Still showing the way

With the 75th anniversary of VE Day this month, Bolton Air Training Corps president George Davies recalls his 40 year career in the RAF and the role he played in sorties over Germany

- Angela Kelly

George Davies at home in Bolton

If young George Davies had had his way he would have been a sea captain but Fate threw him instead into the hands of the Royal Air Force and the war from above. Today, at his home in Bolton, he is surrounded by photos, certificates and commendations of a fascinating life in the RAF that eventually spanned 40 years.

At 97, his mind is clear and precise. He can recall the specific days and even the feelings of all those years ago and traces with clarity and candour how a generation of young men took to the skies to face the might of the Nazis.

Born in Peckham, south east London, George lived with his parents and brother Ronald. His father had been injured in World War One by an exploding shell ‘but he never talked about it much, so I didn’t really know about war,’ says George.

What George did know was that he wanted a career at sea, leading to him becoming a ship’s captain. So, as a young teenager, he enrolled at the London School of Navigation where he studied for three and a half years.

Unfortunately, the rise of Adolf Hitler brought that to a halt when war was declared in 1939 and the then 17-year-old George and his friend tried to enlist.

‘They realised I was too young and needed to wait until I was 18,’ recalls George. ‘But they were very interested in my navigation studies. I was certainly surprised when they said these would be very useful to the RAF because I thought I’d be going to sea! Even then I thought I would be a ground gunner and shooting down Germans.’