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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1970/33728/MWakefieldHE174040-171016-25.1.pdf
4afc55fab42f37fe8e749b719b862c90
Dublin Core
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Title
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Wakefield, Harold Ernest
H E Wakefield
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-10-16
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Wakefield, HE
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Harold Ernest Wakefield DFC (1923 - 1986, 1582185 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, training publications, decorations and badges, training notebooks, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, photographs and parachute D ring.
He flew operations as a flight engineer with 51 and 617 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Jeremy Wakefield and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1482321
BRACKENRIDGE
[indecipherable word]
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
[deleted] 1482321 A.C.2. Brackenridge. J.,
Hut 6, K Line,
4 T.T. Wing, 109 Entry [/deleted]
[indecipherable word] H H [deleted] R.A.F. [/deleted]
[deleted][underlined] COSFORD [/underlined][/deleted]
1582185 A.C.2. WAKEFIELD, H.E.
Hut No 4, C Line,
3 Squadron, 4T.T. Wing, 109 Entry,
Cosford, Nr Albrighton,
Staffs.
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
[underlined] PRELIMINARY ENGINES. [/underlined]
[underlined] Types of Lubrication. [/underlined]
1/ [underlined] Wetsump. [/underlined]
In this type some parts are lubricated by splash and others by pressure. An oil pump is needed to lubricate by pressure. Also a sump is needed, bolted under the crankcase with an oil-tight joint between.
On Gypsy engine, a metal to metal joint. Keep joints clean and smooth. Cover with fitters blue and rub on surface table, then scrape of [sic] high spots.
[underlined] SUMP [/underlined]
[drawing]
Filter gauze cleans oil as it drops from pistons into sump. Aerobatic Screen prevents oil flooding cylinders when ‘plane is upside down.
[underlined] PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE [/underlined].
[drawing]
Excessive pressure forces spring open and oil escapes to sump. Opens at pressure of 45 lbs.
A by-pass valve in filter opens when filter clogs up, and the dirty oil is carried round engine, which is better than none.
[page break]
[underlined] OIL-PUMP. [/underlined]
[drawing]
Oil is drawn in by suction caused by rotating cogs. Outlet pipe is small [sic] than inlet so pressure is built up. Self-lubricating from oil it pumps.
A wet-sump has its disadvantages:- the oil never gets cooled properly.
VOLUME I A.P. ? } General Description.
VOL II Part I } General Orders & Modifications
Part II } Fits, Clearances & Repair Tolerances
Part II Airframes } Maintenance.
VOL III } List of spare parts, contains a checking list.
[page break]
2/ [underlined] Dry Sump [/underlined] :-
[diagram]
The scavenging pump has larger mesh than pressure pump to keep sump empty.
[underlined] Piston Rings. [/underlined]
Scarf Type – [drawing]
But [sic] Type – [drawing]
Step Type – [drawing]
Peg Type – [drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] The Four Strokes [/underlined].
[underlined] Induction [/underlined]:- Piston goes down, draws in mixture.
[underlined] Compression [/underlined]:- Piston goes up, compresses mixture.
[underlined] Power [/underlined]:- Piston driven down.
[underlined] Exhaust [/underlined]:- Piston goes up, forces gas through outlets.
[underlined] Crankshaft [/underlined].
[drawing]
[underlined] Valve Lead [/underlined]:- is the no. of degrees measured on the crankshaft by which a valve opens before TDC.
[underlined] Flame Rate [/underlined]:- time taken for mixture to burn.
[underlined] Dual Ignition [/underlined]:- gives quicker flame rate.
[underlined] Types of Gear [/underlined].
[underlined] Spur Gear [/underlined]:- [drawing]
[underlined] Spiral Gear [/underlined]:- [drawing]
[underlined] Worm Gear [/underlined]:- [drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Timing [/underlined].
1/ Turn crankshaft in direction of rotation to 20° before T.D.C.
2/ Set clearance on no.1 inlet valve to .005”.
3/ Turn camshaft in direction of rotation until clearance is taken up.
4/ Mesh driving gears in this position.
5/ Check by turning engine in direction of rotation and noting position in degrees point when inlet valve just begins to open.
6/ Tighten and lock the driving wheel retaining devices.
7/ Set tappets to correct clearance.
[underlined] MAGNETOS and CARBURETTERS. [sic] [/underlined]
[underlined] S.U. Carburetters [sic] [/underlined]:- give a correct ratio of air and petrol and ejects it into cylinder. (11 – 15) of air to 1 of petrol, by weight.
Pressure at sea-level = 14.7165 lbs per [symbol]“.
The principle of the carburetter is the U tube, and the difference in pressure between the two sides.
When the speed of a gas is increased, the pressure decreases.
[drawings]
[page break]
[diagram]
This is only useful at one choke opening, Other than that one opening, to [sic] rich a mixture is obtained.
So a [underlined] diffuser [/underlined] is used to give correct mixture at all engine speeds except slow running.
[drawing]
As you climb the air gets thinner, so to [sic] rich a mixture is obtained. Therefore the petrol supply must be cut down. To do this an [underlined] Altitude Mixture Control [/underlined] is fitted to give a correct mixture at all altitudes.
[drawing]
As the aircraft climbs and the pressure gets less, the aneroid expands and pushes the needle into the jet and cuts down the supply of petrol, Thus we get a correct mixture at all heights.
As the pressure drops at height so we get a loss in power. [underlined] A Supercharger [/underlined] is fitted to maintain sea-level power at altitude. This pumps up the mixture to sea-level pressure. It can however only maintain sea-level pressure up to a
[page break]
certain height. It is driven at 6-10 times engine speed and can revolve up to 30,000 R.P.M.
When the engine is only running slowly there is not enough rush of air through venturi to cause any drop in pressure. So no petrol can be forced through. So we use a [underlined] Slow Running Jet [/underlined], and draw in petrol by using the drop in pressure caused by the air rushing round the butterfly.
[drawings]
When the large hole is uncovered by the butterfly, the engine switches over to the main jet once more.
However when the butterflies are opened the petrol doesn’t respond immediately as it takes time for petrol to be drawn from the carburetter. Consequently the engine has no petrol for a period and splutters and lags. This is known as [underlined] the flat spot [/underlined].
The flat spot is overcome by an accelerator pump. When the throttle is suddenly opend [sic] from the slow running position, the piston is automatically forced down and injects neat petrol through five holes in choke tube near the venturi. The inrushing air carries the petrol into the induction manifold.
[page break]
[drawing]
The pressure which the supercharger builds up in the induction manifold is called [underlined] Boost Pressure [/underlined] . It is measured in lbs. per [symbol]“.
[underlined] Rated Boost Pressure [/underlined] is the maximum pressure which manufacturers allow for running over indefinite periods.
[underlined] Rated Altitude [/underlined] is the greatest height at which we can maintain rated boost.
The maximum boost pressure permitted by the manufacturer for a period of not more than five minutes is [underlined] Maximum Permissible Boost [/underlined], used for take off, initial climb, and emergency.
The explosion of a weak mixture in the cylinder is know as [underlined] Detonation [/underlined]
When the pressure of a gas is increased, it becomes hotter, and detonation occurs. To avoid detonation we make the mixture richer. The extra petrol cools the combustion chamber and absorbs heat. For this purpose we fit an aneroid which
[page break]
is operated by boost pressure running through a pipe from the induction manifold to the aneroid. As the aneroid expands or contracts, according to boost pressure, it opens or closes the main jet by means of a needle.
In case a blow back from the engine smashes the aneroid, a [underlined] Safety Valve [/underlined] is fitted, which is closed by any sudden pressure striking it, thus protecting the aneroid.
[drawing]
On the bottom of the super-charger casing there is a [underlined] Volute Drain [/underlined] to drain away condensed petrol and assist the slow running jet.
To stop the engine we allow atmospheric pressure to enter the slow running chamber, by doing this we get rid of the difference in pressure and consequently no petrol is drawn through. To do this a [underlined] Slow Running Cutout [/underlined] is fitted.
The choke tubes are heated by hot coolants, and the butterflies by hot oil from the scavenger pump. These are heated to stop the mixture freezing as it strikes the cold surface when flying at great heights and the conditions are very cold.
[page break]
Two brass taps are fitted to get rid of air locks when filling up with coolant.
An [underlined] oil relief valve [/underlined] which opens at 25lbs per [symbol]“ is fitted. When the oil is cold it is no use for heating the butterflies, and when oil is cold it has a high pressure. We make use of this high pressure when it is cold to open the relief valve, thus the oil when cold goes in at the inlet and comes out by the outlet immediately, via the relief valve, without touching the butterflies at all.
When diving at full throttle the supercharger develops to [sic] much power as the ‘plane dives into denser air. So an [underlined] Automatic Boost Control [/underlined] (ABC) is fitted which by means of an aneroid automatically adjusts the throttle opening at all heights.
[drawing]
The progressive cam is fitted to give a definite boost pressure for a given throttle opening up to rated altitude. This is known as [underlined] Boost Control [/underlined].
[page break]
[underlined] Lubrication of Cross-Shaft [/underlined]:- As much anti-freeze oil as possible.
Lubrication of [underlined] Relay Piston [/underlined]:- 3.5 ccs. Anti-freeze oil.
[underlined] Relay Valve [/underlined]:- Close throttle, remove atmospheric union and pump in 3.5 ccs. of anti-freeze oil. Also oil the link work at inspections.
In American planes a [underlined] wobble pump [/underlined] is used to work up the pressure of petrol from carburetters. A red light warns when the required pressure is reached. The [deleted] hand [/deleted] engine pump takes over when the engine starts.
[underlined] A KIGASS priming pump [/underlined] is another method of starting an engine, the number of strokes required to start the engine, depends on the engine.
[underlined] Hollis Carburetter [/underlined]:- [drawing] } Throttle control settings.
[underlined] Stromberg Carburetter [/underlined]:- [drawing] } Throttle control settings.
[underlined] Under no condition must the mixture control lever be moved from the idle cut off position, when the engine is stationary [/underlined].
[page break]
[underlined] Magnetos [/underlined]:- Three basic types.
1/. [underlined] Rotating Armature [/underlined]:- gives 2 sparks per rev. up to a 6 cylinder engine. On an engine over 6 cylinders, the mag. would have to be driven to fast to give enough sparks. It is used as a hand starter mag. and also for testing purposes.
2/. [underlined] Polar inductor [/underlined]:- gives at least 4 sparks per rev. and is used on engines of 7 cylinders and over.
3/. [underlined] Rotating Magnet [/underlined]:- practically same as Polar Inductor.
In all mags. there are [underlined] Permanent Magnets [/underlined] which enable us to obtain electricity. The current always travels from N to S, and back again
[drawing]
The [underlined] armature coil [/underlined], which consists of laminated soft iron, wound round with a few turns of thick wire [deleted] and [/deleted] (the primary coil) and on top of that many turns of thin wire. (the secondary coil).
If magnetism is reversed through the armature coil a current of electricity is obtained.
[underlined] Terms used [/underlined]:- [underlined] Lines of force [/underlined], are the lines of magnetic attraction, collectively called [underlined] Magnetic Flux [/underlined], and area of the magnetic flux is the [underlined] Magnetic Field [/underlined].
If the current is flowing through the primary coil and is switched of by means of the [underlined] contact breaker [/underlined] (a mechanical switch in the primary coil to interrupt the flow of current.) we get a current sent through the secondary coil to the plugs.
[page break]
[underlined] Condenser [/underlined]:- is used to reduce arcing and sparking at the contact breaker points. It consists of sheets of tin foil seperated [sic] by sheets of mica, and assist the contact breaker to give a quick reverse of current and switch off.
[drawing]
[underlined] Distributor [/underlined]:- consists of a distributor rotor, and a distributor block.
[underlined] Earthing Switch [/underlined]:- in the cockpit
[underlined] P.I B.T.H. Type S.C.9-48 [/underlined]:- as fitted to the Pegasus gives 4 sparks per rev. The Direction of Rotation is obtained by looking at the front, and can be mounted on the engine in three ways, Spigot Face, Flange, Base Mounting. A metal distributor screen is fitted over the distributor. Most engines are started by a hand starter mag. which when turned by hand sends a current to the trailing brush [deleted] ing [/deleted] of the main mag. and therefore gives a late spark. Two leads are fitted to the mag. one from the hand starter mag. and one to cockpit switch. Ventilating holes are made in the distributor to clear the air of ozone which is present owing to the rotating brush striking the distributor points and becoming hot.
[underlined] A broken switch wire means a live magneto. [/underlined]
A safety spark gap is fitted to the secondary coil, which runs the current to earth if the plugs are damaged.
[page break]
[diagram]
At altitude the safety spark gap is no good so a heavier coil is fitted to withstand the heat of the electricity which is built up. S.S.G.’s are not in use now except on the rotating armature mag. which can’t have a heavy coil fitted. At height, no building up electric current is needed to jump the S.S.G. The current takes the least line of resistance, [deleted] on [/deleted] which is the S.S.G. and goes straight to earth without passing to the distributor.
Arcing:- particles of white hot material carried across gaps by jumping sparks, causing wear to points.
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined]:-
[underlined] Contact Breaker Points of platinum alloy [/underlined]:- Wash in lead free petrol, wipe and dry. Level off pitted surfaces caused by arcing, by slipstone smeared with oil. If pitted badly, file first in case hardened steel plate [drawing] then finish off with slipstone and oil. Platinum alloy points won’t work in oil.
[page break]
[underlined] Contact Breaker Points of tungsten [/underlined]:- Will work in oil and stand up to heat. Tungsten is very hard, so it is possible to have convex surfaces on the points (without fear of wear) and the lubricating oil cannot then be trapped between the flat surfaces of the points. [drawing]
If slightly pitted, level off with fine emery cloth and oil, if badly pitted get new points from stores.
[underlined] Rocker Arm [/underlined]:- Check phospher [sic] bronze bush mounted on pin for wobbling, and lubricate round pin with 1 drop of winter grade engine oil every 60 flying hours. Check fibre heel for wear.
[underlined] Contact Breaker Spring [/underlined]:- Examine for security, cracking, discolouration, and for signs of blueing due to excess heat. Check for signs of varnish on spring, flaking. If varnish is flaking, clean off old varnish with dope solvent, revarnish except two ends. Check tension 2lbs [symbol] 1/4lb. using tension gauge and L-shaped peice [sic] of metal just behind contact breaker points.
[underlined] Cam Lubricating Pad [/underlined]:- 1 Drop of winter grade engine oil every 60 flying hours. If the new type impregnated pad in clip, is fitted, renew clip & pad every 60 flying hours.
[page break]
[underlined] Advance and Retard [/underlined]:- Smear spigot lightly with suitable grease. Check for wobble.
Adjust Contact Breaker points to .012” [symbol] .001.”
[underlined] Distributor [/underlined]:- Every 120 flying hours, wash in lead free petrol, then in hot water 75°C [symbol] 5°C, then rinse. Examine for cracks, if cracked, whole magneto withdrawn. If segments are pitted use emery cloth & oil to level off. Also for the brush on rotor arm. Check gap between brush and segments by [underlined] GO-NO-GO Gauge [/underlined] and check brush gap for wear by dummy distributor .011” - .019”.
Put 6 drops of oil every 60 flying hours in 3 wells.
Refer to Unit Maintenance Orders for lubricating.
For starting use hand starter mag. and time the current by the trailing brush on the main magneto.
[underlined] Leads [/underlined] High Tension (HT) {40 Strands T. Copper Wire
19 Strands Stainless Steel Wire.
Low Tension (LT) {23 Strands T. Copper Wire.
Do [underlined] not [/underlined] bend leads more than 4 1/2” radius or waterproof cover rips.
[underlined] Continuity [/underlined]:- [drawing] to see if current is flowing in one end and out the other.
[underlined] Insulation [/underlined]:- [drawing] to see if current is escaping through metal lead cover.
[page break]
[underlined] AIR-COOLED RADIAL ENGINES [/underlined].
[underlined] Pegasus II M3:- A 9 cylinder air-cooled radial engine.
Stroke 7 1/2”. Bore 5 3/4”. Swept volume (volume of cyl. from TDC-BDC) 1735 Cu”. Compression Ratio 5.5 - 1. Reduction Gear Ratio .5 to 1
Firing order 1,3,5,7,9,2,4,6,8. Petrol DTD 224./Oil DTD 109.
[underlined] Valve Timing [/underlined]:- Inlet Valve Opens 12° before TDC
Inlet Valve Closes 50° after BDC
Exhaust Valve Opens 65° before TDC
Exhaust Valve Closes 31° after BDC
[underlined] Valve Clearances [/underlined]:- Inlet .004”, Exhaust .006”.
[underlined] Cam Sleeve Operation [/underlined]:- Nickel chrome steel. The crankshaft sleeve is master splined to the crankshaft which drives the [inserted] cam [/inserted] sleeve driving wheel which in turn drives the larger wheel of the lay-shaft which is integral with the small lay-shaft wheel which drives the cam sleeve, in the opposite direction to the crankshaft and at 1/8 engine speed. It is lubricated at a pressure of 60lbs per [symbol]“, the oil is fed along 3 flats on the crankshaft to a groove in the crankshaft sleeve and from to the various drives and the cam sleeve itself.
[diagram]
[page break]
[underlined] Cylinders [/underlined]:-
Interchangeable if new. Set at 40° intervals. Steel barrel with Y alloy head. To fit head to barrel, head is heated to 320° and screwed to cold barrel. The head contracts and fits tightly, the head is made .0020” small [sic] than head. For extra security a steel ring is heated & shrunk over the joint. When the [deleted] l [/deleted] engine gets hot, the alloy head starts to expand but the ring keeps it tight. A copper washer forms a gas tight joint between the head & barrel, & the two are regarded as integral. Barrel is heavily finned. Flange at the bottom, with 8 holes for bolting to cr/case. Rubber washer between flange and cr/case. Spigoted to slide into cr/case. Scallops in spigot for con. rod clearance.
[drawing]
2 Phospor [sic] bronze plug adaptors are shrunk and dowled [sic] into head. 4 Valves to each cylinder. Valve seats of Nickel, Chrome, Manganese (NCM), hard wearing, heat resisting material. A small hole drilled in the top fin show that N.C.M. valve seats are fitted. If there are two holes it shows they have been reconditioned. Gas starter valve in phosphor bronze adaptor are now obsolete. The rocker box is held in 3 places by two trunnions and a tie-rod.
[page break]
[underlined] Valves [/underlined]:- Stems of KE965, nitrogen hardened, tulip shaped heads. Detachable steel caps are fitted on the stem, to prevent wear to valve stem. Hollow valve stem is filled with sodium salts which transfer heat from head to stem.
[underlined] Valve Springs [/underlined]:- Vanadium steel, in threes, wound in opposite direction to prevent fouling in case of breakage.
[underlined] Removing Reduction Gear [/underlined]:-
1/. Remove airscrew hub & place drip-tray underneath.
2/. Turn airscrew shaft until master spline is facing top of casing and mark with chalk in one or more places.
3/. Undo nuts around casing except 4, unscrew these to last two or three threads.
4/. Fit thread protector over airscrew shaft thread.
5/. Tap shaft with hide-faced hammer in several directions & fit fox wedges of wood between the two faces.
6/. Carefully remove reduction gear.
[underlined] Fitting Reduction Gear [/underlined]:-
1/. Lubricate with 1/2 pint of oil.
2/. Have master spline facing upwards.
3/. Offer up reduction gear & tighten up in opposites.
4/. Run round joints with .002” gauge.
[page break]
[underlined] Cylinder Changing [/underlined]:-
1/ Always remove no. 6 cyl. last and remove cyls. as opposites.
2/ No 1 Cylinder to be on TDC compression, undo base nuts of stack pipes & slide joint & rubber free.
3/ Undo lock nut on top of stack-pipe & slide pipe clear of crankcase.
4/ Remove nuts at base of push rods and also remove gas starter pipe.
5/ Remove nuts securing cylinder and pull cylinder clear of cr/case.
[underlined] Fitting Cylinder [/underlined]:-
Reverse the procedure, lubricate rubber ring in warm oil & lubricate cylinder walls. The number on the cylinder facing the airscrew. Check angle of attack & tappet clearance. Remove at least one sparking plug.
[underlined] Fitting Piston Ring [/underlined]:- Demand the correct type. Check the free gap, check the working gap using piston & cyl. Check ring for thickness, and check in Fits & Clearances volume. Fit ring using 3 pieces of tin.
[underlined] Angle of Attack [/underlined]:- Is the angle between the rocker arm & the valve stem. The ideal [symbol] of attack, giving minimum wear, is 90° when the valve is one third open.
[underlined] To Check Angle of Attack [/underlined]:-
1/ Place cylinder at TDC compression.
2/ Tighten down rocker on taking up tappet clearance.
3/ Loosen off one of the rocker arms.
4/ Place depth gauge in position and check gap between gauge and mushroom, if gap is between .000 - .020 the
[page break]
clearance is correct. If clearance is over .020, the push rod is to small.
5/ Remove same and check for bow, if bowed it may be remidied [sic] by tapping with a hide faced hammer.
6/ If rod [underlined] is [/underlined] to small fit a new one.
7/. The new one will be .060 oversize, check clearances, and to bring within the limit, remove steel cap from the end and file the rod.
[underlined] Setting Tappet Clearances [/underlined]:-
1/ Put cyl. at TDC compression.
2/ Set clearance (on exhaust) to [deleted] .060” [/deleted] .006” using two sets of feeler gauges.
3/ the clearance on the highest dwell and set all cyls. using the highest dwell.
4/ After setting No. 1 cylinder, move crankshaft 320° in the direction of rotation to bring dwell on the no. 9 cyl. Set clearance & carry on for all cylinders.
5/ Same procedure on inlet tappets.
[underlined] Magneto Timing [/underlined]:-
1/ Using P.P.I. find TDC compression on No. 6 cyl.
2/ Set engine to 35° before TDC.
[page break]
3/ Insulate mag. primary circuit with oiled silk & check C.B.
4/ Clip automatic advance and retard in the fully advanced position.
5/ Rotor opposite No.6 segment, points just opening.
6/ Offer mag. to engine & attach lamp & battery.
7/ Reverse engine a few degrees & then tap forward until the lamp goes out. (This should be at 35° before TDC.)
8/] Correct any error by adjusting on coupling. (1 Serration = 2.1° cr/shaft movement.
[underlined] Permissible error [symbol] 1°.
9/ Repeat procedure for other mag. & synchronise.
10/ Finally remove clip, oiled silk, and lock adjustor nuts, with split pins.
[underlined] Crankshaft [/underlined]:- In 3 parts 1/ Front half
2/ Rear half
3/ Tailshaft.
Made of nickel chrome steel drop forged. The rear web is split and fitted to crankpin, held by a maniton bolt.
[underlined] Connecting Rod Assembly [/underlined]:- Consists of one master rod & 8 articulating rods.
Material:- High tensile steel drop forged, H section. The articulating rods are held to the master assembly by wrist pins. Big end houses a freely drilled, fully floating, white metal bush. Gudgeon pin bushes are of gun-metal, shrunk & dowled [sic] into rod.
[page break]
[underlined] Reduction Gear [/underlined] :- Farman Epycyclic Bevel Reduction Gear. All wheels are of nickel chrome steel. At the rear a phosphor bronze ring is fitted and a magnesium ring is fitted at the front. The front thrust bearing is fitted to transfer the thrust from the airscrew shaft to the reduction gear casing & then to the engine, finally to the aircraft.
[underlined] Rear Cover [/underlined]:- Magnesium alloy, very light & inflamable [sic]. Rubber ring between it and volute casing, forming an oil tight joint.
On a Hercules the rear cover is called the auxiliary gear box.
[underlined] LIQUID-COOLED INLINE ENGINES [/underlined].
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
[table]
Do not drain tanks below 3000ft.
Only drain one tank at a time.
An attempt should be made to drain 10 gall. from overload on homeward journey with a nose down attitude & about 15 to 20 degrees of flap.
[table]
[page break]
71 6 13 20 27 Mob
m13
[page break]
cooler cooler cooller cooler
cooler cooler cooler
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
Castor Oil used in air compressor (DTD72), in oil seal. Air bubbles through oil. The oil seal prevents leakage of air when compressor is not working. Air becomes impregnated with air as it passes through castor oil but oil is drained out as air passes through oil trap.
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined] Daily Inspection. Take out inlet valve in compressor. Press plunger port on side of compressor. Oil either runs out or doesn’t. If oil runs keep plunger pressed till it stops running. If no oil runs out slowly pour in castor oil through inlet valve until it runs out port then close port. Castor oil stands heat without loosing its viscosity and oiliness. Always turn off cock before touching oil seal. Before undoing filter cap on oil seal, unscrew relief valve and let out compressed air. The compressor runs at half engine speed. If lack of pressure probably due to lack of oil, or to much oil, or to block of gauze at inlet valve. All pipes have a band painted round them to denote their purpose:- (Fuel – Red) (Coolant – Blue) (Oil – Black) (Compressed Air – Yellow) (Engine Starting – Green).
[underlined] Various Components on Oil Systems [/underlined]
[diagram]
[page break]
1/ [underlined] Oil Cleaner [/underlined]:- Two types low and high pressure.
[underlined] LOW PRESSURE [/underlined]:- 1/ VOKES HIGH PRESSURE 1/ TECALEMIT
2/ TACELEMIT
LP
[underlined] Vokes [/underlined]:- 2 Connections. Top & connections complete bolted to filter casing. Filter packed with corrugated material. Filter known as ‘element’. Pressure relief by springing the element. Oil passes from inside to outside of element. [drawing]
LP
[underlined] Tecalement [/underlined]:- Inlet on the side, outlet on the centre. Plate on bottom removes to take element out. Oil passes from outside to inside of element. White cleaning element in Tecalement L.P. oil cleaner. Spring loaded relief valve at the bottom [drawing]
[underlined] Tecalemit High Pressure [/underlined]:- Inlet on the side, outlet on the side. Element is blue according to the RAF but to me its [sic] looks green. Relief valve fitted on top. Change element or remove and scrub with lead free petrol according to UMO’s.
2/ [underlined] Viscosity Valve [/underlined]:- is fitted to prevent damage to the cooler when the oil is cold & thick.
2 types, direct & pipeline fits on oil cooler [drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Oil Coolers [/underlined]:-
1/ AM or Vickers Potts Straight fin
2/ AM or Vickers Potts U fin
3/ Serck rectangular.
4/ Serck drum.
5/ Robertson
[underlined] 1 & 2 [/underlined] Cleaned internally & externally with parafin [sic] using if necessary a stiff wire brush. Internally clean by flushing with parafin in reverse direction of flow. Clean pressure relief valve with dope solvents if can’t clean with parafin. (St. & U fin types)
3/ Serck rectangular type usually has viscosity valve fitted. Smaller hole inlet, larger hole for outlet as oil gets thicker as it cools. If stones get stuck in tubes push out with a stick or rod in opposite direction to airflow.
4/ Serck Drum (up to date used on Spits, Wimpeys etc), usually fitted with a relief valve. Has double casing, oil goes in inlet, round between the two casings to the bottom, and then through openings into honeycomb and out at the outlet. [drawing] Clean with parafin. Temporary repair by a long bolt, fibre washer, steel washer, nut.
5/ Robertson:- Is used with a viscosity valve, oil flows [underlined] through [/underlined] the tubes in this type. [drawing] Inlet on one side outlet on opposite side. Two holes on inlet size [sic]. Large hole to small tubes. Small hole for by pass through large tubes when oil is cold & thick. Cleaned inside & out with parafin.
[page break]
If one of outside tubes breaks, snip off & plug up ends with rubber plugs. If an inner tube, remove end plates & plug up defective tube with rubber plugs. Usually used on sea-planes and flying boats.
[underlined] Oil Tanks [/underlined]:-
Oil is cold
A is open
B is closed
[drawing]
[boxed] Oil is hot
A is closed
B is opened. [/boxed]
Air vent fitted to breather on rear cover.
