My dad wrote this about 10 years ago, prompted by my brother Tim Staten who is a History Teacher.I think it is a fascinating story of one man's War and, on reading it, you realise what a lucky man he was! Posted to various 'safe' areas and training others to go out and get shot at, I know that my Dad always felt somewhat guilty. As he says in an afterword to the story:
'Reading over what I have written has reawakened the feelings of guilt that I have tried to hide from myself and others since the war. These stem from the fact that I helped to train bomb aimers to supply depleted squadrons whilst enjoying a safe haven in Northern Ireland. I shall always feel I let my course-mates and students down by not being with them.'
I don't feel he let anyone down and he'll always be a hero to us. A lovely man who gave his life to education - a profession he was only able to take up as a result of the aftermath of the war and his own experiences of training others.
He died in 1997
Recommended story
Story with photo