208814 W/O Alfred Luther Pickering Royal Air Force 9 Squadron from:Langold My Dad, Alfred Pickering, joined up in 1941 and did some of his basic training in, of all places, the Royal Albert Hall in London. After basic training whilst waiting to do is courses for aircrew, the RAF sent him and his mates to work in a cider factory in Somerset. He said he had never seen so many wasps in is life. He passed his courses and eventualy joined an aircrew with 9 Squadron. He flew on 31 ops the extra op came about because of a sad accident. After bombing Berlin in April 1944 on returning they had to land at a differant airfield. Flying back the next day, on returning the pilot P/O K L Porter asked Dad to go back with him to collect a bomb sight, which had been left at the other airfield. But Dad had two days leave so asked another wop to go instead and gave him ten shillings. So they took off with some air cadets on board and sadly flew into the ground on the way back. Several people were killed including P/O Porter, dad's best frend. When my brother was born in september that year dad and mam named him Kenneth Luther Pickering after his friend. One good thing was the wireless operator didn't die in the crash Because dad then had no crew. He was transfered to 57 squadron at East Kirkby and the crew he was there with had done one op less than him so rather than let them fly there last op with another operator, he did it with them. He carried on with the RAF until 1946 as an instructor. Sadly dad is no longer here but lived a full life and died when he was 81. If anyone remembers him, please get in touch.
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