Albert Kingham shares his memories of being evacuated from Southend to Nottinghamshire at the age of eight. Albert dreamed of becoming a pilot and witnessed the first dogfight over Southend in 1939. During his four years in Nottinghamshire, he witnessed the bombing of Sheffield and collected shrapnel from crashed planes. At 14, his passion led him to join the Air Training Corps (ATC), where he received training, including parachute exercises, and flew in various aircraft. Albert recalls a memorable flight with a photographer over Germany in 1947, where he witnessed the devastating aftermath of the war in cities like Cologne. In 1948, Albert was stationed at Oakington during the Berlin Airlift, he recounts flying in Dakotas to and from Berlin. After leaving the ATC in 1951, he began a career as a naval tailor, helping produce battledress uniforms, including those worn during the Korean War. Albert’s story is one of bravery, resilience and a love for planes.

David Edwards talks about his service experiences in post war Berlin as a Teleprinter operator sending wireless and telephone messages. David carried out his compulsory National Service in 1947 at RAF in Compton Bassett, and after passing out as Aircraftmen First Class was posted to Germany, with the Air Branch Combined Services Division. David mentions his curiosity at being posted to Berlin after the war, but describes the ‘shocking’ condition of life in the German capital. He describes poignant moments for people living in Berlin at the time, and the ‘impressive’ way they faced life during the joint occupation of allied forces, including the harsh treatment by Russian occupied forces. During his time in the signals office in Berlin, David describes the beginnings of the Berlin Blockade, the development of the air lift, and witnessed first hand the air traffic at the American airbase at Tempelhof. David was also able to use his own time in Berlin for self improvement, finishing his school certificate by learning French; and also learning to touch type, a skill he still uses today for word processing. David was in Berlin just under a year and left just before the blockade finished. He was posted from Berlin to the Island of Sylt, in the North Sea at an RAF training station, before being demobbed.

John grew up during World War Two and found it an exciting time. His hometown was bombed, and he witnessed the build-up for D-Day. His brother was killed near the end of the war while working in bomb disposal. When it was time for National Service after the war he joined the RAF and was posted to Wunstorf airfield in Germany. He felt sorry for the Germans when he saw the devastation caused by Allied bombing, which he saw to be worse than that caused by German attacks on Britain. At the airfield he became a lorry driver, helped load the planes and assisted in guarding the airfield.  He enjoyed the work and saw a variety of aircraft, both RAF and civilian, including Yorks, Tudors, Dakotas and Liberators. He found the variety of aircraft interesting but each one presented different loading issues, such as different heights and cargo bay size. As time went on the Airlift became more organised, with less paperwork slowing down the flights. German labourers were used to work on the transports and whilst talking to them many of them said they had served on the Russian front, never on the Western front, against the British or Americans! As part of his ration he received 100 cigarettes a week, and, as a non-smoker, he could trade these on the black market for goods or German marks. His time spent in Germany helped him feel less hostile towards Germans and now he is proud to have been part of the Airlift.