VE Day 1945

On this, the 75th anniversary of VE Day, I am remembering my father, Harold ('Hal'), 1915-1996.

He enlisted on 4th December 1939 and in his 30 years and 231 days of service travelled the world with the RAF as a flight engineer before settling at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall where we lived as a family.

He spent much of WWII in the southern hemisphere, Singapore, India, Burma and Australia during the Japanese invasion and occupation working on PBY Catalina flying boats before moving back to Europe in December '44 to 2TAF/BAFO supporting the British and Canadian forces on the left flank of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force's command.

In later life he and I used to visit the International Air Shows at RAF St Mawgan and chat to pilots, crew and those of his former colleagues who were still around. One of my last memories of him was shortly after his 80th birthday we went to the 1995 Air Day where we saw a Catalina. It was a closed display but he chatted up the crew with stories of the war and they let him onboard to sit in the seat he occupied during his service.

We have loads of papers and photos from his service days which, at some stage, I will sort from their suitcase jumble and put in to some semblance of order.

Extra is from my father's effects, the 1970 25th anniversary commemorative cover of V-E Day.