I remember very well the night in April 44 when German planes followed the Libs back to Rackheath, in fact I watched it happen from my bedroom window with my Mother. We lived in a farmhouse close to the airfield, Mousehold Farm by the railroad track, and it was our usual habit to watch the planes coming back. This night we wondered why they kept flying round and round and we could pick up bits and pieces of conversations on our short wave radio. Then it was all too obvious what was happening, as we saw the explosions as the bombs fell. I remember the vivid red and yellow sparks that seemed to be going upwards in a funnel shape before we actually heard the thuds, and of course the house shook.


Now back to what I did at the A.R.C. Well, I started work there Jan. 17, 1944, with the Head Cook Mrs. Gwen Kenton, sorting the kitchen out, as we didn't officially open until 3 weeks later. The only Staff then were the American personnel, who were Mr. Ralph Adams (Field Director), Miss Irene Heacock, Club Director and her assistant whose name I can't remember and the British Staff, Mrs. Riches - Gladys but called herself Ronnie, who was Manageress, Mrs. Marsterson who was cashier and was Irish and Mrs Ada Daynes who was a clerk and some local boys who were my age 15/16 who carried in the coal and coke and lit fires, etc. and a little Irish man, white haired. Tommy Conner, who looked after the boilers. The boys were Albert Holland, Eric Macy, Pierce Amup, Dougie Buxton and Austin Bugden, and they lived in near by villages. I used to go home every night until Oct. 44, when my parents moved from Rackheath and then I
lived in the Nissen huts which accommodated the Staff, at the rear of the A.R.C.


The rest of the Staff arrived during the month of Feb. 44, and they came and went, and when I left there in July 45, I was the only one still there who was there at the beginning

My job was in the kitchen, helping cook, wash dishes, prepare vegetables, make coffee and tea for the office staff, carry trays, make breakfast for Mr. Adams and an officer whose first name was Paul. I remember carrying trays of coffee for Col. Shower, Col. Walker, who always gave me 2 pence, as did Lt. Woodward (Woody), who later was Major.

I could go on forever, now that I've begun, as names keep coming back to me. I remember very well Cpl. Buzzeo from the Enlisted Man's mess and Sgt. Cummings whom we called "Chuck". I believe he died several years ago. I think he came from Oregon.

I remember helping to cut hundreds and hundreds of sandwiches for the missions when they returned and making urns of coffee to be loaded on to the truck heading for the Briefing Room. In 1975 at the 2nd Air Div. reunion in Norwich, I had the pleasure of shaking hands with Col. Shower and his.wife, and a little chat about the A.R.C., and he said he remembered me (which was very flattering).


One little secret I didn't tell Col. Shower at the reunion was that I sometimes used to get a ride in his big staff car, as I was friendly with one of his drivers. He had two drivers, and the young one was Cpl. Ray West from New Mexico.and when he had taken Col. Shower to a meeting or dinner, whatever, he used to tell Cpl. West to call back later. So, with two of my friends, sometimes, who lived locally, we would hop in this lovely big car, which was a novelty to us, as not many British people had cars in those days. After dropping my friends off, Cpl. West would drive me back to the A.R.C. and coming through the main gates where the M.P.s were on guard, I would hide under the seat, and no one ever knew.

I remember when Col. Shower thought the men were looking sloppy, so he ordered them all on parade, and gosh! I remember the GIs coming into the canteen and grumbling about it.

After I moved into the Staff Quarters to live, he ordered an invasion*practice one night and we, Gwen Kenton, Lucy Jordan, or Thelma as she was sometimes known, and me, all sharing a big room, sat up in bed listening to all the commotion going on, Tanoy blaring, trucks roaring through the camp etc. We thought it all very exciting.