Flight Sergeant Edgar Walter Roslyn Pratt, Extract of Service Record

Flight Sergeant Edgar Walter Roslyn Pratt, Extract of Service Record

A summary of Edgar's service in the RAF.

One printed sheet

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Flight Sergeant Edgar Walter Roslyn PRATT (1325000)

Extracts from Service Record

22 September 1941: enlisted as an AC2, Oxford and placed on Reserve, aged 17
18 April 1942: No. 3 Recruits Centre, Padgate
24 April 1942: No. 10 (Signals) Recruits Centre, Blackpool
12 August 1942: No. 2 Flying Instructors School
5 December 1942: No. 7 Air Gunnery School, Stormy Down
21 February 1943: Promoted to LAC (Leading Aircraftman)
3 April 1943: Promoted to Sergeant
20 April 1943: No. 28 Operational Training Unit, Wymeswold
25 April 1943: Admitted Rauceby Hospital, Sleaford
7 May 1943: Discharged from hospital
12 August 1943: No. 1656 Conversion Unit, Lindholme
20 August 1943: 1481 (Bomber) Gunnery Flight, Lincolnshire
3 October 1943: RAF Station, Hemswell and No. 1656 Conversion Unit, Lindholme
12 October 1943: 156 Squadron, Upwood
4 April 1944: Promoted to Flight Sergeant
28 April 1944: 582 Squadron, Little Staughton
20 July 1944: Missing – death presumed

Note: Edgar Pratt’s RAF Log Book shows that the crew (Aungiers, Bower, Gresty, MacArthur and Pratt) spent the period from 29 April to 2 May 1944 at Warboys NTU (Navigation Training Unit) for training with Ben Weightman as their new pilot.

The following is a summary of the entries in Edgar Pratt’s RAF Log Book which provide some insight into what all the crew were likely to have been doing in the course of their training and their operational flying.

[Table detailing the activities of Edgar Pratt and his crew during their training. Includes: location, period, aircraft, pilot and flying hours]

The log book shows that Sgt Turner flew with the crew on a cross-country flight on 24 October 1943 after their transfer to 156 Squadron. He then ceased to be their pilot and was replaced by W/O Purnell on 20 December 1943. No explanation is given. It is known that Purnell suffered from ill health and resigned his Commission in July 1944. When the crew moved to 582 Squadron, Purnell was replaced as pilot by Squadron Leader Ben Weightman.