- Contributed byÌý
- Mrs K E Foulger
- People in story:Ìý
- William Tom Sparkes, George Foulger, Kay Sparkes, Gordon Foulger, Kevin Foulger
- Location of story:Ìý
- Blackpool, England
- Background to story:Ìý
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:Ìý
- A9028479
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 31 January 2006
Two RAF Fathers come together on their son and daughter's wedding day. Tom (L) George (R) They had both been at Blackpool, UK, within weeks of each other. Kay Sparkes (Bride) discovered this had happened sixty six years ago.In 2006.
I am writing this on the last day the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ has their WW2 website open, where we have been able to write about our true wartime stories. Both my father and my father-in-law served in the RAF during World War II.
Last night just as I was going to bed I clicked on to see if my son, who lives in England, had the photo published alongside his article about his grandfather, my father-in-law, Sgt George E Foulger.
I was amazed to discover that my own father had been at the same place in Blackpool England but two months earlier. This photo my son acquired with earlier family photos that my husband or I had never seen before.
The date on the back of my father-in-law’s photo (George) is November 1940 Blackpool. My son has titled his article RAF SQUADRON 1, FLIGHT A, SQUAD 3. (A8936625)
I have a similar photo of my own father William Tom Sparkes in a group with the same or similar background as to my father-in law. My father belonged to Squad 165 Wing L Squadron 8.
I have also written about him under the title, RAF PHOTO SQUAD 165 (A8501988)
The date on the back of his photo is 10th September 1940 Blackpool.
As far as I know, both men never met up during this time. But I do know both men did meet up 29 years later on 15 March 1969 not in Blackpool, but in Harlow Essex, both wearing civvies. George’s son Gordon and Tom’s daughter Kay married each other that day.
We never knew that both our fathers had been in such a close proximity to each other in such a short distance of time 66 years ago, but who knows, they both could have been there together but neither of them ever admitted it.
If it hadn’t been for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ who created the WW2 web site and my son Kevin finding this photo, we would have never have known.
Thank you ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ for bringing all this information together for the world to read. I feel privileged to have been able to have taken part in writing my six stories. And then discovering what we found out about our two fathers just before shut down. Amazing! God Bless you all.
Written by Kay E Foulger (Mrs) on 31st January 2006
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