| One of the hidden gems of the Second
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| | interesting people, and heard plentiful
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| World War is the story of how local
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| | fascinating stories! It is easy to forget
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| volunteers watching the skies above
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| | that all those we have spoken to about
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| England, Scotland and Wales helped saved
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| | their involvement in the wartime work of
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| many lives and brought about a change of
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| | the Corps were between 16 and 25 at the
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| fortune for the beleagured RAF.
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| | time!
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| Formed in 1925 in the South East of
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| | Bill Harford, who was on the Mevagissey
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| England, and expanded to cover more of
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| | Post in Cornwall told us,
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| the country throughout the 1930s, the
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| | "In 1942 I was a school boy at grammar
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| Observer Corps acted as the "Eyes and
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| | school, and I was very, very keen on
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| Ears of the RAF". Observer Corps posts
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| | aircraft recognition and I came to join
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| were sited in all sorts of prominent
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| | the Royal Observer Corps really by
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| positions, often on top of hills, so that
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| | somebody listening on the bus to what I
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| the Observers could get good all round
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| | was saying as we were going to school,
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| vision, and be able to spot any aircraft.
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| | and reported it to the local Chief
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| The Corps plotted the movements of all
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| | Observer, 'there is a boy on the bus who
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| aircraft in the skies over wartime
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| | is brilliant at aircraft recognition!'"
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| Britain, friend or foe, enabling the
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| | Joyce Shrubbs, a plotter and teller at
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| limited resources of a battered Royal Air
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| | the Bedford Centre adds,
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| Force to triumph over Hitler's Luftwaffe.
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| | "I think like every other young person I
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| The Corps' contribution in the Battle of
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| | wanted to join the Services and I wanted
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| Britain was so significant that it was
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| | to be in a uniform and feel that I was
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| recognised with the award of its Royal
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| | that I doing my part for the country. I
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| title.
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| | was particularly interested in the
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| The work of the Corps continued
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| | Womens' Auxiliary Airforce, but you had
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| throughout the war, saving many lives
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| | to be 18 to do that, so when I saw an
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| with the early warning of air attacks,
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| | advert in the local shop window, there
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| but many members of the Corps were keen
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| | was this huge advertisement, 'Join the
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| to be more involved with activity closer
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| | Royal Observer Corps and live at home',
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| to the action. When the call was made for
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| | and you only had to be 17 and my
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| volunteers to join gun crews onboard
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| | seventeenth birthday was coming up so I
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| defensively equipped merchant ships, 1400
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| | thought that's for me. The uniform was
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| men volunteered. Those that passed the
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| | the same colour as the Womans' Auxiliary
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| rigourous training and testing were known
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| | Airforce and same style and everything I
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| as Seaborne Observers, and were involved
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| | just thought this is what I need to do.
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| in Operation Overlord, saving many
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| | So I went along and joined actually on my
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| aircraft from "friendly fire".
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| | seventeenth birthday. It did take an
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| In the course of filming two video
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| | agonizing 10 days for it to be formalised
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| documentaries about the Royal Observer
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| | but I did actually start on my birthday."
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| Corps, "Tocsin Bang" (about the Cold War
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| | "Sentinels of Britain" is the wartime
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| nuclear reporting role the Corps had) and
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| | story of the Royal Observer Corps, told
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| its prequel "Sentinels of Britain" (the
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| | by its members, the Observers who were
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| wartime story), we met many really
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| | there.
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