大象传媒

I was born in 1920 in Tredegar. I left Momouth Secondary County School in 1936 to go to RAF Halton's School of Technical Training. No33rd Entry - more schooling and taught on older aircraft Hawker Harts, Bi-planes etc. From 1936 - 1938 as an aircraft fitter, both engineer airframes and theory of flight, in fact anything and everything that was known about flight in those days. We have learned quite a lot since.

In 1938 leaving RAF Halton on posting to RAF Abingdon No15 Squadron whose aircraft at that time were Hawker Harts, awaiting to be re-equipped with Fairy Battles -a sinlge engine light bomber. During 1939, a year that was very uneasy as we were recalled from leave on more than one occasion, No 15 & 40 Squadron were finally sent to Southampton on Friday September 1st on board for shipment to France on 2nd. Arriving at Le Havre on the morning of September 3rd as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force before the actual declaration of War at 11.00.

We left Le Harvre by train to our battle stations at BETHENVILLE & CONTE VAUX not knowing that we were at war. The first incling we had that something was up was when three aircraft approached our airfield on Tuesday 5th September - they turned out to be German STUKAs and they weren't very friendly!

During the months of September to December 1939 we had lost most of our aircraft - roughly 10 out of 12 and we had to return to Englian to be re-equipped with Bristol Blenheims MKIV. We worked on Blenheims during 1940, raiding the low countries.

I left No 15 Squadron in January 1941 and was posted to RAF Catterick with the view of forming a new squadron, namely Beaufighter Nightfighters No 68. At this point I received my first promotion to Corporal and the squadron became operational in 1941 and moved to High Ercall as a guard for the Midlands area and then in 1942 it moved again to Coltishall.

During 1942 I was again promoted, in August of that year I was promoted to Sergeant and sent on detachment to Coleby Grange, Valley, Fairwood Common, Castle Camps and then returned to Coltishall two years later in 1944. The squadron then moved again, this time at Church Fenton and in 1945 it was finally disbanded. I was with them from the very start and still with them at the end.

Whilst staying at Coltishall some Czechoslovakians joined the squadron and after some time there were enough people to form a flight and it was my honour to be the main NCO in charge.

On leaving No 68 squadron in 1945 I was posted to No 234 squadron in Dice, Scotland. it was also during this period that I had to go to London and more importantly the Czech Embassy to receive my award. I was awarded the 'Order of the Merit: 2nd Class' and this honour was the highlight of my wartime service.

in December 1945 I was posted to the Far East, South Asia Command, stationed in Seletar, Changi and Tengah. I undertook a 6 month tour on Cocos Kelling and was then dispatched to Kemajoran (Java) 31st transport squadron in the role of flying fitter, in my role as flying fitter i would ferry the wives and children of the planters from Batavia to safety in Singapore. during this period the Dutch were in conflict with the Indonesians who wanted home rule.

I returned to England in 1948 and after leave I was posted to Wythal near Redditch with the Mobile Classrooms Touring Unit. We toured both England and Ireland and gave lectures on various subjects until i was posted to Henlow in 1953 and then Cosford undertaking Trade Testing duties until 1955.

I was posted to the Canal Zone (Egypt) in 1955 and then in 1956 I was posted to Akrotiri in Cyprus, not a very nice posting. During this time Greece wanted home rule and many of my friends were killed or wounded by EOKA terrorists. In 1958 I was posted to Northolt and then in 1959 I trained as a crew chief on Vulcan aircraft on both 617 and 27 squadrons.

When I finished in 1968, I was 48 years old, a chief technician in the Royal Air-Force. It was strange, I found it quite hard to settle into civilian life as I had little or no experience of life outside the RAF.

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