- Contributed by听
- audlemhistory
- People in story:听
- Ron Bradford
- Location of story:听
- Chigwell and Bergen and Stavanger
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A5815604
- Contributed on:听
- 19 September 2005
I spent from 1941 to 1946 as a RAF Wireless Operator in the Mobile Signals Unit. In April 1945 having returned to our base in Chigwell Essex we were undertaking arctic training under canvas, prior to expecting to be sent to our final destination of the Sola Airfield Stavanger Norway. It was early May when we left Chigwell in convoy to travel north up the A1 to our embarkation point, The Port of Leith. However our journey was interrupted by an emergency diversion to White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire but after an anxious 24 hours we were told to return to Chigwell. (We found out later that the reason for this was that the German troops in Scandinavia had not surrendered and fighting was continuing)
This meant that forty-eight hours later I was in the centre of London celebrating VE day with millions of people and this was an experience never to be forgotten. The shared emotions of relief joy and pride that the war was over and we had won.
Though the war was finally over we were still required to go to Norway and a few days later we travelled by train this time to the Port of Leith. We set sail in the Troopship 鈥淏ANFORA鈥 and after a tortuous three days dodging minefields in the North Sea went ashore to the airfield at Stavanger. We quickly established communications with other airfields, being able to use most of the equipment left behind by the Germans and shortly the main occupation forces arrived and it operated as a normal RAF airfield. We were told that our next destination was to be the Far East and you can imagine our relief when the war with Japan ended!
I was then sent north to Bergen where we were accommodated in a house formerly used by German U boat officers that had an excellent wine cellar! Compared to the previous years life was quite pleasant and we enjoyed the countryside. In November 1945 I returned to England and after a number of moves around the country was de-mobbed in June 1946.
I returned to my job with a firm of Timber importers in Sheffield and years later my work took me back to Norway and I was able to see the people and their country in a more relaxed manner
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