I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety

October 15th is the first anniversary of the publication of I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II . I published the book exactly one year ago on the exact same date as my dad, Norman Buckle, joined the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy in 1942. Seventy one years ago, World War II uprooted my father from a coal mining village in South Yorkshire and transported him thousands of miles to Sierra Leone in West Africa and later to a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean via Sydney, Australia. I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II is a short, annotated diary which records Norman's experiences and the on-going banalities of everyday life on a naval air-base far away from home. Since publication there have been over one thousand downloads of I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety and I've been overwhelmed by the interest the book has generated am

The photographs that go with I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II are in the Blog Archive in the October 2012 Folder. Just go to Joining the Fleet Air Arm and keep clicking newer post at the end of each entry. Did you know that you don’t actually need a Kindle to read I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II by N. Buckle & C. Murray? You can get a free app from Amazon for phones, tablets, PCs etc in the Amazon Kindle Store. If you’re interested in the other books I’ve published please check out Spurwing ebooks website. My passion is Family History and when I’m not writing blog posts I’m usually researching for that. I’m building a website at http://writingafamilyhistory.com and if you’re interested in Family History I’d be delighted to see you there. The website is a work in progress and gets new stuff on it every few days.

My dad, Norman Buckle, was stationed at the Royal Navy air base at Hastings,  near Freetown, Sierra Leone 1943 - 44. Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety:  The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

I borrowed ‘Tracing Your Second World War Ancestors’ by Simon Fowler* from my local public library recently and found it to be a useful and informative guide. When I was researching my Second World War ancestor I found that it was quite straightforward to get hold of his records of service in the Fleet Air Arm from the Royal Navy Archives. There was a form and instructions that could be downloaded from the Internet and when completed sent off in the post with a cheque for £30 which seemed a bit steep but there you are. After a wait of several weeks the available information was returned and although incomplete still fascinating. In his book Simon Fowler guides you through a whole range of potential sources for all the UK services and even some of the civilian roles. For example, he gives information about researching ancestors who might have been Bevin Boys including some interesting weblinks. My grandfather was a coal miner and was required to continue in that occupa

My dad, Norman Buckle, was stationed at the Royal Navy air base at Hastings, near Freetown, Sierra Leone 1943 - 44. Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

My dad, Norman Buckle, was stationed at the Royal Navy air base at  Hastings, near Freetown, Sierra Leone 1943 - 44. Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

My dad, Norman Buckle, was stationed at the Royal Navy air base at Hastings near Freetown, Sierra Leone 1944. Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

The cathedral Church of St. George, Freetown, Sierra Leone 1944. In his diary my dad, Norman Buckle, wrote "The cathedral of St George is about 100 years old and possesses a very fine choir and organ." Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

My dad, Norman Buckle, is the man standing at the back wearing the white hat. Freetown, Sierra Leone 1944.  Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II  Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com

The mountains of Sierra Leone. My dad, Norman Buckle, was stationed at H.M.S. Spurwing, Hastings near Freetown, Sierra Leone 1943 - 1944. Read more in I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety: The Diary of a Petty Officer in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Please visit our website to find out more about our books. http://www.spurwing-ebooks.com