UNBELIEVABLE

BBC WARTIME TALES www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2

His name was John Morgan. He was a fighter pilot, engaged when I knew him, as a Tank buster.
This entailed flying —Post D Day — either a Tempest or a Typhoon equipped with rocket racks under each wing.
He paid court to our neighbour’s youngest daughter of 19 years
She learnt that he had been shot down over France, and was heartbroken. It seems that when they had previously said their goodbyes he always said, “ I’ll be seeing you” a song that they had seen together.
His parents lived in St Albans and John had I think two, perhaps three other brothers in various different services they too had been killed.
Finally the mother went out shopping one day to come home and find her home totally destroyed, by a V1 rocket together with her husband.
I often think of Mrs Morgan and what she gave her country. I was then rising 16 but I always remember that tragic family. Most of whom I never met.

Paul Barratt
2/12 28

He was named AUSTIN TURNER and when I met him he was a sergeant in the KRRC. He was a short man but quite muscular and a professional soldier.
He was married to Betty who was the daughter of my mother’s school friend.
Austin had a daughter Pamela about 2 ½ years old and just before hen was posted to the desert Betty became pregnant again and produced another daughter again Barbara.
Austin fought up through Italy until reaching the PO Valley where the river flooding cut him off and he disappeared forever.
He was posted,”missing” then,”missing presumed dead”.
But they all hoped that he was alive. One day Betty received a bill for 10/- now 50p. Unbelievably, this was officialdom asking for the price of the blanket they buried him in.
This was the only noticefication of him dying.
His two daughters must be in their 60’s now, their mother remarried and became Mrs Allwork. They lived in South Harrow.

Paul Barratt
2/12/28

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