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Title INTERVIEW WITH TONY HORTON
Description

Tony was a pupil at Hemel Hempstead Grammar School and knew most of the ex-pupils who died in the war.

"Bob High.
One of the boys who died ? Bob High ? was 2 years ahead of me but we worked together before we joined up at Delrow House in Aldenham for the Sun Life Insurance Company. He joined up 9 months to a year before me. He joined the air force and he was killed in training. He had an accident in the air.

Brian Slade.
He was a year above me and I knew him very well. He left school without taking his matric* so he could get into the air force. He probably went in as an apprentice at the age of 15 or 16. He was a bright boy and a pushy lad so he got into the aircrew.
The first time I was on leave I came to Hemel Baths for a swim and lying on the grass was Brian in his swimming trunks. He introduced the girl with him as his wife. He must have been all of 19. Anyway, I went off and had a swim and then went to the changing room. He and I were both getting changed at the same time. In those days you wore your uniform all the time. I was getting into my ordinary seaman?s uniform and Brian, a year older than me was getting into his Flight Lieutenant?s uniform and he had got a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He said, ?You didn?t join that lot did you? Why didn?t you join the air force?? I wasn?t that brave or that foolish.

Bob Duke.
I?m pretty sure he was a marine. He was a lovely boy, very quiet; kept his head down. He had a racing bike we were all jealous of.

Jack Colyer He was a good sportsman."

* Matriculation was the equivalent of today?s GCSE exams.

Interview by Zoe Wills

Keywords RAF, marine
Collection Those Who Died
Place Hemel Hempstead and other locations.
Year 1939 - 1945
Conflict World War Two
File type html
Record ID number 128

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