George Adams was in the RAF during the war. This is a detailed letter from him to his parents in Edinburgh detailing a weekend leave to Blackpool and a spell guarding a Mustang fighter positioned in the town centre of Ashton-Under- Lyne to raise funds for the war effort.
After the war, in the early 1950s, George married Freda.
These letters are part of Freda’s collection which only came to light after my Uncle’s death a few years ago. Here are the others in her collection:
Transcript:
Back Again In The Old Dump
Dear Mum & Dad
I arrived in B’pool about 9am after stopping for an hour or two to look around Preston. Freddie’s house was closed up, blinds drawn and with milk on the doorstep, so thinking his Dad and brother must be on nightshift or something I dumped my kit in their outhouse and went off down to the promenade. I returned about 12 O’clock and got a shock to find the house still shut up. I then went down to the G.P.O. to see if I could find Mr. Gardner. After half an hour I was told he was on holiday! I was in a flat spin then because there were no services clubs or hostels in B’pool. Then I suddenly remembered Joan, Fred’s popsie. But I didn’t know where she lived or what her surname was. I did know where she worked though so I took a bus out to the aerodrome gates. I saw two girls from the same works sitting having their lunch on the grass, so I took out the remainder of my train piece and joined them and started asking for Joan. I had a terrible job trying to locate her. We stopped almost everyone going in and gave them her description. At long last we got a girl who new her, but she told us Joan was not at work that day as Fred’s parrot had bitten her finger. Unfortunately nobody knew her exact address, so between them they told me where they thought she lived.
Off I trotted again back to town. I got to approximately the place and began enquiring again. I asked dozens of people, coal men, postmen, policemen and shopkeepers until at last a postman’s wife gave me the address.
I met Joan alright and we went over to Fred’s house as she knew where the key was. We got there and found Fred’s brother, Harold, there with the tea ready! He was on nightshift and had been in bed all morning, his folks being away he was ‘camping in the kitchen’. He had received my card and invited me to ‘muck in’ along with him. And so my holiday started. As you can guess I spent most of my time dancing. It was smashing, with bags of smashing dames. Unfortunately I never met the girl from St Anne’s again. The holiday season had really got under way, although the invasion had apparently cancelled many bookings. The weather was not very warm but it did not rain. There was open air dancing, roller skating, bands and concerts on the three piers all day; morning, noon and night.
I have never seen so many donkeys in my life as were on the beach. It was thick with them and most of the children spend all their holiday riding up and down. There is a Punch & Judy show too which is the best I have ever seen and includes a very smart performing dog.
The thing that surprised me most was all the ice cream and pukka milk shakes which were on sale everywhere. It was rather expensive though, and from what I heard, most of the proprietors were in court in the morning and back on the beach again in the afternoon.
I think I got around and saw almost everything including Tussaud’s Waxworks which I did not consider so very hot. The dummy attendants would never deceive anyone.
Mr & Mrs Gardner arrived on Friday evening, apparently Freddie had intended coming for the weekend on Friday evening, and they had not expected me until then either. As it was Freddie was suddenly posted to a bomber station near Cambridge very unexpectedly on the Thursday. I left B’pool on Saturday night and got to the camp just before midnight.
The atmosphere in the camp seemed different from what it was before we left, and it was not long before we were told the reason. Sgt. Green had been posted elsewhere the previous week! So thing were considerably quieter now.
On the first Sunday back I went out with Ted Bender for the last time before his departure to join Van Dam. We visited the Army Exhibition in Piccadilly which is absolutely super. It covers every mortal thing connected with the army, from cooking demonstrations to dirt-track racing by paratroops on folding motor bikes. In the evening we went to the flicks and saw ‘Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves’ which was very good. As usual we ended up at the Y.W.C.A. where the girls pulled Ted’s leg mercilessly as they had seen him sozzled the previous night when ‘celebrating’ his departure. They had always thought him such a quiet, shy chap!
On Monday the flight went back on the old lecture routine again. It was a lovely day and after two hours signals we were pretty cheesed. So when they came and asked for 6 volunteers to guard an aircraft Bill & I gathered our pals together and stepped forward. We did not know what it was, but assumed it was just for the afternoon and night on some crashed a/c or something. Anyhow it was bound to be better than lectures. It shook us rigid
It was ‘Salute The Pongo’ week and the army had three tanks and we had a Mustang fighter in one corner of the typically English market square. Almost half the square was taken up by the ‘shows’ which were the usual dodge’ms, round-abouts, cocoa-nut shies etc. These made our job much more enjoyable by playing the latest records every evening. The remainder of the square was taken up by the stalls, which opened on Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays with the market. There you could buy almost anything you cared to mention including black market stuff such as fully fashioned stockings, elastic, curlers etc. etc. if you knew the right people.
