Interview with J Wiltshire. Two

Interview with J Wiltshire. Two

Warrant Officer J Wiltshire flew as a Flight Engineer on Halifaxes with 640 Squadron. He was demobbed March 1947.

He describes training as a flight engineer, the nerves of his first flights, and the humour found in mishaps and banter. Life on base mixed tension and laughter, from dinghy drills to low-level flying over the moors. He remembers the relief of returning from raids, his tartan scarf ritual, and the feeling of completing his tour. He talks of the social life which included pub visits and cinema trips. Post-war, he moved into motor transport and insurance work, cherishing chance reunions with former comrades.

00:47:15 audio recording

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AWiltshireLJ[Date]-02

I received my call up papers for joining the RAF and instructed to report to St John’s Wood, London. While I was at St John’s Wood we were issued with our uniforms, pay books, had a short medical examination and received a certain amount of basic drill. After four weeks at St Johns Woods we were posted to ITW. Initial Training Wing, Torquay, Devon. While in Torquay we received more advanced drill and other physical training. Part of the training consisted of dinghy drill. For this we were lined up on the harbour wall and had to jump into the harbour. We then had to paddle to a dinghy and get in, have a rest and then get out again. Paddle to the next dinghy, get in, have a rest and get out and then paddle away to the steps leading up to the harbour wall. Before we got into the water we were issued with what we called briefs. They barely covered the essentials. Believe me they were very very brief. However, some chaps had some embarrassment because when they got to the steps leading up to the harbour wall they found that they had lost their briefs and of course it became more embarrassing when they saw a crowd of people watching the proceedings. After six weeks at Torquay we were posted to RAF St Athans to begin the flight engineer’s course. The course was over thirty but we did learn every nut and bolt of the aircraft and how to manage the fuel system. The course lasted six months and after the course when we were qualified as flight engineers we received our brevet and our three stripes and were posted to RAF Riccall near Selby in Yorkshire. I met Dennis Tamms who had some members of the crew with him and eventually we were a complete crew and started flying together. We started off by doing circuits and bumps. Circuits and bumps were take-offs and landings which got us acclimatised to the Halifax. In my case I hadn’t been in a plane before we met up at Riccall. Fortunately I was alright but I can quite imagine that there may well have been some aircrew who had not flown in a plane and got air sickness and obviously had to come off the course. But fortunately it didn’t happen to me. The bomb aimer practiced bombing runs when dummy bombs were dropped on unidentified targets. The results were photographed and analysed back at base. The radio operator practiced getting fixes on various beacons. The pilot and I closed down various engines flying on two engines or three engines and every twenty minutes or when there was a change in engine performance I had to make a calculation of fuel used and take it away from the contents of the tanks in operation. If I remember rightly these training exercises went on for a period of three months but I do remember one day when we had some fun. We went up over the Yorkshire Moors and the skipper brought the plane down very very low which caused the sheep to run. This got them quite excited. The rear gunner with a few expletives was giving a running commentary of what was happening to the sheep. But little did we know that the switch which connected us with the control tower had been left on and the personnel in the control tower heard our running commentary of what was happening up there on the Moors. When we got back to base Dennis was called in to see the squadron commander but we didn’t hear any more about it. We were obviously forgiven.
