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Bernard-Parker

A veteran interview with

Bernard Parke

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About Bernard Parke

Bernard Parke conscripted into the Royal Air Force as a Radar Operator recalls his time in the role and the difficulties that faced young men during their early careers in the force.  From 1 January 1949, healthy males 17 to 21 years old were expected to serve in the Armed Forces for 18 months, and remain on the reserve list for four years. After the Korean War, the service period was extended to four years. Bernard tells stories about the treatment he received from his superiors, his experience with American colleagues and how his handwriting almost got a Viscount airliner shot down! His story highlights the importance of the use of Decca’s Type 80 radar. In it’s day it was a huge leap in technology, after a short lull due to the aftermath of WWII, with a reliable range of 250 miles and the ability to distinguish two planes apart at a 150 miles. His important story of post WWII boom emphasises the impact of the 1950s low rate of unemployment (around 3% ). Servicemen during WWII had been promised employment after victory, and no government was prepared to break this pledge. Although, competition for the better jobs was tough and Bernard waited three months before he landed a job at Lloyds Bank. Overall, Bernard reflects fondly on his time spent with the RAF as a National Serviceman.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Hannah Bowers

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

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Home | Veterans | Bernard Parke

A veteran interview with

Bernard Parke

Bernard-Parker

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Parke, Bernard. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Parke. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 23 Feb. 2011 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-parke/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Parke, B. (2011, February 23). A Veteran Interview with Bernard Parke [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved November 17, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-parke/
Chicago Style:
Parke, Bernard. 2011. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Parke. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, February 23. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-parke/
Harvard Style:
Parke, B. (2011). A Veteran Interview with Bernard Parke. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 23 February. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-parke/ (Accessed: 17 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Parke, B. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Parke [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2011 Feb 23 [cited 2025 Nov 17]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-parke/
An interview with

Michael Wainwright

Gliding to Greatness

Michael Wainwright served with the RAF during WWII; he fought bravely and valiantly in the Battle of Britain, one of the most frightful chapters of the Second World War, and the first time British forces faced the terrifying Luftwaffe. During the interview, Michael recalls the horrifying moment at which war was announced; he joined the RAF in 1936 at the age of 37 where he trained flying a Hawker Fury. Although, in his early career, Michael flew the notorious Bristol Blenheim, a bomber plane. He was later assigned to 64 squadron where he would take up the cockpit of a spitfire in order to defend the English boats crossing to France. He talks about his friend and leader: sub/Lt. Dawson-Paul who was shot down during the conflict, and taken prisoner by a German patrol boat in the English Channel. As his career continued, Michael made the decision to move to 102 glider OTU and take up the role of an instructor, teaching budding new pilots how to safely glide their planes in the event of being shot down or engine failure - he also teaches them how to defuse situations with angry farmers when landing in their fields.
Photo Gallery icon 1 Photo
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Jimmy Taylor

From RAF trainee to war hero: Jimmy Taylor's journey through aviation and escape

Jimmy Taylor joined the RAF at 19 to avoid being drafted into the army or working in a coal mine. Motivated by his passion for aviation, he secretly enlisted at a recruiting centre in Reading. His training took him across the UK and eventually to Canada and the United States. Jimmy experienced the harsh discipline of American military training, but despite these challenges, he excelled and became an instructor. He volunteered to instruct American cadets, as the RAF needed to supply 10% of its graduates to train new students. Jimmy trained 20 cadets, enjoying every moment, especially teaching formation flying and buzzing the airfield with his students beside him. In October 1943, he returned to England. His role in the Second Tactical Air Force involved long-distance reconnaissance, mapping future battle areas and updating outdated maps with accurate photographs. While weather often hindered flights, he maintained a vigilant watch over German jet airfields, which included managing risks from German radar detection. On one occasion, while photographing airfields near Rhina, he experienced engine failure and opted to bail out, eventually landing in a field in occupied Holland. After avoiding capture, he planned his escape westward toward Utrecht, aware of the dangers posed by locals and the ongoing German occupation.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Michael Gibbons

Michael parachuted from his bomber, but the parachute did not open until the last moment. This episode haunted him for many years after the war.

Even though Michael was in a protected occupation he joined the RAF as soon as possible. He trained as a flight engineer and was assigned to a Halifax bomber squadron, aged eighteen, in 1942. On their ninth flight the crew had to bail out over Britain due to lack of fuel. His parachute malfunctioned and did not initially open. It opened just in time and he went to a nearby farm. The rest of the crew thought he had been killed. His aircraft flew several sorties for Special Operations Executive, dropping agents into occupied France before D-Day. These missions were at low altitude and attracted a lot of fire from German light anti-aircraft guns. Many of the shells went right through the Halifax without causing too much damage. Eventually Michael and his crew completed a ‘tour’ of forty missions, although this took a toll on him, especially when he would notice some of beds in the barracks had not been slept in, meaning that those men were not returning. Michael was often physically sick at the start of a mission and kept a tin in the plane for this purpose. During his tour he went to see the base Medical Officer (MO) and said that he was not feeling well, to which the MO replied that it was Lack of Moral Fibre. Michael told him to f*** o** and just left. Michael wonders that, if there is a God, why he let all the killing of the war take place.
Photo Gallery icon 1 Photo
Service:
Interviewed by:
Brig. C Elderton