Leslie Foster, who was born
12th March 1921, and lived on Springfield Road, Tottenham (North
London), had trained as a tailor for a short time before the
war, enlisted at the RAF office in Euston ( North London )
on 14 February 1941. He walked in as a volunteer and was
held back for about a month as he doesn't go to 9RC (No. 9
Recruit Centre) at Brighton Hydro, South Shore, Blackpool
until 18 March 1941, which is where he did his basic
training, and he stayed at a B&B (Bed & Breakfast) in a
large house. Leslie did exercises on the beach many days,
and would go out mornings for coffee at a little cafe across
the road near the beach. He also went into Blackpool tower
for the first time, which also had a zoo and dance hall.
After completion of his basic training he was posted to No.
2 School of Technical Training for his trade training at RAF
Cosford, Shropshire – this was just bench training. After
that he was posted to 51 MU - No. 51 Maintenance Unit, at
RAF Lichfield, Staff's (Staffordshire), where he would have
practised his trade live on Rolls Royce Merlin engines. After
completion of his training he was posted to RAF Valley in
Anglesey and 350 Squadron first appears on his record in
November 1941 - where he served as an F/M/E (Flight Mechanic
(Engines) for about 18 months in 1490 flight as part of 350
Squadron, where he was assigned a plane to look after, and
moving around with the Squadron to its various locations.
See
http://www.350sqn.be/airfields.html. One incident that
Leslie remembers is on 26 October 1942, whilst at Rochford (Southend),
a Dornier 217 bomber bombed Rochford hospital, it was hit
by AA and crashed on to the airfield, skidded across the
'drome and crashed into a dispersal hut killing W/O Dyon (Technical
Officer) and wounding 2 other mechanics.
See
http://www.350sqn.be/stories/350Dyon.htm - for more
details of the incident.
His next posting took him away from Fighter Command and
Leslie then becomes a Bomber Command man as, with the rapid
expansion of Bomber Command, they needed more engine people.
This was to work mostly on the Lancaster and Halifax.In June
1943 he was posted to RAF Marston (Marston Moor - RAF
Marston Moor is situated at Tockwith, midway between
Harrogate and York, and takes its name from the nearby
historical English Civil War battlefield.) - which was then
renamed 41 Base, and then to 1658 Conversion Unit - (Heavy
Bomber Conversion Unit for the Halifax 4 engine bomber) at
RAF Riccall in Yorkshire - the most common Halifax had
radial engines, but some were fitted with the trusty RR Merlin
XX.He was next posted
to 33 Base at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and then to 32
Base at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk - his next posting was to
No. 14 School of Technical Training, RAF Henlow
(Bedfordshire), for more trade training, and then back to
RAF Marston, which had reverted back to its original title
from 41 Base in early 1946. Then, finally, Leslie was posted
to 100 PDC (No. 100 Personnel Dispersal Centre at RAF
Uxbridge in West London) for his official release from the
RAF in June 1946, where he would then have been given his "demob
suit" and trilby hat and sent off into the world with any
gratuity owed and a civilian ration book!!
Leslie met his wife, Jean,
whilst she was working at a canteen that was run by a
volunteer group. It was held in a church, across the street
from the cinema the soldiers and airmen would go to, then
come for coffee and games. Jean’s actual job at the time was
working in the Food Office handing out ration books. After
he married, in 1946, they moved to Selby, (North Yorkshire),
where Jean came from. After the war he worked for St. John's
Ambulance Brigade in Selby until the family, Leslie, Jean,
Colin (eldest son) and John (youngest son), moved to
St Charles Mo in the USA in 1956. From then until he retired
Leslie worked on aircraft engines, eventually running the
shop where he worked. Leslie was very active with the Boy
Scouts of America, and his hobbies after retirement were
travel, golf, fishing and his garden. He was in great health
until he suffered a stroke in November 2009. Leslie Foster
passed away, 4th December 2010.
(Biography supplied by
Leslie and John T Foster and written by Allan Hillman) |