A two way vent valve is fitted to air vent tube to prevent oil gushing through when plane is of [sic] level. +4 lbs pressure assists thick & cold oil to get from tank to pressure pump, when gravity may not be enough to draw the thick oil down. Fuel & oil tanks almost same. Made of sheet metal, Alclad, Duralumin, Tinned Steel, Stainless Steel. Baffle plates inside to prevent fuel surging about, as 100 gals of fuel bashing against tank sides would be no joke. Alloy tanks anodised against corrossion [sic] & then painted. Paint over immediately if varnish is scratched off, with seaplane varnish or lanolin. Light alloy tanks are welded, steel tanks riveted [underlined] generally [/underlined].
[page break]
De Bergue rivets with petrol resisting fibre (petrolite & langite) [drawing]. Flush rivets. If De bergue rivet works lose [sic] repairable by De Bergue’s special rivet repair bolt, fibre lined.
[underlined] Leak testing on small tanks [/underlined]. [inserted] Remove tank from aircraft [/inserted] Blank off all outlets except one & fit Schrader Valve to that one then with foot pump, pump up pressure of 2 – 3 lb [symbol]” inside tank. Immerse in a tank of water & look for bubbles.
[underlined] Leak testing on large tanks [/underlined]. remove from aircraft. Fill to 1/10 of its capacity with parafin. Blank off all outlets. Then paint inside of tank with whitening mixture (meth & french chalk). Shake tank and a stain shows where parafin leaks out.
[underlined] Temporary Repairs to tanks [/underlined]. To [sic] types. Repairs above fuel-line & below fuel-line. If above can usually be repaired without moving tank. If above line repair with some chewing gum, plastic wood, asbestos string & fish glue. Tapered rubber plugs for bullet holes, notches on plug to obtain good grip. Nut & bolt with a peice [sic] of rubber tubing [drawing].
If below water line use swivel-headed bolt with fibre washer of petrolite or langite & steel bolt. [drawing]
A.V.R. Sheet Snipper [drawing]
Solder on star-shaped patches, but tank must be left empty for 24 hrs & have an air blast going
[page break]
it for 8 hrs. File hole level & catch filings on a greasy rag. Stearin flux for soldering aluminium.
[underlined] Filter [/underlined]
[drawing] Oil goes in & comes out of the sides.
[underlined] Coolant System [/underlined]:-
[drawing]
[underlined] Header tank [/underlined] usually made of brass or tungum [sic] owing to their resistance to corrosion. Two way vent valve fitted to prevent loss of coolant due to evaporation.
[underlined] Thermostat [/underlined]. Three connections. Inlet at top, outlets at side & bottom. Thermostatic bellows inside filled with quick boiling fluid. The hotter the coolant going through going through the quicker the bellows expands. The bellows operate a sleeve which operates valves open the outlets. When the coolant is cold rad. valve closed, by pass valve opened, so goes direct to engines. Coolant 85°C before valve to radiator [inserted] begins to [/inserted] opens and by pass valve [inserted] begins to [/inserted] closes. Both valves open & close proportionately. At 105°C by pass fully closed
[page break]
and radiator valve full open. Thermostat controls minimum temperature & gives a quick warm up for starting by shutting of radiator. If thermostat has yellow bound [sic] round pure glycol must never be used.
[underlined] Radiators [/underlined].
1/ Honeycomb:- [drawing] 2/ Gallay [drawing]
[underlined] Emergency repairs [/underlined]:- by means of leak stopping compound. Drain out glycol fill with water add compound warm up. Then drain water & replace glycol.
[underlined] Temporary repair [/underlined] Use special blanking plate for Gallay and long nuts & bolts. Have to use plate on Gallay to because of three or two tubes joined together.
To clean it run hot water through in reverse direction of flow, if that isn’t sucesful [sic],
1/ Fill with hot water & allow to stand.
2/ Then flush through with hot weak caustic soda in reverse direction of flow.
3/ Flush out with warm weak mixture {Phosphoric Acid - Chromic Acid} reverse direction
4/ Flush with hot water, reverse direction
[underlined] Aviano Coupling [/underlined] rubber, metal covering, jubilee clip used on the thermostats & cooling system.
[page break]
[underlined] Fuel Filters [/underlined].
1/ R.A.E. 1/ Short, [inserted] Medium [/inserted] Long, 3 sizes, exactly the same.
2/ ENOTS. Inlet on the side, outlet on the top.
Spring loaded filter in cylinder. Flows from outside to inside.
2/ Enots. Inlet on side, outlet on top. Two filters one round the other. Oil into inside filter and oil goes through the outside filter and [inserted] all [/inserted] the clean oil is drawn from the space between the two filters.
[underlined] Priming Pumps [/underlined]:- 1/ Ki-Gas
2/ Semi-Rotary or Wobble.
1/ Ki-Gas. Two connections, petrol drawn into pump [deleted] and [/deleted] through inlet and pumped out through outlet. Ki-gas pump is used for pumping petrol straight into cylinder head. When not in use screw up tight.
2/ Used for priming the whole fuel system, when engine starts keep pumping until engine is going fast enough for engine driven fuel pump to take over. Relief valve fitted to relief any excess pressure of fuel pumped in.
[page break]
[underlined] Sparking Plugs [/underlined]
Only 3 sizes in the R.A.F. Determine the size by the crest diameter of the part which screws into engine. 18mms 14mms & 12mms. Three makes KLG, Lodge, & A.C. Sphinx, make all three sizes each.
High Duty Plugs are used in supercharged engine, [deleted] with [underlined] mica [/underlined] insulation [/deleted]
Low duty plugs are used in unsupercharged engine,
Insulation used:- Mica & sintered aluminium oxide (SAO) or Ceramic, on high duty plugs.
Mica only used on low duty plugs.
[drawing] [deleted] [drawing] [/deleted]
[drawings]
Centre electrode of a high duty plug much larger than
centre electrode of a low duty plug, because of extra heat in supercharged engine, larger electrode gets rid of extra heat. If a big electrode was put in low duty
[page break]
plug, oiling up would occur. Spark gap .012 - .015”
[drawings]
Plugs are screened to prevent wireless interference, if wireless aboard. Metal screen coated with mica inside.
Maintenance:- 1/ Strip Plug. Mark [deleted] cel [/deleted] clearly with red paint if U.S.
2/ Wash in lead-free petrol, if can’t clean carbon off, sand blast [deleted] body of plug [/deleted] [inserted] central electrode [/inserted] but fit disc to prevent damage to plat. alloy electrodes. If lead deposit on micra [sic], mount in lathe and clean off with 000 emery cloth. Then polish it with paste of jeweller rouge & oil or crocus powder & oil. Skim discharge surface in lathe with special tool. Allowed to take [deleted word] .012” off, measure with special guage [sic].
Carry out electrical check on [inserted] insulation of [/inserted] the central assembly.
Mica plugs strip & clean every 30hrs.
S.A.O. if this passes gas test, & spark plug test O.K. usually require cleaning every 60hrs.
[page break]
[underlined] Propellers [/underlined]:- (AP 1538)
Purpose:- to convert the power developed by the engine into “Thrust”. i.e. forward movement of aircraft. Check blade angle at Blade Angle Station, roughly 2/3 of distance out along blade on average size prop 42” from the centre.
Blade angle lessens towards tip to spread the load over the whole blade.
[underlined] Pitch [/underlined]:- the distance the prop ought to move the aircraft forward in one rev. of the prop.
[underlined] Right Hand Prop. [/underlined] one that screws forward right handed
[underlined] Tractor Prop [/underlined] one that pulls from the front.
[underlined] Varieties of Prop [/underlined]
Fixed Pitch – Variable Pitch V/P [symbol]
a) 2 pitch controlled
b) Constant speed controlled (CSC)
c) CSC Prop. Feathering type
[underlined] Pitch Range :- [/underlined] this applies to V/P Props. only. It refers to the number of degrees which the blades alter from extreme fine to extreme C.P. or the difference between C.P. & F.P. angles.
[drawing]
[page break]
10° V.P. De Havilland Prop. (2 Pitch controlled) Movement of the pilots control in the cockpit will operate a control valve on engine. This allows oil from lubrication system of engine to pass at normal oil pressure e.g. (60lbs [symbol]” ) into the prop. cylinders. The oil pressure forces the [underlined] cylinder [/underlined] forwards: this transmits motion (through the counter weight brackets) to the blade roots. The blades are partly rotated on their bearings (the spider arms) & thus brought to a smaller blade angle giving fine pitch.
In brief:- Control levers back, cyl. forward, blades at fine pitch. (For take off & climb)
Returning blades to coarse pitch’.
Movement of control lever to forward position causes the control cock to open a duct to engine sump at the same time shutting off the pressure oil from engines.
Centrifugal force at the counterweights will now cause the cyl. to move back changing blade to C.P. The oil from the prop. cyl. being returned while doing so. The pilot has no choice other than one or other of these two pitches. C.P. is used for normal flight.
[page break]
[underlined] Names & purpose of some of the parts [/underlined]
[underlined] Spider [/underlined], nickel steel, is the centre of the prop. takes rotary thrust of Eng. & forward thrust of blades. (2 main differences {a parallel spline - a taper spline }
[underlined] Barrel [/underlined], nickel steel, boxes in the parts & in particular retains the blades on the spider.
[underlined] Shim Plates [/underlined], in some cases steel, in others Oilite; purpose is to give the correct amount of tightness (Torque Loading) of the blades.
[underlined] Index Pins [/underlined], of roller steel, to key the counter-weight brackets to blade roots.
[underlined] Co-Wt Brackets & Weights [/underlined]; steel, provide link between cyl. & blades.
[underlined] Pitch adjusting screws & nuts [/underlined], steel, provide a means of reducing pitch range.
[underlined] Piston [/underlined], of steel, holds the prop. on shaft, provides a base for piston leathers.
[underlined] Piston Leathers [/underlined], soaked in engine oil for 2 1/2hrs. at least before assembly. The front leather holds compression, the rear one acts as a guide ring. An al. alloy packing ring is fitted between the 2 leathers.
Light grease for co-wt. bearings.
Heavy grease for main blade bearings.
[page break]
[underlined] Snap Ring [/underlined]:- Spring Steel, acts (with the front-cone) as an extractor for the prop. It serves [underlined] no [/underlined] other purpose.
[underlined] Front Cone [/underlined], steel, centres the spider on shaft, with the snap ring it acts as extractor for prop.
[underlined] Rear Cone [/underlined]. (if fitted) bronze, is part of engine not prop. helps in location of spider on shaft.
[underlined] Locking Plate Steel [/underlined], fastened to spider by 3 S.S. Split-pins locks the piston.
[underlined] Ring Nut [/underlined], steel, retains the leathers & packing ring on piston.
[underlined] Cylinder [/underlined] Al. alloy, is the sliding member, cap & gasket keep it oil-tight.
[underlined] Barrel-bolts [/underlined], hold the barrel together.
[underlined] Installing a De Havilland 10° Prop. on Shaft [/underlined].
Place A/C in rigging position (if possible) chock wheels.
Weigh tail. Inspect shaft splines. Smear with Whitmores compound. Place master spline of shaft at B.D.C.
Remove Piston Leathers from [deleted] piston [/deleted] prop.
Put slings round nos. 2 & 3 blades, leaving no.1. to hang down. Remove protecting cap from shaft & hoist prop. up level, with it. Slide prop on, engaging master spline & start the thread of piston on shaft. Tighten up with correct force (950lbs/ft for size 4 prop. Check the track (tolerance [symbol] 1/16” new or [symbol] 1/8” overhauled prop.) Lock piston to spider by means of
[page break]
locking plate & 3 S.S. split pins. Assemble the gaskets & cyl. cap together screw up reasonably tight & lock with circlip. Check over all locking devices on exterior of prop. See that blade bearings and co-weight bearings are lubricated with grease.
Pitch change jack used for changing pitch, when stationary.
Prop is now ready for [underlined] running check [/underlined]
[underlined] Basic Setting:- [/underlined] can only be done with the prop in a completely dismantled state and [deleted] s [/deleted] needs to be done in conjunction with a Blade Angle Checking jig. The same jig is used for pitch adjustments. Torque loading check also requires the use of a special jig-up adjustment of the torque loading entails stripping the prop. and the fitting of thicker or thinner shim-plates to suit. When a basic setting has been made the figure is stamped on the lead plug in the counterweight. Reference to this and the positions of the stop nuts on the pitch adjusting screws, will show the pitch settings of the individual prop.
[underlined] Note [/underlined]:- the basic & pitch settings for any type of aircraft will be called for in AP 1538 & are strictly kept to.
Rear leather is deepest; has bevel on outside. Cup side goes to rear of piston. Packing ring between two leathers goes in with large radius toward rear leather. Front leather shallowest, level on inside edge, goes on piston cup to front. [drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Samson extractor [/underlined]:-
To use extractor, remove cyl. piston & front cone from prop. Screw dummy piston tight on shaft. Substitute the 6 long studs for the barrel bolts & assemble nuts at rear of barrel. Place plate on front. Assembly [sic] the 6 front nuts & screw up evenly. This frees the spider.
[drawing]
[underlined] 20° De H. Prop. [/underlined]
The basic difference between this & the 10° prop. (apart from the increased pitch range) is the use of the two strong springs. Their purpose is to help the centrifugal force to return the cylinder to the coarse pitch position.
The springs are compressed behind the piston head (by the oil pressure) whilst the cyl. moves to F.P. position. Then as soon as the oil pressure is released by the Control Cock or Constant Speed Control Unit, the springs exert their pressure to move the cyl. rearward.
[page break]
Different parts in cyl. assembly:-
2 Springs
Spring retaining bucket & circlip
Draw bolt. Cap nuts & its retaining circlip
Piston head & its 16 retaining screws.
1 Small steel washer & 1 copper oil sealing washer
In this prop. there is [underlined] no [/underlined] piston leather packing ring or ring nut.
[drawing]
[underlined] Installing 20° Prop. on Shaft. [/underlined]
Proceed the same as for 10° until prop has been tightened on shaft & locked by the 3 split pins.
Then:- Assemble drawbolt, bucket, circlip & springs in piston.
Place the leathers correctly in position on piston
Assemble & tighten the piston head with 16 screws & lock them.
Place the small steel washer on draw bolt
Assembl [sic] cyl. gasket & cap & lock with large circlip
Assemble oil sealing washer, cap nut & small circlip.
The rest as for 10° prop.
[page break]
[underlined] Running Faults 10° or 20° props [/underlined]:-
Oil Leaks: liable to occur in 10° & 20° types at:- [symbol] Front cone packing washer. - Rear of cyl; caused by faulty front leather. - Cyl.Cap; slack or faulty gasket.
also in 20° prop at the cap nut through lack of, or faulty Oil Seal Washer.
Sluggish pitch change or failure to change pitch. caused:- [symbol] Lack of oil pressure due to faulty controls. - Broken or clogged pipes & ducts - Faulty front piston leather. - Severe oil leakage. - Broken ball [deleted] b [/deleted] roller bearings.
Normal time taken to change pitch about 5 secs.
Vibration:- caused by. [symbol] Blades out of pitch, track & balance. - Blades loose in barrel. These cannot be rectified, with prop. on engine & it must be removed. - Prop loose on shaft:- - Unequal quantities of grease on blades [symbol] Can be rectified on engine.
[underlined] Daily Inspection :- [/underlined] Check blades for cuts, cracks or any other damage. Test for looseness of blades and looseness of prop. on shaft. Inspect for oil leakage.
Run engine (whilst warm) to check pitch change.
[page break]
Checking mags. with C.S. controlled [deleted] pitch [/deleted] prop.
Two classes of engine { Class I - Class II
Class I are allowed to do full revs & boost on the ground
class II are [underlined] not [/underlined] allowed to do full revs & boost on the ground
[underlined] Class I engine [/underlined]:- With prop. & throttle levers fully forward the mags. are checked in the usual way.
[underlined] Class II engine [/underlined]:- Prop. control lever at Take Off revs position.
Throttle control lever at Take Off boost position.
Steadily close the throttle until revs. begin to drop.
Leave the controls at that. Switch mags in the usual way.
Caution:- Do not run the engine longer than needed, & watch temperatures whilst doing so.
[underlined] Controls [/underlined]:-
Teleflex:- Flexible type. (Greased with anti-freeze grease)
Sloetube:- Ball & socket joints, ball crank levers & light tube (anti-freeze grease at ball joints; not at ball crank bushes
[underlined] Exactor Control [/underlined]:- Hydraulic & spring mechanism.
[page break]
[underlined] Pesco Vacuum Pump [/underlined]:-
Mounted on and driven by the engine. Purpose of it:- to draw air through navigation instruments. Rotation can be either way to suit the engine: but the instruments & relief valve must be connected to the suction (inlet) side; & the oil seperator [sic] to the exhaust side of the pump.
Lubricating oil from engine system is fed at pressure into the pump:- in some cases by external pipe to pump body. In other cases through Ducts in the Pad by which pump is fixed on engine. The oil is passed out with the air at the exhaust. This is connected to the oil seperator {sic], which reclaims the oil & allows the air to pass to atmosphere.
Connections to pump [symbol] Air inlet - Air outlet - In some cases an oil pipe connection.
Maintenance:- Check security on engine
Examine the pipe connections.
See there is no dirt in the gauge of the suction relief valve. The suction relief valve is fitted to break down excessive depression, it lets air in when it operates.
[drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Hydraulic Pumps. [/underlined] The purpose of all these is to pump hydraulic fluid through one or other of the aircraft hydraulic systems. To operate retractable undercarriage, gun turrets, etc. 3 types dealt with in class; Savery Pump, (fitted to Lockheed Hudson)
Dowty.
Bristol.
/Lockheed
[underlined] Savoury [sic] Pump [/underlined]:-
Has 3 main connections & drain pipe. The inlet (gravity) has large union. The pressure outlet connection is the smaller union close by inlet. On the other side of the pump by the relief valve is the by pass connection, through which excess fluid is by passed to tank. The relief valve housed in the cap-nut on the pump body lifts at 1850 lbs [symbol] ”. The drain pipe from the pump mounting flange must project downwards.
[underlined] Savery Maintenance [/underlined]:-
Check security of pump on engine.
Check hose connections on pump.
See that there are no fluid leaks.
[underlined] Dowty Pump [/underlined]:- A single stage gear type.
The relief valve in pipe system: not in pump.
2 Connections marked inlet & outlet.
Will build up 1000 lbs per [symbol] “ pressure.
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined]:- Security.
Connections.
Leaks.
[page break]
[underlined] Bristol 3 stage type [/underlined]:-
Gear type; comprised of 3 pairs of gears in seperate compartments. The pressure being stepped up in each section. Inlet connection is the larger one under the body.
Outlet connection is the smaller at the end of the Pump.
Builds up 680 lbs per [symbol] “ pressure. Relief valve in pipe system.
Drain connection from mounting flange (points down)
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined]:- As for the Dowty.
[drawing]
[underlined] Electrically Driven Immersed type [/underlined]
[underlined] Fuel Pump [/underlined]:-
2 Models [symbol] E P I Works at 24 volts. - E P II Works at 12 volts.
This is [underlined] not [/underlined] an engine driven pump. It is fitted partly immersed in the fuel in the fuel tank. Driven by current drawn from battery in aircraft.
Can be used either as main or auxiliary pump.
Periods at which it must be taken out of tank & exchanged.
[page break]
240 hrs. if used as main pump
500 hrs. if used as auxiliary pump.
Fuel flows into pump through grid in bottom (which must be kept at a minimum distance of 1/4” from bottom of tank) it flows out at union connection at top of pump.
[drawing]
[underlined] To fit pump in tank [/underlined]:-
Remove any blanking covers from pump. Push it to bottom of tank & draw it back 1/4”. Line up the pipe connection, but do not couple up yet. Tighten down the gland nut & lock it with spring clip. Fill the oil chamber in top with DTD 109. Replace filler cap & lock it.
*Run pump a moment to clear it of any possible dust etc. Couple up the outlet connection & lock it.
* [underlined] Note [/underlined]:- Testing pressure. Pump should give 10 lbs per [symbol]“ pressure if it will not do so replace it with another.
This should be done during installation before connecting up.
[page break]
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined]:- Switch on & run pump to test it.
See there are no leaks at gland.
See the outlet & plug in connections are secure.
[underlined] Daily [/underlined]:- see that the oil chamber is full up.
[underlined] Graviner Automatic Fire Extinguishers. [/underlined]
Methyl Bromide, a gas compressed into a liquid state.
Mark II Automatically controlled, out of reach of air-crew.
Mark [deleted] II [/deleted] I Automatically [underlined] and [/underlined] hand controlled.
Placed in various positions in aircraft.
Four operating switches even if only one extinguisher fitted.
Impact switch - Gravity [inserted] ineffective [/inserted] when flying - Heat when flying - Press Button when flying [symbol] 4 Switches
The switches and their wiring are in the electricians charge.
Maintenance:- by Flt. Mechs:- Periodically as per Unit Maintenance Orders. Weigh the containers to find out if their contents have leaked. The [underlined] empty [/underlined] weight of each container is always stamped on its handle. When container is marked ‘A’ its contents should weigh 6 lbs. When the gross weight proves to be less than it ought to be the complete container must be exchanged for a fresh one.
[page break]
When the extinguisher is known to have acted its brackets must be examined for damage & distortion.
When cleaning piping the ends must be free & the pipe blown out with compressed air.
The holes in the pipe must not be enlarged.
The nozzle at the end of pipe (in some cases only) can be disassembled & cleaned & the hole poked through with a 1/16” drill or wire.
Caution:- When removing the mark I type container from its brackets take care to depress the catch & lift out the container carefully otherwise it will automatically discharge its contents. In case of fire snatch it out of bracket.
[page break]
[underlined] Preparation of New Engine For Installation [/underlined].
When returned from makers.
1/ Check for defficiency [sic].
2/ Check for damage, continuity & insulation.
3/ Check contact breaker assembly, spring, rocker arm & points etc & lubricate, also set the points to correct clearance.
4/ Check all connections for security. Clean filter in lead-free petrol. Drain sump, drain bottom cylinders.
5/ [underlined] Fuel system [/underlined] check by tightening, locking.
6/ Check valve springs, & grease with black grease & lubricate nipples with anti-freeze grease. Check push rods for security.
[underlined] Preparation of Aircraft for Installing New Engine. [/underlined]
1/ Check bearer plate for cracks, & alignment. Check alignment by spirit level, straight edge & plumb line.
2/ Check controls, (counter-shafts, lay shafts, link work) for cracks, security & lubricate.
[deleted] 3/ [/deleted] 1/ Bearer Plate
2/ Controls
3/ Oil System
4/ Fuel System
5/ Instruments
6/ Coolant System
7/ Ignition
[page break]
[drawings]
[table]
Capillary tube must be clipped 12”. If rolled, roll must be at least 6” in diameter.
Thermometer tested with master thermometer.
[page break]
Fuel press. gauge capsule must be kept dry. This is done by fitting a fuel trap.
Special jig used for testing oil pressure gauge.
[underlined] Ignition system [/underlined]. Check switch box for security, & check switches. Check leads visually. Check for continuity. Insulation switches on, continuity switches off.
[drawing]
[underlined] Fuel System [/underlined]
[drawing]
Gravity tank for emergency & starting.
[page break]
[underlined] Throttle Adjustment [/underlined]:-
[drawing]
Check for security, freedom of movement, full travel, corrosion, lubrication.
5° error allowed on ’Take Off’ side, to get take off revs.
When installing new or reconditioned a British radial Pump 1/2 gal. of oil at 60° in B.G. connection, round about normal working pressure.
4 gunfuls [sic] in nipples between 1 & 2 cyls.
4 gunfuls [sic] on supercharger gears.
This is done when 1/ Installing
2/ Engine stood for 5 days.
3/ Or Extreme cold weather.
[page break]
[underlined] Starting Procedure. [/underlined] Away from hangar, on level ground, not gravel ground. Into wind. Chock wheels, & brake (if fitted). Fire extinguisher, nearby. Man in cockpit sees all switches off. Oil on, fuel on. Controls [deleted] shut [/deleted] set. Air intake shutters fully open. Any cowling gills open. (On aircraft with V.P., prop in fine pitch). Fellow below starts turning starter. When starter going fast enough. Fellow below shouts Contact, chap in cockpit repeats. Fellow below engages dogs. Chap in cockpit puts all switches on & primes then turns hand mag. Check oil pressure, fuel & boost.
Let engine idle until correct oil pressure [inserted] & temp [/inserted] etc. Then check mags. Throttle forward & mixture to rich for take off position, recheck mags. Throttle back to cruising position.
[underlined] To stop engine [/underlined]:- Pull engine back to slow running pos. Pull slow running cut out & engine stops.
[underlined] Coolant [/underlined]:- DTD 344A 30% (Ethylene Glycol + inhibitor)
Distilled Water 70%
Tested for specific gravity by an hydrometer.
Frothing occurs where dirty, wet tins are used, and glycol is U.S.
[graph] AP1464 Graph showing change of S.G. with temperature.
[page break]
Ethylene glycol has corrosion action, be careful of leads [sic] when filling header tank. Use only clean, dry tins.
Jack. drive must be kept from compass 11”. Small hole in flexible drive must be fitted at engine end, to prevent oil from engine working up to instruments.
Capillary tube of oil temp gauge must be kept 7” away from compass.
[underlined] Inertia (Hand Energised) [/underlined]
[underlined] Actions by [/underlined].
[table]
[page break]
[underlined] General Precautions [/underlined]:-
1/ Switches off
2/ Place machine nose to wind, chocks in front of wheels.
3/ Fire extinguisher at hand.
4/ All covers & locking devices to be removed.
5/ Check switches to ‘off’, retractable under-carriage lever in down position.
6/ ‘Petrol On’, throttle closed, mixture control in RICH or IDLE CUT OFF according to type.
7/ Airscrew in fine pitch or maximum RPM.
8/ Cowling gills open, air intake shutters open. (if radial engines)
9/ Airscrew should be turned over a number of times by hand, prior to starting, to check for hydraulicing [sic].
[underlined] Starting Procedure (Hand Swinging) [/underlined].
[underlined] Action by [/underlined]:-
[table]
[page break]
[table continued]
[underlined] Picketing [/underlined]:- Securing down. Tricycle undercarriage usually picketed tail to wind.
[underlined] Preparation of A/C [/underlined]
1/ See switches & fuel are off.
2/ Consult airframe volume I if necessary, re. nose or tail to wind picketting [sic], anchorage points on A/C, special precautions etc.
3/ Place chocks in front & behind wheels (if only one pair, place [underlined] behind [/underlined] wheels.)
4/ Fit control locking device – apply parking brake.
5/ Fit all covers – position prop.
6/ Picket down A/C.
7/ Fit tents & heaters as necessary.
[underlined] Anchorage points on A/C. [/underlined]
1/ 3 main points, - both sides of undercarriage & tail. (Tricycle under/c nose wheel).
2/ Secondary points, - mainplanes, (with tri un/c-at the tail), & very often if a/c exceeds 36 ft. long, midway under fuselage.
Anchor point on mainplane 2/3 from root.
[page break]
[underlined] Lashings [/underlined]:- Leave a little slack in rope. Where possible use shock absorber lashings for mainplanes. (1/2 ton size for light a/c, 1 ton size for medium & heavy aircraft). For tying ropes use clove hitch & 2 half hitches.
[underlined] Methods of Picketting [sic] [/underlined]:
[underlined] Temporary methods [/underlined]:- Screw pickets (3 sizes) 2’ 3” – 3’ 6” – 5’)
[drawing]
[drawings]
[underlined] Spike or Carver Pickets [/underlined]:-
Single & double types, are used where ground is too hard & stony for screw pickets. Single type, two 3’ spikes, double type 4, 3’ spikes.
[underlined] Loose concrete blocks, sandbags etc. [/underlined]
[underlined] Permanent Picketting Base [/underlined]:-
[drawing]
3 chains are issued to each base, each chain 30ft. long.
Position aircraft on base into wind, in best position for securing down, having prepared a/c, secure down to blocks direct, if possible, if not possible stretch a chain between two convenient blocks and secure.
[page break]
a/c by rope lashing to chain. Should an anchorage point on a/c come well outside the base fasten down to screw or spike pickets.
