David Jones in the Royal Air Force

My father, DAVID GEORGE JONES, was a 24 year old ironmongery shop assistant when the War broke out. He had been married to Edna, my mother, for less than two months. He was called up into the RAFVR on 28 June 1940, and given the service number 932396. He certainly had a much easier war than many, his eyesight probably preventing him from being posted to active service. Nevertheless, six years away from his wife and family could not have been easy.

David had many anecdotes of his life in the RAF where he served as a Nursing Orderly, reaching the rank of Corporal. But sadly he never recorded, and I never sought to ask, the detail of his postings and progression. I know that he served mostly at Honchurch in Essex, but also at Kenley and I believe at Croydon. He spent the whole of his war in the Nursing Branch. For a good part of the time his sergeant was one Eddie Stone (the Lighthouse Man, as he called himself!) who became my godfather. David was awarded a Certificate of Good Service on 1 January 1946 (the document is printed on HQ Technical Training Command paper) and this was presented to him by Group Captain R J Clare-Hunt, then the Officer Commanding at RAF Hornchurch.

My favourite of my father's anecdotes was about the (doubtless illicit) nocturnal sending, in November 1941, of an RAF ambulance from Hornchurch to the East End of London. This was to collect my mother, who had started labour, and take her to a nursing home at High Beach in Epping Forest for the birth of my sister Valerie. Perhaps I should be embarrassed at this flagrant breach of regulations, but I only admire the initiative and enterprise of a man who was devoted to his wife for what eventually became a total of 53 years of marriage.

My father's last day of actual service was 6 March 1946. The next day he went to Uxbridge for dispersal and was given 56 days leave prior to his formal release on 2 May 1946. He went straight back to the ironmongery shop and worked there for another 20 years. His rather easy war experience was doubtless typical of many thousands of servicemen who each contributed to the war effort in their own small way to support the front lines. His Certificate of Service and Release summarises him thus:
'This NCO is a man of outstanding ability. He has a thorough knowledge of the technical aspect of his job and in addition is a first class NCO and administrator.'

David Jones did not have a hero's war in the sense of fighting battles and winning medals but he was very much a hero to his wife and children.

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