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Sept 9th., 1939. Biggin Hill, Wireless Electrical Mechanic. Posted to Paris, Coulommiers, then Nancy, (B.A.F.F. and A.A.S.F. Advance Air Strike Force) to service TYPEX cypher machine, and send and receive cypher messages (in morse code) to and from UK.The "Phoney War" went peacefully until 4.15 a.m on May 10th. 1940, when Germans broke through at Sedan. Nancy was bombed at low level, french windows smashed at our billet, roof of the house opposite (Rue Dr.Friot)hit by low trajectory AA shell from Toul aerodrome, lots of noise and commotion. I crouched beside a gate post and added to it by firing at the Heinkels with a .303 rifle, more in anger at being woken up at that hour, as opposed to hitting anything, although they were only a few hundred feet above us after their bombing run.(We were high up on the edge of the town on the Toul road) Later that morning F/lt Barrow,(our Intelligence Officer) Sgt. Gamblin and myself went to Toul aerodrome to see one of the Heinkels that had been shot down by flak. (Photo available) This machine was one of three from Gruppen 1/KG55, others shot down were 2 from 11/KG55, downed by French Air Force MS406's, and another, of 111/KG55, downed by flak. I saw a Dornier being chased by six 406's, who did a classic line astern attack on it, making it crash in flames into the Vosges mountains. The Staffel numbers were obtained from a book called "Blitzed",(Author Victor Bingham) in which both British and German aircraft involved,with appropriate dates, are listed, including,in the case of the British aircraft, the names of the crews, the aircraft number, and the date. It is a disturbing book to read. The rapidity of the German advance was frightening, and after a few weeks, it was decided that we should try to get away. Our C.O. W/Cdr.Cleland, took off in his Humber, and personally told me to take the Typex back to the UK, and "guard it with my life "!! It was put in the back of a Renault Van (no doubt sequestered) and numbered R.A.F 57!...Certainly the number was applicable in view of the "variety" of things that subsequently occurred. We had a dispatch rider, one Private Vanhouse, who followed us, our driver having been given orders to go St.Nazaire to get aboard a ship named the Lancastria, where the rest of the unit would be making its way in a variety of transport. After a number of hold ups due to refugees, etc.,we arrived at Auxerre. Vanhouse fed me by throwing the odd turnip and carrot into the back of the van.With his motor bike, he was free to roam to farmhouses etc. At Auxerre, the French had a lorry with drums of petrol aboard, from which we were refuelled...I was detailed to climb aboard with a rifle, and shoot anybody who attempted to take any petrol, there were dozens of cars and lorries that required petrol, and the plight of those people calling out "essence....essence", and holding up a variety of containers, since by now the fear of the German activities had filtered down to the pitiful refugees. I could not have pulled the trigger on them...I was a technician, not a fighting man. We set off from Auxerre to go to Nantes, and were stopped at a bridge by a "French Colonel".....he was waving our driver over the bridge towards the east. The driver leaned out and made a suggestion to him which would not be polite to print, since the direction would have sent us back to the east, where we would eventually be caught by the Germans. Not long after this, climbing a hill, the clutch on the van broke. It took the French two days to repair it. (some time in those two days, the Lancastria was sunk by the Germans), with a large amount of R.A.F.personnel aboard, including some of our unit...but for the broken clutch, we would have joined the thousands who perished on that boat. We arrived at Nantes. I got out to spend a penny, a very difficult caper in a rocking van, the driver was unaware that I was not in the back, and he drove off heading south ( he had just been told that our boat, the Lancastria, had been sunk, and was told to find another). Vanhouse later caught the van up, found I was missing, came back to look for me ("Blitzed, which covers this caper totally, makes the comment that it was a brave thing for him to have done....I thankfully agree !!) He offered me a lift his pillion rack, but after sitting on the Typex case for a long time,my bum was in no mood cope with the steel tubes of the pillion. He suggested finding another motorbike, and we went to an Air Stores Park which had dozens of motorbikes and vehicles, all disabled, the bikes having had a bullet through the crankcase....How he knew of it,I didn't question, but he found a Norton, undamaged, and offered it to me.I recall it had 54 miles on the clock, and was brand new ! I didn't have the strength to start it,not having had much to eat for several days, so he took it, and I followed on his BSA. I lost him at some point, but keeping the sea on my right, headed southwards. Passing through a gate, on to a sandy road, I was shot at by a French policeman, my uniform trousers and shirt were,of course, blue, similar to the Luftwaffe, I was, therefore a legitimate target in his mind. He only fired the one shot that I knew of. Eventually I arrived at La Pallice, a small port, about 100 miles from Nantes. The Typex was unloaded from the van, and an Army captain told me to smash it up. I refused, and told him I was ordered to get it back to the UK...he gave a soldier and axe,or something similar, who smashed it, and it was then shoved into the dock, together with other detritus of war...the drums, which were the heart of the machine, were in a separate box. I threw these in later.(After the war, it was stated that the Germans had " captured" a Typex, but there were no "drums",so it was useless to them) I can only assume that they didn't dredge the mud, otherwise they could have broken all the codes. (Strange thing is thatlater nobody in authority questioned the loss of the machine). We got aboard the "Thistleglen" and the !Philip M", two little fishing boats or colliers. A Frenchman tried to get on board, a Petty Officer literally picked him up and threw him into the sea.It was now dark, we were issued witn a tin of Maconochies meat and veg., and set sail,sitting on the deck hatches. Had it been winter, we would not have survived. In the morning a Hudson aircraft appeared, the army Captain told his men not to shoot unless he said so,the plane turned and headed north. The morning after that (as far as I recall) a destroyer came at us pretty fast. I had a great fear,and many must have felt the same emotion, until the boat turned broadside on....it was D88, with British sailors crewing it. It stayed with us to Newport, in Wales. We went ashore, a parson gave me a sandwich, somebody shoved a mug of tea in my hand, and another put a lighted cigarette in my mouth, my tears were caused by a mixture of smoke and relief to be back in Britain. I was given a rail pass to go to Uxbridge. My home was south of London, so I decided to go via Staines and then home. On Staines station there were two immaculate R.A.F. service policemen,both corporals. I was dressed in a shirt, trousers, issue slippers, and still with my tie on. They were overjoyed at such an easy catch, obviously an "improperly dressed airman"!! We had a word or two,I made a very impolite suggestion to them, and caught the 213 bus home. I sent a postcard and telegram to my wife, (staying with her parents in Scotland), the postacrd arrived first. She had heard a radio broadcast some days before, saying that all the B.E.F had safely returned. I later went to R.A.F.Uxbridge, got completely kitted out, and was then posted to R.A.F.Northolt, just in time for the Battle of Britain.

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