[underlined] Heaters [/underlined]:- Fitted in cold weather to keep [deleted] eg [/deleted] engines & oil tanks warm, & to keep a/c dry [deleted] it [/deleted] internal.
[underlined] Flameless or Catalytic Heater [/underlined]:- Heat obtained by chemical action only, led [sic] free fuel only, chemical action caused by oxygen, fuel vapour & catalyst.
[drawing]
[underlined] Fireproof Heater [/underlined]:- Fitted with chimney with mica window, and safety covering of gauze for fireproofness. Set wick to burn with a blue flame. Take out of hanger & away from a/c to light.
[underlined] De-Humidifier [/underlined] [deleted] heater – [/deleted] air dryer:- Spring loaded parafin lamp. Burner gallery fits round top of wick. [deleted] Light [/deleted] Keep sloping shoulder of burner gallery in good condition to form a gas-tight joint with chimney, held up against chimney by spring. Gauze covering for safety, lowered before taking near a/c. Baffle box fitted to top of chimney to prevent initial condensation & liquid dropping back down chimney. The dryer is fitted to keep moisture from electrical wiring etc.
[page break]
[underlined] Fuels [/underlined]
[underlined] Types [/underlined]
Non-Leaded 73 Octane Orange NS. [symbol]
[symbol] Leaded 87 Octane Blue (or red) MS. [symbol] Fuels cannot definitely be
[symbol] Leaded 90 Octane Blue-Green S. [symbol] identified by their colours.
[symbol] Leaded 100 Octane Green S. [symbol]
[underlined] Storage [/underlined] :- Main storage tanks, 50 gal. barrels, - 4 gal. tins. (only to be used if marked fuel – aviation)
[underlined] Markings [/underlined] :- A/c marked with Oct No. stencilled near to filler cap of each tank. Containers also marked with oct. no. of fuel they contain.
[underlined] Precautions when refuelling [/underlined] :-
1/ Use correct grade of fuel.
2/ Have fire extinguisher handy.
3/ Earth A/C & tanker, bond nozzle to A/C.
4/ Do not drag hose over A/C.
5/ Do not allow fuel to overflow
6/ Make sure tanks are full.
7/ Replace filler cap correctly & lock.
8/ Fill in F/700
[page break]
[underlined] Methods of refuelling: [/underlined] –
1/ Bulk installation
2/ Tankers & trailers.
3/ 50 gal. barrel & hand pump.
4/ 4 gal. tins, funnel & chamois leather.
Fuel contains octane & heptane. High grade fuels contain most octane. Special engine run on test fuel & then on standard fuel, compared two to find octane of test fuel e.g. Parafin [sic] (low grade fuel, contains a great deal of heptane.)
Idecta & Ducta – trade names for bonded tail-wheel, marked on tyre.
Frictional electricity made when fuel runs through pipe, [symbol] A/C needs earthing.
Leaded petrol contains tetra-ethil [sic] lead to stop detonation.
[underlined] Oils [/underlined]:-
[table of oils]
[underlined] Storage [/underlined] 5 gal. drums, 40 gal. drums. 20 & 40 gal heater & non-heater types of tankers.
[underlined] Markings [/underlined] Containers marked with oil specification
A/C marked, in night colour, with key letter, near to oil tank cap
e.g. T/S X/W Y/Y etc. first in summer, second in winter.
[page break]
[underlined] Precautions when re-filling. [/underlined]
1/ Use correct type.
2/ Bonding & earthing.
3/ Don’t drag pipe over A/C.
4/ [deleted] Fill up [/deleted] Don’t fill right up.
[underlined] HANDLING [/underlined] :- of aircraft.
1/ See that the switches are OFF.
2/ See that the brakes are OFF.
3/ See that the u/c is locked down.
4/ Remove loose tools, cowlings etc.
5/ Inspect tail steering gear & fit.
6/ Ensure clear path for A/C.
7/ Position Propeller.
8/ One man on each wing tip.
9/ One man on tail steering gear.
10/ Men on [underlined] suitable [/underlined] handling points, e.g. leading edges, strut bases, U/C etc.
11/ Man i/c to use foll [sic] :- orders only:- (loud clear voice)
“FORWARD” [2 symbols]
“ASTERN” [2 symbols]
“TAIL TO PORT” [2 symbols]
“TAIL TO STARBOARD” [2 symbols]
“STOP.”
[page break]
[underlined] Instructions when plane is ready for take off (Pilots signals) [/underlined] for positioning ready for take off
1/ Chocks away [symbol]
2/ I want to go straight [symbol]
3/ I want to go to starboard [symbol]
4/ I want to go port [symbol]
5/ If ground crew want to stop pilot [symbol] + point to obstacle with other hand.
When pilot is positioned & ready to take off he signals ‘stand clear’ with hand only [symbol]
Signal back ‘All clear’ with a salute.
[underlined] Marshalling when machine returns. [/underlined] (daytime) [symbol]
[underlined] Straight forward [/underlined] – beckon with both hands.
[underlined] Stop [/underlined] – both hands stretched above head.
[underlined] To turn [/underlined] – one hand held above head, other hand beckoning so that machine will turn to stationary hand.
[underlined] Switches off [/underlined] – crossing & uncrossing arms above head.
([underlined] Nightime [/underlined]) Blue torches.
1/ [underlined] Straight forward [/underlined] – point torches at pilot with circling motion.
2/ [underlined] To Turn [/underlined] – hold one torch still & circle with other. Machine will turn to stationary torch.
3/ [underlined] Stop [/underlined] – point torches down at feet.
4/ [underlined] Switches off [/underlined] – point torches down & cross & uncross them.
Torch swung side to side waist high = your chocks have been removed.
[page break]
DI on parachutes
1/ See that scarlet safety thread is unbroken.
2/ See that withdrawal pins are not bent.
3/ See that static cords are serviceable.
4/ Inspect pack cover for damp, dirt, acid & general damage.
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined] :-
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Reasons for technical maintenance
1/ To ensure the requisite standard of air-worthiness.
[inserted] 2/ (as many planes serviceable as possible.). [/inserted]
2/ To ensure the degree of serviceability demanded by training and operational requirements.
3/ To ensure the economical use of equipment.
Technical maintenance comprises these seven points
1/ Inspections.
2/ Cleaning & anti-corrosive treatment.
3/ Lubrication of working parts.
4/ Repair under approved schemes.
5/ Replacement of worn or damaged parts.
6/ Embodiment of modifications.
7/ Testing.
[page break]
[table of station organisation]
[underlined] Flights [/underlined]
Minor inspections in accordance with Unit Maintenance Orders part II, this includes inspection, cleaning, simpler processes of anti-corrosive treatments and simple adjustments.
[underlined] Squadron Servicing Parties [/underlined] :- under control of S.E.O. or W/O Engineer, major inspections, repairs & replacements, modifications, and test after repair.
[underlined] Work of allied tradesmen [/underlined] :- (carpenters, electricians, fabric workers etc) employed on general repair work, and items of local manufacture, repairs of M.T. vehicles.
[underlined] Repair Depots [/underlined] :- Major repairs, complete overhauls & renovations of airframes & engines, their components, accessories & other technical equipment.
[underlined] Unit Maintenance Orders [/underlined] :-
Maintenance orders are issued to lay down the responsibilities & duty of all ranks concerning technical examination.
Part I is devoted to the above & is termed U.M.O part I
Part II is termed the maintenance schedule.
[page break]
U.M.O’s part II are issued by the [deleted] station C.O. [/deleted] [inserted] command [/inserted] to describe unit maintenance organisation to co-ordinate the technical work on the station. To define individual responsibility for maintenance,
[tables of AEROPLANE & engine A.P.s]
[underlined] Aeroplane Maintenance Schedule [/underlined] :-
Sect I Between flights & daily inspection.
Sect II Minor & major inspections
[underlined] Sections divided into sub-sections [/underlined]
‘A’ airframe ‘D’ Electrical
‘B’ engine ‘E’ Wireless
‘C’ instruments ‘F’ Armament
Sub-sections divided into assembly groups.
“As” Airscrew “PP” Power Plant “Fu” Fuselage “PI” Mainplane.
[page break]
[underlined] Flight Order Book [/underlined] :- alterations in schedule, notices to FME’s etc, in charge of N.C.O i/c flight. Kept where everyone can read it.
Unstarred items inspected every inspection
* items inspected every second inspection
** items inspected every third inspection
*** items inspected every fourth inspection
[diagram of starred items]
Items which are left to a major inspection are printed in capital letters in Maintenance Schedule.
[underlined] Travelling Form 700:- [/underlined] Next periodical inspection, aero. no. fuel & oil capacity & type. Fuel consumption, total hrs. run & flown, fuel state.
Volume I {symbol]
Volume II Part III [symbol]
U.M.O’s Part II [symbol] these are carried by plane on cross-country flights, but not on operations.
Form 700T. [symbol]
Form 171 [symbol]
[page break]
Four types of modifications.
Class I (N.S.) Mod. Essential to safety, embodiment compulsory.
Class II (N.S.) Mod. Essential to operational efficiency, embodiment compulsory
Class III (N.S.) Simple modifications, embodiment at discretion of command.
Class IV (NS) Modifications which will be embodied, only by makers or when specially instructed by maintenance units, service repair depots or the civilian repair organisation.
Anticipation & delay of a minor inspection does not alter the time of future minors.
Flight & Section Order Book
Unit Aeroplane Maintenance Orders Part I
Unit Aeroplane Maintenance Orders Part II
Unit MT Maintenance Orders PART I (Extracts appropriate to technical vehicles
Part II For technical vehicles on charge.
Technical Training Command Technical Instructions
AP 1095 Electrical equipment manual volumes I & II
AP 1107 Manual of rigging for air-craft
AP 1181 Start assistance for aero engines volumes I & II
AP1182 Parachute manual volumes I & II
AP1266 Notes on use of electrical soldering irons
AP1275 Instrument equipment manual volumes I & II
AP1374 Aero engine magnetos volumes I & II
AP 1477 Notes on metal rigging
[page break]
AP 1464 Engineering manual volume I parts A & B
AP 1464 Engineering manual volume II less sections E, F & J
AP 1519 Air compressor units volumes I & II
AP 1538 Adjustable & V.P. airscrews volumes I & II
AP 113 list of A.P.’s.
[underlined] Log Book [/underlined] :- (1464 volume IIA section 24)
Section I Installation (airframe form 1319 engine 1320)
Section II Certificate of Transfer Log (form 1321)
Section III Flying or running times (form 1322)
Section IV Repair or replacement (form 1323)
Section V Modification log (form 1324)
When the airframe or engine is re-conditioned or completely overhauled, converted to instruction category or written off, log books are closed by completing entries on page 1 of the installation log book the sections are then removed placed in transit envelope (form 1325) & forwarded to A.M. Archives
[underlined] Transfer of log-books [/underlined] – When an A/C is transferred the log-book goes with it or goes by transit envelope (1325)
[underlined] Oil Dilution [/underlined] :-
Oil is diluted with fuel to thin out thick oil in cold weather. Set engine cool down to 15° at night, then run up & press solenoid for about 3 mins while engine is running. Stop engine before you let go solenoid switch.
[page break]
[table of documentation organisation]
Fitting:- of C.S.U.
Check D of R of engine & plug up correct holes
Cockpit lever forward C.S.U. lever to increase RPM position, couple up
Tell coolant tanks by shapes & large bore inlets & outlets.
Saddle tank [symbol] Kidney bean tank [symbol]
3 types of coolants Water, 70° & 30° mixture, 100° glycol.
BA
ABCD
[page break]
[blank page]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Harold Wakefield engine course notes
Description
An account of the resource
Contains: preliminary engines, oil system, the four stroke cycle, timing, substantial notes on magnetos and carburettors. Followed by air-cooled engines (valves, cylinders, tappets, magneto timing, crankshaft). Liquid cooled engines (data), maintenance and notes including diagrams on various aircraft and engine systems. Starting procedures, general precautions, drills and procedures, picketing, heaters, fuels and refuelling. Continues with handling of aircraft and drills for starting, pre-take off, marshalling on return, nigh time, daily inspection of parachute, maintenance, RAF station structure, aircraft maintenance schedules, flight order book, forms 700, modification types, technical instructions, air publications list and other notes.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
H E Wakefield
Spatial Coverage
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Great Britain
England--Shropshire
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Format
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Multi-page notebook with handwritten entries
Identifier
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MWakefieldHE174040-171016-25
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
RAF Cosford
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1970/33711/MWakefieldHE174040-171016-09.1.pdf
2260adb9f2f4d1fb38ee0b8fe2cfd8ed
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Wakefield, Harold Ernest
H E Wakefield
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-10-16
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Wakefield, HE
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection concerns Harold Ernest Wakefield DFC (1923 - 1986, 1582185 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, training publications, decorations and badges, training notebooks, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, photographs and parachute D ring.
He flew operations as a flight engineer with 51 and 617 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Jeremy Wakefield and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
F\O WAKEFIELD COURSE 13 F\E
[underlined] AVRO [/underlined] “ [underlined] YORK [/underlined] “ [underlined] 1C. [/underlined]
NAVAL No. S400.
R.A.F. Form 619
ROYAL AIR FORCE
[deleted] MAGENETISM & ELECTRICITY [/deleted]
Notebook for use in Schools
91 6425. Wt. 10947. 1,000 M. Books. J.D. & Co. Ltd.
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
[underlined] FUEL SYSTEM [/underlined]
[diagram]
Alclad tanks with aluminium welded ends.
Wing Centre Tank [underlined] only [/underlined] self sealing. }
Pipelines flexible & self-sealing.
Dipsticks in A\C. stbd. Side stewards compartment.
15 lbs [symbol] “ to fuel pump.
8 1/2 – 9 1/2 [symbol] “ to amal. valve. } approx
[deleted words]
If fuel pressure drops below 6 lbs [symbol] “ in carb. fuel warning lights come on.
[page break]
[underlined] Check [/underlined] Pulsimeter pumps for 4 – 7 amps. discharge – ammeter steady.
[underlined] Check [/underlined] fuel contents by dipsticks, guages [sic] & F.700.
[underlined] Check [/underlined] All cocks for easy movements.
Pumps 1 & 2 always [underlined] ON [/underlined] { for take-off & landing
{ up to 2000ft. & above 17000ft.
{ when warning light goes on.
{ when running 4 engs. of [sic] 1 tank.
Start on No. 2 tanks then run on No. 1. then back to No. 2 for T.O.
[table]
[page break]
[drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Cut-Out [/underlined]
[drawing]
Regulates the pressure in system & provides an idling circuit for pump.
[underlined] U\C Selector [/underlined]
[drawing]
[underlined] Hot & Cold Air Selector Rotary Control Valve [/underlined]
[drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] Flap - Selector [/underlined]
[four drawings]
[underlined] Hydraulic Reservoir [/underlined]
[drawing]
Spherical Aluminium welded tank holds pressure better. 2 gals. oil 5 gals air. Perspex window for [underlined] tail-down [/underlined] check
[page break]
{underlined] MERLIN ENGINE [/underlined] (General)
Bore 5.4”
Stroke 6”
Swept Volume 1648 cu.”
Comp. Ratio 6:1
Direction of Rotation .[deleted] 42:1 [/deleted]
Crankshaft L.H.
Prop. R.H.
Camshaft R.H.
Reduction gear .42:1
Supercharger 8.15:1 low gear, 9.49:1 high gear
Engine speed indicator drive .25 clockwise from A bank [deleted] cl [/deleted] camshaft.
[underlined] Props [/underlined] fully feathering hydromatic type with constant speed control.
Dowty hydraulic pumps .502 clockwise
R.A.E. compressor B bank .5 clockwise
[deleted] B.T.H. [/deleted] HAYWOOD air compressor B bank .5 clockwise
Vacuum pumps .828 clockwise
Starter motor 101.7:1 clockwise
Constant speed unit .828 clockwise
Elec generators 1.953 anti-clockwise
[underlined] Coolant [/underlined] 70-30 mixture DTD 344A
[underlined] Oil [/underlined] DTD 472B.
[underlined] Weight [/underlined] 1430 lbs. dry [symbol] 2 1/2% tolerance.
[underlined] Rated Altitude [/underlined] M ‘24’ M gear 9250ft. S gear 16000ft.
2850 + 9 ‘22’ M gear 10000ft. S gear 18000ft.
[underlined] Carb [/underlined] S.U. A.V.T. 40/193.
2850 + 9 at 1000ft M gear 1200 H.P. 1100 H.P. S gear.
[underlined] Min. temps for run-up [/underlined] 60°C coolant 15° oil.
Desirable oil temp 60/70°C. Coolant automatic from 99/105°C
[page break]
[table]
[underlined] Oil Pressure [/underlined] 45 – 80 lbs [symbol] “ [underlined] Minimum [/underlined] 30lbs [symbol] ”
[underlined] COOLANT SYSTEM [/underlined]
With 344A glycol any water may be used.
With 344 glycol [underlined] only [/underlined] clear distilled water may be used.
70 – 30 mixture used.
70% water – 30% glycol.
1lb. drop in pressure lowers the boiling point 1°C.
1lb. rise in pressure highers [sic] the boiling point by 1°C.
Before topping up system must be cool, & it is impossible to remove cap until system is cool.
Pressurising is done by means of Teddington header tank relief valve.
Boiling point is reached then the vapour of the liquid equals the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere.
[page break]
[diagram]
[underlined] Components of System. [/underlined]
[underlined] Header Tank [/underlined] situated above reduction gear, fastened in two bolts to reduction casing. Swirl plate in header tank gets rid of gas & bubbles.
[underlined] Filler Cap [/underlined] Situated on side of header tank so that system cannot be overfilled.
[underlined] Pockets [/underlined] 2 at bottom of tank for thermometer connection & for thermostatic switch connection.
[underlined] Radiator [/underlined] 2.5ft. frontal area, secondary surface type.
[underlined] Pump [/underlined] on bottom of wheelcase, driven at 1 1/2 times eng. speed. [deleted] dr [/deleted] centrifugal vane type, driven by splined universal
[page break]
coupling at upper end. Capacity at 2650 R.P.M. is 115 gals. per min. pressure approx. 30 lbs. [symbol] “ takes 8 H.P. to drive. Greased by IRTAVA 34A/121 type B. stores reference. 1/2 turn every 5 flying hours. Drain tap on pump used for filling.
[underlined] Header Tank Relief Valve [/underlined] 1) to fulfil the requirements of a sealed system.
1/ To permit pressure to be built up in system to a limit of 30 lbs. [symbol] “.
2/ To admit air to limit the negative pressure in the system when the engine cools.
3/ To provide an escape valve for an uncondensed gas that may exist in the system.
[underlined] Auxiliary Rad [/underlined] . mounted in the leading edge of mainplane between inboard eng. & fuselage either side. Coolant led from B block of both inboard engs. & pipeline returned between rad. & pump.
[underlined] Acid in coolant [/underlined] , causes of 1) Decomposition of glycol.
2) Coolants in use for too long a period.
3) Acid formation speeded by use of too high a temp.
4) Uninhibited glycol.
5) Contamination from external sources.
causes a) Internal corrosion.
b) Tendancy [sic] for radiator blockage.
c) Electrolytic action causing failure of coolant pipes.
Trithanolimine phosphate in glycol reduces acid formation.
Brass or tungsten pipes reduces action of acid.
[underlined] EC 64 Paper Strips [/underlined] stores ref 4K/2365 immersed in coolant for 5 secs. Lay on sheets of white blotting paper, turn from [underlined] pink to green O.K. [/underlined]
Not safe [underlined] from pink through purple to red [/underlined]
[page break
[underlined] Filling the System [/underlined] use 70% - 30% DTD 344A [underlined] through filter [/underlined]
A/c tail down.
Taps 1,2,3 & 4 open, start to fill & wait until a steady stream comes through each tap then close taps.
Fill as far as possible, refit filler cap & start engine run at 2000 R.P.M. to 40°C. Then stop engine remove filler cap & top up again as required. Run engine at 2500 R.P.M. on ground. If venting occurs above 100°C change header tank relief valve & recheck.
If venting occurs below 100°C, drain system fill with fresh clean water, run eng. to normal running temps. Drain water refill with correct mixture & recheck.
Pressure does not start building up until 105°C is reached.
[underlined] Thermostat [/underlined] at 85°C starts to open at 105°C all coolant goes through rad.
[page break]
[underlined] MERLIN 2 SPEED SUPERCHARGER [/underlined]
[diagram]
At 2650 R.P.M.
M = 8.15: 1 21,957.
S = 9.49:1 25,148.
[diagram]
[page break]
Compressed air into pneumatic ram forces ram down, ram operates change over cock & allows scavenge oil to pass into piston. Piston moves down & [deleted] compresses bob weights & springs [/deleted] & turns cam which pushes forward thrust bearing on M gear, thrust bearing depresses bob weights & spring and dis-engages M gear.
Changing to M gear compressed air is released, ram moved up by string, operates change over cock again allows scavenge oil to bottom of piston, piston moves up & turns cams which disengages [deleted] S gear [/deleted] thrust bearing on ‘M’ gear & pushes forward thrust bearing on ‘S’ gear disengaging S gear. Centrifugal force & springs throw out bob weights on on [sic] ‘M’ clutch. Clutch engage & M gear comes into operation.
[page break]
[drawing]
[page break]
[underlined] GRAVINER SYSTEM [/underlined]
Hand operated}
Gravity Switch}
Impact Switch}
[drawing]
[underlined] Impact Switch. [/underlined]
[drawing]
Operates at 6G.
[page break]
[underlined] Gravity Switch [/underlined]
[drawing]
Only operates with u\c down.
[underlined] CABIN HEATING [/underlined]
[drawing]
[symbol] Hot & cold air ducts.
[symbol] Cold air ducts only.
Master control for hot air ducts & louvres along them.
Not control for cold air ducts.
[page break]
[underlined] LUBRICATION SYSTEM [/underlined]
Stores Ref. 34A/32
Oil – DTD 472B. or DTD 109 if other not available
High Pressure } [symbol]
Low Pressure } [symbol]
Scavage Front Sump }
Rear Sump } [underlined] High & Low Pressure [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] Compound Relief Valve. [/underlined]
[drawing]
[page break]
Oil Pump at 2650 rpm. Circulates 5650 pints per hour.
Main bearings 3600 pints per hour.
Big ends get 400 pints per hour.
S\C rear bearing 300 pints per hour.
Camshafts 200 pints per hour.
Reduction gear 300 pints per hour.
800 pints per hour through back to sump.
[underlined] Tank [/underlined] :- Self-sealing, situated behind fire-proof bulkhead in engine sub-frame – capacity 37 1/2 oil + 4 1/2 air space. Filter in each tank on outlet side.
[underlined] Pressure Pump [/underlined] :- spur gear type mounted on the rear of the underside of crankcase sump.
[underlined] 2 Scavenge Pumps [/underlined] :- 25% each larger capacity than pressure pump. Situated on floor of crankcase rear pump above pressure pump.
[underlined] Scavenge System [/underlined]
[diagram]
Oil Consumption 3.20 pints per hour, consumption should be steady.
[page break]
[underlined] AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] Transport Formers [/underlined] 1, 9, 14, 30.
[underlined] Semi- Monocoque [/underlined] construction, formers & stringers. No formers on stringers in F1. Alclad skin. F1 supported by longerons across floor & dural. casting.
[diagram]
[underlined] 17 Parts in Mainplane [/underlined]
Thrust ribs fitted to support engines.
[underlined] THRUST RIB [/underlined]
[diagram]
Rear Spar 8 fitted to A\C
2 to each engine.
[page break]
[underlined] INBOARD ENG. [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] OUTBOARD ENG. [/underlined]
[diagram] [underlined] NORMAL RIB. [/underlined]
[page break]
[underlined] AIRCRAFT DATA [/underlined]
High Wing Monoplane.
Transports convertible to passengers, freight, troops & stretchers.
4 in crew.
[underlined] Main Dimensions of Mainplane [/underlined]:- Incidence 4°.
Datum Dihedral 7°
Top surface dihedral rear spar 5° 19’
Area (including ailerons) [inserted] gross [/inserted] 1300 sq.ft.
Area (including ailerons) net 1190 sq.ft.
Aileron total including 85.5 sq ft.
Trimming Tabs 1.4 sq.ft.
Balance Tabs 2.2 sq.ft.
Flaps 132.2 sq.ft.
Tailplane incidence 30 mins
Area including
elevators & tabs 237 sq.ft.
Elevators total & tabs 87.5 sq.ft.
Trimming Tabs 2.9 sq.ft.
Balance Tabs 4.2 sq.ft.
Fin & Rudder
Centre Fin 37.7 sq.ft.
End fins & rudders & tabs 111.4 sq.ft.
Rudders & Tab 41.2 sq.ft.
Trimming Tabs 2.2 sq.ft.
Span 102ft.
Rudder – Rudder 33ft.
Nose to Tail 78ft. 6”.
[page break]
[underlined] Angle of Movement of Controls [/underlined] Linear Movements
{Ailerons 16° up 16° down 6 3/32” + 3/4”
{Trim Tabs 19° up 19° down 7/8” + 1/8”
{Balance Tabs 12° up 12° down 27/32” + 1/4”
{Elevators 28° up 14 3/4° down 12 9/32” + 27/32 up 6 1/2 & 7/8 down
{Trim Tabs 6° up 6° down 3/16” + 3/32” up 19/16 + 3/32 down
{Balance Tabs 11 3/4° up 22 1/4° down 1 1/8” + 3/16 up 2 7/32 + 3/16 down
{Rudders 22 3/4° in 22 1/4° out 8 23/32 + 3/4 Inwards 8 17/32 + 3/4 Out
{Trim Tab 22° in 22° out 1 29/32 + 3/32 Inwards 1 29/32 + 3/32 Out
Flaps down 56 1/2°
Minimum ground clearance 1ft 8” }
Ground angle at full load 6° } Rigging Position.
Top of Rudder – Ground loaded 21ft. 4” }
Prop. Tip to ground 4ft. 6” }
Engine Props. Inboard Boss to Boss 23ft. 9”
Engine props. Outboard Boss to Boss 50ft 3”
Centre section L.E. to T.E. 16ft.
Aileron 17ft. 3 1/2” x 2’6”
York Pass. 24 40383lbs. Tare Wt.
York Freighter 38000lbs. Tare Wt.
York V.I.P. 40200lbs. Tare Wt.
Max A.U.W. 63000lbs. (Trop Temp) Max. Landing Wt. 56,000
65000lbs. (Temperate Climate)
[page break]
[underlined] Speeds [/underlined] min 95. m.p.h. lift off, light.
Min 105 m.p.h. lift off, heavy.
Safety speed 135 m.p.h.
Climbing speeds rec. 160 mph. 175 mph. comfortable.
Stalling Speeds 63000lbs. flap & u/c up 103 mph. F & u/c down 91
45000 lbs. flap & u/c up 88 mph. F & u/c down 78
Approach Speeds 45000 110 mph. Eng. Assisted Glide 120 mph.
55000 120 mph. Eng. Assisted Glide 130 mph.
Over 260 mph. controls become heavy.
[underlined] CARBURETTOR [/underlined]
If altitude aneroid busts at any height above 3000 ft. mixture obtained will be to [sic] rich due to waisted portion of needle going in jet. This gives correct mixture up to 3000 ft. above it is to [sic] rich & black smoke & danger of fire will follow.
Boost enrichment aneroid gives correct mixture up to +4 by means of parallel portion, above +4 mixture is richened [sic] up to +7 above +7 mixture fully rich as jet is widened by tapered portion. If aneroid bursts parallel portion is pushed into jet giving correct mixture up to +4. If boost is above +4 mixture will be to [sic] weak & detonation and overheating will occur.
[page break]
{underlined] POWER PLANT [/underlined]
Consists of everything forward of the bulkhead.
[underlined] Removal of [/underlined] :- Remove prop. & cowlings. (side first)
Drain oil & coolant.
Turn of [sic] fuel cocks.
Disconnect all connections (34 approx).
Disconnect all auxiliaries.
Disconnect all pipelines.
Capilliaries [sic] at tapping ends (not bulkhead)
Disconnect connections at throttle layshaft.
Attach sling to rear bearer feet & eye behind red. gear.
