- Contributed byÌý
- HnWCSVActionDesk
- People in story:Ìý
- Mr Norman Thompson
- Location of story:Ìý
- South Africa
- Background to story:Ìý
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:Ìý
- A5034791
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 12 August 2005
This story was submitted to the People’s War website by Diana Wilkinson of the CSV Action Desk at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Mr Norman Thompson and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.
I was born in Handworth Wood in Birmingham. I joined the RAF in 1939 and stayed till 1945, a total of 6 years and 3 days! When I first joined up I was sent to the RAF Receiving Centre in Cardington then to Cranwell in Lincolnshire from there to St Athans in South Wales. St Athans was a maintenance unit and was heavily bombed, I’m not sure if it was a target or if they were just getting rid of their bombs. From South Wales I went to Credon Hill in Herefordshire and on to Tangmere in Chichester. Tangmere was also bombed — it was so bad that there was nowhere to sleep and we had to go to Goodwood Racecourse every night.
In early 1941 I left for South Africa, I remember stopping off at Freetown on the West Coast of Africa as one of the other boats in the convoy collided with us and we had to wait for the next convoy. Freetown was an experience, a really dreadful place. Whilst we were waiting on the boat the local men came to sell us fresh fruit and unbelievably their sisters! No one took them up on the offer — if anyone had been brave enough to take one of their sisters I’m not sure how they would’ve got on board!
We travelled around South Africa, we went up to Pretoria and were stationed just outside the town, we also spent some time at Roberts Heights, which is where Lord Roberts was to be found at the end of the Boar War. We also spent time in Cape Town at a place called Brooklyn.
When I first joined up I made a friend in the receiving centre at Cardington, he was sleeping in the next bed I just couldn’t believe it when we met up again in Littleton in South Africa, I hadn’t seen him since 1939! He now lives in Hall Green in Birmingham but unfortunately we can’t get to meet as I’m in a wheelchair and he has arthritis.
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