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Flown from the POW camp directly to Calcutta, India.
“We got picked up by a plane. We've got a lift which saved us about 200 miles walking. And they were Dakotas. Um, that was that was the lorry of the air in those days. Um, and we all got out. We’d been packed in like sardines.”
From India Stan was taken to 106 Personnel Reception Centre at RAF Cosford - special unit set up in vicinity of RAF Hospital to care for the returning far east PoW to deal with medical and mental problems, malnutrition etc. before being released from service.
Finally 104 Personnel despatch centre at RAF Hedensford for release.
The last leg of the journey
“So I went to the RTO. Where are you from, son? Alton in Hampshire. I've been there. He says nice beer there, you know, we had a nice long chat. Um, he said there you are then there's your ticket. And if you get stuck, whatever the red cats, show them that you're okay, you can go anywhere. And it was, you know, because red cats are everywhere. And if you got something Where you off to? Oh, yeah, On your way. And that was it. Yeah. Anyhow, I got to Alton and the station looked just the same. The same porter was stood on the bloody station, and when I got out, there was a car parked there. a Taxi and I walked past this, and I thought, I wonder if he knows where I live. He said, hello Stan how you doing? How you getting on? I said a bloody long sight. Better seeing you. he said you want to lift home. Yeah, I'm getting there. And not only did he take me home? He took me to the home where my family were because they've been bombed out. They were neighbours, Of course. Everybody knew where everybody was”
“I knocked on the door. aunt came the door and she said, Martin, his name is. Hello, Martin. What's up? He said I brought him home and she said who? And she said, Oh, my God, she said, Is he all right? And he said No. He wants to come in for a cup of tea. So he came in with us and we had to sit down a cup of tea and everything.”
Presents from abroad
“One thing I didn't mention when we were in India and coming back home, we were all issued with a the kit box, a tin trunk with a handle on each end, and you can fill it up with anything to bring home. And I've racked my brain, I thought, Now what won't they have had and I thought tea! So I filled mine up mostly which I've got some cloth lovely silk that women make under clothes out of you know, lovely silk. Got that in. I've got all this tea in there. And of course, when I got indoors, they said, Would you like a cup of tea? And I said, Yeah, I brought some tea with me have you they said, because he was as rare as a rocking horse show. You know, she opened it and there were these 4 pound packs of tea in it.”
“They nearly went berserk. You know, it's about two years rations, and all the women came from nowhere. You would not believe it, You know, all neighbours Of course”
“I must tell you this The vicar was the same Vicar. Reverend Stringer? Yeah, of course. He knew me cause I was the head boy and I was a server as well in the church, and there was a knock at the door and I opened it. And there he was, and they had a box of oranges. Now, nobody has seen oranges in England for years, and I had a box full and he said I got these off the Colonel. I never found out which, Colonel, but I got these off the colonel for you. They'll do you good, and one thing you could get when we were prisoner of war was oranges”
“I was Home”
Letter from the King and Queen
Recognition of Service
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War Medal 1939-1945
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Pacific Star
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Defence Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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To remember them is to honour them
Awarded a War Pension
My thanks goes out everyone who helped me and the websites I used to put together the information
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