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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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my great granddad

by ekky_morgie

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Archive List > World > France

Contributed by 
ekky_morgie
People in story: 
Albert Slim
Location of story: 
england and france
Background to story: 
Royal Air Force
Article ID: 
A2282708
Contributed on: 
10 February 2004

My great granddad wanted to be in the R.A.F.His name was Albert (bert) Slim.
He always wanted to be in the R.A.F And only took him a week to get in. One week after war broke out he went to france, in the December of 1939.
He started as an aircraftman 1 and then he became a wireless operator and an air gunner.
When he wrote to my great nan who was living in England he used code. The 1st letter of each line making the name of the place where he was based.
When he was in France he had to pay more for his water because he didnt drink and and alchol was alot cheaper. He travelled from a place near Paris to Dunkirk which by that time was taken over by Germans so they travelled to Brest in a petrol tanker which my Great Granddad drove.
when they finaly got to Brest there were to big boats in the bay one called the Strathead and the other was the Stratherd they were like to big ocean liners.
All the men queued to get opn the Strathead . My great Granddad was 3 away from the front of the line and it was cut off. As the boat pulled away from the bay it was blown up by the Germans. He then got on the Stratherd.
When he got on he was told to throw away his kit bag to make room for more people. In his kit bag it had gifts for my nan and her new baby.
In the easter of 1940 he came home to see his son who was born in the january.
He got back into action and flew over Germany dropping peace leflets a bit of propaganda.But he got shot down and the wireless table slamed into his chest. He went deaf when he had to fill his ears with tissue paper while they were hiding to stop bugs and things getting into his ears. He then went on sick leave. When he got home may great nan said he was unrecognizable,and he wanted to be re trained to become a dispatch rider. He wasnt a officer so he was not commissioned he was a corporal in the Royal air force.
In doncaster they were used to flying two engine planes and they changed to four engines so when they officers tried to fly them they kept crashing them because they weren't used to flying them. he never flew in Doncastor to be exact he never flew in England only in France and over Germany.
He was then discharged form the Royal Air Force in September 1945.

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