Sgt. James Derek Yates
Royal Air Force No.20 Initial Training Wing
from:Staffordshire
Derek Yates was my Grandfather and whilst training at RAF Usworth he met my Grandma, Elsie Wallace from Sunderland on an evening out pass. She and her friend were taking shelter from the rain in a shop doorway when they decided to make a run for it. My grandmother stepped out first, but as she did she tripped up two passing RAF Sergeants in uniform sending one of them (my grandfather) to the floor in the wet wearing his best dress uniform! He got up cursing as you can imagine but was soon cut short by the steely eyed glare from my Grandma over his choice of language.
This turned out to be the start of their journey! My grandparents were happily married for 30 years settling eventually in a coal mining village called Blidworth in Nottinghamshire where Derek returned to the coal mines after the RAF as a Mechanical Engineer until sadly he passed in October 1978 from a heart attack. Elsie continued to raise me until she passed in 1991. By the time of my Granddad's passing though I had been privileged to have grown up to the age of 10 listening to their stories and adventures during the War and service in the RAF. This had made such an inspirational impression that at 17 I enlisted and served for 20 years myself in memory of Granddad Derek Yates (Sgt) Royal Air Force.
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