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| William
Walter's Early Years |
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This
is just one story of a courageous young “boy”…
William “Bill” Walter
from my home town Edenbridge, Kent, England…
This green
and pleasant land that this man, and the Lancaster crew of
617 Dam Buster Squadron gave their lives for… |
This
story is compiled by Mr
Ian Bridle and Mr
Albert Jeffrey who
was a great friend
of William “Bill” Walter.
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Bill Walter was a couple of years
older than me and we lived in the same row of terraced houses
in Hever Road, Edenbridge, and went to the same school and grew
up as close friends.
Little did we know at that time what our futures would
be as our childhood was happy, and the sun was always shining
during those long hot summer days when we were young boys,
playing with tops, hoops and cigarette cards, and roaming
around the green fields of Edenbridge were our great fun
and enjoyment.
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Blossoms
Park on the left, one of the many places around Edenbridge we
use to explore. |
| The war
had started when we left school, Bill went work in the offices
of “Presta” the local mineral water
factory in Hever Road, and I joined him there when I left school.
One Christmas we “celebrated” by polishing off some
samples of port wine which belonged to the manager, who fortunately
was away at the time. At the tender age of 14 I had to be assisted
home by Bill feeling rather dizzy and sick, much to my parent’s
annoyance and disgust!
My friend Bill was a very good scholar and left school top of
the class, as it was in those days.
He left the mineral
water factory and worked for a while in Ben Seal’s fruit
and veg shop (roughly where Eden watch service is now) before
he was called up to join the R.A.F at the young
age of 18.
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