target for the focus isn鈥檛 right.

6 is the locator man with telephone on chest
He tells the no 4 to put the beam where he thinks best
But he never gets the target any better than the rest.

7 and 8 are listeners with their stethoscopes on head
They try to get on sounds in 3 swings, or so it is said,
But they wouldn鈥檛 hear a target though its noise would wake the dead.

No 9鈥檚 the driver of a Lister or a Guy
He churns out the volts and amps to lighten up the sky
And drives us over to the pub whenever we are dry
So it鈥檚 better than the ARP.

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