It was after the Second World War that young Keith Downer from Worthing joined-up.

'I mention very briefly my service with the Royal Air Force. Nothing heroic, no tales of aerial battles or comrades lost in action. No, my service life was more mundane, less notable than many who served in the 'Lighter shade of Blue'.

Briefly, I volunteered for the R.A.F. as an Electrician but, on completion of my basic training or, as we called it, 'square bashing', we were posted from the most unlikely named place of Rattlesden in the County of Suffolk. Rattlesden was an ex-American 8th Air Force Bomber Group airfield, situated approximately 7 miles from Stowmarket.

The Americans had moved out but the Control Tower, hangers, operations rooms and living sites remained. We did our training in a bitter cold January and, after a grand Passing-Out Parade, we were moved to Scotland and there remained for over a year, going to sea each day in Tank-landing craft, and dropping in the water tons of bombs that were left over from the War.

I was posted to many R.A.F. Stations after that. Sometimes over a thousand of us, a whole troop train to ourselves, sometimes only two of us at a time.

The last posting of my service life, where I remained for six months, was to R.A.F. Station Longparish, Hampshire, situated in the middle of Harefield Forest, near Andover.'