by Rob Forsyth - based on conversations with Daphne

 Leading Aircraftman Ronald (Ron) Canning (1924-2006)

&

Aircraftwoman (1st Class) Daphne Tucker

Ron lived in Deddington where his father came from. At the outbreak of war (see note 1)) he was farming for his uncle. This was a reserved occupation but Ron wanted to enlist so, in 1942 aged 18, he forged a letter in his uncle's name saying that he was willing to release him and Ron was duly accepted by the RAF as a volunteer Wireless Operator. His uncle never did understand how Ron managed to enlist!  

Daphne Tucker was a London girl who also joined the RAF in 1942. She did her 6 months initial training as a high speed morse operator at Compton Bassett Radio School in Wiltshire where this picture below of her group was taken in June 1943.

 Standing L to R: Daphne Canning née Tucker - remainder unknown

 Seated L to R: Lily Pringle,  Margaret Morton,  Joan Pittaway,  unknown with dog.

Daphne then moved for further training to a radio school in the Science Museum in London where she remained until her very comfortable digs of luxury flats called Thurloe Court were hit by a V1 'doodlebug' in mid June1944 (*see note) which killed some and injured many of the service girls accomodated there.The flats had 6 floors. Girls on the top 3 floors had evacuated to shelters on hearing the air raid alarm but the bottom 3 were deemed to be safe and no need to evacuate. Daphne was on the 3rd floor. Daphne heard the rocket coming during the middle of the night. It exploded in a gap between the 2 blocks comprising the flats and pushed the front of the buildings into the road. She had to be rescued by fireman using ladders to bridge the gaps across stair wells and where stairs had been demolished. She lost everything except the pyjamas she was wearing. She was 'walking wounded' and was sent to recover at her parents home for a few weeks.

She did not return to the Science Museum but was sent to the RAF station at Chicksands Priory, Shefford in Buckinghamshire. This was an outpost of Bletchley Park famous for the Enigma Code breaking activities during the war. Much of the work was very classified of course and required a high degree of skill. Daphne can still read and send morse and on a recent visit to Bletchley demonstrated this by hand keying a message for a radio ham who was working there. Daphne's father was also a Signals Officer at Chicksands.

Also serving at Chicksands was.... Ron Canning.... and the two of them became engaged just before Ron was posted to the Far East in June 1945

When the atom bombs were dropped on Japan his troopship was diverted to India where he served for the rest of the war. One might have thought that communication between the couple would have now become somewhat sporadic and dependant on the speed of sea mail; however, Ron was working in the Signal centre in New Delhi which contained a very new and secret high speed radio teleprinter linked of course to.......Chicksands! In order to test the service and keep the line 'open' (so that other units did not steal the frequency) continuous transmission was needed. While some of this consisted of real traffic, a lot of it at night was just a tape of garbled transmissions. Ron recognised an opportunity and he and Daphne spent many hours talking, quite illegally, through the night instead of the garble! They must have been one of the first couples to experience what we now take as a matter of course with internet chatrooms and emails.

Both of them left the service after the war and were married in 1947. In later years they were my neighbours at the foot of our garden.

Ron Canning - Well remembered - by Rev Hugh White

RON CANNING was born in Llanelli in 1924. Most of his childhood was spent in Deddington, his father’s village.He went to Deddington School where he showed himself something of a scholar, buying reference books with his pocket money. He sang in the Church Choir and became a bellringer. On leaving school Ron worked the horses on his uncle Sid’s farm (see Note 3). When war came, Ron obtained release from farm work and enlisted in the RAF as a wireless operator. He met Daphne at the RAF base at Chicksands in Bedfordshire. They married in 1947 and, besides their own four children, David, Paul (who died tragically early), Nigel and Gail, looked after a number of vulnerable young persons as foster parents. After the war Ron worked as a nurseryman in Ascot, before returning to Deddington to help establish the agricultural side of the Windmill School. The RAF connection led to Ron’s taking a commission in the Air Training Corps. Various jobs followed as the family moved to Banbury and then to Heythrop Park. Ill-health meant Ron retired at 60. Ron and Daphne came back to Rose Cottage in The Stile. He became a Parish Councillor. While Ron declined physically, sustained by Daphne and his family and friends, he remained courteous and generous, courageous and uncomplaining under his afflictions. Those who visited him enjoyed his immense knowledge of Deddington past and his sly, gentle, well turned wit. He liked to bemoan the performance of the England Cricket team and the inability of people to mow lawns properly; however, he was a radiant not a grumpy old man.

Note 1. Ron remembers hearing of the start of the war - courtesy of Ruth Johnson, Deddington News July 2003

"It was Sunday 3 September 1939. The vicar of Deddington,the Revd Dr Maurice Frost had come to the end of his sermon preached from the pulpit. The choir boys in the stalls, by now a bit fidgety, suddenly heard the heavy oak door, leading to the South porch, creak and slowly open. That event alone, happening in the middle of a service would enthral the most pious of choristers. But greaterthings were to happen. There, in the open door, stood Police Constable Reg Butler with his helmet tucked reverently under one arm.Hardly daring to breathe the boys watched him slow march along the centre aisle towards the chancel. He seemed to will his big boots to tread as noiselessly as possible, not wishing to disturb the sanctity of the church.On the steps to the chancel priest and policeman met and exchanged a few whispered words. A deadly hush hung over the congregation while the policeman almost tiptoed back down the aisle to the door which he closed with the greatest of care. Congregation and choir now turned their full attention to their vicar who stood head bowed for a moment, then stepped to the centre of the nave to inform his parishioners that “Great Britain is at war.” Ron hardly remembers singing the closing hymn, but to this day he remembers clearly the moment in church when war was declared, and he still sees his elders who at close of service stood together in little groups fearfully speculating on a future that would change most of their lives".

Note 2.  The first salvo of V1 rockets were fired at London on 12th June 1944. By 16th June 73 bombs had hit London.

Note 3. Sid Canning's farm was a collection of fields around the village. Some used to be where Daeda's wood is nowadays (N of the village), some were around the present Field Barns belonging to Castle Farm (NE village) and some were off Plumden Lane which runs from the Oxford Road East to Tomwell Farm and on to the Hempton Road. These can be found by looking at Fields and Farms Millenium Map using the zoom facility.