We were taken to the railway station and put on a train to West Kirkby on the Wirral. When we arrived all our kit was put on lorries then we formed up to march the 3 miles to the camp. Nearing the camp we were met by the Band who played as we marched the last 200 yards through the gates.

RAF West Kirkby, set on the top of a hill in an isolated position, was a cold cheerless place especially as it was winter. Here we spent 8 weeks doing our Basic Training. We lived in wooden huts heated by two cast iron stoves, which could only be lit, after we finished work for the day. A metal sprung bed with 3 square 'biscuits' small straw filled mattresses, 4 blankets, a cylindrical pillow with case and 2 sheets was provided for our comfort. Each morning the bed had to be stripped and the bedding made into a neat bundle, across the bed a clean towel was laid out and on this you arranged your mug, knife, fork and spoon together with you shaving kit. All this was lined up with all the other beds on your side of the hut. Woe betide the poor soul whose kit was dirty or out of line.

The days were filled with foot drill, rifle drill, lectures, P.T., route marches, assault courses and of course the endless'Bull'. This consisted of polishing and cleaning everything in your kit or in the hut. Hours were spent polishing your boots to a mirror like finish. Every day inspections were made and every fault brought down the wrath of the Corporal, the Sergeant or God forbid, the Flight Sergeant.

After 8 weeks we were considered good enough to present ourselves for Passing Out. The Passing Out Parade was held in front of the C.O. who decided whether our Flight was of the required standard and we went through a routine of drill manoeuvres both with and without our rifles. We passed the test and the relief was unbelievable We had taken a number of aptitude tests and had been interviewed regarding the trade for which we would be best suitable to train. I chose to train as an armourer.

RAF Kirkham. I spent 10 happy weeks learning all about guns, bombs, fuses and explosives. How to use them, look after them and repair them. Everything from a pistol to a 4000 lb bomb. We could now go out of camp when not on duty. This was great because Blackpool was only a few miles away! The Salvation Army ran a canteen on the camp where we could get good cheap meals and relax in nice surroundings. When the course was completed and we had passed all the tests two of us were told to go to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

RAF Coningsby was an operational station with 3 squadrons of D H Mosquitoes. They were the Pathfinders for No.1 Group Bomber Command. After a couple of weeks we were tested again and as a result I was promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC). I was sent to work in the Bomb Dump at the far side of the airfield. It was here that all the bombs, ammunition, fuses and explosives were stored. Our main job was to prepare the bombs that the planes were going to drop that day or night. We put the fuses in and put the tails on before they were taken up to the dispersal sites to be loaded onto the aircraft We mainly used 250 lb Target Indicators which didn’t contain High Explosive but Chemicals which burnt in various colours to illuminate the targets for the real bombers. None of our aircraft were fitted with any guns and the only guns we had on the camp were revolvers, rifles and sten guns. These were only used for Guard Duty and on Ceremonial Parades so we didn’t spend much time dealing with these.

My time at Coningsby was very happy especially as later because of a shortage of N.C.Os. I was put in charge of the Bomb Dump with an acting rank.

In 1949 there was a National Dock Strike and the Services were called in to help out in the emergency. We were sent to London to work on the Royal Group of Docks in the East End. We were housed in an empty aircraft hangar at RAF Hornchurch and we were taken by lorry into the docks every day. The Navy operated the cranes whilst the Army and the RAF did the unloading of the cargo. It took a bit of getting used to but in time we became very efficient and even, to the horror of the dockers, broke the record for the unloading of cargo. At night and at weekends we had to be careful, only going out in civilian clothes, as we were not very popular with the local dockers!

Another time I spent at Clevedon in Somerset acting as a decoy party for a bombing exercise. The target was Bristol Power Station. We were supposed to confuse things by lighting up an area similar to the Power Station. The pilots then had to decide which was the real target and which was the decoy.

Our squadron of Mosquitoes was sent out to Egypt for a period and we had to go with them as ground crew. I spent about three months at RAF Shallufah, near the Suez Canal. It was a great experience but a bit dodgy as it was at the time when there was trouble with King Farouk. All vehicles, leaving camp, had to carry an armed guard and me being an armourer, and knowing about guns, was quite often given the job of riding shotgun on a van or lorry.

Eventually in 1950 it came near to the time for me to be demobbed. Many anxious weeks were spent waiting for my demob number to come up. At last it did and I said farewell to RAF Hemswell, where I was now stationed, and set off for RAF Wharton to be demobbed.

I left with a uniform, shirt, tie, underclothes, a pair of boots and many happy memories. I do not regret the time I spent in the RAF doing my National Service.