Wings Over Wick
1939 - 1945
Others

Mr E Dover, Over Hulton, Bolton
I arrived in Wick in 1942 on detachment from my own parent unit which was 56MU (maintenance unit) based at Longman, Inverness. We were a unit of repair and salvage, dealing with accidents and crashes etc, that occurred in the area that stretched from Dyce (Aberdeen) to Shetland.

I was billeted in town with a Mrs Davidson, Nicholson Street. She was widowed with a son and daughter (Delia). The son incidentally was in the RAF in England. In a short time we soon settled to a "mother and adopted son" relationship. I used to do odd jobs about the house, you know, a bit of painting and window cleaning etc., I was made really welcome by the family.

As you know there were no public houses at that time, so rowdyism was absent. There was still a little banter because what a motley crowd we turned out to be, from all the corners of the British Isles.

On occasions I was detailed to jobs away from Wick and when these arose I went to such places as Orkney, Tain, Castletown, Peterhead, Kinloss etc. Mostly putting in engines and airscrews (props) on numerous aircraft such as Spitfires (Orkney), Wellingtons (Kinloss), Lancasters (Lossiemouth). You will imagine the satisfaction when (apart from Spitfires) I flew on these aircraft on test, afterwards.

On returning from one job, I returned to find another airman had taken my billet with Mrs Davidson but up to leaving Wick in 1944 we remained good friends.

I was then given a new billet with Mr and Mrs Ross at 110 Willowbank and once again we got on very well and became firm friends. Mrs Ross died about 10 years ago. But not before we (my wife and I) spent a few days holiday with her and her daughter and son in law. We still exchange cards that keep my connection with your town alive. After all I have such happy memories of Wick and its people.