Our job was to guard this Mustang. There were two guards, composed of 6 cadets and two RAF regiment corporals each. We worked 24 hours on, 24 hours off. During our 24 hours on we went on guard in pairs 2 hours on, 4 hours off. Which (as Sylvia will be able to work out mathematically for you) means we were on duty 8 hours out of 48! The rest of the time we could do absolutely as we pleased. Our Billet was a room in the Police Station on the first floor, looking immediately on to the Mustang below. The 4 corporals were real decent fellows, as long as two were always on guard, they let us come in, go out, go to bed and get up just as we pleased. On our 24 hours off we would go away altogether and come back to see the girls at Bury again. I stayed up there at Bill’s lodgings twice.
We had dinner and tea in the best café in town and charged it up to the R.A.F.! We got very friendly with the manageress and twice had strawberries for tea!
We occasionally got strawberries in the market too and would take down a bowl of sugar and stand and eat them while on guard ! Our girlfriends used to share them with us and keep us company! We got tomatoes in the mornings and kept them until we were on at night. One of us used to get in the cockpit, close it down, and go to sleep. The other had 40 winks in the little sentry box.
During the day we used to show people over the aircraft if they were interested and collected several tips and packets of cigarettes. In the evening all the girls in town used to wander down and keep us company. Many of the nicer ones brought invitations to tea and the blokes would go home with them when their two hours were up. (Although I never accepted any myself.) You see we were the only forces ever to be stationed there with the exception of a few sprog REME chaps whose discipline and hours were pretty drastic.
We used to toddle round to Littlewoods in our spare time (where we knew most of the girls) and drink coffee. In fact one of our pals Bob, is almost engaged to the girl at the coffee counter now. She is a nice girl and he has got it bad.
Bill and I got pally with a super, natural blonde in the gramophone section and she used to play us all the latest records. (Incidentally Bill has gone back to Ashton to take her out tonight!).
The Army supplied us with rations for supper and breakfast, and the corporal whose job it was to collect & deliver the goods was a real good pal. He always finished twice as much as he was given and brought it along. We had tons of stuff. Bacon – tea – sugar – milk – coffee – cocoa – bread – cheese and tins of everything imaginable. You will hardly believe it but the Airman’s dream came true there. The corporals got up in the mornings, made breakfast and brought it to us in bed at 9:30 or 10 o’clock!
We went to the dancing once or twice. It was not bad but the band was rather too keen on hot jazz and the girls were a very mixed crowd.
And so the days passed with never a dull moment. The target was successfully reached and the Mustang taken away on Monday morning. In the afternoon the manageress invited us round to the café at 2:30. We had a whip round & gave her a present. We had a little farewell tea party with the kitchen staff. The manageress invited us back any time we were near and said we were the nicest bunch of chaps that had ever been in Ashton. Of course we all agreed. So most of the lads, including the corporals, are going back this weekend to see various girls and have tea in the café. Yes we were all sorry to leave.
As soon as we got back we went to the orderly room and moaned about ‘the strenuous 7 days guard’ we had just done. They have as good as promised us a 48 hour pass to compensate for it.
Last Sunday Bill and I went away rambling with a couple of Bury girls again. It was a lovely day and we went to a picturesque little town, Altringham, several miles from here. The girls brought sandwiches and we had a grand time.
Tuesday, (that’s yesterday by the way) I was hut orderly and started to try and catch up with my correspondence. But gave it up as a bad job as I could not get any peace for new blokes moving in.
Today I have been on programme again. We had clay pigeon shooting this afternoon. I could hardly hit any discs from the easy posts, but by some fluke I smacked every one from the difficult ones. I think the officer thinks I’m a crack shot who is trying to pull his leg! _ _ _
It is now Thursday evening. I had to dash off yesterday as I had a date. I went to see a film called ‘The Sullivans’ which was very good but had a rather sad ending. Tommy Handley was in the supporting film which was as crazy as his radio programmes.
Today the whole flight had to parade this morning and we were handed over to the RAF regiment again. We are doing another mock battle. This tie we are the Germans and guess what? The two NCO’s in charge of us are the two who were at Ashton with us. So we are all pals and having a bloomin’ good time! The weather being extremely warm. We are on this scheme till next Tuesday or Wednesday. We had this afternoon off and I intended finishing this, but fell asleep. Fortunately someone woke me in time for tea.
No doubt by now you will all have had a good look at the photographs enclosed. On the backs of them in ink it tells you who or what they are. In pencil it says how many copies I want you to get at Watsons as soon as possible. Don’t worry I’ll pay you later.
Also enclosed is a present for Sylvia & some goods Ted ordered. They are fret saw blades, 1 dozen wood & 1 dozen metal. I can get him any amount (at 1/6 a doz.) so please phone him immed. And ask him whether you should send them on, and if he wants more.
The hair nets are from the market (black) and cost 6d each should you want any more.
Well I must finish now as it is getting dark, the RAF having seen fit to remove all our light bulbs. So I’ll say bye-bye for now. Sorry I could not find time to write sooner, but you see how it is. ( I hope!).
P.S. I got rid of my slight cold in B’pool.
