Re: New Folks - Please Take a Minute and Introduce Yourself/Say Hello!
Hi.
Ken Garner here. I will be 78 in August, so I have lot to talk about!
Lived throught the war in a place called Grimsby. It has industry, docks and rail marshalling yards, the result being we were bombed regularly.
I left school at 14 in 1944 and worked the last year of the war at the Grimsby naval base, HMS Beaver.
Called up for National Service in 1948 in the Royal Artillery for two years. My work in civvy street was French polishing and piano repairs. I was demobbed from the army in 1950 and three months later had signed on in the Royal Air Force. After square bashing and tech training, I was posted to RAF Binbrook and joined 617 Squadron (The Dam Busters) I was working on Avro Lincolns ( Lancasters big brother) My trade was electrical mechanic and soon went back to training as a fitter (extra pay and promotion) We got rid of the Linolns and received the English Electric Canberra B2. You will know of it as the Martin B57.
We ended up on detachment in Malaya for six months, dropping 1,000 pounders on the terrs. We returned to Binbrook in November 1955 and 617 Squadron disbanded to reform as a Vulcan Squadron. I only had six months left of my service and I spent that on ASF.
Back in civvy street, I started work in a chemical factory British Titanium. Yuk! They made an intense white pigment out of Ilmenite, which is an intense black metalic sand, - Magic! I stood that for 4 years and then joined Cherry Valley Farms who produced oven ready duckling, thay also had connections with an American Company in Texas. Retired in 1990 with a company pension having risen to the dizzy height of Electrical Supervisor. I originally lived in Lincolnshire (That made me a yellow belly!!) I was also a member of the Air Cadets as a Warrant Officer and was with them for 27 years. Moved to Scotland, a beautiful country, walk to the end of the lane and lovely wooded slopes rising up to the mountains. I put time in at the local Aviation Museum making aircraft look respectable for the paying customers, but sorry to say, we are under threat, we have a new landowner and the rent has been put up from £700 per annum to £5,000 pa. They have agreed to let us have the land for £140,000, Har har! I also help my wife breeding Miniature poodles.
That about it. Ken
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