ONE of Thurrock's few remaining World War Two heroes marked VE Day this evening (Friday, 8 May) with a lengthy interview about his experiences during the conflict.

Jim Gooding, 94, of Hogarth Road, Grays, was featured on Radio Five Live's Stephen Nolan show when he told of the missions he flew over occupied Europe as the rear gunner on a Lancaster bomber.

Jim served in 622 squadron, flying out of Mildenhall after joining the RAF aged 17. In 1945, just a year older, he flew nine missions before the war ended – though he never actually saw any German fighters in the air.

"I was lucky," said Jim. "If you did see them that was usually it because they were able to outgun us."

Jim, who is the President of the RAFA Club on Southend Road in Grays, after serving for many years as secretary, joined the RAF at just 17. After joining, Jim did his initial training at St. John's Wood in London. After operational training at Desbrough, flying in Wellington and Stirling bombers, his training moved to Bottesford, Nottingham, where he continued to fly on Stirlings.

Then he moved on to Lancasters where a crew consisted of a bomber, flight engineer, navigator, wireless radio operator, mid-upper gunner and rear gunner. The rear gunner – or 'tail-end Charlie' as they became known, were in one of the most vulnerable positions on the aircraft.

Of Jim's nine missions, Jim said the first and most memorable was to Stuttgardt, Germany.

"No one was a hero"

"The thought of going there made me very apprehensive; you didn't know what was in store for you. Regretfully, we saw an awful lot of flack (anti-aircraft guns), which was very frightening. When you were flying over England, you didn't worry about anything, but if the truth be known we were all a bit nervous - maybe even a bit frightened - but having said that, you didn't think about it," he said. "In fairness, I think that applied to all of us. No one was a hero."

As he recalled his days in the service Jim said there was always a feeling of comradeship.

"Crews always stayed together. Officers were in the officers' mess, but the crew was always together in a Nissen hut, so if you went out anywhere, then usually it was with your crew," he said. "But because you were with your own crew all the time, there wasn't the opportunity to make other friends."

Throughout the interview on the radio, Jim played down any heroics – a trait of one of the most modest men you could meet, says Thurrock Nub News editor Neil Speight, who knows Jim well. He said Jim rarely talked about the war, and always played down the danger, other than just saying he was lucky.

And he frequently said the RAF had it much easier than the Americans flying out of east Anglia – who went on day missions while the RAF flew at night.

"I wouldn't have had the U.S. Air Force's job for the world, because they flew in the day. Every time they took off, they lost 12 to 14 aircraft in one go; sometimes they lost 16," says Jim.

"The 100th Bomb Group lost 20 to 30 bombers a day. We had our bad nights, but compared to the Americans, we had it easy. As hard as our job was, they had fighters and flack to contend with; at least we had the darkness - we had a fair chance in a way, but they didn't."

Jim told radio host Steve Nolan about where he was on VE Day, 75 years ago today.

"I was actually on leave at the time. We had no idea it was coming but I was with my mother and father and we heard Churchill's speech so we went out and joined everyone else. It was like a party, a fireworks night without the fireworks."

Following the death of his wife Thelma a couple of years ago, Jim lives alone now and lock down has been particularly difficult as he can't see his family.

However, he has been well looked after by his neighbours in Hogarth Road, particularly Claire Sheldrick, and told the radio audience that they had surprised him this morning by putting bunting around his house and they looked after him while he was in his garden during the commemorations.

"I would like to thank everybody, it was a special day," said Jim who added the most emotional part was the Last Post at 11am. "It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," he said.

You can listen to Jim's interview via the BBC Radio Sounds app here. He speaks around two hours and 40 minutes into Stephen Nolan's show.