Dick joined the RAF in 1942, aged 19, and flew allied transport aircraft in the Far East, supplying Allied troops in the jungle. After the war he was in Transport Command, operating in Germany and Poland. He was due to go on leave, but the Soviets had just blockaded Berlin, and instead he began flying Dakota transports into Berlin from western Germany. Initially only two transports were involved but this built up rapidly despite the ‘organised chaos’ of the early days. Soon the pilots were working 18-hour days, flying three to four return flights to Berlin daily. During the winter the weather was bad, although not as severe as Dick had experienced during the war. A wide variety of cargoes were carried, from coal to disassembled bulldozers and hay for the Berlin Zoo. On the return flights light export goods and unwell German children were carried. Later he flew the Avro York, a larger aircraft with greater capacity than the Dakota. On at least two occasions there was a mix-up, and a Dakota was loaded with a York’s cargo. They managed to get to Berlin but only with the engines running at maximum power. The Soviet air force harassed the Allied aircraft, sometimes firing their guns over the planes, other times buzzing them as close as twenty feet. On one occasion Dick got tired of this behaviour, turned his plane around and flew directly at the Soviet aircraft, which took evasive action. He thinks that the Airlift prevented another war.

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.

Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot, Bob Foster provides an extraordinary account of his time in the RAFVR. In September 1939, he joined the thousands of other reservist pilots who would defend their country high in sky over the English Channel. As a Wing Commander, Bob Foster flew Hurricanes and Spitfires with 605 Squadron in Battle of Britain. It was the start of an incredible career that would eventually lead him across the equator to fight the Japanese off the coast of Australia. As the war in the Pacific escalated, he joined 54 squadron. Bob recounts his arrival in Australia as one that was shocking. He believed that for them, 'Life went on' in Australia and the War felt very separate from everyday life there. Here, he was credited with destroying and damaging a number of enemy aircraft including at least 5 Japanese aircraft while flying from airfields in northern Australia. His story highlights his pride, achievement and satisfaction in the RAF as a young man in his 20s.