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WW2 Stowmarket veteran fears duty of remembrance ebbing away

BBC Derek GirlingBBC
Derek Girling manned searchlights on the south coast and learned to recognise Allied and German aeroplanes by sound

A 98-year-old World War Two veteran fears people will gradually stop remembering the war dead.

Derek Girling, who lives in Great Finborough, Suffolk, was 18 when he joined the Royal Artillery in 1942.

He spent a lot of the war working in a searchlight unit at RAF Lydd in Kent, dazzling German bombers as they came in on raids.

Mr Girling said as wars continue, "it's up to us to try to do all we can... to bring peace and bring love".

Derek Girling Derek Girling during World War TwoDerek Girling
He was called up to the Liverpool Rifles, which became a searchlight unit of the Royal Artillery

The young soldier, who was born in Stowmarket, was prevented from deploying to Norway by an accident on cold, December night shortly after his call-up.

"It was a very bad winter and we were going back to Wattisham camp and that night a lorry tipped over on the very bad roads and I missed my draft," he said.

Mr Girling broke his wrist and was concussed during the crash and later was posted to RAF Lydd as part of the anti-aircraft defence.

Derek Girling Derek GirlingDerek Girling
Mr Girling played a number of brass instruments in a Salvation Army band, including outside the Memorial Gates in Stowmarket every Remembrance Sunday

He said: "We did a lot of night work - it was the last raids on this country of the German aircraft - it was quite difficult really.

"We were only allowed five beams. More than that and we were classed as being a danger to our fighters, because you light too much of the sky and [the enemy aircraft] would be able to spot the fighter coming after him and he could fire back and be an enemy to you."

But Mr Girling, who spent 70 years playing for a Salvation Army Band, including every Remembrance Sunday, fears the duty of remembrance "will gradually fade away".

"I'm sorry to say, there's still wars going on and I think it's up to us to try to do all we can to do away [with wars] and bring peace and bring love to one another," he said.

John Fairhall/BBC
The lifelong Ipswich Town supporter, who married twice and has two children, now lives in a care home for practising Christians
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