Highland family’s veteran grandfather honoured in web series
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DRAMATIC wartime RAF exploits of a Highland family's veteran father have been honoured in a new 12-part podcast web series.
Flight Sgt Ron Chapman's experiences of World War II in West Africa, the Middle East and Europe are now being retold – complete with stories of gold smuggling, the sudden deaths of colleagues and secret supply missions – more than four decades after his death.
Ron had never told his three sons about its existence – and their knowledge of his wartime experiences were relatively limited.
But that all changed thanks to the chance discovery of a diary that he had written in 1943 when he was just 22 - and which his children and grandchildren had known nothing about.
The document only came to light a decade ago after they found it among their late mother's possessions at her Maryburgh home shortly after she passed away.
The diary, which shines a light on previously little-known experiences and events in different World War II arenas, inspired his family to create the podcast series – Blighty Thank God' – exploring this aspect of his life.
“The podcast is a mix of ‘The Repair Shop’ meets ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’," explained son, Neil Chapman (69), who has produced and hosts the podcast.
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The voices of two of Ron’s grandchildren – David Chapman and Claire MacDonald, both of Inverness as well as their father, Ian Chapman of Maryburgh – are all featured in podcast episodes.
Explained former journalist Neil: “At first read, the diary has a lot of day-to day stuff and apparent trivia. But when I transcribed the entries I started to find clues about bigger events that my father experienced or was affected by.”
“Involving my father’s grandchildren was a way of bringing him to life for them, because they never knew him.”
The podcast and an accompanying website – www.blightythankgod.co.uk – is the result of a six-year research journey that took in the National Archives and many other historical resources around the world.
Each episode centres on diary extracts, read by Ron’s grandchildren – who never knew him. They set up events that Neil’s research explains and puts into context.
“My father was like so many young men in the RAF, reluctantly forced to be thousands of miles away from home,” said Neil, who had known very little about his father’s service.
“Even though he wasn’t on the fighting front line, to my surprise I discovered he was always in danger. Death – from accidents and horrible diseases – lurked like a ghost throughout the diary. Many he knew or worked alongside were killed in horrible circumstances.
“My father thought he’d never survive the war, hence the podcast title – words of relief he wrote in his pilot’s log book on making it back to the UK, having been posted overseas very early in the war.“
The podcast is available on a range of podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
The website gives access to the fully transcribed diary and Neil’s research notes and images to provide historical background to entries. It also has additional material associated with each podcast episode including maps and photographs.
“‘Blighty Thank God’ is a tribute to all the reluctant warriors who served during World War II," said Neil. “In my research I came across many people looking for information about their relatives who served during World War II. I was lucky to have my father’s diary and log book.
“I hope I can inspire others to dig deeper into the experiences of their relatives using some of the available resources I discovered, and to understand the tremendous courage they displayed going through the war.”
