A tribute page to my late Father Donald
Walter Scales
10th
February 1929 - 13th February 2010
Dad
was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire on 10th February 1929, large
families were common place in those days and he was the oldest
of the 3 boys and 4 girls. When he reached 10 years old war
broke out in Europe and by 1943 he was working down the mines,
he maintained this until 1948 when he changed jobs to Foundry
Labourer, than after a further 2 years he was conscripted to
do his National Service in the RAF.
He
joined the RAF Regiment as a Driver/Gunner and went to West
Kirby to undergo basic training, after that he went to
Catterick for his trade training. His first posting was to
Waddington (Where he met my Mother) and then Upavon before
being posted to West Germany where he served at Fassberg,
Berlin and Celle. Returning to the U.K. he was first posted to
Ouston then on to Felixstowe where he completed his first RAF
career and was demobbed in 1955.
Civvy
street saw him taking on a position as a Hospital Porter at
the Herman De Stern Hospital in Felixstowe. The coming years
saw the arrival of Barrie (1956) and Lynne (1957) but after 3
years at the Hospital Dad was yearning to re-enter the RAF and
joined up once again, this time as an MTD.
His
first posting was to Weeton for retraining and then on to
Manby in Lincolnshire, followed in 1959 by the arrival of yours
truly. After a further 2 years he was posted just up the road
to Kirton in Lindsey.
After a very brief tour he was posted overseas to Changi in
Singapore. The Borneo Crisis kicked off whilst he was in
Singapore and he was detached to Kuching.
|
|
His
return to the U.K. saw a posting to the M.U. at Carlisle and
then to Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, where he spent a lot of
his spare time gliding. After the arrival of a younger brother Mark
(1965) it was time for another posting, this time it was off to Cyprus for
a 3 year tour. |
On
arrival back in the U.K. in 1969 he was posted to 2MT at
Stafford, the family settled in Pontefract and he'd commute
whenever possible, the train passed within a short distance of
our house and we used to go to the trackside and wave him off
as he made the return journey back to camp. Living close to the A1
Dad would 'pop in' with a Queen Mary whenever
the opportunity arose. After 2 years on 2MT Dad finally decided
that all the commuting was starting to take it's toll and
decided to retire from the RAF for the second time, which he
did in 1971.
Dad
went to Whitwood Polytechnic College to train as a fitter,
doing part time postal work to make ends meet. After he
qualified he went to work at Hickson and Welch, Castleford but
the work was a demanding 7 days a week and he later moved to
Wilkinson's Liquorice Works (Famous for the Pontefract
Cakes), towards the end of his working life he took on the
role of caretaker at a private housing complex, before finally retiring in 1992.
In
1996 Dad's health started to deteriorate and with all the
family starting lives of their own, Dad and Mum decided to
move down to Newquay and as typical forces families wouldn't
settle and moved
on to St Austell, Bodmin and back to St Austell again. A
kidney problem meant that he spent the last 14 years
undergoing Dialysis 3 times a week, if that wasn't
enough he also contracted Skin Cancer, he never complained and
fought on till he drifted off to sleep for the last time on 13th February 2010.
Dad
had grown a fondness of steam locomotives and after his
cremation at Bodmin Crematorium his ashes were scattered
beside the railway line at Boscarne
Junction.
|
|
|
|
