tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4421824649693109748.post-50437093116471947612008-04-28T04:07:00.004+02:002008-04-28T04:46:38.949+02:00april 28 2008<br /><br />I don't know why, but I've spend quite some time trying to find out in which squadron my father was serving in WW2.<br /><br />I still haven't found out.<br /><br />It's good I have been to England. I've met the people he stayed with, so no one can tell me he hasn't served in the RAF.<br />But that's long ago and the people there who knew have died.<br /><br />I know some of his stories.<br />Just a few.<br />The rest he kept to himself.<br /><br />I also know some things from his chaplain. Not much. But enough to follow some lines.<br />They didn't lead to my dad, yet.<br /><br />Maybe they didn't serve in the same squardron at the time, but met later, earlier, or on a base where their squadrons were together.<br /><br />He was trained as a radio operator and became a flying engineer.<br /><br />Because he was young he had to stay overbight at a family near the base.<br />As far as I know he stayed in High Wycombe with an elderly lady somewhere between 1941 and 1943. She was very kind and caring.<br />Her daughter, Lillian, went to Rhodesia with her husband.<br /><br />He also stayed in Wolverhampton, where I've met the family.<br />It's a pity my mother managed to loose the address.<br />Those people were very kind, and I would have loved to have stayed in contact.<br /><br />Once my father mentioned he'd been in Nova Scotia, but as soon as I started to ask questions he stopped talking. he never wanted to talk about it again.<br /><br />His photos were kept in an old shoebox.<br />I remember him sitting in a Lancaster.<br />He often told about airplanes like the spitfires, mosquitos and the flying fortress.<br /><br />One of the most amazing experiences was being with him in France.<br />He'd always said he'd never been there, but he knew his way there quite well.<br />No surprise, considering many Dutch young men went through France to go to England.<br /><br />On the other hand, our family was in the resistance and he might have helped pilots escape.<br /><br />The last days I've spend hours with a magnifying glass looking at old pictures online.<br /><br />But why, why can't I find him?<br />And why can't I find his name, nor that of the chaplain?<br /><br />Requesting information from the army archives is impossible.<br />My mom is next of kin and she was so traumatized in the war that she doesn't want to have anything to do with it.<br />She won't give her consent, so I have to wait untill she dies.<br /><br />I hope that one day, I'll find out more.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center>Buzzfuse rewards toprated posts.<br />April is autism awareness month.<br />This month all my earning<br />will go to support of autistic children and their parents.<br />So help me win a buzzfuse reward<br />and rate this article with a free click.<br />To be completely sure your rating is counted<br />you can subscribe free.<br />Trust me, Buzzfuse is well worth a try.<br />It really is.<br />(And you can unsubscribe if you feel you want to.)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.buzzfuse.com/link/d16a70a8-4412-42f9-a2c8-5eefe9af31d1/c00049f5-2526-4902-aaad-07c2d65d7caa" target="t10"><img alt="Use Buzzfuse* to easily rate, review, and share this item" border="0" height="30" src="http://widget.buzzfuse.com/widget/d16a70a8-4412-42f9-a2c8-5eefe9af31d1.gif" title="Use Buzzfuse* to easily rate, review, and share this item" width="250" /></a></center><br />.Laanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09206799121622681828noreply@blogger.com7