Friend or Foe

Plane Spotting was an activity the War Office encouraged the public to practice. War psychologists knew that when the skills of memory and fast recognition were developed in the civilian population, it saved lives. Recognition posters were issued to aid aircraft identification. I can imagine Florence's(Lesley's grandmother) four sons making a game of plane spotting, and she too learned the skill. When she heard a plane while at her clothesline she would say a silent prayer asking God to protect her three sons in the Air Force. Then her mind would flip with fear at the possibility of it being an enemy plane and the beginning of an invasion. It was only after researching this work that I realized the significance of my father's enjoyment in taking his family to airfields for picnics. He continued to hone his plane-spotting skills and taught his children to recognize planes by engine sound and silhouette.