Description
Eric Stanmore was born in 1927 and joined the army in February 1945 at the age of eighteen.
Eric did his basic training in Colchester and then joined the Parachute Regiment, and into the newly formed 17th Battalion in March. His first posting was the Isle of Wight and was then sent back to Hardwick Hall in north Derbyshire for more parachute training. Eric made fourteen jumps; eight in basic training and the six were spaced out throughout the war. They needed to make the jumps to receive their parachute pay.
Eric was demobbed in January 1948. He wanted to come out because he didn’t think he would make a good peacetime soldier.
After the war Eric started work as Blackpool Tram Conductor. The local Grammar kids would often come on the top deck and he used to help them out with their math’s homework but then word got out so there would be large groups of children wanting him to do their homework! This was what was missing in his life, so he moved down to London and got involved with the Government Training Centre. Eric then eventually got a job draughtsman designing rickets with the Fairey Aviation at Heston Airport, west London. Eric spent forty years in the aircraft industry.
I married and have three children.
Print taken from the book ‘A TIME TO FIGHT Living and Remembering WWII’
