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MY WARTIME ADVENTURE

My story began when I was stationed at RAF Marham working as a switchboard operator in March 1940. I had a friend by the name of Joan Peek working in the officers mess. She had always been promised by Squadron Leader Glen Cross if there was ever a flight going to Guernsey in the Channel Islands where her parents lived he would try and get her a flight if she got permission from the WRAF Commanding Officer. One day she rang me and told me he could get us on to a flight doing an observation mission to Guernsey if we could get permission and he said he could also get permission to take us. He told us when the flight was and we had to meet him at a certain time in the crew room to be kited out with a parachute. Joan picked hers up and pulled the rip cord and the parachute opened, so she had to have a replacement. This was a slight problem because no-one liked to lend their parachute. When we were suitably kited out were then taken down to the airfield. The plane we were taking our trip in was a Wellington bomber. The crew of the plane consisted of Glen Cross the pilot also a second pilot and a front and rear gunner a wireless operator also a navigator. We took off with the knowledge that we had the WRAF officers permission but unknown to us at that time Squadron Leader Glen Cross had not got permission to take us! The idea of the mission was to go on an observation mission up to York but he decided to stop the wireless operator from transmitting and flew on to the Outer Hebrides. Around this time our families were contacted to say that we had gone on a flight and were missing because contact had been lost with the plane. On the way on York we got fired on as an unidentified aircraft assumed by those on the ground to be a possible enemy aircraft. We continued to the Outer Hebrides without incident. Then we flew down to the west country across Dartmoor and circled around Dartmoor prison so that we could see the prisoners exercising in the yard. Then we continued to the Fleet Air arm Base at Guernsey. Prior to landing we were told that the pilots brother was getting married there that day. Unknown to us all Glen Cross had made arrangements to land there in time for the wedding. However owing to the fact that we were late in arriving the wedding reception at the Happy Landings hotel was already over. The hotel manager and manageress made us all very welcome and realised that we were all very tired and gave us some of the food that was left from the reception. Some time after we took off to return to RAF Marham. Somewhere over Cambridgeshire near Wyton we realised that the fuel was getting very low and that we would have to make a force landing. We made a very rough landing in a ploughed field. Then we saw a remote farm house in the distance. The pilot and co-pilot decided that they would have to tell their commanding officer what had happened and leaving the crew to guard the plane headed for the farm house and Me and Joan went with them. Although it seemed like a very desolate spot, within minutes people had appeared from everywhere and were crowding around trying to take pieces of the plane as souvenirs. The farm was occupied by a mother and daughter. The pilot explained the position to them and asked to use the phone to contact his commanding officer to explain what had happened. The commanding officer told him that he was near enough to the Wyton Airdrome to take off in the morning and collect some fuel and that he would send his chauffeur to the farm house to collect Joan and myself. The chauffeur arrived in the early hours around dawn because he had difficulty finding the place. The plane took off with the crew while we were being taken to RAF Marham. When the plane and crew arrived back they were taken to the operations room for questioning. Me and Joan were never questioned because had got permission to go on the flight and done nothing wrong. Squadron Leader Glen Cross was grounded and the crew were posted elsewhere. Glen Cross was later allowed to fly again when pilots were needed desperately. I later got posted from RAF Marham and lost contact with all those involved in our adventure.

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