In
September 1939 I was too young for service, so I enrolled in the R.A,F.
Volunter Reserve until early 1942 when I opted for Wireless-operator Air-gunner.
Weak eyesight caused me to fail that so I was assigned to wireless operator
on the ground.
During training a close friend was Eric Manson, who could not stand cold weather as much as I hated hot weather – so when training was complete, Eric was sent to Iceland and I to West Africa!
Because of heavy U-boat presence our troopship took refuge in Freetown harbour and we were held there for about 19 days until a gap in the U-boat menace let us slip down to Bathurst, Ghana. After a few months I was transferred to Dakar, Senegal in French West Africa where we first housed in rat and flea ridden metal huts, then in the Lycee van Vllenhoven, an unused academy, which was comfortable.
I was one day working with my morse key in contact with Gibralter when I felt rather dizzy. To my indignation I heard the operator at the other end signalling "Please put on a competent operator"! I then passed out and spent time, including my 21st birthday, in hospital with malignant malaria. Not the ideal way to celebrate...
Shortly after that there was an outbreak of Bubonic plague. No R.A.F. people caught it, but life became difficult and restricted and we were sprayed with raw parafin every time we entered or left the building, and we were not allowed in the town.
Conditions on the Coast were so poor that although it was not an active fighting zone our time was limited to fifteen months, but I and a few others were sent home after thirteen months there, and until domobbed I was doing Ground Controlled Approach radar at Lyneham in Wiltshire.
Aidan Mackey
