LAC. Thomas Adams
Royal Air Force B5022 Airfield Construction Squadron
Thomas Adams was an apprentice in the Printing Trade his service was broken to join the RAF age 19 he worked in the field units laying airstrips and roads he went through France, Belguim, Holland and Germany On his death age 72 I was clearing out a cupboard when I found his war diary which he never told any one he had
War Diary of Thomas Adams B5022 Squadron 1716764 LAC. Entry into France 08.30 hours 12/7/1944 Work in the field
Here is a short exert from his diary Monday 1/1/45. We got to the flying field at Eindhoven 09.00 hours started work on the main road9.10 I looked up and saw a line of aircraft coming towards us knowing some of our aircraft had gone out we took them for ours so we just carried on working Rat Tat Tat We all went down on our bellies as cannon shells and MGBs flew all around us the first wave passed over us and I got up and ran for the shelter I saw several more waves of aircraft coming towards us they were flying very low almost on the ground and had black crosses on them. Germans. We must have been seen running for the shelter as we got shot at, several fell thanks to God I made it to the trench I crawled along and got in a 12" pipe under the road Jack was there too. Hell was going on up above Gerry shooting the whole drome at his will fires were burning aircraft on fire and the bomb and petrol dumps ablaze. Our aircraft returning took up the fight and several Gerries came down the others cleared off their work done. What a sight I hope to never see again.
