13 September 1940

As soon as John Crossman arrived at Stapleford Tawney and reported to 46 Squadron on 13 September 1940  he applied for 24 hours leave so he could collect the luggage and car he had left at Biggin Hill during 32 Squadron's hurried evacuation up north.

Leave granted, someone commandeered the Magister to fly him over. Although he had had a fair idea of the damage done to his old station, nothing had prepared him for the extent, even after almost two weeks of repair work. ‘Have never seen anything like Biggin Hill. All buildings are flat except the mess. All hangars are flat and hundreds of bombs have been dropped on it. Absolutely wrecked’.

He retrieved his luggage and car which had fortunately escaped any harm and then headed to Chalfont St Giles to visit his father’s sisters. It was not an easy trip. ‘It took me ages to go through London as it is lousy with bomb craters and had to detour all over the place’. When he finally arrived, he received a warm welcome from his aunts ‘and we had a long chat until midnight’.

 

 

John Crossman's aunts and uncle in front of their cottage at Chalfont St Giles 

 

Meanwhile, at Warmwell, Ken Holland was burning the candle at both ends. After turning in at 1.00 a.m. he was back at dispersal at 5.00 a.m. He hit upon a scheme (other than getting home early) to catch as much sleep as possible: ‘Think I will take to sleeping in the dispersal hut – it means getting an almost uninterrupted sleep instead of sleeping and waking by numbers as it were’.

It was another day of ‘Minor flaps’. He scrambled again as Green 2 for a patrol over Portland. Again, the patrol was of such little import that it was not recorded in the 152 Squadron ORB. After he was released he was off to Weymouth again to visit friends for a chat and some drinks at nearby pub. He must have been tired as he made an early night of it, turning in at midnight!