INTRODUCTION
Robert never wanted to join the services as he was a peaceful man influenced by the 'Adult School' he went to in Leicester which was run by 'Non-Conformists'. He debated the subject many times at the school and with friends but something must have changed his mind. Maybe it was because, in the early days of the war, he went on fire watch, sitting on the roof of the Taylor-Hobsons factory in Leicester putting out fires when incendiary bombs dropped during the night or maybe because a bomb dropped very near to him and his family while they took shelter in a bungalow at Cropston reservoir. Whatever it was things could have turned out very differently from the long and happy life he had with his wife, daughters and grandchildren.
Written by Robert's younger daughter.
Robert's own words are in italics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank The Blackpool Evening Gazette for allowing me to use cuttings from their 1945 newspapers and particularly the photographs which show how severe the damage was to the plane and how lucky my father was to get out alive.
Also I would like to thank the RAF Commands Forum and RAF Hendon Museum for assisting with the research by providing me with the crew list and a copy of the accident card.
Finally, I would like to thank Adam for taking my idea of a website and turning it into reality, without his help I doubt this story would have ever been published.