Crane must be able to take 3000 lb. wt. min.
Slaken [sic] bolts at attachment points.
Take weight on sling & remove bolts.
A & D type transit stands.
Lower on engine, [deleted] ligl [/deleted] line up & bolt down.
Inhibit through plug holes & exhausts & inlet port. 60 – 75 lbs. [symbol] “
[underlined] Attachments [/underlined] :- make sure same amount of movement between cockpit controls & engine controls.
[drawing] Hamilton or Haviland
Disconnect on layshaft first
Before starting prime with oil at pressure guage [sic] connections, after removing two scavenger filters, 2 gals. oil used with 10% petrol.
Replace filters & fill up coolant. Run up at 1200 rpm. Not exceeding 40°C coolant
Then inspect filters etc. refill coolant.
[page break]
[underlined] ENGINE HANDLING. [/underlined]
[underlined] Ground Run [/underlined]
1/ Idle at 1200 rpm. Check mag. switches
2/ When oil reaches 15°C & coolant 60°C open to 0 boost (revs. 2350 approx
3/ Check constant speed.
4/ Fully fine, throttles to gate boost 8 1/2 – 9 & 2950 r.p.m.
5/ Throttle back to +7 check mags.
6/ Throttle back to 0 boost check D/C gear, slight drop in revs, rise in boost
7/ Check slow running 400 – 600 r.p.m.
P.O. P.I. S.I. S.O. } Order 3, 4, 21.
1 2 3 4}
At +9 allow boost to drop to +6 } before changing to ‘S’ gear
+7 allow boost to drop to +3 1/2 }
Fly at gate so long as boost does not exceed +7
Revs. at minimum.
[underlined] Fast [/underlined] Climb 160 m.p.h.
[underlined] Slow [/underlined] Climb 175 m.p.h.
Never exceed 2500 r.p.m. in ‘M’ gear for cruising but change to ‘S’ gear.
[underlined] Endurance [/underlined] Low altitude, minimum revs. lowest possible boost to give comfortable I.A.S.
[underlined] Max. Range [/underlined] reduce to +4.
Never throttle back until revs. are at minimum.
[page break]
A.M.P.G. at 10000ft. fully laden at 140 IAS = 1.25
150 IAS = 1.275
160 IAS = 1.3
170 IAS = 1.3
180 IAS = 1.27
190 IAS = 1.24
200 IAS = 1.18
210 IAS = 1.00
Climbing 160 I.A.S. to 12000ft.
155 I.A.S. to 12 – 18000 ft.
150 I.A.S. to 18000ft 22000
145 I.A.S. above 22000
175 I.A.S for constant speed
5 mph reduction for 1000 gals or 7200 lbs reduction in weight.
[underlined] DE-ICING SYSTEM [/underlined]
T.K.S. icing system for airframes, leading edges.
Fluid used H.63A. Tank & pump in rear of fuselage, 10 outlets to leading edges.
[diagram] 1 & 2 leading edge inb. & outb eng.
3 & 4 Wing tips
5 & 6 Outboard of outboard engs.
7 & 8 Tail plane leading edges.
9 & 10 Tail fins
Odd nos. port side
Even nos. stbd side
Switch on stbd. Side of co-pilots panel, 3 pos. Normal, Auto, Emergency.
[page break]
[drawing] } De – icer Dunlop Wick Baro. Sectional View
Outlet per minute in fluid ounces 1 & 2 5.3 ounces
3 & 4 3.1 ounces
5 & 6 4.5 ounces
7 & 8 4.1 ounces
9 & 10 3 ounces
[underlined] On manual [/underlined] :- intermittent feed 15 secs feed, 60 secs. no feed, green light flickering. Only used when expecting icing conditions before long.
[underlined] Automatic [/underlined] :- intermittent feed as manual. Can be switched on but will not work until icing occurs. If [underlined] no [/underlined] detector [underlined] no use [/underlined] . When icing has finished green light goes off after 3 mins.
[underlined] Emergency [/underlined] :- Gives a steady flow, with red light on & green steady on to [sic] . Don’t use if manual or auto will do.
Endurance on Auto or Manual 5 hrs. 55 mins.
Emergency. 1hr. 12 mins.
[drawing]
[underlined] Windscreen Deicing [/underlined]
Fluid DTD 406A stores Ref. 33C/621
Tank fitted behind starboard cockpit bulkhead, containing 2 gals. One pump on floor by second pilot.
2 Pints per hour at 1 pump per minute. 8 hours endurance.
Clean out with methylated spirits regularly.
[page break]
Kilfrost MK. A1 33C/654 [indecipherable word] for props. if no slinger rings.
[underlined] PNEUMATIC SYSTEM [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] Pressure Regulator [/underlined] 300 lbs. or 470 lbs. [symbol] “ Provides a constant pressure & an idling circuit for pump. Situated of [sic] bulkhead S.I.
[underlined] Pressure Maintaining Valve [/underlined] at 150 lbs [symbol] “ for low pressure system, situated rear of hydraulic panel.
[underlined] Pressure Reducing Valve [/underlined] Lowers pressure for Rads. & S\C. to 200 lbs [symbol] “ rear of hydraulic panel.
[underlined] Bottle [/underlined] placed so prevents regulator chatter & stores air for operation of rads. & S\C without compressor. Rear of hydraulic panel.
[underlined] Filter [/underlined] rear of hydraulic panel.
[underlined] Ground Charging panel [/underlined] Stbd. inner nacelle on auxiliary panel.
[underlined] Dual Relay Unit [/underlined] front of co-pilots rudder bar.
[underlined] Heywood Compressor [/underlined] S.I. A Bank 1/2 eng. speed.
[page break]
[underlined] Pressure Maintaining Valve [/underlined]
[diagram] Closes when pressure drops below 150 lbs [symbol] “.
[underlined] Regulator [/underlined]
Safety spring operates at 70 lbs. above normal pressure.
[diagram]
[underlined] Dual Relay Unit [/underlined]
[diagram]
[page break]
[underlined] ELECTRICAL SYSTEM [/underlined]
[diagram]
Voltage depends on speed & field strength V [symbol] Sx [symbol]
Phi
Voltage kept constant by voltage regulator irrespective of eng speed change.
[underlined] Generators [/underlined] – 4, 24V, 1500W, 4 pole, shunt type KX.
[underlined] Voltage Regulator [/underlined] Type F – a/ Voltage unit – top
b/ Current unit
[diagram]
[page break]
1/ Speed increases
2/ Voltage tends to increase
3/ Strength of electro magnets increases.
4/ Pile pressure decreases
5/ Pile resistance increases
6/ Field strength decreases.
7/ Voltage is kept constant
[underlined] Current Unit [/underlined] prevents overloading of generator.
Equalising coil brings all generators voltages down to equal automatically.
[diagram]
[underlined] Cut-Out [/underlined]
When generator voltage reaches that above battery (i.e.) 27 volts points are closed
[page break]
[underlined] Warning Light [/underlined]
[diagram]
Check gens regularly by switching off, & checking each in turn. When 1 gen. is switched on [underlined] its [/underlined] light should go out. (for cut-out & fuse check)
If light comes on while flying it can [underlined] only [/underlined] be generator failed, [underlined] not [/underlined] cut-out or fuse.
Lights will not come on for. failure of cut-out or fuse.
[underlined] Main Power Panel. [/underlined] Stbd. side of fuselage, anywhere.
1/ 4 regulators.
2/ 4 cut-outs.
3/ 4 main – fuses.
4/ 4 resist – rectifying units.
[page break]
[underlined] DEHAVILLAND HYDROMATIC PROP. [/underlined]
[diagram]
[diagram]
In the actual prop. the cylinders are called cams, the outer one the fixed cam, the inner one the moveable one.
The angular slots are known as cam slots.
To complete this assembly a drive gear is fitted to the moveable cam & is mesh with the prop. blade gear. The cam assembly is housed in a dome to which is attached a fitted cam.
[underlined] COURSE [sic] POSITION [/underlined]
[diagram]
[page break]
[diagram] [diagram]
[underlined] C.S.U. [/underlined]
Maintains correct L of attack for selected R.P.M.
Only governs oil pressure to rear of piston to coursen [sic] pitch.
C.T.M above fines off blades, with engine oil pressure to give smoother movement.
[diagram]
[page break]
[underlined] FEATHERING CIRCUIT [/underlined]
[diagram]
Inner tube to front of piston (eng. oil)
Between tube to rear of piston (high press. oil)
[underlined] DISTRIBUTOR VALVE. [/underlined]
[diagram]
[page break]
[underlined] Setting & Assembly of Cam Arrangements [/underlined] .
1/ Line up ‘O’ on fixed cam slot with ‘O’ on moveable cam slot.
2/ Assembly piston & roller pins.
3/ Assembly low pitch stop ring with arrow against fine pitch degree on fixed cam flange.
4/ Assembly high pitch stop ring with arrow against feather pitch degree on fixed cam flange.
5/ Feather cam assembly by forcing piston fully forward, enter & secure on dome.
6/ Turn blades manually to feather pitch.
7/ Offer dome assembly to front barrel half ensuring that marked hole on fixed cam passes over marked dowl [sic] on front barrel half.
8/ Check by turning blade to fine & seeing that arrow on blade is opposite corrects fine pitch degree on barrel flange.
[underlined] INSTRUMENTS [/underlined]
[underlined] Oil, Air, & Coolant Temp. Guages [sic] , [/underlined] work on Wheatstone Bridge principle.
[diagram] Three resistances in instrument itself & one in bulb, any change in temp. is felt in resistance in bulb, destroying the balance & giving a reading on the dial.
Resistance in the bulb made of nickel which is sensitive to temp. changes, other three resistances of special material are not.
Coolant 120°C, oil 80°C & air 0°C, null position, when flight/ground on ground.
[page break]
[underlined] Moving Coil instruments [/underlined]. (oil, coolant & air)
[diagram]
Aluminium plate attached to coil being non-magnetic prevents eddy currents.
[underlined] Fuel Contents Guages [sic] (Desynn System) Oil Pressure & Flap Guages [sic] [/underlined] .
Fuel:-
Consists of two main parts, tank unit & indicator.
Float arm, train of gears, & small finger which will rotate.
[diagram]
[page break]
Bad electrical connections } Pointer swinging violently.
Brushes making bad contact on resistance }
A reading 120° out, shows stator lead connections are wrong
A reading 180° out, supply lead connections have been reversed + to –
[underlined] Mk. IV Engine Speed Indicator. [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] Mk XIV Altimeter. [/underlined] Case airtight, one connection at back to static vent. Three evacuated capsules & pointer mechanism. Subsidiary scale incorporated in milibars [sic]
[underlined] Airspeed Indicator [/underlined] Airtight case, two connections at the rear, one pressure, one static. Contains a capsule mechanism & pointer mechanism & really measures the difference between still & moving air. Pressure line to pitot head & straight into capsule, whilst static air is allowed into case around capsule. Drain trap fitted in pipelines. 2 near static vents, 2 mid-fuselage, & 3 in nose.
[page break]
[underlined] Rate of Climb & Descent [/underlined]
[diagram]
Air tight case. As a/c climbs or descends capsule expands or contracts giving movement through linkage to pointer.
As a/c levels out the two pressure [sic] are levelled out by bleed holes & pointer returns to level flight mark, by slowly assuming atmospheric pressure in the case.
Extreme dive or climb strains the capsule. A leak or stoppage in static pipelines will give eratic [sic] readings. A leak in case gives same effect.
Free gyroscope with three degrees of spin, pitch & yaw.
Space gyroscope which stays stationary with the earth rotating around it.
Earth gyroscope mostly used, weights attached to make gyro conform to curvature & rotation of earth.
[underlined] Sperry’s Rule of Precession: [/underlined] – Imagine a torque is applied to the rim of the rotor follow through in 90° in direction of rotation a push at this point will indicate direction of precession.
[page break]
[underlined] OLEO LEG [/underlined]
[underlined] Principle of Operation [/underlined]
a) Loads induced when landing & taxying thrust the lower member up into the outer tube compressing shock absorber & causing fluid to open damping valve & passing to air chamber where it further compresses the air. Simultaneously the piston is driven up the air cylinder by the piston rod.
b) When the load is absorbed by the damping action & further compression the damping valve close & the oil expelled by air pressure is confined to passing through two small holes in the valve. Simultaneously the piston is drawn down the air cylinder & the fluid, trapped between it & damping valve assembly can only escape through the small holes in the valve & piston thus retarding the recoil of the strut.
[diagram]
Pressure to be checked with a\c on ground.
1./ Remove inflation valve & attach inflation adaptor
2/ Operate adaptor to read of [sic] air pressure in the struts
3/ The inflation pressure of the strut is to checked against dimension of ’Z’.
[page break]
4/ Any pressure above max. given for the dimension concerned, the strut must be deflated. During re-inflation the dimension of Z should be measured at intervals since if pressure is very low the dimension will increase during inflation.
[underlined] Oil level Check [/underlined] :- This is done with struts supporting weight of A/C.
1/ As above.
2/ [deleted] Check [/deleted] Operate adaptor to allow air to escape slowly until struts are fully compressed.
3/ If at final stage of compression a spray of oil & air is blown off the oil level is correct.
4/ If however it is not correct connect a simple test rig to inflation valve & then pump in oil till pressure rapidly rises. (Not to exceed 2325)
5/ Gradually release pressure until struts fully compressed.
6/ Remove test rig & inflate with air to a pressure between 945-995 lbs [symbol] ”.
Oil used DTD 858 Stores Ref. 34A/159
or DTD 44 Stores Ref. 34A/43}
46}
141}
Z extension 11”. Pressure 1250 Max. 1200 Min with load 72000lbs.
Y or tail wheel 5” Pressure 650 Max. 600 Min with load 6000lbs.
dimention
[page break]
[underlined] MK. IV AUTO-CONTROLS [/underlined]
Elevator Valve, if sticking may be freed by oil.
Rudder Valve, any friction eliminated by weight system giving torque in opposite direction.
Main Switch, must be on, may stick, can be checked by removing cover.
(Disturbance) When the A\C changes course the piston [deleted] valve [/deleted] [inserted] core. [/inserted] is moved allowing air pressure to decrease & increase at the sides of the servo piston, the piston moves & by pulleys & rods operates the control surfaces. As the piston moves the valve casing is moved as far as the piston valve, the valve & casing are lined up again when the a\c is back on its normal attitude.
[diagram]
To change attitude of A\C manually in dive or climb the whole plate is rotated disturbing the balance between the valve & balance weights. (Piston moves)
[underlined] MK VIII [/underlined] Only one plate, no rudder control.
[page break]
[underlined] AILERON CONTROLS. [/underlined] Port side fw
[diagram]
[diagram]
Ailerons
Normal droop inbd. 1/2” – 5/8” outbd. 1/4”
If controls are heavy at high speeds decrease droop to 3/8” min.
If controls snatch at high speeds increase droop to 3/4” max.
[underlined] Flap droop [/underlined] Pump down 1”, adjust on port adjustments on jack until port flap nearly touches T.E. of mainplane. Pump up flap & stbd. flap 3/16 & 1/4” gap, port flap should be right up.
[page break]
[underlined] Elevator Controls {/underlined]
[diagram]
Adjustment point between F.22 & 23.
[underlined] Rudder Controls [/underlined]
[diagram]
Adjust at outbd. ends of push pull connections at tailplane.
adjust at eyebolt on connection.
[deleted] [underlined] Trimming tabs [/underlined] cables down port side of fuselage between formers & stressed skin. Adjust aft turnbuckle on Rib 25.
Adjustment turnbuckles [/deleted]
Balance Tabs on Ailerons & Elevators & [deleted] balan [/deleted] static balance.
Rudder from balance
[underlined] Rudder Trim Tabs [/underlined] adjusted port [inserted] side [/inserted] between F18 & 19, F27 & 28
[underlined] Aileron Trim Tabs [/underlined] forward turnbuckle at Rib 29 & aft turnbuckle at Rib 25 (with flaps down)
With controls at neutral & [underlined] tabs at neutral. [/underlined]
Elevators allowed to be 3/16” out of line.
[page break]
[underlined] Main Wheel Extensions. [/underlined] [underlined] Max. [/underlined] [underlined] Min. [/underlined]
[table]
[underlined] Tail Wheel [/underlined] [underlined] Max. [/underlined] [underlined] Min. [/underlined]
[table]
[page break]
[underlined] IGNITION SYSTEM [/underlined]
2 Mags. Fitted B.T.M. C5 SE12-S } 1.5 Eng. speed from upper wheel case.
ROTAL NSE12-4}
Port mag. clockwise } looking on the driving end
Stbd. mag. anti-clockwise}
Contact breaker covers are connected to link-work so that timing is advanced as throttle opens, 3° from fully advanced at full throttle.
[diagram]
Stbd. mag fires inlet plugs
Port mag fires exhaust plugs
When fully advanced A mag. fires 45° before T.D.C.
When fully advanced B mag. fires 50° before T.D.C.
When fully retarded A mag. fires 25° before T.D.C.
When fully retarded B mag. Fires 30° before T.D.C.
Firing order A 1 4 2 6 3 5
[symbol]
B 6 3 5 1 4 2
Contact breaker points fully advanced .012
Plug points .012
To assist in starting a booster coil is fitted to each engine.
[page break]
[underlined] MAG. TIMING [/underlined]
[underlined] B Mag [/underlined] .
1/ A6 on comp. with A6 EMA on crankshaft opposite pointer.
2/ Check contact breaker points just breaking at fully advanced.
3/ Insulate fork when contact cover is off.
4/ Line up appropriate distributor with appropriate segment, (main brush)
5/ Now offer mag. up to the engine.
6/ Turn crankshaft in D. of R. until A6 IMA lines up on timing disc.
Repeat procedure for A. mag. but line up [deleted] of [/deleted] on 1A6 on distributor. (approx .9° for every serration on vernier coupling)
[underlined] VALVE TIMING [/underlined]
1/ Dis-engage camshafts.
2/ Set A6 & B1 inlet tappets to .025
3/ Turn eng. until disc A6 I0 registers with pointer.
4/ Insert .05 feeler in inlet tappets & turn camshaft in opposite to D of R. until feeler is just nipped, engaged Rt. hand serrated drive shaft to nearest setting.
5/ Turn crankshaft in D of R until pointer registers with B1 IC. Insert .05 feeler in inlet tappets of B1 & turn camshaft in opposite D of R. until feeler is just nipped.
6/ Engage left hand drive shaft to nearest setting.
7/ Replace serrated drive bridge plate & inspection plug.
8/ Set exhaust tappets to .020
Inlet tappets to .010
[page break]
Inlet opens 31°B.T.D.C.
exhaust closes 12°A.T.D.C.
Inlet closes 52° A.B.D.C.
exhaust opens 72° B.B.D.C.
[underlined] RIGGING CHECKS [/underlined]
[underlined] Diagonal Checks [/underlined]
[diagram]
[underlined] Diagonal Checks [/underlined]
Rear slinging socket to Rib 11. Both sides
‘A’ to be equal within 1 1/2”.
‘B’ Rear slinging socket to F30, both sides to be equal within an 1”.
‘C’ Tailplane rib ‘11’ to F23. both sides to be equal within 1/2”.
‘D’ Rear slinging socket to dome nut on outboard eng. both sides to be within 1/2”.
‘E’ Dome nut on outer to dome nut on inner, both sides to be within 1/2”.
[page break]
AP. 2484A Vol I York Handbook
AP 2484 A Vol II PT. I General Orders & Mods.
AP 2484A Vol II PT. II Inspection Schedule.
AP 2484A Vol II PT. III Repair Scheme. (Unit)
AP 2484A Vol III Pt I Schedule of Spare Parts
AP 2484 Vol III Pt II Appendix ‘A’
AP 2337 Wheels, Tyres & Brakes.
AP 2140 B, C & D Merlin 22 & 24 Power Plants.
AP 1464 Engineering Manual. (De-icing etc.)
[underlined] SKIN REPAIRS [/underlined]
AP 2484A Vol II Part III
1/ Negligable [sic]
2/ Damage necessitating repair by patching.
3/ Damage necessitating repair by insertion.
4/ Damage necessitating replacement.
(2 kinds of patches used a) Flush patch (on mainframe tailplane & fin)
b) Surface patch (on fuselage permitted)
Most riveting in Yorks are pop or schobert rivets
[page break]
1/ Check for secondary damage
2/ Classify damage (patching)
3/ Clean up damage (radius corners)
4/ Prepare “split” patch. 1/2” overlap each side.
5/ Prepare “flush” patch. (same measurements as cleaned up damage)
6/ Mark out & drill holes in skin.
7/ Place split patch in position, drill & rivet, after applying anti-corrosive treatment.
8/ Mark out, drill & rivet flush in position.
‘A’ ‘B’ ‘C’ ‘D’
[four drawings]
Insertion used to repair struts, tubes or stringers.
Where you prepare flush patch, prepare insertion.
Where you prepare split patch, prepare two sleeves.
Tube [diagram] place rivets 90° to each other
[diagram] Stringer
[page break]
[underlined] Bleeding Hydraulic System [/underlined] after using Emergency Air.
1/ U/C selected “down”.
2/ E.A. off.
3/ Jury strut in.
[underlined] Bleeding [/underlined]:- U/C.
1/ Allow air to escape from reservoir & top up with fluid.
2/ Slacken bleed screw on top of jack & pump until fluid flows free from air bubbles, tighten bleed screw.
3/ Tap E.A. Shuttle & N.R.V.’s to ensure they are seated.
4/ Select U/C up, slacken bleed screw at bottom of jack & pump until fluid flows free from air bubbles.
5/ Tighten bleed screw, & operate U/C 12 times.
N.B. Aircraft [underlined] must [/underlined] be air tested after bleeding, & U/C should be operated 12 times if this has not been done on the ground.
[underlined] Bleeding [/underlined] :- flaps.
1/ Flaps selected down, slacken starboard bleed screw.
2/ Pump until oil flows free from air bubbles, tighten bleed screw.
3/ Select flaps ‘UP’, slacken port [inserted] bleed [/inserted] screw, pump until oil flows free from air bubbles.
4/ Tighten bleed screw, top up reservoir, operate flaps several times.
[page break]
[underlined] A/C JACKING [/underlined]
[underlined] Tail trestle [/underlined] points at F.32 Two points on top of F32 for slinging.
[underlined] Main Jacking [/underlined] Points for 15 ton jack. Two either side between inboard eng. & fuselage.
[underlined] Inboad [sic] pads [/underlined] – One wheel change & retraction test. Chock other wheel [inserted] fore & aft [/inserted] (no brakes) & tail wheel
[underlined] Outboard Pads [/underlined] – Complete jacking, have gantries at RIB 7.
Weights at picketing points F.19. (2-500lb)
[diagram]
PRO
The object of progressive servicing is to enable inspections to be carried out without grounding the A/C for long periods at any one time. The servicing of the A/C has been divided into a series of Grade Inspections. Each inspection is allocated a period of [indecipherable word] time in which to be carried out.
Grade I – Grade I inspection is to be carried out at all stopping places, it will also be carried out immediately prior to flights on all A/C that have not been inspected within the previous 24 hrs. This inspection is a visual one [underlined] only [/underlined] & does not require the removal of any cowlings etc. Time allowed 2hrs.
[page break]
Grade II – The grade II inspection is to include the grade I & will be carried out every 15hrs. flying [symbol] 3hrs. Time allowed 6.
Grade III – The grade III inspection will include grade I & II & will be carried out every 30hrs. flying [symbol] 6 hrs. Time allowed 12.
The grade inspections will be signed for in the travelling copy of the F700 which has been suitably amended. Each A/C should carry a copy of the appropriate eng. & airframe publications. & also a copy of the ordinary maintenance schedule as a temp. measure. Special & tech. instructions will be carried out at base only.
[underlined] Base Inspection [/underlined]
This inspection is to be carried out on each return to base irrespective of the no. of hours the A/C has flown. Records of these inspections are kept at base F700 is used to record work done, also in travelling F700. Time allowed 3 days.
Time A}
Time B} Also carried out at base
Time inspections}
[underlined] Time A [/underlined] This is to be carried out at the completion of first 200 hrs [symbol] 30 hrs; & then after 400 hrs [symbol] 50 hrs.
[underlined] Time B [/underlined] This will be carried out on completion 200-400-800 of 400 hrs [symbol] 50 hrs & every 400 hrs after.
[underlined] Time Inspection [/underlined] These items should be inspected at each eng. change. The engs. are to be changed in
[page break]
accordance with the overhaul times laid down in current instructions. Time allowed 16 hrs.
[underlined] ENGINE CONTROL SETTINGS [/underlined]
[underlined Magnetos [/underlined] Adjust the links attached to each mag. so that these links and the longer arms of the cranks are in a straight line when the mag. is on the fully advanced stop then shorten by half a turn & connect up. Adjust the small rod connecting the short arm of the crank with the carburettor cross-shaft to enable the mags. just to touch the fully retard stop.
[underlined] Change-Over Cock [/underlined] With the carb. cross-shaft in the slow running position adjust the small rod connected to the change-over cock lever so that the lever is in a horizontal position. The length of this rod should be approx. 3 1/16”.
[underlined] Servo Piston [/underlined] The small rod connecting the piston with the carb. cross shaft must be set to 2 9/16” between the pin centres.
[underlined] Rated Boost [/underlined] Set carb cross shaft to rated boost position (the etched line against the joint of shaft housing) Line up scribed lines on cam & rocker of boost control (viewed through inspection hole) & adjust cam rod to suit. Open butterflies to fully open stop & adjust curved rod to suit.
[underlined] Slow Running [/underlined] The carb. butterflies must be on slow running stop when this has been set to required R.P.M.
[underlined] Take-Off [/underlined] Take-off boost is adjusted on the X stop on stbd. side of control shaft. To increase – screw out
[page break]
[underlined] Accelerator Pump [/underlined] . With the cross-shaft in the slow running position the long rod on stbd. side of carburettor must be adjusted so that the small crank arm [deleted] is [/deleted] connected to accelerator pump via a fixed intermediate rod is pointing vertically downwards.
[page break]
[blank page]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Harold Wakefield York flight engineer course notebook
Description
An account of the resource
Text and diagrams covering Avro York 1 C: fuel system, system selectors, hydraulics, Merlin engine data and systems, Graviner system, cabin heating, lubrication system, aircraft construction, aircraft data, carburettor, power plant, engine handling, de-icing system, pneumatic systems. electrical system, DE Havilland hydromatic prop including feathering circuit, instruments (engine and flight).oleo leg, Mk IV auto controls, all flight controls, wheel extension data, ignition system, mag and valve timing, rigging checks, skin repairs, bleeding hydraulic systems, aircraft jacking, inspections, engine control settings,
Creator
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H E Wakefield
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Format
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Multi=page notebook with handwritten entries
Conforms To
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Pending text-based transcription. Under review
Identifier
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MWakefieldHE174040-171016-09
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
aircrew
flight engineer
training
York
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/535/16662/MWarrenHJ619608-160425-02.2.pdf
fe65b739f1aa29d1651f56b8dcec3e97
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Warren, Harold James
H J Warren
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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Warren, HJ
Description
An account of the resource
10 items. Two oral history interviews with Harold James Warren (1921 - 2017, 619608 Royal Air Force) service material, a note book, diary and photographs. He Joined the RAF in 1938, and after training as ground crew but remustered and after training in Canada, became a flight engineer.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Harold Warren and catalogued by Peter Adams.
Date
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2015-10-22
2015-10-30
2016-07-12
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] [inserted] 619608 WARREN [/inserted][/underlined]
[inserted] Rough not [indecipherable word] [/inserted]
[inserted] 4 [indecipherable letters] [/inserted]
[inserted] 609608 [/inserted]
[RAF large notebook in printed square] [inserted] WARREN [/inserted]
[page break]
R.A.F .12.
H Warren [drawing]
[deleted] Coombe Farm [/deleted] Herridge
[deleted] Crewkerne [/deleted] Somerset [two indecipherable words]
619608 WARREN. H J.
Hut A 9. No 2 Wing
Royal. Air. Force.
