DJRVST
master brummie
My mother-in-law told stories for many years about military incidents she was involved in during WWII. Like many family stories you are never sure of the facts and the imagination!! Briefly the story ran like this: She was a telephonist/plotter in a bunker (Command Post) located near Dover. Her role was to relay gunnery commands to AA batteries in their section. This section consisted of British and American gunners. She was in the RA and issued the officers orders via a telephone line to each battery. She tells the story that whenever the RAF or USAF was overhead she had to issue a cease fire order. She says that there was always a problem getting the American gunners to stop firing. One night she relayed the cease fire order saying “Cease Fire Cease Fire Spitfires overhead!!!”
As usual the British stopped firing but despite repeated orders from her and eventually the command post officer the American Batteries carried on firing. The RAF by this time had had enough of what kept happening so one of the spitfires dived and fired on the American guns. They apparently then got the message.
So the story went and we were not always sure about her ‘recall’- swinging the lamp and all that!!!!
Move on to 2005 when my younger daughter was married in Devon. Her future parents –in –law invited a friend -Reg from their village in rural Worcestershire. He was a man just a little older than my mother-in-law they met and just exchanged a few pleasantries as you do at social occasions. A month or so later my daughters’ parents-in- law invited my mother-in law to their home for a day and invited Reg. Whilst sitting in the garden enjoying a glass of wine Reg and my mother-in-law fell to talking about their wartime experiences. Reg was a pilot. Reg when he heard of where she had served said ‘I know about you- you used to fire on us and others and one flight had a go back one night!!!’ There was needless to say a correction of who did fire on the aircraft!!!!
Just goes to show what you could easily dismiss as a tale---------as well as the co-incidence of two folk meeting after all those many years having both the same story to tell independently. Reg has now achieved eternal wings I am sad to say.
As usual the British stopped firing but despite repeated orders from her and eventually the command post officer the American Batteries carried on firing. The RAF by this time had had enough of what kept happening so one of the spitfires dived and fired on the American guns. They apparently then got the message.
So the story went and we were not always sure about her ‘recall’- swinging the lamp and all that!!!!
Move on to 2005 when my younger daughter was married in Devon. Her future parents –in –law invited a friend -Reg from their village in rural Worcestershire. He was a man just a little older than my mother-in-law they met and just exchanged a few pleasantries as you do at social occasions. A month or so later my daughters’ parents-in- law invited my mother-in law to their home for a day and invited Reg. Whilst sitting in the garden enjoying a glass of wine Reg and my mother-in-law fell to talking about their wartime experiences. Reg was a pilot. Reg when he heard of where she had served said ‘I know about you- you used to fire on us and others and one flight had a go back one night!!!’ There was needless to say a correction of who did fire on the aircraft!!!!
Just goes to show what you could easily dismiss as a tale---------as well as the co-incidence of two folk meeting after all those many years having both the same story to tell independently. Reg has now achieved eternal wings I am sad to say.
