|
Date: |
|
Description: | British clerk served with Documents Office, Royal Flying Corps\RAF at Blandford 1917-1918; served at Documents Office, Headquarters, RAF at Halton 1919. Evacuees in Yarmouth, Norfolk 1939-1940
REEL 1 Background in Great Yarmouth, 1899-1917: work in auctioneer's office; story of being fined for leaving light at office; reasons for joining Royal Flying Corps, 18/9/1917; Zeppelin raids and Red Cross activities; presence of Royal Naval Air Service station; German naval bombardment, 5/1916. Reasons for recruitment as clerk with Royal Flying Corps, 18/9/1917. Recollections of period at Farnborough, ca 1917-1918: journey and reception; story of accidentally being reported AWOL; desire to work with aircraft and consequent deliberately getting low grade in trade test; difficulty in getting posting due to low grade as clerk.
REEL 2 Continues: difficulty in getting posting due to low grade as clerk. Period as clerk with Documents Office, RFC at Blandford, 1918: role completing and filing individuals service papers; effects of formation of RAF, 1/4/1918; prior indications of approach of Armistice Day, 11/11/1918. Period at General Headquarters, RAF at Blandford and Halton Camps, 1918-1920: story of officer's solution to disciplinary problems due to slowness of demobilisation process; story of delivering envelope to Air Ministry; duties in Registry Office and story of concealing documents relating to Balloon Sqdn, Royal Engineers history in linen room of Halton House; Women's' Royal Air Force personnel; origin of RAF light blue uniform; role as clerk during formation of Boys School of Technical Training, 1919; accident files.
REEL 3 Continues: question of naval traditions within RAF; story of forging signature to allow WRAF personnel to get free travel warrants; opinion of Trenchard and role of BSoTT; relationship with officers and NCOs; story of guarding aircraft which had forced landed. Recollections of period as civilian in Great Yarmouth, 1938-1940 reserved nature of occupation; Yarmouth's role as reception area for London evacuees, 1939; evacuation of Yarmouth children, 2/6/1940; comparison of situation, 1918 and 1940. Pride in RFC\RAF service. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Smith, Lyn E | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
|
|