Glam. S Wales
[zig zag underline]
619608 Warren H [deleted] J [/deleted] J
Hut A 9 No 2 Wing [scribble]
Royal Air Force
Glam S Wales [row of ticks inserted]
[broken underline]
[inserted] 619608 Lac [indecipherable letter] [/inserted]
619608 Warren H J – LAC.
Hut A9A No 2 Wing [inserted] 619608. [/inserted]
Royal Air Force
[underlined] Glamorgan S Wales [/underlined] [inserted] [tick symbol] [/inserted]
[deleted] S [/deleted]
Spark Test
Metal.-
[page break]
[underlined] Spark Test [/underlined]
Metal Spark
Wrought Iron Bright Yellow. Non Burst
Mild Steel. [ditto symbol] [ditto symbol] Few Bursting
High Carbon [ditto symbol] Flimsy Golden. All Bursting
Lungster Steel Dull Red Non Bursting
Nickel Chrome [ditto symbol] Yellow. Few [ditto symbol]
Grey Cast Iron Dull Red Non [ditto symbol]
Temperature Chart [indecipherable initials]
Very Pale Yellow 430°F
Straw [ditto symbol] 460°F
Brown [ditto symbol] 500°F
Light Purple 530°F
Dark [ditto symbol] 550°F
Dark Blue 570°F
Pale [ditto symbol] 610°F
[horizontal line]
Heat Treatment of Steel.
There are three general heat treatments annealing, hardening and Tempering. The controlling factor in all heat treatment is temperature. Process of hardnening [sic] steel consists of [deleted] hardning [sic] [/deleted] [inserted] heating [/inserted] to required temperature and quenching suddenly in cold water. Main points to watch when heating are small
[page break]
projections or cutting edges are not heated more [indecipherable letter] rapidly than the body of meteral,[sic] i.e. all parts are heated at the same rate and temperature. Tempering is removing some of the hardness by adding some heat to the required temperature. When heating steel there are two critical points, recalescence and decalescence that occur in the chemical composion [sic] of the steel at certain temperatures. The decalescence point is the correct hardening temperature. The recalescence point is when steel becomes soft when slowly cooled after heating.
[two short horizontal parallel lines]
Annealing is heating a steel to a medium red heat and allowing it to cool slowly. The slower the cooling the softer the steel becomes
[two short parallel lines]
normalising is when a metal is forged , bent or rolled into shape it becomes strained by heating the steel to a medium red heat and keeping it at that temperature depending upon the bulk and severity
[page break]
of the strain and allowing it to cool f off in air.
[horizontal line]
[indecipherable signature]
[calculations]
[six indecipherable words]
[two drawings of planes]
[page break]
Principle of Fuselages and their construction
A Fuselage is the main body of the aircraft to which main planes and other components are attached.
[underlined] Longerons.) [/underlined] [inserted] Underline headings [/inserted]
Longerons are the main longtitudeale [corrected by marker to] longtitudinal [/corrected] members of the Fuselage running from font to rear.
[underlined] Engine Bearer. (or plate.) [/underlined]
The engine bearer is the foremost member of the fuselage.
[underlined] Stern Post [/underlined]
The stern post is the rearmost member of the fuselage to which the rudder is hinged.
Struts.
Struts are located between the Longerons and the name of the strut relates to its position.
Fuselage bracing.
There are three types of frames, 1/ Imperfect frame, which is [deleted] located [/deleted] insufficently [sic] braced to withstand any load.
2/ Perfect frame is one that has to [sic] many or [deleted] tw [/deleted] to [sic] few members and is
[page break]
rolled into parts which are riveted together.
[underlined] Struts and Longerons. [/underlined]
Struts & Longerons are braced with diogonal [sic] struts.
If a frame is under a single load and bracing wires are used only one wire is intensioned and the other carries no load.
When diagonal struts are used the struts take the place of wires taking booth [sic] loads and tension.
[underlined] Metal and Composite Fuselage. [/underlined]
These are divided into 3 portions
1/ Engine bay or fore portion which carries the power part.
11/ Centre portion in which is situated the pilots cock and which carries the main plane.
3/ Rear portion which carries the tail unit. Each portion is constructed eg front portion, solid, centre portion tubular riveted structure, rear portion, wood or light metal.
[page break]
[drawing of Fairy Gordon airframe]
[drawing of Hawker double N girder airframe]
[underlined] Monocoque. [/underlined]
This fuselage is designed on the principle that the skin shall be stiff and strong to carry the loads.
Bulkheads varie [sic] in types, are inserted down the Fuselage to increase stiffness and carry certain
[page break]
types of loads.
But it is virtually the skin which takes the majority and is the main component.
[drawing of stressed skin]
Types of joints.
1/ Stainless Steel side plates
[diagrams of types of joints]
[page break]
2/ Cup Bolts and Ballended Strut (HAWKER)
[five diagrams of frames and joints]
[page break]
[diagrams of joint and rivet]
[inserted] [underlined] Good Drawing [/underlined] [/inserted]
[inserted] indecipherable signature [/inserted]
[underlined] Supporting the Fuselage. [/underlined]
The Fuselage must be supported upon trestles at convient [corrected by marker] convenient working points. Care must be taken that the trestles are placed under the correct jacking points, front and rear, if no sutch [sic] points are marked trestles must be placed under parts where there is additional strength, such as the undercarriage fittings or a robust strut fitting, they should never be placed under an unsupporting part of the Longeron
[underlined] Care in Hanling. [sic] [/underlined]
1/ Do not stand on the Longeron when working on the Fuselage.
2/ Constantly check Longerons
[page break]
and struts for bowing.
3/ Do not use adjustable spanner for adjusting streamline wire or see that all lock nuts are undone before attempting to turn wire, otherwise the threads will strip.
4/ Never tighten a wire untill [sic] its opposite number has been slackened off.
5/ Give an equal number of turns to each wire.
6/ Constantly check when truing and adjusting wires.
[short horizontal line]
Rigging Tools and Instruments.
1/ Straightedge.
Best type made of steel but owing to its weight it is unsuitable for Rigging. Hard wood are the most suitable and used extensivly [sic]. These must be frequently tested and care must be taken in storing them, otherwise they become distorted.
2/ Spiritlevel. [sic]
Used in conjunction with a straightedge in checking
[page break]
parts for being level and horizontally. [sic]
3/ Trammel Points.
These consists [sic] of rods which can slide along and be secured to a beam. They are used for transfering [sic] and comparing distances which should be equal, such as cross bracing wires.
4/ Plumb Bobs.
Made from brass with steel points and attached to cords to form a Plumb line, this line will give a true vertical line from the point of vast contrast.
It is used to find out by visual comparison whether the object should be lined up is vertical.
5/Adjustable Level
An instrument for measuring accurately the angle of a component set to [deleted] a [/deleted] the horizontil. [sic] Measures from nought to ten in degrees and minaites. [sic]
[page break]
Truing Fairey Gordon Fuselage.
The Rigging position of this Fuselage is the attitude which the aircraft adopts in normal flight.
This is obtained on the Gordon by adjusting on the [inserted] front [/inserted] trestle under frame 3 untill [sic] the rear sprar[sic] tube is level laterally.
Adjust on the rear trestle under frame 10 untill [sic] no 3 bottom cross strut is 2 1/8 ins below no 2 and no 3 top cross strut is 5 13/16 ins in advance of no 3 bottom cross strut.
The position of the Datum line is along the centre top Longeron from no 1 point. Starting from front to rear trammel from the internal cross bracing from the pin centre until corresponding diagonals bring the Fuselage true and in view. Trammel and adjust top and bottom until Fuselage is true in plan view The Fuselage is then placed in position and points are measured down all side struts and equal distances from the top Longeron.
Straight edges are then clamped
[page break]
on frame 1 and 2 so that the top edge cuts the marked points.
Cords are then stretched over the top outside the Fuselage and side cross bracings is adjusted until all the points on side struts cut side lines. Stern post is adjusted to be vertical by the diagonal tubes in bays.
Final Check and Inspection.
Plumb bobs are then dropped from the top of the Stern Post and from the centre of the front straight edge.
The ground line is then set up to coincide with these Plumb bobs and further Plumb bobs are dropped from mid points or all top cross struts, these should coincide with the ground line.
On compleation [sic] of truing are systematical check and inspection of all components should be made for Longerons and struts, for bowing wires being locked and in safety.
[page break]
Truing a Hawker Fuselage.
At convient [sic] working places, place the Fuselage on trestles under joint Y.O, slacken bracing wires, mark trammel points on top face of top Longeron and bottom face of bottom Longeron commencing at A.B.
Tension and Trammel internal cross bracings and then bottom and top cross bracing of the centre portion.
The same procedure is carried out on front and rear portions and finally the side cross bracings of the stern is adjusted to even tension.
Final Check.
The Fuselage is then placed in rigging position by leveling [sic] laterally with spirit level across the top Longeron at E.G. Plumb lines are then dropped from the middle point of a straight edge across the engine bearer from the top of the stern post.
A ground line is streched [sic] to cut
[page break]
these Plumb lines, further Plumb lines being dropped from the mid point of each cross strut.
The engine blocks should be level fore and aft laterally 17 of the 1/4 “ between centres, an allowance of a 33nd [sic]between port and starboard blocks and 3 32 nd on the front blocks.
The stern post must be vertical and is trued by the top cross bracing wire. Finally inspect Fuselage check components for bowing, wires in correct tension, in safety and not butting and blocked.
Chaffing plates to be fitted where r wires cross.
[diagram of metal section]
[page break]
[diagram of main plane construction]
[page break]
[underlined] Main Spars [/underlined]
Main Spars are the main longtitudinal [sic] members running throughout the length. They are so designed to take the loads of sheer mending and end loads. Meterial [sic] wood, solid drawn steel tubes and high tensile steel strip The top and bottom pieces of the spar are called [deleted] stang [/deleted] strang and boon and the inside called the web.
[two short horizontal lines]
[four section diagrams]
[indecipherable signature]
[page break]
[diagram of box]
[two short horizontal lines]
Ribs.
Large ribs, compression ribs used to brace the main spars.
Camber ribs are lighter in construction and used to transmit loads to the spars and preserve the shape of the mainplane.
Drag struts are usually tubular members fitted between spars to brace the structure.
In other types of construction compression ribs take their place with the advantage of supporting the spar under [deleted] loads [/deleted] twisting loads.
Drag wires, cross bracing wires running from the front spar uutwards [sic] prevents the structure from collapseing [sic] backwards.
Anti drag wires appose [sic] the above and prevent structure from collapsing forwards
[page break]
[underline] Nose Ribs & Riblets. [/ underline]
These are small ribs running from front spar to leading edge to brace that portion where the loads are greatest.
[underline] Leading and Trailing Edges. [/underline]
Made of light metal tubing or wood (Spruce). Root end that part of the mainplane near the Fuselage. Wing tip end farthest from Fuselage being a l continuation of leading & trailing edges.
[underline] Types of Construction [/underline]
1/ [underlined] Wooden. [/underlined] Spars & Ribs – (Spruce)
Fairing – Three Ply
Spars – Sowd [sic], Spindled & Laminated
2/ [underlined] Composite. [/underlined] Spars and Drag Struts, Ribs & Riblets L/E. & T/E Wood (Spruce)
3/ All Metal Spars. Solid drawn steel tubes & Steel strip.
Ribs. Light alloy. (Duralumin & Alclad. (3Ply.
[three diagrams to illustrate spindled, laminated and box]
[page break]
Mono Spar.
This type of construction a single spar is used to withstand and transfer all the loads imposed on the wing. The spar is located in the deepest part of the section of the wing.
Stiffened to withstand tortion [sic] by a system of diagonal or Pyramid bracing.
Along a spar at suitable intervalls [sic] are a number of cross members, tubes or special ribs and midway between these are short bracing wires which run from top and bottom langes [sic] of the spar to the ends of the tubes.
The advantage of the Mono spar is that the main plane is modified.
With two spar construction the mainplane must have a certain depth to allow for the rear spar so that the design is affected at two point [sic] instead of one.
[page break]
Mainplane Truing.
Support the mainplane at convient [sic] working point on three trestles evenly spaced and the same height to ensure that the spars are not bowed.
Without Sweepback
Place Aluminium clips along the spars at each drag strut. Start at root end and work towards the tip.
Place straight edge across two spars at second drag strut and parallel to it. Check by placing two fitters squares on the straight edge and so that they just tuch [sic] drag strut.
Mark the clips [deleted] where the clips [/deleted] then find centre of spar at these points. Place the Blades of the square against spar face & halve distance between them.
With Trammels set at a distance from the mark along the front spar mark the clip at first drag strut.
Transfer this distance to the rear spar & find centre of the spar at this part.
[page break]
Repeat at third strut & transfer to rear spar.
Repeat on all other struts. Slacken cross bracing wires, Trammel diagonals and adjust wires untill [sic] they are equal starting at No 1 bay.
To check, Trammel 1 & 2 bays as one 3&4 as one. Obtain 3 blocks of equal size, place 1 at each end and on top of the spar.
Streach [sic] a line tightly over these blocks & use the third as a testing block.
[underline] Truing a Mainplane With Sweepback [/underline]
Support the Mainplane on trestles as before, mark Trammeling points at each drag strut starting from the Formula 2 π / 360 RN where R is the distance between spar centres and N is a number of degrees of sweepback. Measure in from the root along the rear spar a given distance, say 1”. Measure along the front spar the same distance (1”) plus the result of the Formula.
[page break]
Find the centres of spars at these and they are your first Trammel points.
Carry on marking other points at other drag [deleted] points [/deleted] struts and proceed to true up as with the normal Mainplane.
Check as before, Trammeling two bays as one.
Check struts for squareness find the centre line of the strut, measure along the Longeron for equal distances either side.
Mark a point up the strut any distance and check the length of the diagonal which are to be equal.
A.G.S.
[underlined} Aircraft Generall [sic] Stores [/underlined]
Comprises all items that can be fitted to any aircraft irrespective of type and design. e.g. nuts, bolts, split pins, taper pins, etc etc are common to all types.
RAF Wires = Medium Carbon Steel. 9% mangnase [sic] Cold Rolled. – Tensile Steel. 52-65 Tons/0” Elliptical or Oval Section used for
[page break]
internal & extrenal bracings.
A. Length – Overall Length.
B. “ – Length between Shoulder.
C. Cropping Exact length before rolling.
Identified by numbers on a tab or round part of the wire giving the “A” length & Diam. [diameter]
To find Diam of wire from figures add 5 to first figure of 3 figured number and call them 1/32”.
Example – [boxed] 5W3310 [/boxed] = 310/5/8 = 8/32” =1/4”
[underlined] A.G.S. [/underlined]
Every wire of certain Diam increase in lengths of 4”, to find length in inches subtract 1 from last 2 figures, multiply by 4, add minium [sic] length. (from table).
Example – [boxed] 5W.3310 [/boxed] (1/19) x 4 = (36)+11=47” long
[page break]
[table illustrating diameter of thread, wire number, minimum length and fork joint number]
Threads conform to BA & BSF.
Left hand always to the top RH supplied longer to enable wire to be shortened if required.
Protected against corrosion by Cadmium coating. Cleaned with Parrafin [sic] rag dried. thouroughly [sic] & Sozzle mixture (Grease) applied.
[page break]
[underlined] Tie & Swaged Rods [/underlined]
Spec W8. Medium Carbon Steel round section used soly [sic] for internal bracing & connecting links in controll [sic] system.
[underlined] Fork Joints [/underlined]
Used for connection R.A.F. wires & swaged rods to wiring plate & lugs form part of tension rod turnbuckle. Low carbon Steel 35 Tons / [square drawn] in “
Thread BA & BSF – RH & LH. 4 BA – 1 3/8 BSE identified by numbers stamped on body (see Table). Size determined by subtraction 406 fom number 1 3 1/32 (except BAS 7/32” 9/32” 5/8 BSF
[underlined] Zinc or Cadmium Coating [/underlined]
Distorted forks not to be used.
Material. (Identifation [sic]).
Mild Steel - Plain Collar.
High Tensile Steel – Grooved Collar
Stainless Steel = No Collar
Stainless Steel = Stamped SS
[page break]
[underlined] Shackle Pins. [/underlined]
HT Alloy Steel, Zinc or Cadmium coating Size. Diam & length measuring from under head to inside edge of split pin hole.
[underlined] Diam. [/underlined] Denoted by letter stamped on head A=5/32 increasing by 1/32” (See Table)
[underlined] Length. [/underlined] Denoted by number.-No l=25”(1/4) increasing by 1” from l”
Example H19
AGS. (Bolts). Identifation [sic]
Meteral .[sic]
Mild Steel – Plain Head.
High Tensile Steel –Grove [sic] round Hexogun. [sic]
Stainles [sic] Steel – Stamped S.S.
[underlined] Sizes [/underlined] – 6 BA – 1/2 BSF most commonly used, Diam denoted by a letter on head (See Table).
[underlined] Length. [/underlined] Smallest 6” increases by 4” for each size. Identified by number which when divided by 10 will give length in inches
Example
[diagram and calculations]
[page break]
B.A sizes are not, [inserted] marked [/inserted] packages are labelled.
B.A – British Assocation [sic]
BSF British Standard Fine
[curly bracket to include above two lines] Typ [sic] & number of threads per inch
[underlined] Nuts [/underlined]
M.S. Plain
HTS Graved. [sic]
Nuts above 1/4 “ in Diam are stamped on one flat with letters to denote size, also stamped with L.
Example 3/8 left hand thread.
[diagram to illustrate]
Lock Nuts.
Half thickness of [deleted] thickness [/deleted] ordinary nuts.
Brass. –Soft Yellow Colour
Cast Iron – 2 flats only others rounded off
[arrow pointing at illustration]
Brass used extensivly [sic] for marine aircraft owing to non-corrodibility
Reason for use. To avoid damage to wire in event of over tightning. [sic]
A.G.S
[list of bolts]
Locking Devices.
[underlined]1[/underlined] Slotted Nut & Split Pin.
[underlined]2[/underlined] Burring.
[underlined]3[/underlined] Centre Pop (3 Marks).
[underlined]4[/underlined] Simmonds Self-Locking Nut.
[drawing self locking nut and locking ring]
[underlined]5[/underlined] Double Lock Nut
[underlined]6[/underlined] Locking Ring.
[underlined]7[/underlined] Locking Plate & Grub Screw.
[underlined]8[/underlined] Tab Washer.
[page break]
[underlined]9[/underlined] Spring Washer.
[underlined]10[/underlined] Soft Iron Locking Wire.
[underlined]11[/underlined] Terry Safety Pin.
[drawing of locking plate]
[drawing of tab washer]
A.G.S
Tubular Rivets. (Identification)
Spec. T1. Medium Carbon Steel – 1 Flat.
“ T26 Mild Carbon Steel – 2 Flat.
“ T9 Aluminium – 1 Flat.
“ DTD97. Stainless Steel. – No Flat.
Taper Pins.
Conform to:-
R.A.F. Taper Pins – 1 in 48.
Morse. 1 in 20.
Measured by length & Diam of smallest ind.
[page break]
A Reamer Fit. (Method of Locking.)
[underlined]1[/underlined] End split & opened out.
[underlined]2[/underlined] End threaded Nut & Spring Washer.
[underlined]3[/underlined] Small end burred over.
Large end must protude [sic] more than 1/8” and small end no more than 1/16”
U Shackles.
Size governed by size of Pin used.
[deleted]W[/deleted] Turnbuckles. Two types.
[underlined]1[/underlined] Tension rod type. [underlined]2[/underlined] Barrel type.
Used for adjusting control cables. No 1 Locked with 18 gauge soft iron locking wire (figure of 8) & brass or cast iron lock nuts. In safety when threads are past the pin hole in fork joint. No 2 replaced by No 1. Locked with sort iron locking wire in shape of letter S. In safety when all threads are inside barrel.
[drawing of Tension Rod]
Wheels. (Types).
A Wire braced with floating bushes
[page break]
B) Wire braced with floating [deleted] booshs [/deleted] bushes. & braced across shims.
C) Plain disc wheels, non floating bushes.
D) Wire braced with brakes, floating bushes.
E) Disc wheels with brakes, non-floating bushes.
F) Intermediate low pressure.
G) Full low pressure.
H) Intermediate low pressure, with brakes.
Bushes made of Phosphon [sic] Bronze.
Bushes in C & E are a force fit- extractors will be required to remove.
[handwritten indecipherable signature] 19.11.38
Wheels. (Shims).
Shims may be fitted when wear occurs on bushes 20 SWG.
Brass Hard Sheets.
To be loose fit on axle 1 – 5 in number.
[underlined]ON.[/underlined] Unbreaked [sic] & breaked [sic] wheels with roller bearings, shims on the outside
[underlined] ON [/underlined] [deleted] UnBreaked [sic] wheels & Unbreaked [sic] wheels
[page break]
with roller bearings shims on outside [/deleted]
ON Breaked [sic] wheel with plain bearings (D & E) shims on outer face first, then inner face – alternately.
24/1/39 [handwritten indecipherable signature]
[underlined] [underlined] Types of Undercarriages. [/underlined] [/underlined]
1) [underlined] 1 [/underlined] Through axle.
[drawing of undercarriage] [drawing of undercarriage]
HAWKER
2) Divided u/c.
[drawing of undercarriage] GAUNTLET [deleted] GAANTLET. [/deleted] GLADIATOR.
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Split Axle.
[drawing of undercarriage] MOTH.
[drawing of undercarriage] HEAVY BOMBER (WHITLEY). Now Obselete.
[deleted] Splicing (1st Tuck) (Heart strand)
.020 200
[page break]
Splicing
1st Tuck Heart strand straight forward. Three on each side.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] No 3 goes in under one. 2 to the left
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] “ 1 “ “ Where no 3 comes out. Under 2 strands.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] “ 2 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ 1 “.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] “ 4 “ “ 1 to the right of where no 3 went under 1.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] “ 5 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ 4 “ “ “ “
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] “ 6 “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ 5 “ “ “ “
2 Tuck
Start no 5 (1 to right of heart) tucked over one & under one.
4 “ “ “ “
3 “ “ “ “
2 “ “ “ “
1 “ “ “ “
6 “ “ “ “
Cable.
Extra flexible high tensile steel wire rope; 19 wires to a strand; 7 strands to a cable. Size denoted by its safe working load in cwts. Most common used in R.A.F. 5, 15, 25, 45 cwts. Extensively used for bracing & controls [sic] .
[page break]
5 cwts – Actuating Gear.
15 “ - Flying Control[deleted] l [/deleted] s
25 & 45 “ – Bracing.
Connected to component by loop or roller spliced into the ends.
[page break]
[missing page]
[page break]
The
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Fin stabilises the machine directionally. It is sometimes ofset [sic] to counteract the effect of the slipstream.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Gap is the distance between top & bottom plane. The reason for not having to [sic] small a gap is that there should be no interference in the airflow.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Chord is the distance between leading & trailing edges on an aerofoil.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Angle of incidence is the angle which chord line of the aerofoil makes with the relative airflow
[underlined] 8 [/underlined] Dihedral angle is the angle at which the main planes are set to the horizontal when viewing machine from front.
Stagger is the horizontal distance one plane is set in front of, or in rear of another.
Ailerons are attached to the rear spar of the mainplane near the wing tip. They control the rolling movement with natural control & one continuous system.
Flaps usually
[page break]
Fitted are in rear of M/P to widen range of speed.
Slats are small aerofoil sections fitted to the leading edge of the top M/P at the wing tip to give increased angle of stall & decrease the stalling speed by smoothing out eddies which form at stalling speed.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Yawing. Inclination of the A/C to move to left or right.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Rolling is inclination of the A/C to move [deleted] about [/deleted] out of its fore & aft axis
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Hitching is the movement of an A/C about its lateral axis.
Thrust is the name given to a force applied by the rotation of the Airscrew ie forward motion of the A/C.
Slipstream is the helical column of air set up by the rotation of the airscrew.
Airscrew Torque is the tendency of a machine to turn in the opposite direction to which the airscrew rotates.
Tail Incidence Gear or Actuating Gear is a device for altering the angle of incidence of a tail plane & carried
[page break]
out by raising or lowering the rear spar of the tail-plane. It is operated by a wheel in the pilots cockpit from which cables are taken to the vertical tail-jack
[underlined] Nose or tail too heavy [/underlined]
This is a tendency for a machine to fly with its nose up or down and counteracted by the actuating gear.
[underlined] Downwash [/underlined] is the flow of air deflected by the inclined surface of an aerofoil passing through it.
[underlined] Stalling Speed [/underlined]
An aircraft is said to be at stalling speed when the airspeed is at the minimum necessary to support it.
Leading Particulars (Fairey 3F)
[underlined] Engine [/underlined] – Napier – W/C.
[underlined] Duty [/underlined] Generall [sic] Purpose.
[underlined] Type [/underlined] Two seater, Bi-Plane & convertible to seaplane
[page break]
Main Dimensions.
Span – 45 ft. 9”
Height – (over sling) 13 ft.
Chord – 5 ft. 6”
Gap - 5 “ 7 “
Stagger – Nil.
Incidence – 4o
Dihedral – 2o 15’
Tail Plane.
Incidence to datum plus 5o 50’ plus 5o 50’ to 0o 6’Jacking points
Frames no 1, 14 & 10
Bracing or Balance Trestle.
Rigging Position
When equipment is scarce the U/C may be used as the jacking point provided that it has been trued up & the legs hardened with wood blocks.
To check rigging position
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Slacken balance trestles. Check lateral level with makers cross level under the spool joint of no 2 frames & adjust on front trestle if necessary.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Check longitudinal truth with
[page break]
makers fore & aft level placed under front & rear spar tubes. Adjust on rear trestles if necessary.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Adjust on balance trestle untill [sic] it just takes a bearing.
Sequence of Assembly
Fuselage trued.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Erect & true U/C
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] “ “ “ C/S
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] “ “ “ T/U
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Box, erect & true main planes.
Attaching & Truing the Undercarriage.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Wheels and Oleo legs are attached to the axle.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] [symbol] U/C wheeled under fuselage. Oleo legs are attached [deleted] to the [/deleted] first with bolt head forward.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Radius rods are attached with [deleted] e [/deleted] their bolt heads downwards.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Bracing wires attached, bolt heads downwards & top starboard to bottom port uppermost.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Tension & trammel cross bracing wires.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Check rigging position.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Suspend plumb lines from inside face of bottom spool joint,
[page break]
number two frame & mark points of axle with chalk & pencill [sic] measuring from grease points.
[underlined] 8 [/underlined] Distance from plumb to marked points equal. Adjust cables if necessary. Check for squrness [sic] .
[underlined] 9 [/underlined] Check cables for safety, lock up & split pins.
Centre Section.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Support centre section upside down on felt covered trestles.
Fit [deleted] trestles [/deleted] struts, longest in front, rear starboard carries brackets for ASI, inboards & on top.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Place C/S bracing wires front & rear swaw [sic] rods, Bottom starboard, top parts nearest tanks side drag wires 607 & 608. 607 nearest tanks. All RH thread at bottom equally engaged in fork joints points for swag rods heads forwards.
[page break]
[underlined] Rigging Iinstruments [sic]
[underlined] I [/underlined] By Makers Instrument Board.
[underlined] II [/underlined] Abney Level.
[underlined] III [/underlined] Incidence Board or Dihedral Board
[underlined] IV [/underlined] Spirit Level
[drawing of calculating angle of 4o]
[underlined] Problem [/underlined]
To find angle of 4o on A, B, C, D.
[underlined] Construction] [/underlined]
With compasses & radius 57.3” scribe an arc. EH from point A. From line AD mark off 4” along HE & call it F.
Join AF & produce to G. [symbol] Angle between AG & AD must be 4o.
[page break]
Truing Main Planes.
[underlined] Tolerances [/underlined]
[drawing of plan view of A/C]
[drawing of side view of aerofoil]
[page break]
[underlined] [underlined] Undercarriage. [/underlined] [/underlined]
[drawing of undercarriage]
[drawing of undercarriage]
[drawing of unknown]
[page break]
[drawing of Aileron controls]
Ailerons 24o UP.
“ “ 24o Down.
