Lance Corporal's Thornaby poem

WITH the 80th Anniversary of VE Day looming I thought this may be of interest.

- David Littlewood

My aunt (then Phyllis Littlewood) worked on the WVS canteen on Thornaby Station during WW2.

She recalled that the canteen stayed open all day until the last train left the station.

They provided sandwiches, pies, cakes, tea and coffee and gave their services free. The canteen was used by soldiers, sailors and airmen en route to conflict.

It served the Canadian, Australian and Polish airmen, as well as RAF based at Thornaby Airfield. The poem was written by a L/C Malcolm McKinnon on behalf of a company of Royal Engineers.

The RE had been based at Teesside Racecourse from January to August 1941 before transfer to Wick in Scotland.

One wonders how Malcolm and his company fared during the War.