251481 AC1. Carman Frank Royal Air Force 229 Squadron from:Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire In 1939 my Dad, Frank Carman, age 18, volunteered with the Royal Air Force, in Manchester, on the 22 of July 1939. A few days after the start of war he arrived at Speke Airfield, near Liverpool for training.
In May/June of 1940, now age 19, he was posted to RAF Northolt, Middlesex, as ground crew. He told me stories of how he was in the thick of it during the Battle of Britain.
On the 20th of October, he was sent to nearby Dispersal Aerodrome, Hayes. There was a raid by the Luftwaffe that day, and dropped bombs, unfortunately one dropped about 100 feet from my Dad, causing severe damage to ear and loss of hearing.
From then, he suffered with severe pain, and what we know today as PTSD, when working on his beloved aircraft engines, and eventually was posted back to Speke Aerodrome.
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