[underlined] Differential Control [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Rigging Position
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Test control column in central position [inserted] AFT [/inserted] 30/14
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Test that aileron control attachments both on the cam is vertically in line with the centre of each chain sprocket & the chains are equally disposed about the sprockets.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Adjust aileron controls until ailerons continuation with the flaps are set at normal 4o.
[page break]
Adjust on gap wires until the ailerons are normal.
[underlined] v [/underlined] Release C/C & check aileron [deleted] s [/deleted] travel with straight edge & Abney level on underside of selected rib.
[underlined] 24 Up & DOWN. [/underlined]
Abney Level reading.
[underlined] 20o up – 28o DOWN [/underlined]
[underlined] I [/underlined] [underlined] R.P. [/underlined]
[underlined] II [/underlined] [deleted] Adjust [/deleted] Wind wheel forward & check that trunions are fully outward.
[underlined] III [/underlined] Adjust controls & check with straight edge & Abney level under a flap rib so that the flap is 5o UP.
Wind wheel back & check trunio [inserted] n [/inserted] s for being in right inboard & flap for being 16o Down from normal. Wind flaps to normal in continuation with M/P check Top Flap Gap wire adjustment.
[page break]
Strut at 90o to an airflow.
Same with strut 45o to an Airflow.
[drawing of strut]
[underlined] Sections round which air flows. [/underlined]
[page break]
[drawing of pressure curve]
[drawing of pressure curve]
Pressure curves & centre of Pressure.
Pressure curves at 4o & 14o.
Postive [sic] angles of attack.
The top surface of an aerofoil 4/5 of the complete lift while the bottom only produce 1/5
[page break]
[drawing of manometer]
[underlined] Manometer [/underlined]
Flight of curvature called the camber while the ratio of chord to span is called the aspect ratio.
Datum line otherwise chord line from wick [sic] all measurements are taken. Highest point of curature [sic] 1/3 from leading edge.
[page break]
[drawing illustrating turning moment]
The turning effect of a force (moment) Moment produced by AB. – 10LB 5x2 = 20LB – 1 FT. 10x5.
[drawing of high aspect ratio]
[drawing of low aspect ratio]
[page break]
Lamantation of Span.
[table of bending moment]
[two drawings relating to bending moment table]
[page break]
Development of the bi-plane.
[drawing of cross section of monoplane and bi-plane]
[page break]
Effect of forward & backward Stagger.
([underlined] Blind Areas. [/underlined] )
[drawing of blind areas]
[page break]
[drawing of a couple]
Calculation of a couple may be defined as 2 equal forces acting in opposite direction some distance apart so as to cause rotation.
[page break]
Effects of Stagger
[drawing of interference]
[drawing of non-interference]
[page break]
Air – Speed Indicator
The Pitot tube records the difference between the wind pressure due to the passage of the A/C. through the air & the pressure of the sorrounding [sic] still air.
[drawing of pitot/static head]
[drawing]
[page break]
Air Speed Indicator.
[drawing of air speed indicator]
Altimeter
The Altimeter is a instrument to tell the heigh [sic] of the A/C.
[underlined] Fore & Aft Levels [/underlined] .
Fore & Aft levels are instruments used [deleted] to [/deleted] on A/C to indicate the angle between horizontal axis & longtitudanals. Consists of a glass shaped triangular container of round section one side being set vertical & facing the instrument board.
When liquid is above zero mark the nose of the A/C is tilted upwards, when below zero mark nose of A/C is tilted downwards.
[page break]
Turn Indicator.
Designed to help pilot keep on straight course to give him a clear visible indication of flight.
The complete instrument comprises of an indication coupled to a venturi head.
The venturi head is put in the slipstream while the Pitot head is [deleted] as [/deleted] outside the slipstream.
TURN INDICATOR.
[drawing of turn indicator]
The needle in relation to zero mark
[page break]
Turn Indicator Venturi.
[drawing of turn indicator venturi]
[drawing]
Oleo Legs.
An oleo leg is a telescopic contravance [sic] forming one of the main parts of the U/C designed to absorb landing & taxying [sic] shock.
The shock exsorbing [sic] qualities derived by causing oil which compressioned [sic] to be forced through holes which are arranged to decrease proggressively [sic] inside [inserted] as [/inserted] the leg. telescopes.
Oil action is assisted usually by one of the following. Rubber, Air & Springs.
[inserted] Good Drawing [signature] [/inserted] [page break]
FURY OLEO LEG
[diagram of Fury oleo leg] [page break]
[underlined] WAPITI [/underlined] [diagram of Wapiti oleo leg]
[page break]
[underlined] HORSLEY [/underlined] [diagram of Horsley oleo leg]
[page break] [blank page]
[inserted] Don’t Waste Space [/inserted] [page break]
Faults, Reasons, & Remidies [sic] for Oleo Legs.
[underlined] A [/underlined] Piston does not move or only moves a small amount.
[underlined] Reason. [/underlined] Air Pressure too high or gland become gummy through long period of use.
[underlined] Remedie. [sic] [/underlined] Reduce Air Pressure.
[underlined] B [/underlined] Piston does not extend to normal & machine wobles [sic] on a turn. [underlined] Reason. [/underlined] Air Pressure to [sic] low.
[underlined] C [/underlined] Piston extends normaly [sic] & air pressure is correct but machine rolls badly on a turn.
[underlined] Reason. [/underlined] Oil level to [sic] low & air pressure does not increase fast enough with motion of piston.
[underlined] Remedie. [sic] [/underlined] Check oil level.
D Piston at normal extension & air pressure correct but machine very harsh in taxying [sic].
[underlined] Reason. [/underlined] Oil level too high. causing ondue [sic] increase of air pressure. with movement of piston.
[underlined] Remedie. [sic] [/underlined] Check oil level.
E There is loss of oil at main gland, if leakage is slow keep unit in [page break]
commission by maintaining air pressure. Replace complete unit as convient [sic]. The gland of the departure unit must be dismantled & faulty packing rings replaced.
F If the air pressure in the unit is not maintained ascertain that all valves are tight & if the leak still persists detach unit & submerge unit in water to locate fault.
[underlined] Vickers Air Brakes [/underlined]
[underlined] I [/underlined] This is shown diagrammatically in scetch [sic].
[underlined] II [/underlined] The wheel brakes are operated by compressed air drawn from the main system.
The brakes are applied by hand & operation of the rudder bar normally assists steering on the ground by giving differential braking.
[underlined] III [/underlined] The chief component of the brake systems are:- A Pilots hand lever.
B Brake control valve.
C Independent parking control.
D Wheel brake unit [page break]
E Duplex pressure gauge.
F The pipes are of small diameter & metal couplings are used throughout the complete piping system shewn [sic] in the diagram.
G The pilots hand lever control fitted on the control column handle & connected to the control valve by Bowden transmission Operation at this lever give braking protortion [sic] to the load applied.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Brake control valve.
This is [deleted] a [/deleted] in effect a sensative [sic] duplex, relay, valve enabling high braking forces to be devoloped [sic] although relitivly [sic] in a small load are applied to the controls.
This valve admits compressed air to brakes motors up to a predetermined pressure, this being also coupled to the rudder controls. This allows the braking forces on the wheel to be varied thus assisting ground monoeurvers [sic].
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] The independent parking control is used for running up the engine [page break]
& parking A/C.
It is governed by a small catch on the C/C.
The control must only be used when the A/C is at rest on the ground, also in gusty weather the rudder bar must be locked to avoid loss of air due to rudder movements.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Thes [sic] are Vickers standard type 2 shoe brake. [underlined] 8 [/underlined] The Duplex pressure gauge.
Reading [deleted] to [/deleted] 0 to 100 lb per sq in but 200 lb per sq in over load is fitted on the changing panel on the S Board side of the pilot & indicate the pressure in the brake motors. Pressure is shown at all times but need only be refined when testing.
[underlined] 9 [/underlined] The minimum pressure normaly [sic] required in the brakes is 35 lb per sq in when rudder bar is in neutral position & hand lever off it stops the “Parking Pressure” it is also 35 lb per sq in.
The brake pressure [page break]
or inner wheel does not rise above the normal, the turning effects are obtained by allowing the pressure to fall away in outer wheel brake.
[underlined] 10 [/underlined] The hand lever must be used for compensated braking, turns must be made with rudder.
The parking control must be used when A/C is at rest on ground. Brakes must be tested before taking off.
[underlined] Tests [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Ascertain that the pressure in air bottle is 150 to 200 lb per sq in.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Apply the brakes by hand lever, rudder nuteral [sic], the pressure in the Duplex should indicate 35 lb per sq in.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Still holding the hand lever on the stop, move the rudder bar for a turn to Port, gauge should indicate – Port 35 lb per sq in S Board zero.
[page break]
4 Repeat this for a turn to S B gauge should now indicate – S Board 35 lb per sq in – Port zero.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Bring rudder bar to nuteral [sic], the pressure should now equalise at 35 lb per sq in.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] With hand lever released oscillate the rudder bar to its full angle as in flight; gauge should still indicate zero.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Throw over the parking catch, a pressure of 35 lb per sq in should be indicated on gauge.
Brakes
12 In order to reduce to a minimum the amount of air used in applying brakes, it is advisable to take up the wear in the shoes by lengthening the brake motor about 0.25 to 0.25 of an inc [sic] axial measurment [sic] of rod should be allowed when brakes are on
13 An even check on the pressure in the system should be made when A/C is parked. 14 The A/C wheels are fitted with oil seals to keep oil from shoes
[page break]
should the brakes seem affected at any time, although air pressure is normal it is advisible [sic] to [one indecipherable word] shoes for oil
[underlined] 15 [/underlined] [underlined] Brake control valve [/underlined]
This is main control valve having many duties to perform, the following notes show its action & in case of emergency will enable replacements & minor adjustments to be made.
[underlined] 16 [/underlined] The valve governs maximum pressure which may be applied to brakes, it responds to movements of hand lever on the control column & to [deleted] to [/deleted] those of [deleted] of [/deleted] the rudder bar or else to parking control.
[underlined] 17 [/underlined] The valve box contain 2 identical groups of mechanism of which control the Port & S Board brakes; both groups consisting of the following parts –
2 inlet pressure valves connected to air resivour [sic] & 2 ( exhaust ) valves. The [inserted] inlet [/inserted] exhaust valves of each group contained in same [page break]
stem.
The cam, common to both groups of [deleted] mechanism [/deleted] The levers of the cam following.
The governer [sic] spring with their assocated [sic] diaphram [sic]. [deleted] The [/deleted]
[underlined] 18 [/underlined] Diaphragm of each group is acted upon by the load by the governor spring on the other side & by the pressure in the brake chamber on the other.
This chamber is in communaction [sic] with the corresponding brake load.
When a balance exists between these two forces the pressure in the brake motor, & consequently the braking force leaves a direct reletive [sic] to the governer [sic] spring which is directly acted upon by the hand lever.
The inlet & exhaust valves are closed do not open again untill [sic] the state of balance refered to a body above is altered.
[page break]
[underlined] 19 [/underlined] Only the inlet pressure valve to the state of balance becomes smaller & smaller when the valves closes [sic]
[underlined] 20 [/underlined] If the braking is increased release [?] hand lever allows the load to fall causing the diaphragm to move upwards opening the exhaust valve. This allows air from the brake motor to escape until the pressure of the brake chamber again balances the spring load.
[underlined] 21 [/underlined] With brake released entirely there is no load on the spring & exhaust release valve is permantly [sic] open. The pressure in the system is then atmospheric.
[underlined] 22 [/underlined] It will be seen from the foregoing that the max pressure obtained in the brake motors depends on the movement which loads the governor spring. This movement being limited by adjustable stops.
[underlined] 23 [/underlined] The load on the governor spring are affected by the position of the rudder bar which is assumed is in the neteral [sic]
[page break] position.
When it moves this allows the pressure in one brake to fall.
[underlined] 24 [/underlined] The only parts of the complete assembly wich [sic] are likely to need attention are the valve units.
Should it leak it is best to replace the complete valve box by a new; faulty valve can be examined, the valve units removed & replaced by spare ones being made to a jig
[underlined] 25 [/underlined] In order to prevent any foreign matter getting into the valves a horse hair filter is fitted into the pressure inlet manifold which can esily [sic] be removed for cleaning in petrol by unscrewing a cap.
[page break]
[diagram of Vickers air brakes] [page break]
[underlined] Benedix Brakes [/underlined]
Advantages of Uses
[underlined] I [/underlined] Reduction of landing run enabling higher speeds to be used with safetfy. [underlined] II [/underlined] Control of landing run useful in cross wind landing.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Greater manouverability [sic] on the ground. [underlined] 4 [/underlined] Easyer [sic], Safer & Faster Taxying [sic]. [underlined] 5 [/underlined] Making possible use of tail wheel instead of skid.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Useful for parking & may be used in an emergency for engine testing on ground.
Disadvantages
[underlined] I [/underlined] Extra weight.
[underlined] II [/underlined] More maintainance [sic] required.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Slightly more chance of putting A/C on nose in landing. Types
[underlined] I [/underlined] Mechanically operated. [underlined] II [/underlined] Hydralic [sic] (Fluid). [underlined] III [/underlined] Pneumatic. (Air). [page break]
[diagram of Bendix brake] [page break]
Maintainance [sic] of Palmer Brakes
[underlined] Defects [/underlined] [underlined] Causes [/underlined] [underlined] Remidies [sic] [/underlined]
[underlined] I [/underlined] Air Lock.
To [sic] much travel with spongy feling [sic]
Reprime
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Non return of valve in motor. Complete renewal of affected part in motor.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Leaking joint causing loss of pressure, air in resuvoir [sic] when pedal is depressed.
Removal of faulty clips etc.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Sedgment [sic] damaged & worn Renewal of expansion chamber complet [sic]
5 Brake sedgment [sic] partly worn
Fitting special rubber bands of adhesive tape butt jointed in base of costlated [sic] to channel
[page break] D C R
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Resuvoir [sic] leaking
Careful tensioning of tail rod passing through base of resuvoir [sic] & renew rubber bands. [underlined] 7 [/underlined] Rubber bag in motor deflected
Change bag [page break]
[diagram of hydraulic system 1 & 2] [page break]
[diagram of hydraulic system 3] [page break]
[diagram of hydraulic system 4] [page break]
Dowdy Hydraulic System.
Consists of Retractable U/C, Tail Wheel & Flaps.
Oil for Dowdy System – “Slamavo” (DTD44B). [underlined] no other oil must be used [/underlined]. Should throttle be shut & U/C up a warning buzzer blows in the pilots cockpit to warn him his U/C is up. Oil to be maintained level by the filler plug in resevoir [sic].
[inserted] [signature] 16.3. 39 CI [/inserted] [page break]
[underlined] BASIC . CARPENTERING. [/underlined]
[diagram of wood with marking gauge] [page break]
[diagram of halved joint] [page break]
[diagram of wood joint] [page break]
[underlined] TOOLS. (FOUR MAIN GROUPS) [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Cutting. Saws.
Planes. Chisels. Spokeshave. Gauges.
Marking. Pencils
Scribing [one indecipherable word] Gauges.
Compass.
Testing Rule.
Try Square Winding Batten Bevels.
Boring Brace & Bit Gimlet Bradawl
Tenon Saw used for small jobs, 7 to 10 points to an inch.
Dove Tail saw used for verry [sic] minute work [underlined] 5 to 7 points to an inch. [/underlined]
[underlined] Chisels /[/underlined] Paring. [underlined] Morticeing [sic] [/underlined] [underlined] Gouges [underlined] / Firmer. [underlined] Scribing. [/underlined]
Gauges / Marking.
[underlined] Morticeing [sic] Gauge. [/underlined] Scribing knife.
[page break]
[diagram of dovetail joint] [page break]
[second diagram of dovetail joint] [page break]
[third diagram of dovetail joint] [page break]
Sequence of Operation.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Mark cut as in Fig [underlined] 1 [/underlined], use level for lines at 80 [degree symbol].
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Gauge depth to half thickness from face side.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] With Chisel cut “v” groove in shaded portion “A” to form channels for saw
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Pare out shaded portion “A” with chisel. [underlined] 5 [/underlined] Next remove waste “C” using saw.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Fit together & square off the end using smoothing plane only.
Mortice & Tenon Joint
[diagram and measurements of the joint]
Sequence of Operation
[page break]
[drawing & measurements]
Good
[underlined] JW [/underlined]
31/3/39
[page break]
4 Main Timbers used in Aero Construction
[deleted] Sisques [/deleted] [inserted] Sitka [/inserted] Spruce
Ash
Mahogany
Walnut
Red Deal
[deleted] This is [/deleted] Used to distinguish [deleted] ed [/deleted] the light & less resiness from those containing more turpentin [sic] & with much stronger marked anual [sic] rings.
Scotch Fir or Northern Pine.
The difference in the types of this timber is due chiefly to the soil & the altitude at which it grows
The best red & yellow fir comes from Prussia & Hemel. Height 30 to 40 ft, logs 13 to 16 inc [sic] [deleted] s [/deleted] square.
Seasoning.
This means the submitting of freshly felled [deleted] to [/deleted] trees to the action of the weather for severall [sic] seasons. When this is done the naturall [sic] juices dry up.
Naturall [sic] seasoning has the better effect of preserving the strength.
In preserving timber the tree is looped of its branches, its trunk is skinned & squared the stacked in the open air.
Wet Seasoning
To shortening the time this method is used.
The root end is put toward the flow of a running stream but this method deminshes [sic] strength of the timber
Desication [sic] Method
This is kilne [sic] drying. The wood is submitted in closed chambers with [deleted] methods [/deleted] moving currents of warm air which ebsorbs [sic] the moisture.
Time 3 days
[page break]
[characteristics of the 4 types of wood]
[page break]
[characteristics of the 4 types of wood]
Scarf Joint [drawing of the joint]
Rebate Joint [drawing of the joint]
Classification of Joints
Joints are arranged for convience [sic] of reference in groups
[underlined] 1. [/underlined] Framing Joints. such as in doors, sashes & frame structures of all kinds.
Under this group are :-
Mortice & Tennon.
Halfing [sic] Joints
[underlined] 2. [/underlined] Widening Joint
Used for uniting the edges of 2 peices [sic] of wood or more to increase the width
Under this group we have the rubbed joint, Plough & Joint. Plough & Feather, Slotted Screw & Rebate Joint.
[underlined] 3. [/underlined] Lengthening Joints
Used to unite two members such as Longerons [sic] & Spaxs [sic] in A/C end to end.
They are the Scarf Joint, Butt Joint, (Fish Plates.)
When these Joints are used they are protected with Egypitian [sic] tape which is bound
[page break]
& glued.
[underlined] Principles Governing Construction of Joints [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] To cut the joints & arrange the fastenings so as not to weaken the peices [sic]of timber that they connect.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] To proportion the area of each a butting [deleted] joi [/deleted] surface to the pressure which it has to bear so that the timber may be saved against injury [deleted] against [/deleted] inder [sic] heavyest [sic] loads & to form a fit each surface accaratly [sic] in order to distribute the stress uniformly.
[underlined] Methods of Fastening. [/underlined]
One of the most important duties is the fitting together in such a manner that the complete structure may have greatest possible strength. The methods used vary but they fall into groups acording [sic] to the principles of construction when the connection is a effected entirely by means of the timber fitted together is called a joint most commonly however the joint is strengthened & secured by bolts, iron straps, screws, nails, wedges & glue.
Wood Screws for fastening on Composite A/C are nemerious [sic]. They are used to give added strength in making a splice. In securing the skin wether [sic] Ply wood or metal to wood members the holding power is attained by the thread.
It is always necesscary [sic] to bore to some extent for a screw.
A wood screw should be twice the thickness in length at the meterial [sic] being screwed.
They can be obtained varying from 1/4 to 6” & in gauge from & 9 to 26. Heads are eighter [sic] round, countersunk or raised.
To find the gauge of a wood screw measure the diameter of the shank then subtract one 1/32 & the result is in 64 [underlined] ths. [/underlined]
Shank diameter – 3/16
Gauge – 3/16 = 1/32
= 6-1/32 = 5/32 = 10/64 = Screw No 10
When ordering screws the particulars must be given, Length, Type, of Head, Quantity in number
[page break]
ie Doz Gross.
Then screws are made mostly from Steel Brass or Dural.
If the screws are used for securing the skin of Dural or Alclad [sic] to wooder [sic] formers they must be Cadmium [underlined] coated [/underlined]
[underlined] Nails [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Wire.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Round.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Oval
[underlined] 4 [/underlined ] Square varying from 6” downward
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Tacks, small nails made from iron or copper having round flat heads.
Clout nails, iron, large round heads used for securing felt, [deleted] felt [/deleted] sheet metal,
Wire, iron, brass flat heads used for aero carpentery [sic] for securine [sic] gusset peices [sic], ribs etc.
Panel Pins & needle points.
Gimp Pin.
The holding power of nails is friction & grip.
Some nails
cut the fibre & some compress it.
[underlined] Glues [/underlined]
Glue is a very important factor in the construction of modern composite A/C so that the method of repairing it deserves some concederation [sic]. Glue is briefly gelatinous extracts from bones, hide & hornes. [sic]
[deleted] If [/deleted] It has a great affinity for water & will absorb it from the atmosphere, however old it may be.
Fish glue is the strongest & is known as [deleted] soo [/deleted] Scotch.
Cold water glue is made from dried curd of cows milk which is pounded & washed & has a small quantity of lime water.
Care must be taken in complying with the instruction on the tin.
Casein glue is also used on composite A/C
[page break]
[underlined] Composite Repa [inserted] I [/inserted] nces. REPAIRS. [/underlined]
Trailing Edge Repair. )Leading edge repair is cut opposite way.
[drawing showing trailing edge repair cut]
Joints secured by gluing & b [deleted] inding [/deleted] [inserted] ound [/inserted] with [deleted] 2 1/2 “ Brass [underlined] Brads. [/deleted] Egypitian [sic] [/underlined] Tape. EGYPTIAN.
[underlined] Ply Wood Patches. [/underlined]
Ply Frame glued to underside of skin.
[drawing showing location of wood screws]
[Fig 1 & Fig 2 drawings]
Sequence of Operation.
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Mark out on a straight & true surface a line 5 7 1/3”, scribe [deleted] & true [/deleted] an arc of that radius & on it mark the number of degrees in inches [example 3 o 9 = 3 3/20]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Select & clean a straight piece of timber, quarter cut, & true up to size of board required.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Transfer the angle obtained in Fig [underlined] 1 [/underlined] on to timber to be used allowing enough timber to be left on for strength, cut off waste, [Fig 2 (A)]
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Fix a locating peg arc on Front of incidence board.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Place incidence board in position on plane to obtain length of pegs which must rest on centre of spars. The lengths are obtained by getting edge of board parallel with the chord line.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] his board is used in conjunction with ordinary spirit length resting on board at point A1
[underlined] Plywood [/underlined]
Methods of Manufacture & [underlined] Preservation. [/underlined]
Built up of layers (or veneers)
[underlined] Methods of Cutting Veneers. [/underlined]
[underlined] I [/underlined] Rotary cut.
[underlined] II [/underlined] Knife Cut. (Slicing)
[underlined] III [/underlined] Saw Cut.
[underlined] I [/underlined] The Rotary Cut.
Log revolves against stationery knife.
[underlined] II [/underlined] Saw Cut.
Cut with a special type of circular saw.
[underlined] III [/underlined] Knife Cut.
Log is squared up & fastened to a base plate which moves forward & downwards.
Thickness of Plywoods.
[underlined] 1/16 & 1mm. [/underlined]
[underlined] Types of Plywoods. [/underlined]
a) Three Ply [3 ply]
B) Multi Ply [When 3 or more veneers are used.]
[underlined] Veneers. [/underlined]
[deleted] Is [/deleted] [inserted] ARE [/inserted] glued together with grains at different angles. [deleted] are dried to r [/deleted]
Veneers are dried to moisture content by 10%.
Glue is spread on two faced layers above & below the top of middle layers.
Preservation of Plywood.
When stored seal edges with parrafin [sic] wax to stop any
[page break]
moisture getting in or out.
Inspect at periods.
Storeroom must be well ventilated and even temperature kept.
Stack flat & weigh surface.
[underlined] Repair Schemes [/underlined]
See that correct thickness & quality is obtained.
Faults to look for in
[underlined] Plywood [/underlined]
A) Blisters.
B) Wrin [deleted] c [/deleted] [inserted] k [/inserted] les.
C) Ply Seperation [sic] &
D) Decay.
[underlined] Spruce. [/underlined]
Lightness with strength straight grain.
[underlined] Ash [/underlined]
Strong, tough & elestic [sic]
[underlined] Mahogany & Walnut [/underlined]
Strong, hard,
& straight grained.
Minimium [sic] shrinkage & has glue retaining qualities.
[underlined] Steam Bending [/underlined]
Used where continious [sic] curves of fibres is required; sometimes used for longerons,[sic] wing tips, etc. Ash generally used.
[underlined] Methods [/underlined]
Meterial [sic] is placed in steam chest to soften fibre. Duration of steaming depends on size of meterial [sic] & nature of bend.
Temperature of chest not to exceed 220 o. After steaming, work is placed in a gig.
[underlined] Laminated Components [/underlined]
Built up components are often used for wing tips bends.
They are stronger & less liable
[page break]
to alter shape.
[underlined] Types of Wood Spars. [/underlined]
[Ref. Form 1107]
[underlined] I [/underlined] Solid Spindle
[underlined] II [/underlined] Laminated Spindle
[underlined] III [/underlined] Box.
[underlined] Spars. [/underlined]
Tests for truth
Similar to iron spars.
Examination of wooden components.
Causes of any trouble
[underlined] I [/underlined] Slack wires & shrinkage
[underlined] II [/underlined] Plywood Sagging
[underlined] III [/underlined] Compression Ribs shakes I look for cracks in varnish or dope.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Crushing of fibre (overtightining [sic] of bolts etc.
Exercise II
[underlined] EXERSISE II [/underlined]
[drawing of broken rib]
Skin Ply & Stringers Brocken [sic]
[underlined] Top of ply [/underlined]
Feathered Edge
Damaged Panel to be cut out to edges of reinforcing strip and rib Booms, and new stringers fitted flush with the origonal [sic] skin.
[page break]
[underlined] EXERCIZE [sic] 2 [/underlined]
Repair to skin Plywood where trimmed hole does not exceed 4” x 4”
[drawing of damaged ply]
New Plywood Patch cut to shape at trimmed hole & inlaid & glued to margin of split patch
[underlined] EXERSIZE [sic] 4 Leading edge Ply Repair. [/underlined]
[2 drawings showing patches]
Hole to be trimmed with 3/16” R at corner and split Patch inserted.
Then glue and screw stiffeners as b [inserted] e [/inserted] low.
[2 drawings showing screws & spruce stiffener]
[page break]
[underlined] EXERSIZE [sic] 5 ) Leading edge Ply Repair. New Panel to be inlaid
[3 drawings showing damaged panel]
Damaged Panel to be cut out & new stringers fitted flush with origonal [sic] skin & new panel fitted flush with the origonal [sic] skin, glued & bradded to spar
[signature 15/6/34]
[underlined] Standard Type Rib. Stringing. [/underlined]
Knots are 3” apart. Double knot to start & finish, also one every 18”
Egyptian tape reinforcement for stringing.
Stringing cord, braided, beeswaxed.
[underlined] Reason for stringing. [/underlined]
To prevent ballooning of cover.
Preserve the aerofoil shape.
Means of attachment of fibre cover at the ribs.
[underlined] Linen fabric plain. [/underlined]
Unbleached, thus retaining its strength
[weft drawing]
YARNS
CROSSEWRISE
WEFT
INTERSTICKS.
[page break]
[underlined] Woods Patent Inspection Ports. [/underlined]
Celluloid frames stuck down by means of red dope
[drawing of celluloid frame]
[underlined] Hand closing or locking stitch [/underlined]
Approx. 8 stitches to the 1”. Double lock to start & finish, als [sic] one every 6”
Maddapollam cotton bleached fibre for use over plywood.
Glued or doped into position. Fibre plain, if a paint finish it must be washed.
