Forces Connection

Their eldest son, also called JOHN FRANCIS (pictured below) joined The Royal Navy in 1938 and served 22 years in the Medical Branch where he also met his wife CONNIE, a member of The Women's Royal Navy Service (medical branch). Frank travelled the world with the Navy, visiting Scotland, Gibraltar, Bighi in Malta and Singapore as well as serving on many Warships including HMS Aurora and and HMS Bulwark, the flagship of The Royal Navy. Frank left the Navy as Chief Petty Officer sick berth attendant and then became a Civil Servant, attached to the Navy

The youngest son ARTHUR pictured below) was born in 1928 and was therefore too young to serve during the war. On leaving school he started work at the Royal Ordnance Factory as an apprentice electrician. He was called into the Army for his national Service, serving in communications sector of the Royal Pioneer Corps as a switchboard operator. On leaving the Army Arthur returned to the Royal Ordnance Factory where he worked until his early retirement. For his services to the Royal Ordnance Factory Arthur was awarded The Imperial Service medal.

The next son ERNEST worked for Metalifacture, a company still in existence at Nottingham. At the start of the war they began to manufacture components for vehicles. Ernie joined the Army and spent most of his time in Palestine. After the war he was in the territorial Army and met his wife RUTH who was also a member of the T.A.. Ernie worked at the Prestwich Hospital, Manchester until his retirement. Ernie and Ruth have two children, Susan and Grahame.

HMS ARBITER

ERNIE on left

John Francis Huckerby

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We’ve reproduced an article which first appeared in our magazine ‘The Huckerby Connection’ in November 1992. It was written by my late brother in law GEORGE E HUCKERBY. George passed away on the 6th September 2006 and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He was very much a gentleman. The picture on the right was taken in March 2005 at a family gathering when his niece Barbara Clarke (neé Leverton) and her husband Terry made a visit from Calgary, Canada.

My Parents JOHN FRANCIS HUCKERBY and MARY ANN (nee MANN) had five sons who saw service in the armed forces. My father ‘Frank’ was a Private in 17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, Notts and Derbys Regiment during World War 1. On 1st July 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. He was very badly injured and left for dead in the trenches. Sixty thousand British troops were killed that day.

He was found by a Padre and taken to a field hospital, meanwhile his wife had been informed that he was missing, presumed killed in action. In September 1916 she received a letter from the Salvation Army informing her that her husband was alive in a BEF hospital. What the letter did not mention was the extent of his injuries which necessitated the amputation of one leg. The other failed to heal and caused much pain and discomfort and required dressing until his death in 1954. He managed to get around with the aid of an artificial leg and crutches

By GEORGE E HUCKERBY

HMS Aurora

HMS Bulwark

I’m the second son and at the start of World War Two I was working at a local engineering company in Nottingham, G Blackburn & Sons Ltd. They were manufacturers of hosiery machines, but were now making munitions. In 1941 I joined the Royal Air Force and served as an engine flight mechanic (ground crew) with two different squadrons, 35 Squadron Pathfinder flight and 635 Squadron Pathfinder flight. These two squadrons were to lead many raids on Germany and other enemy terrority. I left the Air Force in October 1946 having attained the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. I returned to work at Blackburn and Sons and it was here that I met my wife LORNA who worked on munitions production. She was born in Walpole, Saskatchewan, Canada and came to Britain with her two sisters upon the death of her Mother.

RAF 635 Squadron Crest
635 Avro Lancaster Bomber & 635 Group Photograph
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RAF 35 Squadron Crest and Lancaster Bomber with 35’s Markings
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Sherwood Foresters Crest

The middle son JAMES (known as ‘Jim’) also worked for Blackburns. He joined the Royal Navy and served for four years. Jim spent most of the war aboard an American Aircraft carrier HMS ARBITER. The ship was part of a lease / lend arrangement set up by the United States to supply us with aircraft and ships. Jim, like his elder brother Frank was to travel the world with the Navy visiting the United States, Canada, Australia, Bombay, Ceylon and Hong Kong. He passed through both the Suez and Panama canals. At the end of the war he went with HMS arbiter to return it to it’s base in the United States, returning on the Queen Mary. Jim was a Royal Navy reserve for ten years after the war. He too had returned to his old job at Blackburns and met his wife DOROTHY who had also been engaged in munitions production. Jim has now retired from his job at the Royal Ordinance Factory. Jim and Dorothy have five sons and a daughter and live at Clifton, Nottingham