I enlisted 03.09.52 as 2571064 AC2 and left 03.09.54 with the rank SAC.
I come from a South Yorkshire coal mining village and I was educated at Royston Board school and Normanton Grammar school.
When I was in the lower 6th at Normanton I had a religious experience which left me knowing what I wanted to do with my life and with whom I wanted to share it. Before this vocational experience I was destined to go on from grammar school to university and to become a maths teacher. Everybody wanted me to continue on to university and then to theological college but I had other ideas. I was looking for some real life experience before preparing for Methodist ordination so I left school to do 2 years as a railway clerk and 2 years national service. I am now a retired Anglican priest. The photos show me with Cynthia soon after enlisting at 18 and again in 2007 when we celebrated our golden wedding.
I enlisted at RAF Padgate and I have a guide issued by the chaplains there.
My recruit training was at RAF Hednesford and I have an official photographic record with the signatures of my fellow recruits and training corporal.
Soon after the start of training I was called to interview with a senior officer who said they wanted to transfer me to officer training. He was surprised and upset when I declined and explained that in order to see my national service as a positive experience on the way to ordination I wished to share it with the other ranks. I was aware that if I ever retruned after ordination it would be as an officer. I have never regretted my railway and RAF experience on the way to ordination even though it was clear to me that I could have delayed, or even avoided, national service if I had chosen to go on from grammar school to university and to theological college.
After initial training I was posted to No.1 Group HQ, Bomber Command, at RAF Bawtry, near Doncaster and I remained there for the rest of my 2 years working as Clerk (org) on officers records. Being near to home I was able to return there each free weekend to persue my relationship with Cynthia and to continue taking Sunday services in the chapels as a lay preacher. The officer under whom I worked at Bawtry Hall was very sympathetic to my vocation and allowed me to return to his office in the evenings to persue my studies. He would even see there was a burning fire and plenty of fuel in the winter. He let me take my first flight with him, in a small 6 seater plane, when he flew from RAF Finningley to the Farnborough Air Show. Batry was a small station with extensive grounds. We shared the hall as our work place with a civilian met office. For some reason we had a lots of Scots with us and they produced a pipe band which rehearsed far off in a hut in the
woods. They volounteered for Christmas duty so I even got home for this important festival. Bawtry is a pleasant little town on the old A1 - one side of the road in Yorkshire with gas lamps, the other in Nottinghamshire with electric lights in my day. Plenty of opportunity for cycling down A1 to Retford or out to the Wesley family home at Epworth. Local Methodists - ministers and laity - welcomed me into their homes to counter balance the experience of camp and barracks.
Whilst stationed at RAF Bawtry I was seconded for two important experiences (both on my own):
1) As a member of the RAF contingent at Her Majesty's Coronation when we first gathered from across the country and around the world for training and then under canvas in Hyde Park for the event. On the great day we lined the route in Oxford Street (pouring rain) and I have a press cutting and photograph as the Royal coach went by to prove it.
2) For a Moral Leadership Course in a private hotel at Kents Bank, Grange over sands (3-10 Oct 1953) , organised by the Chaplains Department. I have photos and a log book of this experience.
When my national service ended I went to Cornwall to the home of a Methodist friend from Bawtry for an enjoyable holiday before taking up my place at Richmond, Surrey, Theological college. After Methodist ordination I married Cynthia and we had 3 postings in Cardiff, Leeds, and Knaresborough before I became an Anglican. After further training with the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield we had 3 further postings in Leeds and Bradford before I retired. We first returned to our home village and came to Scarborough 7 year ago in November.
I am the proud possessor of National Service medal 50736, tho I have never worn it
I come from a South Yorkshire coal mining village and I was educated at Royston Board school and Normanton Grammar school.
When I was in the lower 6th at Normanton I had a religious experience which left me knowing what I wanted to do with my life and with whom I wanted to share it. Before this vocational experience I was destined to go on from grammar school to university and to become a maths teacher. Everybody wanted me to continue on to university and then to theological college but I had other ideas. I was looking for some real life experience before preparing for Methodist ordination so I left school to do 2 years as a railway clerk and 2 years national service. I am now a retired Anglican priest. The photos show me with Cynthia soon after enlisting at 18 and again in 2007 when we celebrated our golden wedding.
I enlisted at RAF Padgate and I have a guide issued by the chaplains there.
My recruit training was at RAF Hednesford and I have an official photographic record with the signatures of my fellow recruits and training corporal.
Soon after the start of training I was called to interview with a senior officer who said they wanted to transfer me to officer training. He was surprised and upset when I declined and explained that in order to see my national service as a positive experience on the way to ordination I wished to share it with the other ranks. I was aware that if I ever retruned after ordination it would be as an officer. I have never regretted my railway and RAF experience on the way to ordination even though it was clear to me that I could have delayed, or even avoided, national service if I had chosen to go on from grammar school to university and to theological college.
After initial training I was posted to No.1 Group HQ, Bomber Command, at RAF Bawtry, near Doncaster and I remained there for the rest of my 2 years working as Clerk (org) on officers records. Being near to home I was able to return there each free weekend to persue my relationship with Cynthia and to continue taking Sunday services in the chapels as a lay preacher. The officer under whom I worked at Bawtry Hall was very sympathetic to my vocation and allowed me to return to his office in the evenings to persue my studies. He would even see there was a burning fire and plenty of fuel in the winter. He let me take my first flight with him, in a small 6 seater plane, when he flew from RAF Finningley to the Farnborough Air Show. Batry was a small station with extensive grounds. We shared the hall as our work place with a civilian met office. For some reason we had a lots of Scots with us and they produced a pipe band which rehearsed far off in a hut in the
woods. They volounteered for Christmas duty so I even got home for this important festival. Bawtry is a pleasant little town on the old A1 - one side of the road in Yorkshire with gas lamps, the other in Nottinghamshire with electric lights in my day. Plenty of opportunity for cycling down A1 to Retford or out to the Wesley family home at Epworth. Local Methodists - ministers and laity - welcomed me into their homes to counter balance the experience of camp and barracks.
Whilst stationed at RAF Bawtry I was seconded for two important experiences (both on my own):
1) As a member of the RAF contingent at Her Majesty's Coronation when we first gathered from across the country and around the world for training and then under canvas in Hyde Park for the event. On the great day we lined the route in Oxford Street (pouring rain) and I have a press cutting and photograph as the Royal coach went by to prove it.
2) For a Moral Leadership Course in a private hotel at Kents Bank, Grange over sands (3-10 Oct 1953) , organised by the Chaplains Department. I have photos and a log book of this experience.
When my national service ended I went to Cornwall to the home of a Methodist friend from Bawtry for an enjoyable holiday before taking up my place at Richmond, Surrey, Theological college. After Methodist ordination I married Cynthia and we had 3 postings in Cardiff, Leeds, and Knaresborough before I became an Anglican. After further training with the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield we had 3 further postings in Leeds and Bradford before I retired. We first returned to our home village and came to Scarborough 7 year ago in November.
I am the proud possessor of National Service medal 50736, tho I have never worn it
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