Then We Kissed Her Goodbye. Dad's RAF journal 1943 (en Inglés) - George T Skinner †;Deborah J Skinner

At just twenty years old, George Tolmie Skinner began recording his life in a journal that would become a vivid firsthand account of courage, endurance, and transformation during World War II.

He enlisted in the Royal Air Force on January 17, 1943, stepping into a world defined by uncertainty and duty. From early training days in Scotland, including time in Dowally and Perth, to a brief but cherished leave with his brother Jim, Skinner's entries reveal both the discipline of military life and the humanity of a young man on the brink of war.

In September 1943, he departed Liverpool for the United States aboard the RMS Mauretania, crossing the Atlantic under constant threat. The journey was perilous: a zigzag course to evade German U-boats, violent storms that hurled the ship through towering seas, and days of relentless weather near the Arctic Circle. After years of wartime deprivation and blackout conditions in Britain, the sight of Statue of Liberty rising over New York Harbor brought many of the young airmen to tears.

From there, Skinner traveled to Terrell, Texas, where he began intensive flight training under the British Flying Training School program. His journal captures the exhilaration and challenges of learning to fly aircraft such as the PT-17 Stearman and AT-6, alongside vivid impressions of American life-its abundance, its openness, and its stark contrast to war-weary Europe.

More than a record of training, this journal is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of global conflict. It reveals friendships forged under pressure, moments of humor and wonder, and the resilience required to move from boyhood into the responsibilities of a wartime pilot.

On April 21, 1944, George Tolmie Skinner earned his wings and returned to Scotland as a Sergeant pilot-forever changed by the journey he had documented with honesty, insight, and quiet courage.

This memoir offers readers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of a young RAF trainee, preserving not only the history of a pivotal era, but the voice of one who lived it.