[recording paused]
On the 10th of June 1944 we were detailed to do a night cross-country run. We were to fly to Fishguard on the southwest coast of Wales. That was to be our turning point and we were to fly across to Bury St Edmunds, turn there and fly back to Leconfield. A triangular course. Unfortunately, due to a navigation error we went to Anglesey, made our turning point and we flew on, as we thought cross-country. But eventually it came to our notice that we were way out over the North Sea. The gunners had reported seeing ack ack fire, gunfire in the distance and we knew that we were then entering enemy territory. The pilot of course had anxious words with the navigator. The radio operator attempted to get a fix, a radio fix and after a time the navigator was able to get us our course which would take us back to Leconfield. The pilot and navigator were interviewed by the squadron commander and he had decided that we would have to do the cross-country run again the following night. Jenny kindly sent me a copy of Ron’s log. She sent several pages. I did have my own log at one time but my children when they were about three or four years of age found the logbook and discovered it was useful to do some drawings and the pages were torn out. So I was able to look back through Ron’s log and see various flights which we went on and I noticed that this cross-country run was at night on the 10th of June 1944. It took five hours and ten minutes and the following night we did the cross-country flight again and this time we did it correctly but I notice it took five hours and ten minutes. The same time as the night before which meant really that our timing was right but our locations were all wrong. We finished our course at RAF Riccall and went home on leave, for a weeks’ leave before being posted to RAF Leconfield. When I got home I read about the plane that our station, RAF Riccall had crashed into the church in Selby. Thank you very much Bill for sending me the details of it. I did not realise that so many civilians were killed. I realised of course that the crew were killed but never realised that the devastation was as bad as what it was. When we got to Leconfield we reported to our various sections. I reported to the engineering section and Flight Lieutenant Harry Coates was in charge and I was delighted to see a photograph of him in your book, Bill and noticed that he was retired as a squadron leader and furthermore he unveiled a monument in Beverly Gardens. A number of years ago my wife and I were caravanning in Yorkshire and we spent a day in Beverley. I remember parking somewhere near, I can’t remember the name and looking across I saw the licensee had the name Coates over the door. I don’t know whether Harry Coates had any relatives in Beverley or in fact when he retired he decided to keep a pub. But how I wish I had gone into the pub and made enquiries and who knows I may have traced him or found him there behind the bar pulling a pint. I can never remember when we actually made our first flight on operations but from the page of Ron’s log which Jenny sent me I noticed that we went to [Oisement]. I imagine that must be in France and possibly a rocket site but I can’t remember much about it. Anyhow, it was a night flight and it took three hours thirty five minutes. But before we went to [Oisement] Dennis Tamms came to us and said he would be flying that night with an experienced crew to get the feeling of operational flying. To see flak, searchlights and maybe other aircraft. He was very nervous when it became time to go to the briefing and I always remember he passed his wallet to Arthur Sharp, our mid-gunner and said, ‘If I don’t come back make sure you send this to my relatives.’ Anyhow, we wished him a speedy return and eventually we took to our beds. But later, in the early hours of the morning we heard footsteps and, coming into the room and we all shot up in bed. ‘What was it like Dennis? What was it like? What was it like?’ He said, ‘Oh, it’s a piece of cake really. Nothing to it. A bit of flak, searchlights and oh, ’ he said, ‘We’ll be alright. No problem at all.’ Naturally we were all nervous at going on our first operational flight but we also were really concerned about being able to do our jobs successfully. It was a very very noisy time when we began to approach the target because the bomb aimer would be in touch with the pilot. For instance, giving him instruction to keep the aircraft steady and the bomb doors open. At the same time the radio was very very noisy. The Pathfinders were giving instructions to bomb the various flares. Constantly we were hearing, ‘Bomb the green flares. Bomb the green flares.’ ‘Bomb the red flares. Bomb the red flares.’ And all the time this was going on and various members of the crew of course were also talking over the intercom.
[recording paused]
It was a very tense time when up to the bomb aimer said, ‘Bombs gone.’ The pilot had to keep the aircraft steady while the cameras came into action and took a photograph of the bomb burst. It was such a relief when after ten seconds the bomb aimer was able to give the skipper time to move away and I remember someone used to say , ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’ On one occasion when we opened up the bangs were like someone hitting an oil drum. What actually happened was that a piece of flak came into the aircraft. Dennis had a piece in the cockpit, fortunately it missed him and our bomb aimer also had a piece came through into his position. The flak, the pieces of flak were about as big as the palm of your hand and I remember when the, when we saw it it really looked gruesome and we really realised the damage it could do. As far as I know they kept them as souvenirs.
[recording paused]
On one occasion the tail plane of our aircraft was shot up badly and it had to go in for servicing. So we could carry on we were given another aircraft and kept it for quite a while. Then when the original one came out of servicing it was handed to another crew and unfortunately the first time out it didn’t return. So I suppose we were rather fortunate. That aircraft could have been returned to us and we may well have been flying with it.
[recording paused]
Occasionally, to relieve the tension when starting the bombing run, especially when the bomb aimer was giving the skipper instructions to keep the aircraft steady and line it up with the target I would get a single chain to a screw that held a plate in the floor of the aircraft near my flight engineer’s position. The size of a dinner plate and after the bomb aimer announced bomb doors open I looked down through the bomb doors. At night it was like Dante’s Inferno around the target area. During daytime raids I could see the stick of bombs going down and the bomb bursts. I could also see the flak and tracer coming towards us and I would hastily put the plate back in position.
