Cautioned against the dangers of the trenches, 19-year-old Patrick ‘Pat’ Hollins joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1939, where he would go on to experience luck in all kinds of ways.  With very few responsibilities prior to enlistment, Patrick considered the war to be great fun, particularly the role he played in Coastal Command. After travelling the country undertaking Morse Code and gunnery training, he took to the skies on board his first Whitley Bomber - known at the time as the ‘flying coffin’.  True to its nickname, journeys on board Whitley aircrafts were always precarious, often causing problems for its crew and sometimes even casualties. On his third flight, Patrick’s plane was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean where, as one of five survivors, he found himself stranded on a rock thirty yards from the shore during the middle of the night. Patrick was extremely fortunate to survive, though it wasn’t the only time he and his squadron would have to make an emergency landing.  After leaving 280 Squadron, Patrick was sent to Squires Gate in Blackpool, where he became an instructor for pilots and navigators. Although it was a nice posting, within a year he was already eager to return to the skies, so consequently took up the position of a Navigator in 235 Squadron, where he would spend the brief remainder of the war.  With luck on his side, Patrick returned safely home at the end of the war, able to reflect on his experiences in the air and on land. This film was of created for a VE Day celebratory series called ‘Home’, with special thanks to the Royal British Legion for helping to make it happen.

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.

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.