My Grandad joined the RAF in 1935 as an apprentice mechanic. He was with 114 Sqn (Blenheims) based in Vraux in 1940. Grandad witnessed the sinking of the Lancastria at St. Nazaire on 18 June 1940, his 21st birthday. After a stint in Scotland, Grandad was posted to Southern Rhodesia, and he finished the war at Luneberg Heath. Before leaving the RAF, he was involved in the Berlin Airlift. He told the story of a plane full of coal going down in the Soviet sector, and how he was detailed to go and recover plane, pilots and coal. The Russians stopped their lorry and shared a few vodkas with the RAF boys. By the time they got to the plane, there was not a speck of coal left to recover. 18 June 1919 - 1 February 2014 RIP Grandad.
