Grand Hotel
A Memory of Harrogate.
Having gained my Air Gunners wing in Egypt I was posted to the Air Crew holding unit in Harrogate where I stayed for about three weeks early on 1945, and again a few months later. I remember the dance held in a marque in the Valley Gardens in August on VJ night (what a night that was!) I was billeted in the Grand Hotel. The CO of this unit was the English wicket keeper Les Ames On parade one morning in the forecourt of the hotel the Orderly Officer was Sebastian Shaw, a well known pre war film actor. This morning we were plagued by a number of dogs running loose around the parade and the CO ordered us to catch them and tie them up. This we proceeded to do - I seem to remember there was a picture in the local paper showing F/O Shaw surrounded by these dogs holding the strings to which they were attached. I remember him standing with a silly look on his face wandering what to do with them. The Majestic Hotel was also used as an aircrew holding unit. I think it was at this time that one of the RAF bods fell out of an upstairs window there. I have been back a couple of times since and I think the Grand is now local government offices.
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