In His Own Words
I was born in 1922 in Cardiff and attended school during the years of the depression and high unemployment. My father was a tradesman and was therefore in permament employment as a maintenance engineer.
When I left school I took up employment at the local paper making mill, first as an assistant stock keeper, then in the costing department and then to processing orders for the machines.
In May 1940 there was a call for volunteers for the LDV, called the Home Guard, so I joined the local force doing guard duty at the BBC and the Head Post Office. On January 2, 1941 Cardiff experienced its first blitz and I decided to retaliate and volunteered for aircrew in the RAF. I had my ACSB (aircrew selection board)in May and was called up in September.
After eighteen months training I was passed out as a Sergeant Wireless Operator (Air)and posted to an AFU (advanced flying unit)then to an OTU (operational traing unit)where I crewed up with a Canadian crew and did my first operation in a Wellington bomber. At this time the four engine bombers were replacing the twin engine ones so my crew was sent to a heavy conversion unit where we picked up an additional air gunner and a Flight Engineer as we transitioned to the Halifax bomber. On completion we were posted to another Canadian squadron, 427 Squadron. Our Squadron had been adopted by a major Hollywood film company, MGM, and we were allowed to name our aircraft after the stars. The Squadron then also adopted
a lion cub at London zoo because the opening screen of any MGM movie was a roaring lion. We became known as the Lion Squadron. On my nineteenth operation over Germany , our aircraft was shot down near Hamelin. The pilot was killed and the two gunners, I received wounds in the legs which kept me in hospital for seven months. On my journey from Hamelin to Dulag Luft near Oberursel for interrogation I was confronted by an armed soldier while laying on a stretcher on a train station platform who wanted to shoot me.It was only the intervention of the Feldwebel (Sergeant) escort which saved my life, After hospital trearment I was sent to a prison camp in Upper Silesia(now western Poland) in July 1944. In January 1945 the Russians were making a big push westwards so the Germans decided to evacuate the camp. From January 19, 1945 to February 28 we were on a forced march in sub-zero weather, minus 25C, through Czechoslovakia into eastern Germany, finally ending up south of Berlin where we stayed until overrun by the Russians in April.
We were kept as hostages by the Russians until all Russians in German hands had been returned. I decided to escape and with American assistance crossed the Elbe river, which was the border between the Russians and Americans to Schoenbeck. From there we were trnsported to Hanover, flown to Brussels,taken by train to Lille and the Lancaster to Dunsfold, train to Cosford for a medical then home by May 10, 1945.
I returned to civvy street going back to my old job and after three years was transferred to the paper coating mill where I spent a further six years. In 1955 I moved to London and took up a position as a paper salesman and technician.
I have also been active as a Mason. My Masonic career started in 1960 when I was iniated into the Manor of Bensham Lodge No. 7114 and was installed as Master in 1970. Since then I have been through nine Chairs and I am the founder of the Redhill Mark and RAM lodges. On ret.irement in 1984, I decided to occupy myself as a Tyler which keeps me active during my closing years.
I have been married for sixty eight years, having celebrated my diamond wedding at Oakfield Road in October 2001. We had two sons , one married with a son and daughter. He has recently retired from the Metropolitan Police. The second son is single, a railway driver Instructor who has a model railway in his loft and another larger set in his garden.
I have travelled through every country in Europe except Spain and have traversed Canada from west to east twice.I have travelled every coastal state in America and some inland ones. I have been twice to the Hawaiian Islands visiting four of them including Pearl Harbour.
Masonically I have visited The Grand Lodge in San Francisco and Boston, also a lodge in Hamelin, Germany. I have also had a Concorde flight and a trip on the Orient Express.
That seems to have covered my life so far.
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