[recording paused]
We came back to base at varying times depending whether it was a daytime or a nighttime trip. When returning in the early mornings and we approached the white cliffs of Dover there were occasionally American squadrons in their Flying Fortresses starting daytime bombing. We wished them well but knew that many would not do the return flight. Our billet contained two crews. I’m not absolutely certain but I believe the other crew were Sergeant [Cash’s] crew. I cannot remember any of the names but I can remember one member of the crew waking up in the mornings and singing, “Lili Marlene.” A German song which was very popular at the time. When we entered the billet for the first time they informed us that the crew we were replacing went missing a night or so before. We continued with our tour and when we returned one day an officer and two airmen came into the billet asking which were the beds and lockers of the other crew. They told us that the crew had not returned and were missing. They proceeded to fill black bags with the crew’s possessions, labelled them and took them into safe keeping. A day or two later a new crew moved in and we informed them that they were replacing a missing crew. We began to wonder whether it would be our turn next.
[recording paused]
Our crew completed a number of operations. Dennis Tamms had his twenty first birthday and Arthur the mid-upper gunner collected cash from each of us and we bought him a book on art. We knew that Dennis was interested in art but never for one moment did I know that he had designed the first squadron badge. After he was demobbed from the RAF he went to college and became a history and art teacher at Stoke on Trent.
[recording paused]
We continued with our tour and had one or two incidents which caused us some concern. I remember on one occasion when we were approaching a target. Once again my memory is so bad I can’t quite remember where it was but I noticed that the temperature of one of the engines was rising and the oil pressure was falling. I reported this to the skipper and suggested that we should close the engine down. Dennis did this and we proceeded on to the target. When we came out of the target area I noticed another engine was showing the same signs as the first engine. The temperature rising, oil pressure falling. Once again I reported this to the skipper and he closed the engine down and like the first engine feathered the propeller. I suggested to the skipper that he should restart the first engine and he did so. Fortunately, the engine retained its pressure and temperatures and appeared to be going along alright. We then attempted to restart the second engine but unfortunately that would not keep its temperatures and we had to return on three engines. I notice in your book that someone reported that the Merlin engines did tend to overheat but when we got back to base this was reported to the engineering people and a few days later the skipper informed us that it appeared to be a calculation problem. Another occasion which scared us was that the bomb aimer who we called Tiger, Tiger Tim was giving the skipper instructions to keep the aircraft steady and he announced, ‘Bomb doors open.’ And then to our great surprise said that he would have to abort the bombing and we would have to go around again. Dennis used Gordon Ramsay’s favourite word [laughs] and proceeded to turn the aircraft on a course to take us back over the target. This time it all went successfully and Dennis as we cleared the target said once again, ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’ Believe me we were all rather scared about the occasion. We wondered what would happen the second time around.
[recording paused]
From time to time we had stand-downs which gave us the opportunity to let our hair down by going to the Beverley Arms or the Kings Head pubs or [unclear] I can’t remember the name of the pub there. We had some transport. Tiger [Tim] our bomb aimer had bought a car. I believe it was an early 1930s Morris. How we squeezed seven into that car I don’t know but for short runs we managed it. On one occasion on stand-down we decided to go to Hull. I can’t remember if it was by Tiger’s car or station transport. I remember we had a meal, a few drinks and someone suggested going to the pictures. We found a cinema, went in, and can you believe it seven young men who the night before had been flying over Germany now in a cinema watching, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” [laughs]
[recording paused]
Various times our skipper, Jack Frost our navigator and Tiger Timms the bomb aimer were commissioned and left our billet to be accommodated in the officer’s quarters but we worked together just the same as a crew. That didn’t seem to come in to it and even going out to the pubs and various places we enjoyed each other’s company just the same. I keep thinking about a club that we’d go to in Leconfield. I’m not sure whether it was aircrew only, all ranks or airmen but I somebody told me that it was built by a Lady Roberts. Lady Roberts apparently had three sons who were RAF pilots, quite high ranking some of them and I understand that she lost these sons and as a tribute to the aircrew she built this club. It was more comfortable than the NAAFI which we used to use from time to time. But I’m just wondering whether you have anything in your archives regarding this particular club.
[recording paused]
The thousand bomber raids, or nearly a thousand after we took off and approached the coast we would be surrounded by aircraft and in the distance so many as far as the eye could see. [unclear] I remember. How could we all converge on one target but of course it was carefully planned. Aircraft going into the target in waves following instructions received at the pilot’s and navigation briefings.
[recording paused]
When I see [unclear] the early days of Hitler’s Reich there are crowds of Germans celebrating their success I wonder if they were saying during the thousand bomber raids, ‘What has this man done to us?’ Sometime during our tour a small publication came into our possession showing scenes of concentration camps and a description of what went on. Although I kept mine among my various possessions it has since got lost. I suppose it was given to us to boost our morale and to make us feel we were doing a worthwhile job. Some aircrew suffered with stress and although I did not know anyone personally we were led to believe that they would be sent to Hornchurch, stripped of their rank and documents stamped lack of moral fibre. There was no counselling in these days for aircrew who felt that they could no longer carry on.