[underlined] METAL REPAIRS
THE GORDON FUSELAGE. [/underlined]
The construction of this Fuselage is made of cold rolled steel tube of a tensile strength of 50 Tons per square inch. The secondry [sic] structure is of Duralumin & aluminium. The members of the Fuselage. [underlined] am. [/underlined] The engine ring, [deleted] cross [/deleted] front & rear cross transverse members, Pilots & Observers ring & the Stern Post.
When damaged these are replaced & [underlined] NOT [/underlined] repaired the joints being secured with AGS spares such as Spool joints. etc. These are welded into position & are all in direct avail loading.
The engine ring is a welded steel tube to which are welded [underlined] 21 [/underlined] phosphos [sic] Bronze lugs to which engine is bolted. The catipult [sic] members are of low carbon nickel chrome ste [inserted] e [/inserted] l [deleted] l [/deleted] with a tensile strength of 85 to 100 Tons per square inc.
This Fuselage is
[page break]
made up of Longerons (Top & Bottom), Side Struts, Compression Struts, R.A.F. cross bracing wires.
The Fuselage is divided into 4 sections, Front – (Engine & Fuel), Second for Pilot, Third Observer, Fo [inserted] u [/inserted] rth, rear portion for load.
When examining for damage it must be carried out systemmetrically [sic] being sometimes necessary with a magnyfying [sic] glass. Then classify the damage
[deleted] For damage [/deleted]
For tubes 1” or less .050 = 1/20 + 18
O/D or over .20 = 1/50 [underlined] NOT [/underlined] repair.
Minor :-
.150 x Dia. Length .700 x D14
By Patching
Major
Replacments [sic]. Insuration [sic] or sleves [sic].
[underlined] EXAMINATION FOR DAMAGE. [/underlined]
[2 drawings of how to examine for damage]
[underlined] The aximation [sic] of a Major damage. [/underlined]
Clean all damaged parts & rub down with emery cloth, then clean with paraffin & wipe dry, then smear defected parts with oil & wipe dry.
With a mixture of French chalk & methalated [sic] spirit, paint the damaged with the mixture. Should a crack or fracture be in the fuselage or damaged part the oil will seap [sic] through the French chalk.
This portion will then be cut away & repaired by inserting a new length & secured by two new sleves [sic].
[underlined] Negilable [sic] Damage [/underlined]
Small a smoth [sic] dents without
[page break]
sharp corners need not be repaired providing hey are not in the middle thirds of the length between the joint & do not exceed the following depth :-
For Tubes of 1” O/D or U less [deleted] than [/deleted] .150
“ “ “ 1 1/8 “ “ or more .020
[underlined] Minor Repair. [/underlined]
These are repairable by patching. Dents of the following dimensions may be repaired.
Tubes of 1” or more, Depth .150 of the diam, Length .700. Width 15 of the circumference.
[underlined] Major Damage. [/underlined]
Repair by inseration [sic] or sleeving. Damage in excess of the above dimensions may be repaired by cutting away [underlined] part of [/underlined] damaged part of tube & inserting a new section in place.
Thes [sic] are secured by 2 sle [inserted] e [/inserted] ves & are pinned at each end.
After repair the tube must be [deleted] secured [/deleted] checked for straightness
[underlined] Formula for Head of Rivet. [/underlined]
M.S.T. Snap H 1 . 6 ‘ & 1.75 x Dia
S.S.T. “ “ 1.25 x ‘ ‘
Alm & Dural 1 . 6 & 1.75 x ‘ ‘
M.S.(T) .5 x ‘ ‘
[2 drawings showing direct axial loading]
[underlined] Sleeving Gauges. [/underlined]
The best sleeving fits are obtained with tubes of 17 standard wire gauge and 22 standard wire gauge.
The gauges allow the necessary clearance for sliding fit. The 17 S.W.G. has a wall thickness of 1/16 & the 22 S.W.G has a thickness of 1/32.
The general rule is that tubes to be sleeved should be sleeved with sleeve of the same thickness but never with a thinner gauge but all tubes of 11/8” outside diam [sic] must be sleeved with M.S. wire gauge.
[underlined] The Identification of Metals[/underlined]
Bars, Tubes & sheet metal not marked by identification colour must not be used for repairing purposes.
The identification colour will be painted on the tube or bar. The colour for sheet metal will be painted across the surface.
Tubes are stove enameled [sic] & the colour painted at each end.
[drawing captioned in red ‘Jury Rigging 22 May 1939 with a signature]
[page break]
[underlined] THE HAWKER HART FUSELAGE. [/underlined]
An all metal construction & for the greater part consists of cold [deleted] rolled [/deleted] drawn seamless steel tube of a tensile strength of 50 Tons per square inch.
The rear, side & compression struts are made of Dural tube (T4), tensile strength of 25 to 28 Tons per square inch. Stern Post & Frame are made of cold drawn seamless steel tube of a tensile strength of 38 tons per square inch. The longerons & struts are cut to length according to the specification on the drawing (BP)
These longerons & struts are again cold rolled to a size & shape at the required positioning which form points of attachments which make a [deleted] varying [/deleted] bearing
Surface for the 2 “SS” (Nickel Chrome) side plates for securing the Longerons & struts into position & held by “HT” steel furrels [sic] & M Steel Tubular rivet snapped over “HT” steel bolts and castle nuts & split pins
In event of damage the fuselage must be cleaned & wiped dry & all damage to members must be subjected to a critical examination.
When a fracture or crack in any of the members which cannot clearly be seen the following method must be used (Same method used as on Fairey Gordon).
[underlined] Negligible Damage. [/underlined]
The bow in a Fuselage member must not exceed 1 in 600 ([deleted] 1020 per ft [/deleted] .020 per ft). The Bow limit for an axle must not exceed 1 in 100 [deleted] (1000 per ft) [/deleted]A smooth dent without cracks or sharp edges are not repaired providing they not in the middle third. The length being measured between the joints.
The dents must not be 1/30 of the O/D of the strut for Dural & 1/30 O/D for steel tubes.
[underlined] Minor Damage. [/underlined]
[underlined] Repairable by Patching. [/underlined]
If the dent does not exceed 1/8 of the O/D of the tube in the outer thirds of any members a repair by patching which is composed of
[page break]
2 half round SS flange plates (DTD 166) are secured together with 4 DA & nuts, care being taken that the dents are under the flange. The patch finally being secured by drilling through the plates & member & fitting HT steel [deleted] furse [/deleted] ferruls [sic] and M.S.T rivets snapped over.
[underlined] Major Damage. [/underlined]
[underlined] By Sleeving or Inserations. [sic] [/underlined]
Should the damage be in such a position & in excess of the Diam [sic] already given in minor repair the damage is cut out & a new piece of tubing of the same Diam [sic] and specification using standard sleeves for securing each end by drilling & reaming & fitting RAF taper pins (1 in 48).
[underlined] Damage that needs replacement. [/underlined]
Any tube so badly damaged that it cannot be repaired must be replaced & it is assential [sic] to ensure that the replacements are in accordance with the drawing (BP) and specification.
[underlined] Jury Rigging. [/underlined]
In carrying out repairs suitable jury rigging must be applied to prevent distortion of the Fuselage when the damaged part is being moved. It must be carefully noted that when cutting out damaged portion the stub ends of the damaged members must be in the outer thirds & long enough to take the half length of sleeve
[underlined] Minor Repair [/underlined
[drawing showing Patch Plate. Note adjacent to drawing ‘This sketch is not complete’]
[page break]
[underlined] Replacements [/underlined]
When fitting a new member it is essential that rolling the the squares or rectangular shapes or the parts of the member which are secured by 2 SS side plates by HT steel [deleted] plates [/deleted] bolts & nuts & HT steel ferrules & MS tubular rivets snapped over. As the members are of various dimensions the forming of their respective sizes are signed to the pair of rolls & a number
The top roll is so fitted that it is adjusted in a sliding bracket & is operated by a screw the screw pressure being gradually applied forms the size and shape.
[unfinished sketch showing this technique]
[underlined] HAWKER TYPE [/underlined]
[unfinished sketch showing tubular joints] [on the page in a different hand 31 may 1939 and initials]
[page break]
[underlined] IIII TERM RAF Maintenance System [/underlined]
To every type of machine there is a set of APs for the guidance of all personel [sic] who may be detailed to work on it. The APs are divided into volumes & parts in the following way:-
[sketch showing the layout of the Air Publications for Nimrod AP 1426A]
[underlined] Handbook (Vol I of AP [/underlined]
Contains all particulars about the type of Machine, type of construction, rigging position, how to true up etc.
[underlined] General Orders & Modifications (Part I of Vol II) [/underlined]
Contains all particulars regarding modifications which are brought about periodically, how to carry out the work, parts to remove & replace etc.
[underlined] Maintenance Schedule (Part II of Vol II) [/underlined]
Contains the sequence of inspections, how to inspect a machine for defects. This is the only inspection for a machine under normal conditions. When this book is altered by Squadron Commander to cover local flying conditions it is then called “[deleted] W [/deleted[ [inserted] U [/inserted] M.O’s” Part II &I
[underlined] Repair Scheme (Part III of Vol II.) [/underlined]
This explains exactly how to carry out a repair on any part of the A/C & how to classify any damage.
[underlined] Schedule of Spares Vol III)
Contains a complete [inserted] list [/inserted] of all the parts that go to make the A/C with the stores reference & part number.
[underlined] Unit Maintenance Orders. [/underlined]
These are divided into two parts,
[underlined] U.M.Os Part I. [/underlined] These are issued by the Station Commander & contain the allotment of duties for the various people working on the unit to ensure the high efficient working of the station. It also contains the use of the Form 700 & how maintenance should be conducted throughout the station.
[underlined] U.M.Os (Part II. [/underlined]
These orders issued by the Station commander consists of the maintenance
[page break]
schedule (Part II Vol II) amplified [deleted] f [/deleted] or amendin [deleted]g [/deleted] [inserted] g [/inserted] to suit local flying conditions.
[underlined] AP 1086 Stores Vocabulary of the RAF. [/underlined]
It contains reference nos & part numbers of all [deleted] all [/deleted] general [deleted] l [/deleted] stores. All stores have a class letter to denote what should be done with them after use when worn out.
“A” Stores is makers exchange.
“B” Stores is Unit exchange.
“C” Stores is Consumable stores.
When either “A” or “B” stores are being replaced, they must be returned to stores before the new part is issued & the voucher used for this transaction is the form 637 Exchange Voucher. [underlined] (Black Print.) [/underlined]
[underlined] AP 1464 Engineering Manual (R.A.F). [/underlined]
Contains all types of engineering used for the service, of course engineering regarding any A/C is contained in its handbook. AP 1464 is divided into 2 Vols which are sub divided into parts in alphabetical order.
[underlined] Part D Vol II [/underlined]
Deals with the maintenance of aircraft in flights, such as the size of the locking wire in turnbuckles, types of lubricant to be use & how to take up wheels etc.
[underlined] AP 1574 Aeroplane Maintenance Regulations [/underlined]
Contains regulations laid down by AM governing the maintenance of aeroplane throughout its service.
[underlined] AP 1107 Rigging Manual (R.A.F) [/underlined]
Forms of publications carried in a machine when on cross country flight.
1. Handbook (Vol I of Aps).
2. U.M.Os Part 2 Maintenance schedules
3. Repair Scheme (Part II of Vol II)
4. Form 700 (Travelling copy)
5.Form 171 forced landing report)
These forms are carried on A/C to assist the personel. [sic]
[underlined] Flight Desk. [/underlined]
Contains all necessary orders, Aps Repair Schemes, Watch etc.
[underlined] Serviceability board. [/underlined]
This is a board to protect F700 & A/C Maintenance Form fitted with a flap & indicator whether machine is Serviceable or unserviceable. Posted inside are the instructions for use of the F700. This board is hung in a
[page break]
Prominent position on the A/C when on the ground & hung on a roller at the Flight Desk when machine is in the air.
[underlined] form 79 Daily flight book. [/underlined]
The flight commander makes this form out each day detailing each A/C & pilot & crew.
[underlined] Inspections [/underlined]
Each initial equipment of an aeroplane must be normally inspected .
1. Daily
2. Between Flights.
3. Periodically at intervals of 10, 20, 40 and 120 hours of flight.
An aeroplane must be placed U/S by an NCO I/C Flight for all periodical inspections. Each inspection is divided into groups.
[table of groups]
[underlined] Daily Inspections. [/underlined]
After a D/I an aircraft may be considered as serviceable to fly for 24 hours unless:-
1. A defect is reported.
2. A M/C becomes due for a periodical inspection.
3. If the A/C is carrying out night flying.
4. If the A/C is not flying D/Is can be waivered up to a period of 1 week by the authority of the Flight Commander. An inspection being done at least once a week.
[underlined] Between Flight Inspections. [/underlined]
This is not recorded in the F700 except for capacity of fuel, oil & water before carrying out BF/I the F700 must be examined for any reorts.
[underlined] Periodical inspections. [/underlined
[table showing periodicity and definitions of inspections]
[page break]
[table showing sequence of inspections as a/c flies]
[underlined] Periodical Inspection [/underlined
This may be delayed 2 hours each way on a Minor (10, 20, 400 and 10 hours on a Major (120). The delay of a minor inspection does not affect the time atn which the minor is due e.g. Should a 10 hr inspection be carried out on a M/C after it has flown 2 hours the next inspection will fall due at 12 hrs but on the other hand if that 10 hr inspection had been carried out after the M/C had flown12 hrs then it would only have 8 hrs to go to the next 20 hr inspection.
Directly a Major servicing has been carried out sequence starts again so that first major was carried out & the larger inspection includes all the work [deleted] layed [/deleted] [inserted] laid [/inserted] down [inserted] in the smaller inspections [/inserted]
If an extension of 10 hrs is required on a Major the 10 hr must be carried out before the extension is granted.
[underlined] Check Inspection [/underlined]
These are carried out by an NCO i/c [deleted] Flight [/deleted] [inserted] Trade [/inserted] & are done in any order & at any time but they must completely cover one set of DI groups & checks in one month on a periodical inspection they must completely [inserted] cover [/inserted] one set of 10, 20 & 40 hr inspections.
Pilots carry out one DI & one check per wk & one or two checks 10, 20 or 40 hr inspection groups before the next 120 hr inspection.
[page break]
[underlined]Aeroplane Maintenance Form F700 [initials and a date 15/6/39][/underlined]
This form is designed to obtain an [sic] history of the M/C & the signatures of personel [sic] that work on it for a certain period of its life. The duration of that period is layed [sic] down by CO of the station in U.M.O (Part I)
[underlined]Front Page.
Change of Serviceability & Repair Log[/underlined]
A M/C can be made U/S by any responsible person filling in columns 1, 2, 3, 4 & 6 the M/C can only be made S again by the signatures of either the Flight C or NCO I/C Flight (Pilot column 14)
The serial number [deleted] bare for [/deleted][inserted] of [/inserted]a repair is the number of repairs done since new. If an extension of flying time is required beyond the time an inspection is due authority in red ink must be obtained on this page, hour [inserted] s of [/inserted] extension in column 9 & signature of person giving extension. (Column 14) A pilot making a report of the flying affects of his M/C do so on this page but will enter word “S” (Column 9)
[underlined] Middle Page [/underlined]
Headings of this page are filled in by NCO I/C Flight before issue. The serial number of F700 is the number of period the M/C has been in it.
[underlined] Daily Inspection Certificate [/underlined]
All tradesmen completing DI on the machine signs it in the appropriate column of this page.
[underlined] Auxulary [sic] Power Unit [/underline]
All Auto controls is the robot. Condition of the tanks must be stated prior to each trip signified & the Pilot will sign each trip signifying he knows the condition of the tanks. Should a tradesman be releived [sic] for a period under 24 hrs a note is made by NCO I/C Flight in DI certificate but should the releif [sic] be over 24 hrs the releifs [sic] name is entered in the head of this page & initialled by the Flight Commander.
[underlined] Back Page
Periodical Inspection Certificate. [/underlined]
If a periodical inspection has been completely done by a tradesman he will sign for that periodical inspection by initialing [sic column 6 & NCO I/C Flight to carry on checks & fill in columns 7, 8, & 9. Minor Periodicals may be carried
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Out by groups & if an inspection is not completed, groups done are placed in Column 7 drawing dioganal [sic] lines through column 8 & 9.
[underlined] Travelling Form 700 [/underlined]
This is an ordinary F700 placed in the M/C when it is on a country flight. That is to say sending the origonil [sic] which may be lost if the M/C crashes. On return of the M/C the particulars are entered into the origonal [sic] form from the travelling copy & certified by the pilot. All entries on F700 should be in made in ink & any alterations in red ink and initialled. At the end of each period the entries of the F700 must be copied in the log book F700 is then signed by the pilot, NCO I/C Flight 7 Flight Commander at the bottom of the front page. It is then filed for 2 years.
[underlined] F700 M (Multi Engine)
Between Flight Inspections [/underlined]
See any reports on F700. See that detachments are secure & tyre pressure normal.
C/O. Examine all parts & see that loose articles are securely fastened, clean windscreen.
[underlined] Note [/underlined] If a M/C has been standing for a long period the windscreen must be protected from strong sun.
F/U Examine all panels.
T/A Examine tail wheel or skid.
P/L Examine Interplane bracing wires.
A/S Examine Airscrew for cracks.
G/E Make entries for condition of tanks on F700 & get pilot to sign before taking off.
[underlined] DI. [/underlined]
See any reports on F700 & U/C
1. Clean & examine joint and end of axle
2. Examine U/C bracing wires.[underlined] Note [/underlined] if slack find the reason before tightening
3. Examine all attachments & tyre pressure [underlined] Note [/underlined] small cracks in outer cover not U/S. Only pin holes in inner tube may be repaired by patching.
4. Check oleo legs. Rock wing tip to see they don’t stick.
C/O 1. Examine all controls & see that they move freely & in the right direction & that the C/C is not fouled by other controls.
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2. Check the trimming flaps & se [sic] that instruments are giving the correct readings.
3. Examine the fire extinguisher. (for quick release)
4. Check the windscreens. [underlined] Note [/underlined] If cracked a temporary measure is to give the crack a coat of thin varnish.
5. See that instruments are not damaged
6. See that all loose [deleted] instruments [/deleted] articles are secured.
F/U Examine fabric panels.
C/a1. Inspect tail, rudder & fin for damage.
2. Check attachment rods.
3. Check bracing wires & struts.
4. Check tail skid & shoe or wheel.
5. Check security of control surfaces.
P/L 1. Check M/P fabric.
2. Check M/P interplane bracing wires.
A/S 1. Examine airscrew for cracks.
G/E 1. See that all panels are secure.
2. Keep A/C clean. Do not wash with petrol
3. make necessary entries in F700
[underlined] 10 HR Inspection [/underlined]
This inspection comprises chiefly of lubrication A chart will be found in the hand book Vol 1
[underlined] Lubrication of Airframe [/underlined]
Types of lubrication
[table of grease and oils and their uses]
U/C. See that there is no excess of slackness on the wheels. [underlined] Note [/underlined] Any play on wheels can be taken up by fitting shims. Maximum number allowed 5. Un braked wheel fit shim on the outside. Breaked [sic] wheel fit alternately first on the outside.
[underlined] See that all [/underlined] fairings on the struts & oleo legs are not damaged. Lubricate all moveable parts [underline] Note [/underlined] Do not overoil the brakes.
C/O 1. Inspect all controls for frays at the
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Fairleads & pulleys.
2. Test C/C & rudder bar for play at the bearings.
3. Lubricate all movable parts.
F/U 1. Inspect all bearings of tanks & see that all bracing wires in these bays are secure.
T/A 1. Examine fittings of the rear bay of the fuselage for damage see that the bracing wires are in tension. Check all the levers at the king post for security
2. Lubricate all movable parts.
P/L 1. Examine ailerons for security.
2. Examine the interplane struts & attachments. [underlined] Note [/underlined] limit of bow for struts 1 in 600
A/S & GE same as for DI.
[underlined] 20 HR Inspection [/underlined]
A/C 1. Jack up U/C 7 remove the wheels & inspect the axle ends and fittings for damage.
2. See that the brake shoes were clean & free from oil.
3. inspect wheels for corrosion & see that the hub nuts are tight. [underlined] Note [/underlined] If the spokes are loose change wheel
4. Check tyre pressure with gauge
5. [underlined] Brakes Hydraulic. [/underlined]
Replenish resuvoir [sic] & check for leaks.
6. Try the brakes for correct operation & see that the shoes are not rubbing when in off position.
[underlined] Defects with Palmer Brakes. [/underlined]
A. If on compression oil rises in the resuvoir [sic] this denotes faulty return valve.
B. The brakes should be hard on about 2/3 of pedal travel & if they feel spongy this denotes an air lock. (Reprime) [underlined] Note [/underlined] use oil brake [sic] operating only (Anti freeze type “A”)
C. Examine axle and bracings limit for axle bow 1 in 100 in a strut 1 in 600.
C/O 1. Check windscreen.
F/U 1. Inspect controls in the rear bay for frays at the fairleads & pulleys.
T/A Examine actuating screw for damage
P/L 1. See that the interplane bracings wires are free from corrosion. [underlined] Note [/underlined] Clean only with paraffin and wipe dry & to reprotect [sic] give coat of varnish or lanoline.
2. Check Air speed indicator & pipe lines for leaks [underlined] Note [/underlined] Roll a piece of rubber tube unto [sic] pressure head & watch instrument.
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3. Inspect all controls & Main planes
A/S & G/E same as for 10 hr DI
[underlined] 40 HR Inspection [/underlined]
U/C Check alignment of complete U/C either trammel cross bracing wires or make diagonal & side checks.
C/O 1. See that the levers at the elevator control transveverse [sic] shaft in the cockpit are securely attached to the bar.
2. Remove and examine the fire extinguisher seal.
F/U 1. Open the fuselage cover & inspect all fittings, struts, wires & longerons & controls for cracks, corrosion, bowing & fraying. Limit of bow for fuselage member 1 in 500.
2. Inspect all stringers.
3. Inspect the Engine bearers & Engine mountings members for damage & corrosion
4. Inspect all removeable panels & doors [underlined] Note [/underlined] If Fleet Air Arm M/C examine the catapult struts, arrestor gear & flotation bags.
F/A Ascertain by external inspection that no internal cross bracing wires are loose or broken.
P/L 1. Examine the ribs and internal cross bracing wires
2. Inspect interplane struts for bow. Limit 1 in 600.
3. Inspect leading & trailing edges.
4. inspect any tanks in C/s or M/P for security & corrosion.
A/S 1. Examine the airscrew for fractures at the boss & in the region of the bolt holes.
2. Check airscrew for static balance.
G/E If Fleet Air Arm M/C test all collapseable [sic] dignies [sic] for leaks. Test all C/O 2 bottles by weighing & test all connections.
[underlined] 120 HR Inspection. [/underlined]
U/C 1. Remove and inspect all the attachment bolts
2. Inspect the oleo legs & shock obsorber [sic] for deteration [sic]
T/A 1. Remove & inspect all the attachment bolts on the tail [deleted] bolts [/deleted] bolts.
2. Inspect tail skid & shock osorber [sic]
P/L Inspect root attachment bolts & fittings
G/E Carry out complete check of the rigging of the fuselage.
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[underlined] Renewing a Control Cable. [/underlined]
A. Splice end of cable or drum.
B. Measure length cable required & allow sufficient for splice. Bind 11/4” back, cut out 4 strands & allow the remaining 3 to fray out.
C. On condemmed [sic] cable 11/2” back cut off old splice, cut out 4 strands & allow other 3 to fray out.
D. Bind frayed edge together with thread & draw new cable through pulleys & fairleads withdrawing old cable.
E. Set C/C neutral & turnbuckles half travel & cut length of splice.
F. Splice to eye end, split pin shackles and inspect.
[underlined]Inspection of Streamlined wire.[/underlined]
(AP1464) During inspection of streamlined wires tie rods, particular attension [sic] should be given to the portion of the wire under the identification tab as this is a likely place for corrosion. The tab should be moved along the wire for a short distance to facilitate inspection but great care should be taken to avoid damaging the cadmium plating on the wire.
Corrosion on the wire or rods must be removed with paraffin rag before the final application of the approved protective coating adopting by the command. The tabs should be replace on a new portion of the wire while the protective coating is wet & a liberal quantity of the protective introduced under the tab.
[underlined] Modifacations [sic] [/underlined]
“A” modification. Carried out by the makers before the A/C is accepted into service.
“B” Service.
Class 1. Immedeietely [sic] on receipt of parts.
Class 2. At first convient [sic] oppurtunity [sic] & not later than next 40hr inspection after receipt of parts.
Class 3. At first convient[sic] oppurtunity [sic] not less than the next 140 hr inspection.
Class 4. At first convient [sic] oppurtunity [sic] not less than the next complete overhaul (4804)
Class 5. When existing parts become U/S.
Class 6. At first convient [sic] opportunity [sic] on receipt of item of equipment to be installed. Will apply normaly [sic] to modifacations [sic] which are to be embodied when a new item of equipment is issiued [sic] either initially or in replacement of an earlyier [sic] type with which it is not strictly interchangeable.
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[underlined] Inspection after a bad landing. [/underlined]
1. Jack up under F/U untill [sic] wheels are free from the ground
2. Remove wheels and examine wheels & brakes.
3. Check U/C struts for straightness. Renew if bowed or damaged & inspect all points of attachments bolts & pins for partial shear & holes for elongation.
4. Disconnect oleo leg at lower end & check for alignment.
5. Remove tail wheel or skid assembly. Examine for distortion & excessive play & inspect the structure at the point of attachment & along those members of the frame through which loads are distributed. Set F/U in rigging position & check all rigging dimensions.
6. Remove all inspection covers & check internal cross bracing wires. If these are very carry out further inspections of internal fittings, spars & attachment points. Never tighten bracing wires until the cause of the slackness has been discovered.
7. Unlace F/U bag & examine internal structure for damage to longerons, struts, fairings & bracing wires.
8. Inspect all controls. If the A/C is fitted with folding wings they must be tested for correct folding & an examination made of attachments & locking arrangements.
9. Should the wing tip come into contact heavily wit the ground examine the points where interplane struts are attached to the wing.
Carefully inspect rear spar & aileron attachments also the wing root fittings, if the fabric is puckered the components affected must be opened up & checked internally, also the spars carefully inspected for fractures i.e. splitting, crushing, compression shakes. It is most important that a systematic inspection be carried out after a bad landing & to emphasise the importance of the fact it must be remembered that the load on the bottom plane spars may been transferred by the struts & bracing wires to the upper plane spars & by virtue of the lift wires may have given compressive stresses to those members. These stresses can again have been
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Reduced or increased by the tension in the front & compression on the rear spars caused by the drag component of the force applied by [deleted] the [/deleted] meeting the ground or any other obstacles.
It should be realised that damage may occur in a region remote from the point f contact especially in the locality at the wing cellule & also the anchorages of points carrying concentrated loads e.g. petrol tanks, engine mountings. etc.
[underlined] Handling Aircraft. [/underlined]
When an A/C is being moved one man will supervise & direct operations.
Care must be taken to see that no damage is caused to the aircraft.
The tail of the A/C must only be lifted at the points marked by the makers, normally under the vertical strut of the F/U. Before attempting to lift the tail of an A/C see that there are no trestles, ladders or platforms in the way & that the A/C is in the horizontal position. Care must be taken to see that the A/C does not overbalance.
The U/C must be moved by pressure on the base of the interplane struts & solid parts of the U/C & not the leading or trailing edges of planes or fairings.
A/C not fitted with tail [inserted] wheels [/inserted] should be moved in & out of hangar [sic] by means of a tail trolley care being taken to prevent wing tips striking doors.
One man should be stationed at each wing tip to guide and steady the wings & one at the tail to work the tail trolley.
Whenever possible A/C must be moved tail first as [inserted] this [/inserted] tends to keep the tail skid on the trolley. When A/C is moved nose first there is a tendency to lift the tail skid off the trolley & tip the A/C onto its nose.
If the A/C must be moved during windy weather the A/C must be lashed. Before an A/C is moved over rough ground the person in charge must inspect
the ground ahead to see that holes or any obstacles may be avoided.
a/c on soft ground may require a track formed of planks layed [sic] on the ground to assist in moving out of the mud unto a track part of the weight may be taken off the wheels by men pressing up and under the main soar directly under the interplane struts with their shoulders.
