 When i arrived at Habbaniya,we were lined up and this Flt Sgn asked, could anyone drive? i said i had driven a tractor on a farm,he said come with me,we went off the station to a tarmac area, he got out and said drive(a 15cwt)has it happened the gears where the same as a furgasun(spelling not right?)tractor so of i went, 20mins later he said you are a driver, i said i was a radio man, he said plenty of them,short of drivers, he would not listen,so i became a driver, and never looked back,there is a "funny"side to this no room here. After my tour ended in Habbaniya, we went to El-Hamra to wait a boat home, after a few weeks my name was called for a flight home, there is not enough room here to tell the full story, after a few stops for fuel, we left Malta in the dark and went to sleep,not very easy in an old York woke up it was daylight, but one engine was stopped, told not to worry, then we landed at this old airstrip in France no food or beds,and no money,clubed enough to go to this vilage to have a drink in this little bar,we were looked at as if we were from the moon,after a not very comfortable night, were told a new engine was on its way and it did.cont arrive,with fitters,got the old engine out and the old one in when the engine was in and tested, by now late afternoon, we were told the old engine had to be manhadled on the other plane if we wanted to leave before it got dark[no lights]or wait for the lifting gear to be flown out to us sometime, you should have seen that engine move,when we got to London in the middle of the night, not one person was there to see to us[we were a day late] no money nothing, the SPs gave us a rail warrant,so i arrived home unwashed and no money and the only clothes i had is what i was standing in. It took about 3 weeks for some money to arrive,the celebrations had all been paid for by family and friends, the only clothes i had was a dirty battledress and civies that were small for me now so someone said the uniform could be cleaned[this was 1951]i had my doubts, it did clean, and it did fit???Then i was sent a travel warrant from home to Wrafton, after some inquires found out it was in Devon and orders to report to RAF Chivenor,I had to explain why i was a BIT scruffy,issued with new battledress and one new shirt, the rest of my kit arrived in about 3 weeks. At 48Rfl Sqd at Chivenor i was driveing everything and every where for about 6-7 months,when this Flt Ltn asked had we got driveing licences, yes,was the reply lets see them, so i pulled out mine,is that all you have yes i said,[bare in mind i had been driving all over Devon] he went off like a shot, i should not have been driving off the camp, so i was sent to RAF Pembrey to have a test, so i passed my driving test in Llanelly on a Sunday morning[this was 1952] the only thing i saw moving was a horse drawn milk float,and frightend the s--- out of a dog. |
