Number of posts : 7 Age : 80 Localisation : R.A.F. Blackpool 1944-1946 Cap Badge : Infant child to R.A.F. Sgt. Ken Jackson 998363 Places Served : R.A.F. Blackpool, R.A.F. Eindhoven 1946-1952 Registration date : 2020-09-26
Sitting in a pub in Nottingham in 1939 a group of friends were discussing the worrying news coming out of continental Europe. Conscription seemed only a matter of time, so as a group they decided to volunteer and secure the most favourable options. Several opted for the army and Ken Jackson opted for the R.A.F. What was also discussed was the option to marry before volunteering, so Ken decided to broach the idea with pretty Ethel Rogers who was a boarder in the same boarding house.
The conversation must have gone something like this: "Ethel dear, a war with Germany seems imminent, and we are all going to be called upon to do our share; I, as a soldier, and you on the home-front."
"What do you think of this idea? If you marry me before I volunteer, and we have a baby together, you'll be spared being assigned to the home-front, and we'll get married quarter accommodation. You'll also get an allowance, and I'll get 'married' pay. Good idea?"
So, that's what happened.
That same year (1939) Ken was accepted into the R.A.F. and assigned for training at R.A.F. Wolverhampton after showing that he had previously completed an apprenticeship in Hull, Yorkshire, as a toolmaker.
Wolverhampton was very much within the line of fire of the German Luftwaffe, and reportedly nightly bombings were taking place at the time. Ken and Ethel got heir first 'married quarters' well away from the bombing in a shack with a woodburning stove situated on a mud-trail outside Wolverhampton.
Ethel was really not impressed with her 'married quarters', but Ken was excited with his prospects and keen to make his mark.
Married Bliss!
The World's Your Oyster!
1940 - Cpl. Ken Jackson being noticed.
Sept. 21, 1941 - Baby Boy Kevin Arrives
Last edited by Stonewall on 29/9/2020, 01:16; edited 9 times in total
Hardrations Let Gen
Number of posts : 1074 Localisation : Winnipeg Manitoba Canada Cap Badge : RC Sigs (RTG Op) / CF Logistics (Cook) Places Served : Germany, Egypt, Cyprus, CFS Alert and some other strange places Registration date : 2007-12-16
Number of posts : 7 Age : 80 Localisation : R.A.F. Blackpool 1944-1946 Cap Badge : Infant child to R.A.F. Sgt. Ken Jackson 998363 Places Served : R.A.F. Blackpool, R.A.F. Eindhoven 1946-1952 Registration date : 2020-09-26
As a follow-up to my previous response, I feel it needed to be more explicit for the context of the e-mail to make sense.
The WW2 experiences of my father Sgt. Ken Jackson served as an inspiration to author Mari Kaye (my sibling) to pen the novel 'Jacobie's Wake'. Our father Ken was always looking for entrepreneurial opportunities that might have promise.
The fictional novel has over 600 pages, so I decided to publish two separate abridged versions each with a specific historical and fictional focus.
I just published the following novel sequence: 'Jacobie in the R.A.F ' 1939-1953, and 'Jacobie and the CIA' 1954-2000, when opportunities continued to entice and lure the main fictional character Ken Jacobie ever deeper into compromising his ethics. Both are available on Amazon.ca and are a good recreational read.
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18/11/2024, 17:36 by Pborn4
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