World War II hero airman who survived FOUR plane crashes celebrates 70 years of marriage
An airman who survived four plane crashes during World War II is celebrating 70 years of marriage today. RAF bomber navigator Jim Stafford, 96, said it was the thought of returning home to his wife Betty, 95, that kept him going during the dangerous missions.
Mrs Stafford said: 'Love got us through.'
Mr Stafford, of Felixstowe, Suffolk, said: 'Not many people can say they've done that in their lives.'
現年96歲的Jim Stafford曾是英國皇家空軍的轟炸機領航員，在二戰期間歷經四次的飛機失事，卻都沒有大礙似的奇蹟生還。今年8月28日是Jim和他95歲的妻子Betty慶祝其結婚70周年的紀念日。Jim說：「當年執行任務的時候，我都堅信著想回家陪伴在我妻子身旁的信念。」也許因為這個信念，讓Jim在經歷困苦的時候，皆能化險為夷。
Betty說：「愛，帶領我們越過重重的挑戰，讓我們堅持下來。」
Jim則表示：「應該沒有多少人能夠像我們一樣歷經過這些事情。」
- Bomber (n.) 轟炸機
- Navigator (n.) 領航員
He is a navigator of planes. 他是飛機的領航員。
The airman joined up as a warrant officer in 1940, just months after war erupted in September 1939. He survived four plane crashes throughout the Middle East and South Africa during the six-year conflict as well as another one shortly before he left the air force in 1946.
A hydraulic fault caused one crash while another three were the result of the wheels failing to deploy, causing crash landings. Neither Mr Stafford or his crew were seriously injured in any of the crashes.
Of the fifth crash, that happened shortly after the war ended, Mr Stafford said: 'We were in Cumberland and were told to fly to Omagh in Northern Ireland and back again as part of a training exercise. 'But when we came back they told us to go back the other way around. 'We were just coming home when we ran out of petrol and had to crash land in the Lake District.'
在二戰爆發後沒多久，Jim Stafford於1940年加入皇家空軍的行列。6年的飛行生涯，在中東及南非的戰場，就讓他經歷過四次的飛行事故；當1946年要離開軍隊之前，他遭遇第五次的飛機失事。前面四次失事的原因，有一次是因為液壓故障所造成的，其他三次是輪胎未能伸展，導致飛機必須迫降。所幸，這幾次的事故都沒有造成Jim和其他機組人員受傷。
第五次的失事發生在二戰結束不久，Jim述說：「當時我們被告知要飛去北愛爾蘭的奧馬做訓練演習，但返程的途中我們發現燃料將耗盡，必須在英格蘭的湖區迫降。」
- Warrant Officer (n.) 准尉
- Erupt (v.) 爆發
- Hydraulic (adj.) 液壓的；水壓的；水力的
- Crew (n.) 全體人員；一組工作人員；一群人
The ship's crew struck. 這艘船的船員罷工了。
- Run out of = use up 用完；耗盡
He's always running out of money before payday.
他總是沒等到發薪日就把錢用完了。
- Petrol (n.) 汽油
Mr Stafford was a RAF serviceman based in Kent when he met his wife at Welling Gospel Chapel in 1942. The couple were married in 1943 when Mr Stafford persuaded his superiors to give him two weeks leave. Mrs Stafford, who now lives with her husband at a care home in Felixstowe, said: 'That was when we saw each other for the first time properly, and I guess we both quite liked what we saw.'
After the war they moved to Felixstowe and Mr Stafford worked as a teacher and also served as a Methodist preacher until he was 90. Mrs Stafford worked for Favor Parker and Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company before supporting Jim's preaching assignments across Suffolk as a piano soloist.
They have a son, Malcolm, and a daughter Veronica, as well as six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
1942年，Jim在威靈福音禮拜堂遇見他的妻子Betty。這對夫妻於1943年結婚，當時還在戰爭期的Jim特別說服他的上司放他兩個星期的婚假。現在Jim和Betty住在Felixstowe的一家養老院裡，Betty告訴我們，當年他們第一次看到彼此的時候，她便知道他倆對彼此互有好感。
二戰結束後，他們移居到Felixstowe，Jim成為一名老師，同時還是一位傳教士，一直工作到90歲。Jim在Suffolk傳教的時候，Betty擔任其鋼琴伴奏，之後則在Favor Parker、Felixstowe碼頭和鐵路公司工作過。他們生了一個兒子Malcolm和一個女兒Veronica，並有六個孫子和一個曾孫。
- Care Home (n.) 養老院；安養院
- Preacher (n.) 傳教士；牧師
- Great-grandchild (n.) 曾孫子女
