Life as a storesman in the RAF supporting the 8th Army

Ernest Brown worked for a shoe retailer and had been a substitute manager of a shop for a while then got a permanent post as manager in Hertford, he was then settled there with his wife and two-year-old son, Peter, in 1939. Ernest was deaf in one ear and was not called up immediately but in October 1940 he joined the RAF and was assigned to 223 squadron. He was shipped across to South Africa and was based in the stores, they were providing backup to the Eight Army. They gradually travelled north following the army to Egypt and on to Italy. In 1944, somewhere "halfway up Italy" he said, possibly Montecassino his family believe, his war ended and he was returned to the UK because of his hearing, although it had not deteriorated.

Meanwhile, his small family had stayed in Hertford but extended family from Hackney, Bexhill and Eastbourne had been evacuated at different times and were staying with them, in their small 3-bedroomed house. Hertford remained relatively unscathed although a bomb had fallen close to the cinema in the town, which was closed and later demolished, and it was close to the school the older cousins attended. They had a reinforced front room in the house which is where his mother gathered up all the children and took them if an attack was expected, but they escaped any bombing, although on one occasion they fell close enough to have cracked the bedroom window. The boys did occasionally see German planes flying over on their return to base.

Ernest's return was strange for the 3-year-old son he'd left behind, the cousins had gone by then but Peter had got used to living with his mother and occasional aunts, so a man he didn't really know moving in was quite different. In his letters home his father had always included a little drawing for his young son. By VE day Peter had moved to the bigger school in the town and Ernest and his wife decided to meet him from school so they could all be together, and they took a Union Jack for him, which his father hid as a surprise. However, Peter decided he'd rather stay with his friends and wasn't interested in the flag.

Ernest spoke very little about the war, he took an allotment and spent time there, although he didn't really care for gardening, he did supplement the family's food.