My name is Joan Barker

[Joan Barker]

As a girl I lived almost opposite the airfield at Elsham on an isolated farm called Top Farm Elsham. I walked to and from Elsham school daily passing the bombers parked on their circles. The young chaps crawling around the fuselage waved to me and it was a sad day if one of the circles was empty. The hospital was on the roadside before reaching the actual airfield from our place and I often saw stretchers passing in and out of the building which inspired me to take up nursing later.
Some of the RAF lads came in on a Sunday evening sometimes for some home comforts and one Ernest somebody played our piano for a sing song. One was Clifford Greenbank and another young chap Lesley Oldroyd who kept in touch until he died about three or four years ago. I remember so much about those days.
Joan nee Shearsmith.

[airfields man]

Hello Joan, Welcome to the forum. What a great account of a daily routine for you, and, no-doubt, some of your school friends. Also the experience of having some of the aircrew as visitors. Are you still around the area, Lincolnshire is one of my favorite places.. Any other stories are very welcome. Many thanks for the above. Paul.

[Bomber]

Hello Joan i used to visit the Gregory family in the control tower over many years from the mid Seventies until the Eighties.
I always loved exploring around the old airfield . Moreen & Les would always make people welcome particuarly ex Raf Personel who were stationd there . Ive met some of them when reuions where taking place . I must say i found it always fasinating . The stories of the ghost in the tower they saw & of the night mare one of their sons used to have of a Lancaster bomber in trouble were realy fasinating . Now most of the airfield as gone so your story adds an other little bit of history to what life was like on an RAF Bomber base & welcome again to the forum . Regards ,Bomber .

[PETERTHEEATER]

Welcome to AiX Joan, and thanks for the personal story which adds greatly to the human side of WW2 airfields.

[PNK]

Welcome to the forum Joan. Sadly for most of us born in the decades after the war our memories tend to be less exiting - or so my kids tell me. They prefer listening to their grandad's stories of wartime factories and Home Guard duties.

[cbrjock]

Welcome to AiX, Joan

[Joan Barker]

Hello Paul, I do still live in N.E. Lincs but away from the airfiels and sadly have no more connection with any person still living around there. After reading your response I do remember a bomber ? Wellington or Lancaster crashing over the barrier an into the nearby chalk pit but know no further details of that. Regards Joan