The Prowler

George Blyth

1941

The year was 1941 and I had volunteered for ground staff duties in the Royal Air Force. After training, my posting was to a Spitfire squadron in the north of Scotland situated in a small village called Castleton, a few miles east of Thurso in the north of Scotland. I was quite a raw recruit and, at the tender age of 19, I had a lot to learn!

One of the duties was night patrol of the RAF premises in the village. I had not been with the squadron very long before it was my turn for this duty. I was required to report to the RAF police office for fire picket patrol. My shifts were from 8 to 10pm and 12 to 2am. For this duty, it was necessary to wear a fire picket armband and carry a small torch. ... (continues)