Paying tribute to the ground crew of WWII

The men and women who worked as ground crew during World War II and the Battle of Britain came together at Coningsby to mark the parts they played in history.
Men and women of WWII ground crew at Battle of Britain Memorial Flight K1uYvldlQOFA2idi5KPSMen and women of WWII ground crew at Battle of Britain Memorial Flight K1uYvldlQOFA2idi5KPS
Men and women of WWII ground crew at Battle of Britain Memorial Flight K1uYvldlQOFA2idi5KPS

They were invited to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) centre to be recognised for their work and meet other veterans from around the country.

The role of the RAF ground crews was not only to service and equip the aircraft but they also often had to deal with the horrific aftermath of the operations.

A spokesman for the BBMF said: “We have veterans coming 2-3 times a week and we keep in touch with them and invited those who were ground crew to get together.

“We often hold events like this as part of our commemorations.

People often talk about the men who flew but not always about those who were on the ground maintaining the aircraft.”

“This was not a ‘one-off’ event but this time the emphasis was on the ground crew.”

Among those attending was East Kirkby and Coningsby RAF veteran Bill Bullock who turned 100 years old on Friday (Sept 30) and is featured on page 5.

Also at the get-together was veteran Ted Fullerton, who become an internet sensation when his bar manager in Yorkshire saw his medals and asked about his life.

Mr Fullerton, who served as RAF ground crew in India in WWII, broke down and said: “Thank you young man. No one cares about what I have to say anymore.”

The bar manager shared the story of his life and the post got 72,000 comments and a quarter of a million likes.

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