[recording paused]
Our last trip was to [Eisenberg?] on the 2nd of November. We felt the trip was rough and scary and to our surprise when we returned to find that we had not lost many aircraft on the squadron. However when we had taxied down to dispersal a car came along the perimeter track and parked. I was last out of the aircraft and I asked one of the crew what was going on and he said, ‘Wing Commander Viney has come to congratulate us on completing our tour.’ The lads were cheering with a sense of relief. After debriefing we went and had our bacon and eggs and so to bed. The next day and later days we were basking in our good news but as it became time for further operations on the station we felt a certain loss. We were no longer required. The crew was sent home on leave. Wing Commander Viney instructed me to stay behind to see the station commander, Group Captain Waterhouse regarding being commissioned. I eventually got an interview with him and he recommended that I should be commissioned when starting my second tour. However, the war in Europe finished and we were not required for flying duties again so I stayed as an NCO. I did not mind one bit because I certainly didn’t want the war to continue and do a second trip on purpose to have a commission. Then of course had I been called to do a second tour [unclear] then of course I might have flown with the same crew. I would have been very very happy. We all went on what they called indefinite leave and at the end of the month we met up again at RAF Brackla in Scotland. There we had various interviews to decide what we should do during our six months rest period before going back on operations again. I did say I would like to go into motor transport and eventually a course was arranged for me to attend at RAF Weeton near Blackpool. The course lasted three months and eventually I was posted down to Dunmow, to the transport section there and later to RAF [unclear] headquarters Reading. While we were at Reading a promotion came through for me. Promoted to flight sergeant which meant I could put a crown above my three stripes and later, six months later the warrant officer promotion came through and I was able to put the warrant officers’ badge on my tunic. This was automatic for aircrew. Originally when you were first on the course to become an engineer, air gunner, a navigator, pilot, what have you, you received three stripes of the rank of sergeant and eventually after a time the promotion to flight sergeant came through and eventually warrant officer. I went home on leave with my new rank and when I returned I was asked to go to the Orderly Room and informed that I would have to take down my warrant officer badge and once again put up the three stripes. It appeared that Air Ministry had decided to take the aircrew new ranks to be called master engineer, master gunner and so on and so on and the new rank would be equivalent to a sergeant. This upset members and ex-members of air crew and we were advised to write to our MPs complaining about it. It was brought up in the House of Commons and it was said and reported in the House of Commons publication called Hansard that these men were once Churchill’s heroes and they are now social outcasts. We received the pay for the rank we had achieved. In my case it was warrant officer but it did leave a bad taste to think. Eventually in March 1947 I was demobbed and left all my memories and thoughts behind me of four wonderful years in the RAF.
[recording paused]
I have almost come to the end of recording now but there are one or two other memories come floating back. I remember one night when I was in my engineer’s position we were coming back from a trip. I don’t remember where but suddenly there was Dennis Tamms, our skipper walking by my position. I was so concerned I just tapped him on the arm as he went by and he made gestures which indicated that he was on his way to the toilet. Now, to get there he had to step over a wing spar about eighteen inches high, walk just past the rest period over another wing spar and eventually come to the elsan toilet which was way back in the fuselage of the plane. Of course when he got there he would have to plug in his intercom and his oxygen pipe because obviously we were above ten thousand feet and at that height one must always have the plug into the oxygen. Of course, he would have to take off his Mae West, flying suit and any other warm clothing he’d got on underneath. What a job but anyhow eventually he came back and of course as you can expect the lads ribbed him, you know afterwards. But I wondered what had happened to the plane. Who was in charge? Anyhow, I looked around the bulkhead behind the pilot’s seat and there was Tiger Tims sat in the pilot's seat keeping an eye on the flying controls and of course Dennis before he went down the fuselage had obviously put in George, the automatic pilot to keep the aircraft steady. Tiger Timms of course had had some flying experience. I understand that he went on the pilot’s training course in the beginning and for some reason or other, I never knew why he left the course and eventually became a bomb aimer.
