My R.A.F.Days & After

Welcome to the

My R.A.F.Days & After

web site.

WEST KIRBY AND ONWARDS.

Leaving Ealing Broadway railway station for Paddington station, with my suitcase and thermos, sandwiches and reading items, little did I know I would be back here, at this station, in three weeks time. More of that later.

The week before Christmas, 1946, I received a buff envelope with ON HIS MAJESTYS SERVICE along the top, on opening it, I found I was to report to Padgate on the 22nd January 1947. Enclosed was a travel warrant to Warrington. At least I had time to let my employer know when I would be leaving him, I was a trainee Draughtsman for a local coach builder and he said my position would be there for me when I had completed my time in the R.A.F. but as it turned out, after my open air life as an F.M.E. (flight mechanic engines) I decided I would not go back into an office environment.

The journey from Euston to Warrington was hectic, what with no heating in the carriages, (due to a technical fault, so they said) and having to keep scraping the ice from the windows, with ice on the tracks, making it slow going up the gradients, (wrong time of year for leaves on the track), then we stopped for ½ hour, miles from anywhere due to points icing up. As we were late getting to Warrington, I thought we would have to wait

for the R.A.F. vehicles to pick us up, but no, there was a 3 or 5 ton Bedford truck waiting

for us. On arrival at Padgate we were looked after quite well, considering what was to come later in the week, an Officer gave a welcoming speech and then we had mugs of

tea and something to eat, can’t think what it was though.

The next morning started our fun and games. Medical, haircut (short back and sides

and I mean SHORT), our service and release book Form 3810A,

My entry group No. was 102, which I thought was my demob No. and service number 2342465, uniform issue, ( anyone who had seen the film ‘Carry on Sergeant’) will know how quick it was getting kitted out, then we had the vaccinations against various infections, then to bed.

We left Padgate on the 30th January, by Bedford trucks again, and were put on the train

for West Kirby.

After we had been issued with our sheets, pillowcases (yes they did give us those) and blankets, the roughest I had been in touch with, we were then marched to our huts,

trying not to drop any of the items on the way, those that did got a right ear full from

the DI’s. (for those not in the know) Drill Instructors was that abbreviation, we had our

own name for them.

So began our finest hours??

After being at the camp for about 2/3 weeks not having enough coal to keep the fires

going in the billets and other buildings, even after looking for wood or anything that we could burn, having no hot water for a shower, shaving etc. and even National electricity failures, it was decided to send us all home for 2 weeks,

Then, I was back at Ealing Broadway railway station which I had only

left 3 weeks earlier and on getting home my Mother said I looked like the coalman with my shiny black face and hands but I soon got rid of that

with long lay in the bath, full of beautiful hot water and a wee dram, my Dads whisky left over from Christmas.

We were to listen to the BBC radio for notification for our return. We

ended up being at home for about 5 - 6 weeks.

On returning to West Kirby the time went very quick due to having to

catch up on our drill and other training, the only thing that was bad, was doing the drill in the drill sheds, when it was raining (there was a lot of rain), as the acoustics in the shed were diabolical, when the DI’s shouted the commands, you weren’t certain what you should do, so I and quite a few others made mistakes, and yes we got shouted at again, again and again.

The week before the passing out Parade we were lined up outside our

hut for our photo and then for the Squadron photo. We were in E. Squadron,

3 Wing, 19C Flt., and hut 15C, the passing out parade was on the 11th April 1947. As below.

I am the one with a x above head and as you look at the photo, the

second one on the right is my friend Dennis King. We were reunited in September 2005, by the Archivist of the West Kirby Association,

Cliff East, photo following.

Dennis is the tall one.

Then we said goodbye to our mates and then off home for some well earned leave.

Like to find out more about your West Kirby days.

The RAF Camp at West Kirby existed from 1940 until about 1960 but according to official records the final passing out parade took place on December 20th 1957. Since then the camp has passed into oblivion and the area is now a mix of farm land and Country Park.

A book is also in existence "West Kirby and Beyond" by Dennis Tomlinson a veteran of the camp.

During this period in excess of 150,000 young men passed through the camp either on route to foreign parts in its early days as a transit camp, or as recruits to be trained by the various drill instructors. There was of course also a core of permanent staff to cater for all the various needs of those young men.

In more recent years there have been many attempts to gather lists of names of those who attended and even to try to organise a reunion.

In 2001 a lady named Ada Stewart an ex NAAFI girl organised a reunion ostensibly for ex NAAFI staff but also involving a number of the old recruits and Dis. This first meeting was held at the 12th Man Public House and Restaurant at Greasby, which is very near to the

site of the old camp.

An Association was started in 2002,

called, R.A.F. West Kirby Association.

The Association has a reunion each year and

Newsletters are sent out through out the year.

For more information and to become a member,

Contact the Secretary, Terry Barry on 01189 833088

The Association has a website,

www.RAFWKA.co.uk

Anyone who was at West Kirby and any of the other R.A.F. Stations mentioned in this book by Roy Taylor, can purchase it at the following address:-

Roy Taylor, 61 Appleshan Way, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 2LN

Tel:01273 416920

COST:- £9.95 PLUS £1.50 POST AND PACKING.

Roy will donate, on every book he sells from this site, to the West Kirby Association fund.

Another book written by an ex R.A.F. chap is,

"Returned To Unit -- in Handcuffs!". The title refers to one of the stories in the book, there are about 160 stories so far of ex service chaps.

The name and address to purchase one is,

Bryan Hewer, 35 Glencairn Avenue, Tuffley, Gloucester, GL4 0SQ.

COST:- £2.80 including postage, and any profit will go to the N.S(RAF)A.

Cover is similar to this.

NATIONAL SERVICE (ROYAL AIR FORCE) ASSOCIATION

Object Image, replacement for Object that CuteSITE Builder was unable to create from RTF.

Returned to Unit

---in handcuffs!

AND OTHER TALES OF LIFE IN THE

ROYAL AIR FORCE

Collected and Edited by Bryan Hewer

Happy Reading