Republic member Tony Burleton on patriotism
Channel: republic4britain
Date: 2011-07-09

Republic Member Tony Burleton discusses patriotism, the RAF, WW2, monarchy and Republicanism. Tony joined the RAF in 1941 at age 16. He was a member of the Armed Forces of several Commonwealth countries for many years. Tony volunteered for the Air Training Corps aged the Air Training Corps in January l941 at the age of 15 1/2, He  told them he was 16, Tony went on to say: "I volunteered for the RAF in October '41 giving my age as 17, I was actually 16. In those days, although you could join at 17.25 you had to wait in reserve until you were 18.25. When I first went to the recruiting office in Brighton the recruiting sergeant asked for my birth certificate. I told him I'd forgotten it but that my date of birth was on my ATC proficiency certificate; he told me to bring it tomorrow. It was never raised again. I had to undergo a strenuous medical in London in October 41; one of the examining doctor's asked me my age, "17 sir I lied". He put the BP cuff on me and as the pressure came down he asked me again -
"How old did you say you were?" - "17 sir." I think he was trying to use the BP machine as a lie detector. So a month and a half before Pearl Harbour I was in the Air Force.
I was called to active service in September 1942, Air Force age 18.25, actual age 17.25. so that's the story of how I got into the RAF a year early. I am quite sure that I was not alone in this subterfuge and the Air Force turned a blind eye, realising that by the time we finished flying training we would be well over 18."