Starting as a Bevin Boy, Alan Hewett, struggled to settle down after being demobbed. Determined to follow his dream, Alan joined the RAF. Originally stationed at RAF Melksham, Alan met his future wife, Eve. Later he was sent to North Luffenham, working as a mechanical engineer, Alan replaced Dakota aeroplane engines during the Berlin Airlift. Although RAF Luffenham wasn’t a very social place, Alan reflects on how his downtime was spent there. After serving as an instructor at Melksham and on tour in Iraq, Alan was meant to be demobbed. Instead he took a job at RAF Crawley, building the De Havilland Comet 2 flight simulator. At RAF Little Rissington, Alan became the chief in charge of simulators for the NATS, which later became the Red Arrows. Lastly, Alan reflects on the independence and self-reliance that his time spent in the RAF taught him. He details how his 22 years of service shaped his confidence, work ethic, and even his marriage, affording him with an overall ‘great life’.

Gerald White provides a captivating account of his time in Germany, working as a Technical Adjutant in the RAF during the Berlin Airlift. As a boy, Gerald witnessed the remains of a V-1 flying bomb which exploded onto the grounds of his school during the Blitz. It would not be the last time he would bear witness to such a display. After the war ended, he began training as a young aeronautical engineer. His skillset would lead him to RAF station Gatow in Berlin where he contributed to the repairs of various planes for the Berlin Airlift, including the Dakota and Avro York aircrafts. He experienced a steady workflow at the bustling station but he was no stranger to incidents. He recalls two converted Lancaster planes, one a skyways tanker which blew up on the airfield and an Avro Tudor (belonging to Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett) which his team managed to recover after it crashed into a sand bank. Unfortunately, a year later, the same Tudor would be involved in the Llandow air disaster, resulting in the tragic deaths of eighty-three people. He describes a strenuous situation involving the removal of a Stratofreighter which was on a course to a welcome reception in Tempelhof before being forced down to the airfield where it got stuck in the tarmac of a runway. Gerald reflects on his time at Gatow fondly, describing it as an astonishing experience. His work in Germany offers insight into the impact of RAF engineers who served on the Berlin Airlift and the significance of the aircrafts they aided.

Fred Gardiner sat with his companion on the rear floor of a military aircraft, flying low over the English Channel. Below them, he could see Brighton with great visibility. Missing in action for 5 weeks, Fred looked down at his grandmother’s house, recalling she would have no idea whether or not he was alive. Born in Banbury in 1923, Fred Gardiner volunteered for the Royal Air Force after war broke out, not wishing to be drafted into the army. He trained as a wireless operator air gunner. With his fellow squadron, Fred completed 4 successful military operations on the Lancaster. His 5th operation was to Manheim, Germany. On route, Fred’s aircraft, the Lancaster was hit by a Messerschmitt Bf 110, a German fighter-bomber, where Fred recounts horrific moments of shells, bullets and deafening noise. The aircraft caught fire, and Fred knew he had to evacuate imminently. After releasing the bomb from the aircraft, Fred escaped through the rear and made his exit, parachuting through the night sky. He landed with no shoes, socks and no clue what country he was in. After spending the night, Fred came across a man in a horse and cart. Fred surrendered, with the man escorting him to safety, beginning his dangerous adventure back to the UK: hiding in ditches, encounters with resistance members, near-misses with armed German soldiers, escorted by bicycle, car, on foot, and through the day and night. Fred’s story is a fascinating testimony, revealing how incredibly fortunate he was to survive, both in the air, and in his subsequent escape. By circumstance, it makes Legasee feel lucky to have his memories to share.