3 Wartime Stories from 1 Descendant

Story 1 - As Aircraft Ground Crew in Egypt

My father, Alfred Henry Baker, was 16 when the war started and was evacuated to St Neots. He was very well looked after by the family he was lodged with and remained friends with them after the war. When he returned to London from St Neots, he was a Fire Watch volunteer in London, directing firemen to the location of fires.

He joined the RAF in 1941 when he turned 18. He wanted to be a pilot but wasn't accepted and became ground crew. He was sent to Egypt, to a place called Halwen, which is near Cairo, because there are photos of the Pyramids when he was off duty. He was also able to visit the Holy Land during his leave. He told me that he worked on aircraft maintenance, in particular on radios and that they had to do a lot of cleaning of sand and dust out of the aircraft equipment. He made good friendships in the Air Force, and many remained lifelong friends.

Story 2 - Poetry from a Prisoner of War

My uncle, Denis Webb, was my mother's brother. He was called up in January 1940. He hated the war and never spoke about it. He was captured on the Continent, and imprisoned in Germany for three and a half years. While he was a prisoner of war, he wrote a poem and sent it home. My grandmother kept it.

Story 3 -  Life on the Home Front

My mother was Joyce Evelyn Baker. When she passed away, I wrote details of memories of her life. Excerpts from those notes are included on the Object List.