[recording paused]
Well, you remember me saying that in the beginning when we were posted to Leconfield that we entered this billet and there was already a crew there and they told us that we were replacing a crew that had gone missing a night or so before and that one member of the crew always woke up in the morning singing, “Lili Marlene.” Well, after we’d finished flying and I had a motor transport course the idea was that I would be doing motor transport for six months until going back on the second tour. But obviously the war in Europe finished and we were not required to do a second tour. But I was stationed in Reading, 12 Group headquarters and while down there one day I was driving one of the vehicles and I parked it off street. Anyway, when I came back to the vehicle coming down the road I could see two RAF men and lo and behold I just could not believe it but as they became nearer I could see that there were two members of the crew from Leconfield who were in the billet when we first posted there. I’m not sure whether one of the lads was the one who used to sing, “Lili Marlene,” but as you can guess we hugged each other and, ‘What are you doing here? What happened to you?’ They explained the situation. They had been shot down. I’m not sure whether there was one or two of them had become prisoners of war or whether they managed to get back. But it seems that the pilot who I thought was possibly [Sergeant Cash] didn’t survive. Apparently he didn’t get out of the plane. But I understand that some other members of the crew did get out of the plane. It’s like everything else I only wish that my memory was better and I could remember exactly what happened to them but what a coincidence. There we were together at Leconfield and sometime later, it would be 1946 we were at Leconfield in 1944 and in 1946 I should see these two lads who I’d been with walking down the street in Reading. In your book Bill I noticed that [unclear] is reported in the obituary column. By then of course he was, he had been commissioned to a pilot officer when he went missing. That’s what I like about the book. I’m able to delve into it and connect rather a number of memories that bring things to light for me.
[recording paused]
One more incident I must tell you about. This happened after the war. After being demobbed had been marked I had interviews and became an agent for the Prudential Insurance agents and I called on some people by the name of Farr. They were my last call on the particular day and one day Mrs Farr said, ‘Oh, Mr Wiltshire, this is my sister-in-law from Stoke on Trent.’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m pleased to meet you. I’ve never been to Stoke on Trent but I’ve flown over it.’ I said, ‘I was in the RAF and our pilot came from Stoke on Trent and one day when we were doing a cross country run he said that he would fly us down over Stoke on Trent and point out the area where he lived.’ And I said, ‘He flew down rather low over an area called Fenton and then he showed us a street, High Street which was like a ribbon flying down.’ The lady said, she said, ‘I live in Fenton.’ I said, ‘Oh,’ I said, I said, ‘His name was Dennis Tamms.’ And she said, 'Oh, our Dennis. Our Ethel’s boy. He was a bomber pilot during the war.’ Well, what a coincidence. Here I was in Shropshire and this lady had been visiting her sister-in-law and that’s how we got talking about Dennis Tamms and our life together as a crew. But it was really a coincidence that this should happen at that time.
[recording paused]
Another incident which happened with my father. He worked for the insurance company as a superintendent and he called at this cottage one day in a village in Shropshire and he saw a picture, a photograph of a RAF lad and he said to the lady, Mrs Thomas, ‘Who is that photograph?’ and she said, ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘That’s Roger. He’s in the RAF and he is a flight engineer.’ And my father said, ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘My son is a flight engineer. Where is he stationed? Where is Roger stationed?’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘Leconfield.’ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘My son is stationed at Leconfield.’ And of course he wrote and told me that this young man, he’d met the mother and he was stationed at Leconfield. Anyhow, I made acquaintance with Roger and eventually we got demobbed and I did see him on one or two occasions back in the village. But what I, I think I mentioned this to you in our telephone conversation. I looked in the list of flight engineers, page 255 of your book. There’s no mention whatsoever of Roger Thomas. But on page 115 there is a photograph of Wing Commander Viney’s crew and Roger is the flight engineer of that crew. [unclear] member of the other squadron at Leconfield and intermixed from time to time when different crew members were required because it does say wing commander’s several crews.
[recording paused]
Well, this is the end of my recording. I’ve put down my memories of 640 Squadron. I don’t think there’s anything really definitive that you could add to your archives but you may have found some of my memories quite interesting because I really found your book to be absolutely first class and a great joy to have. I really must once again write to Jenny and thank her once again for sending me the book and the use I could put to it. I shall be pleased to hear from you Bill if there is anything I can help you with any further writings you may make of 640 Squadron.
[recording paused]
One more thing. Before we started our operations Ron, Jenny’s father brought seven types of scarves and when he came back to the squadron he gave us one each. Mine was a Mackenzie and we always wore these tartan scarves before we went up on a trip and we called ourselves Tammy’s Tartan Terrors. I don’t know whether we had TTT painted on the front of the aircraft but from then on we were very proud of our tartan collection. Well, I think, I think I’ve just about come to the end of the tape and I seem to have exhausted my memories but from now on I shall be delving into the book once again and if I find anything which I can, which you should know about which I remember then I’ll simply pass it on to you if you need any help with any further writings that you might make about 640 Squadron.