Nautical terms will be when moving a/c ÷ Ahead, Astern, port, S board, hard to port, hard to S board.
[underlined] To change on a wheel on arodrome [sic] arc under [deleted] first [/deleted] forced landing conditions E inst method [/underlined]
[underlined] Using a screw jack [/underlined]
Place screw jack under axle at base of O leo leg with wood packing blocks between jack & axle. Operate jack untill [sic] wheel is free.
[underlined] Second Method [/underlined] (Using lever jack)
Place jack in front of axle with the hollowed lever part under the axle at base of
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O leo leg, press down on lever untill [sic] wheel leaves ground.
[underlined] Third method [/underlined] (With or without the use of axle trestles.
Raise m/p on one side by lifting under the spars at the outer interplane strats & depress the opposite m/p untill [sic] the wheel is free.
Place axle trestle under axle at base of O leo leg or if no trestles are available continue to support m/p by hand.
[deleted] Chanal [/deleted]
[underlined] Changing O le leg. (Under foregoing conditions) [/underlined]
[underlined] First method [/underlined] (Equipment required).
U/c tail trestles, 2 screw jacks, tail weights, wood packing blocks & planks for soft ground.
Place u/c trestles between O leo legs under the front Fuselage jacking points, raise the tail to get the jacking points as level as possible by supporting tail, place screw jacks on front trestle, one under each jacking point with wood packing blocks between faces at jacks & jacking point, operate jack
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untill [sic] jacks are forced off ground.
Weigh down tail & secure. Planks will then be placed under the trestles if ground is soft.
Make sure jacking is safe before commencing to remove O leo leg.
Second Method
Equipment Required.
As for first method less for 2 screw jacks
Place u/c trestle between oleo legs under the front fuselage jacking points, & pack with wood packing blocks between jack and jacking point with tail [deleted] off [/deleted] [inserted] on [/inserted] the ground.
[deleted] untill [sic] the [/deleted] Raise the tail untill [sic] the weight of the a/c is taken by the packing blocks on the trestles & the wheels are clear if the ground.
Support tail by trestles at the jacking point. Weigh down tail
[underlined] Third Method [/underlined]
[underlined] Equipment Required. [/underlined]
Wing & tail trestle or other suitable supports, planks, tail [deleted] trestles [/deleted] [inserted] weights [/inserted].
Raise wheel off the oleo leg clear off the ground by lifting under the lower m/p spars at the outer interplane
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struts & depress opposite m/p
Place wing trestle under the raised plane at the outer interplane struts using felt packing between top of trestle & plane to avoid damaging the spar & fittings
If [deleted] using [/deleted] [inserted] wing [/inserted] trestles are not adjustable the tail must be raised to level the front & rear spars.
Other suitable supports may be used when trestles are not available.
[underlined] To change Undercarriage [/underlined]
Jack up F/U as described in first & second method in changing ole leg.
To change bottom plane in aerodrome.
Equipment Required.
Rigging trestles, tall steps, flat top 6’ steps, felt covered planks. u/c trestle, tail trestle. tail weights, wheel chocks & planks for soft ground.
Support the a/c as for changing [deleted][indecipherable word][/deleted] u/c, set that the weight is just taken off the wheels at the front jacking point to prevent the a/c from rocking lateraly [sic].
Place trestles or tall steps front & rear of m/ps. place felt covered planks under the top plane the ends
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of the planks being supporting on the trestles or steps & clear of the outer interplane struts
Adjust the plank untill [sic] the top plane is supported. If tall steps or trestles are not available the top plane must be supported by a man standing in steps or other suitable elevation, the oppressed plane being supported under the lower m/p spars at the interplane struts.
To change top Main plane.
[underlined] Equipment required [/underlined]
Wing tip trestles, flat top steps, planks, tail trestles tail weights & u/c trestle.
Support a/c as for [deleted] chant [/deleted] changing u/c except that the weight must be taken just enought [sic] to prevent a/c from rocking.
[underlined] To change top main – plane [/underlined]
[underlined] Equipment Required [/underlined]
Wing tip trestle. flat top steps, planks. Tail trestle, t[inserted]a[/inserted]il [sic] weights & u/c trestle.
Support a/c as for changing u/c except that the weight must be taken just enough to prevent a/c from rocking laterally.
Support the lower m/p placing a trestle under the
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spars of each lower plane at the interplane struts the top of trestles being suitably packed with felt to prevent damage to spar fittings & spars.
[aeroplane diagram]
[underlined] Tyres [/underlined]
The purpose of the aeroplane tyre is to interpose a pneumatic cushion between the ground & the aeroplane & to prevent undue shock being transmitted to the a/c. The successful use if pneumatic
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tyres depends on the maintenance whether the tyres be in service or not.
The correct pressure for the load is the most important.
[underlined] Maintenance [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Excessive wear may be due to the wheels not being in line. (Out of tract)
[underlined] 11 [/underlined] Keep tyres free from oil & grease.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Remove all flints & other sharp objects from the tyre.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Inspect tyres periodically for signs of perishing.
5 If conditions permit cover tyres from strong sun.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Should a/c be stored it should [deleted] it should] [/deleted] be jacked up so that no weight remains on the tyres, if this cannot be done the machine should be moved periodically to ensure a fresh tyre area touching the ground & they should be stored in a dark room.
[underlined] Tyre Pressures [/underlined]
They should always be tested with a tyre guage.
Beaded edge type used with pattern “A” wheels maximum 70 lbs per square
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inch, minimum 60 LBS per square inch, normal 65 LBS per square inch.
Wire edge type used with “B & C” wheels, maximum pressure 60 LBS per square inch, minimum 50 LBS per square inch, normal 55 LBS per square inch.
Low pressure tyres 25 LBS per square inch, medeum [sic] 30 to 35. These pressures are obtained in VOL [underlined] 1 [/underlined] of AP & vary according to the loading of the a/c.
[underlined] Identification of Pipe lines [/underlined]
Red. Fuel. √
Black. Oil. √
Blue. Water. √
Yellow. Air. √
Green. Engine Starting √
Brown. Auto Control √
Grey. Hydraulic Services
[underlined] White. Sychronising [sic] Gear [/underlined]
[underlined] Axle Boons [/underlined]
[underlined] Transverse Horizontal Members [/underlined]
These form part of the u/c of a seaplane Troughs built in the tops or crown of floats being intrical [sic] with main structure at that point & designed to receive
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Axle boons.
[underlined] Aero Structure [/underlined]
[underlined] Equipment Required [/underlined]
[underlined] I [/underlined] One set of type “A” or type “B” sheerlegs.
[underlined] II[/underlined] Airscrew extracting tool
[underlined] III [/underlined] Trestles.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Fitters & Riggers Tool kits.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] H and saws. Ropes + padded packing peices [sic].
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Engine, Cockpit & Airscrew Covers.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Electric hand lamp with portable accumalator [sic] or hand torcks.
[underlined] 8 [/underlined] Empty petrol tins for salving petrol.
[underlined] 9 [/underlined] Timber as required.
[underlined] 10 [/underlined] Tentage. rations. blankets. etc.
[underlined] 11 [/underlined] Lorries & flat top trailer.
[underlined] 12 [/underlined] First Aid Box.
[underlined] 13 [underlined] Picks & Shovels.
The heavy type of sheer legs (Type “A”) lift 2 1/2 TONS to a height of 15’
Type “B” sheer legs will lift 100 LBS to a height if 20’
The weight lifted must never exceed more than 3/4 of the weight marked on the sheer legs.
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On seeing an a/c crash the first & most important thing to do is as follows:-
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Prevention of fire.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Prevention of injury to personel [sic].
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] “ “ [Prevention of] damage to Air Ministry Property.
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Prevention of damage to Third Party.
[underlined] Piqueting down an Aircraft [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Find a sheltered spot such as a haystack, hedge or house.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Place the machine nose into wind to the leeward side of the shelter.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Chock the wheels fore & aft & place tail skid on a flat board or stone
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Climb into cockpit & ascertain that [underlined] all [/underlined] switches are in the off position, lash c/c & rudder bar & wind actuation gear wheel fully back.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Cover cockpit & place a/c in the horizontal position & cover it if it is a wooden airscew [sic].
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Drain off water if there is a lekilihood [sic] of frost if it does not contain Anti Freeze mixture.
[underlined] 7 [/underlined] Screw in piqueting screw fore of the m/p pass the rope through the
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ring to the screw aft of the m/p.
The correct angle is 45o for the screws.
[underlined] 8 [/underlined] Screw down tail skid with 2 screws on each side.
The angle is 30o on each side of the rudder.
[underlined] 9 [/underlined] Next toggle all control surfaces making sure that the toggles are secure & are not slack in any way.
[underlined] 10 [/underlined] A responsible guard must be found such as a po[deleted]el[/deleted][inserted]lic[/inserted]eman, coastguard or any person serving in the Navy or Army.
If the a/c has made a forced landing on sand the former method of piqueting will be of no use.
Plenty of sacks will be needed which will be 8 parts filled with sand. The piqueting rope will then be tied around the middle of the sack through the piqueting ring I & then tied to another sand bag where the piqueting screws would normaly [sic] be
The sacks will then be buried with sand or stones
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The petat tube, venturi head & all engine inlets & outlets [symbol] must be covered to prevent sand from blowing into them.
If the machine has been forced down on frozen ground & it has to be piqueted down plenty of sacks will be necescary [sic].
These will be 3/4 filled with lumps of frozen earth, stones etc the same method carryied [sic] out as in the preceeding one.
If a machine has been forced down on snow & has to be piqueted down plenty of sacks will be needed.
These will be 3/4 filled with snow & buried where the piqueting would normaly [sic] be & the ropes attached as before.
Snow will then be heaped up around the sacks & melted with a blowlamp. then beaten down.
This proceedure [sic] will be carried out untill [sic] it is strong enough to hold the machine
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[Night flying diagrams]
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[underlined] Airial [sic] Lighthouses [/underlined]
These will be held on a certain station. their function is to indicate a pre determined position which may or may not be an aerodrome.
They are portable & mounted on a standard trailer & they will flash a white characteristic normally visible for about 60 miles.
[underlined] Portable Landmarks or (Aerodrome) Beacons [/underlined]
These flash a red characteristic & are supplied to all aerodromes & indicate a landing ground.
They are normally connected to station electric supply with a control situated in the watch office.
[underlined] Aerodrome Beacons [/underlined]
The aerodrome beacon is the same as the landmark beacon only it gets its electric supply from portable accumulators.
[underlined] Illuminated Wind Indicator [/underlined]
These indicate wind direction & strength. On permanent aerodrome it may be situated near the watch office or near the floodlights. On temporary aerodromes it must be at the landing boundary.
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[underlined] Obstruction Lighting [/underlined]
Consists of red lights. For a temporary obstruction glim lamps should be used with red globes.
[underlined] Boundary Lighting [/underlined]
Consists of [deleted] red [/deleted] glim lamps with [deleted] red [/deleted] yellow globes to indicate extremities of safe landing ground.
[underlined] Emergency Proceedure [sic] [/underlined]
When night flying lights are required quickly in an emergency the following sequence is to be followed:-
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] The landmark or aerodrome beacon obstruction lights & illuminated landing T is to be switched on.
[underlined] II [/underlined] Flares, glim lamps, goose neck or monery flares according to weather are to be placed in the position of NO [underlined] 1 [/underlined] [underlined] 6 [/underlined] & [underlined 8 [/underlined] of a standard flare path.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] If time permits “A” The standard flare path should be completed. “B” The floodlight should be placed into position if visibility permits its use
[underlined] Night Flying Equipment [/underlined]
The aerodrome officer will have under his control + order the following vehicles & personel [sic] in charge.
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[underlined 1 [/underlined] Fire Tender
[underlined] II [/underlined] Ambulance.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Mechanical starter. (if used.)
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Trailer.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] If available a tracklaying tractor with wire cable for clearing aerodrome in event of crash.
[underlined] For Signaling [sic] Purposes [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] 2 Signaling [sic] cartridge pistols.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Signal cartridges of 3 colours:- red. green, & white.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] 2 signaling [sic] lamps with leads to battery with red & green screens. (aldis lamps)
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Hand electric lamps, 5 spare flares.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Red emergency lamp.
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Search light or rocket
[underlined] Cleaning of Aircraft [/underlined]
[underlined] Meterial [sic] Required [/underlined]
[underlined] 1 [/underlined] Steps & planks to reach top m/p.
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] Warm Water.
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] Worn scrubbing brush or sponge
[underlined] 4 [/underlined] Non Acid Soap.
[underlined] 5 [/underlined] Clean linen rag
[underlined] 6 [/underlined] Paraffin rag for rusty parts.
Rubber shoes should be worn. Cleaning should start from the top
[page break]
The Bristol Beaufighter
[drawing of aircraft by H J Warren]
[page break]
The Bristol “[underlined] Beaufighter [/underlined] I
Type – Long-range fighter
Crew – Two
[indecipherable word] – Four cannon & six machine-guns
[Details of dimensions of aircraft]
Chief Designer L.G. Frise Esq.
P.T.O [symbol]
[page break]
AVRO “MANCHESTER” I
[drawings of aircraft]
SHORT “STIRLING” I
[drawing of aircraft]
HANDLEY PAGE – “HAMPDEN” I
[drawing of aircraft]
WESTLAND “WHIRLWIND” I
[drawing of aircraft]
BLACKBURN – “ROC” I
[drawing if aircraft]
All Drawn By H. J. Warren Aged 12 yrs 11 mths (Sept 5 1943)
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Harold Warren's note book
Description
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Form 407, RAF Large Note Book, belonging to Harold Warren, and consisting of 90 pages of notes and drawings relative to his training.
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Harold Warren
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90-page notebook
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eng
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Text
Text. Training material
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MWarrenHJ619608-160425-02
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Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force
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IBCC Digital Archive
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Spatial Coverage
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Great Britain
England--Somerset
Wales--Glamorgan
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David Bloomfield
Eileen Reddish
Peter Bradbury
Nicki Brain
Anita Raine
Trevor Hardcastle
Tricia Marshall
ground crew
ground personnel
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1878/35264/SSoltysiakB781032v10005.2.jpg
a25888dc204de8191cb1277d0ab68d09
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Soltysiak, Bronislaw
B Soltysiak
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-06-22
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Soltysiak, B
Description
An account of the resource
230 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Bronislaw Soltysiak (1916 - 1987, 781032 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book documents, brevet, button and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 305 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Malcom Soltysiak and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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Persons intending to apply for certificates of naturalization are reminded that the consideration of applications for naturalization has been suspended until further notice, subject to the following exceptions:-
(1) applications from women who lost their British nationality on marriage and whose marriages have been terminated:
(2) applications from British born women who are married to aliens of enemy nationality, and
(3) exceptional cases in which the Secretary of State is satisfied that naturalization is immediately required in the national interest.
Accordingly advertisements under paragraph 14 of Instructions Form A of intention to apply for a certificate of naturalization should not be inserted in the Press until the Secretary of State informs the applicant that he is prepared to consider his application and directs him to make such advertisements.
(7/44) (38788) Wt. 3494– 5000 12/44. D.L. G.373
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Home Office notice on naturalization
Description
An account of the resource
Announces that applications for naturalization had been suspended until further notice, subject to three exceptions stated.
Creator
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Home Office
Coverage
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Civilian
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Format
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One page printed document
Identifier
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SSoltysiakB781032v10005
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/340/11808/BThomasWKThomasWKv1.2.pdf
e5b0b8afc7063253cd39405680e94d56
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Thomas, Ken
William Kenneth Thomas
William K Thomas
William Thomas
W K Thomas
W Thomas
Description
An account of the resource
Four items. An oral history interview with William Kenneth 'Ken' Thomas DFC (1022415 and 186493 Royal Air Force), two photographs and a memoir. Flight Lieutenant Ken Thomas flew operations as a pilot with 622 Squadron.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Ken Thomas and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2016-04-01
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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Thomas, WK
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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If you can't take a joke ........
by William Kenneth Thomas DFC
I was born in Liverpool on 19th December 1921. I have a sister namely Evelyn Gwyneth born 15th October 1920. My father and mother moved from Liverpool to Beaumaris in 1924 approximately and purchased a well established chemist business in 40 Castle Street. At that time the population of the town was approximately 3000 and there were two chemist shops.
I attended the Beaumaris Council School, both infants and seniors. Whilst at Primary School in Beaumaris, I spent quite a lot of time in the summer months on the boats and the sea shore. I also did a fair amount of swimming, and although there was a public swimming baths in Beaumaris, I preferred the end of the pier. I often swam across the Menai Straits which was very dangerous particularly at low tide when the current was flowing at some 12 14 knots. I was on occasions carried under the pier and was badly cut on the barnacles. I also did rowing, sailing and fishing, and used to know the Straits fairly well.
The end of the pier was also one of my favourite places for catching crabs and prawns. I got into a terrible state with mud and grime. I remember on one occasion being there when my mother and a very posh friend of hers, namely, Mrs Sircus waiting at the pier wall, dressed up and ready to take the small ferry boat, which in those days plied from Beaumaris to Bangor. Of course, I wanted to go with them, although I was filthy dirty with mud and had no shoes. Exactly what happened next, I do not remember, although I do recall the incident very well, and no doubt caused my mother some considerable embarrassment.
I was a poor scholar and frequently in trouble as I got in with a bad crowd, who were generally very poor and appeared jealous of my living conditions in comparison with their own. I was therefore involved in numerous affrays and mischievous pranks. I only just managed to pass the required standards for entry into the Beaumaris Grammar School as a fee paying pupil, and continued to be in trouble as I seldom did my homework, and spent many long hours playing football and cricket.
The headmaster of the Beaumaris Grammar School was a man called Frank Jones. He was a real tyrant, and was most unpopular and hated by both staff and pupils because of his general attitude. He walked in a very stupid manner, and I called him "Here's my head, my arse is
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coming!" I was always in his black books, and whenever anything went wrong, I was usually there. I disobeyed many of his rules, such as not kicking or playing football in the school yard, not wearing school uniform cap and blazer etc., throwing fireworks, snowballs, and so on. I smashed one window in the memorial hall as there was a stone in the snowball
I played a lot of football and cricket and was in the school's first eleven. I was also a strong swimmer. I carried off many prizes at local and school swimming galas.
I must just mention that in the early days all the rubbish in Beaumaris was tipped in a place called the Point. This is now a boat builders' yard, but it used to be infested with rats. Anyone could go there and catch and kill as many rats as possible and obtain a shilling a tail at Beaumaris Town Hall. Since I had a good dog, a Springer spaniel called Glen; I often went there and made a few bob. Sometimes my friend and I would take a few rats home and let them go in the yard and let the dogs chase them. Most of the money we got was spent in the liberal club on billiards and snooker.
Having failed at school in Beaumaris, my father made arrangements for my education to be continued at Friars School in Bangor, and this was where I met my first girlfriend namely Eve Bock. I used to see her every day, as we were both catching the same bus to school in Bangor each morning…More about this will be mentioned later.
I once again failed to pass the matriculation examination, and by this time, it was plain to see that the Second World War was fast approaching. Since I was 17 plus, I would be obliged to register for military service. I was completely undecided what I was going to do and finally decided to go into the Merchant Navy as a cadet. This all came about after a long discussion with a friend of my father's Captain Morris Jones who was a member of the Beaumaris Lodge of Freemasons. He was incidentally later killed in action out in the Middle East. I was measured up for my Cadet uniform and had passed all the necessary medical and educational standards required. However, by this time, the war had started, and numerous ships were being sunk by submarines. My mother decided that this was not a good idea and stopped me going. I then informed her of the seriousness of the situation, which she didn't seem to quite understand, and I finally persuaded her to let me go into the RAF on the Ground Staff, with the condition that I was not to fly! I duly passed the medical and educational standards required in Caernarvon, and since I was still under `calling up' age, was able to choose the ground course I required, that was, Flight Mechanic.
I was finally called up just after the evacuation on Dunkirk, and had to report to Padgate in Lancashire, where I spent three weeks
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confined to camp until I was conversant with RAF Regulations, and able to conduct myself as an airman. l was then transferred to Blackpool south Shore, where I was in private billets for two weeks and we were thinking we were going to have a very nice war!
I was then posted to Bridgnorth Shropshire for further training i.e. square bashing, rifle drill, inoculations, guard duties etc. I was there for approximately 3 months during which time Coventry had received its heaviest raid of the war. We could see exactly what was going on and hear and visualise all that was happening over the skyline, because Bridgnorth Camp was situated some distance from the town on the top of a very steep hill. I also remember carrying our kitbags all the way from the station to the camp, and when we got there, the billets had not been prepared for us. Therefore, we had to set to preparing and cleaning the huts, cleaning the floor and stove, and setting up our beds for the night. We were all by this time muttering a few hash words, but we had to take it, and as we went on, we found that the discipline in this camp was very strict by comparison with what we had experienced previously. The instructors and the people in charge of the various intakes were extremely crude and corrupt. One sergeant instructor immediately informed us that they called him `Slim the Bastard', and that if we crossed him, he would show us `what a real bastard was like.' For instance, on one particular day, we had three inoculations one after the other followed by rifle drill on the square. Several of the people on parade either fainted or fell down, and were merely carried away to sick quarters to recover.
From Bridgnorth, I went to No7 S of TT (No 7 School of Technical Training) at Hednesford which was situated on Cannock Chase and very high up in the hills. Consequently, it was a very cold camp. My course here lasted about three to four months. Again, there was very strict discipline and since the school had some four brass and silver bands, we had to form up and march back and forth to and from our work and technical school daily. Apart from the school we had to do guard duties, fire and air raid drills, and also gas precautions and action to be taken in the event of an attack. These duties were all done in the evening after school hours. As you can see, there was very little time for recreation and we didn't manage to get out very much. During my stay, an epidemic of scarlet fever broke out on the camp, and this further complicated matters.
However, I finally passed out as a Flight Mechanic – AC1 (Aircraftsman First class) but knew comparatively little about my trade. I was immediately posted to Penrhos Bombing School near Pwlleli in North Wales along with a number of other people on my course. Penrhos was a small grass airfield and was really too small for the types of aircraft operating there i.e. Whitleys, Blenheims, Fairey Battles and Ansons. These aircraft were used for the training of navigators and straight air
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gunners and were kept pretty busy. I was looking after the only Whitley fitted with radial `Tiger' engines and experienced considerable trouble keeping it airworthy. There were constant problems with the engine ignition systems mainly due to the exposure of the plug leads which allowed a certain amount of moisture to seep in, causing engines to cut out or lose power. This, on such a small grass airfield, described in many instances by pilots as `like landing on a saucer' proved to be very dangerous and there were numerous accidents. It was quite common to see five or six accidents daily, due to aircraft either overshooting or undershooting the airfield. Some of these were, of course, fatal and aircraft could be seen burnt out around the airfield perimeter.
I [inserted] t [/inserted] eventually became apparent that this airfield was unfit for the purpose for which it was being used, and much of the flying was eventually transferred to a new aerodrome that had just been opened near Caernarvon, namely Llandurog. Here there were proper runways and hard standing, and we finally did all our night flying from here. This meant frequent travelling in open wagons and of course it was very cold and uncomfortable in wintertime. We were obliged to exist on such occasions on pilchards, sandwiches and cocoa for many of our meals, and were glad of these. There was only one really bad accident in the whole time I can remember flying from Llandurog. It involved a couple of Whitleys which were both trying to land at the same time. One landed on top of the other causing the deaths of about sixteen personnel on board. It was, of course caused by carelessness on the parts of the pilots of the aircraft and also the people controlling the aircraft from the control tower.
I used to get very depressed with life at Penrhos, although I did do some [deleted] night [/deleted] flying on flight tests, and often flew to our maintenance depot at Hell's Mouth . [deleted] This again [/deleted] [inserted] Hells Mouth [/inserted] , was [inserted] also [/inserted] very precariously positioned, which [inserted] & also on cross country frlights with training navigator & gunners [/inserted] accounted for many accidents during landings. [inserted] & take offs [/inserted]
In view of the situation, I was frequently at home [inserted] in Beaumaris [/inserted] at weekends, and [deleted]of course [/deleted] [inserted] was often [/inserted] missing from my flight duties [deleted] and [/deleted] [inserted] I [/inserted] [deleted] i [/deleted] t was [inserted] therefore [/inserted] only a matter of time before I would have been caught. I used to break out of the camp at the back of my billet, and climb over the barbed wire entanglements in order to catch the local bus to Caernarvon and Bangor. Of course, this meant I had to get back [inserted] again [/inserted] very early on the following Monday morning and my father had to drive me to Menai Bridge, where I caught a [deleted] small [/deleted] [inserted] local [/inserted] train on a single track line to a place called Avonwen and then on to Pwlleli. The problem then was getting back into the camp without being seen and before roll call. Fortunately, for me, we had a good sergeant in charge of our flight, Sgt. Hudson, and I [deleted] got [/deleted] [inserted] managed to get [/inserted] away with it on all occasions.
In order to prevent trouble in the future, I decided to attend night school. I had a very good education officer, and managed to achieve the required standard of education very quickly. I finally had an interview
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with the camp commanding officer Group captain Williamson, and after an aircrew medical examination, was recommended for a Pilot/Navigator [inserted] /Air Gunner [/inserted] course. I was then posted to London ACRC (Air Crew Receiving Centre) where I was given a white flash for display in my forage cap. I stayed in flats in London in a place called Avenue close, St John's Wood, and had to attend various centres for tests in maths and Signals particularly Morse Code. The Morse test was carried out at Lord's Cricket Ground. We had to pass out at 12 words per minute. Fortunately, sitting close at hand were a couple of wireless operator air gunners who were in the course of remustering to Pilot/Navigators. We, naturally, got all our information from them, and so passed the course comfortably.
From London ACRC, I was posted to No 4 ITW (Initial training Wing) at Paignton for 14 weeks. Here we had more instruction on mathematics, signals, meteorology, navigation, airmanship, air force law, armaments, aircraft and ship recognition, and of course square bashing and drill. All the hotels in Paignton had by this time been taken over by the RAF, and I was billeted in the Ramleh hotel right on the sea front. The Palace hotel was close by and this was our mess. All lectures and instruction were arranged daily at a very smart country house outside Paignton off the main Torquay Road. No transport was laid on, and we therefore had to fall in and march to attention at 140 paces to the minute, which was quite a fast pace, for quite a long distance. I had to work very hard to keep up with this course as the pass marks on each subject were very high. In subjects such as Morse Code and Aircraft Recognition it was 100%. I was very lucky to get some help at weekends with my studies from a Beaumaris acquaintance, namely Hugh Williams, who happened to have been a headmaster in Manchester prior to the war and had been called up and commissioned in the RAF. He was instructing on Maths and Navigation at an ITW in Torquay where he lived with his family. Our final test in Signals was unique in many respects as [inserted] we [/inserted] were all assembled on the Paignton seafront and had to read an Aldis lamp signal flashed to us from Torbay (Hope's Nose peninsula) a distance of some six to seven miles.
During our time in Paignton and Torquay, we had frequent visits from the Luftwaffe fighters, mainly Messerschmidt 109, and Fokkerwolf 190 fighter aircraft, which roared in from the sea on many occasions and dropped their bombs and strafed the sea front and retired. However, all in all, we had a fairly pleasant time in Paignton. I missed the athletic display put on in Torquay for the visit of King George V1 by Air Commodore Critchley. The reason for this was that I got very badly sunburnt, and managed to get out of this very well. Everybody thought it was a waste of time anyway, and we were browned off in more ways than one, for having to go and prepare for this event.
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On completion of the course, I was made up to Leading Aircraftsman, and had the coveted propeller badge on my uniform sleeve.
From Paignton, I was posted to Desford near Leicester to do my [inserted] Flying [/inserted] Grading School. This was to see if I was suitable for Pilot/ Navigator/Bomb Aimer. In order to pass as a pilot, I had to go solo by day and also solol by night. [inserted] T [/inserted] His course was completed in the allotted 12 hours and again, I had no real problems, but many [deleted] people [/deleted] [inserted] students [/inserted] were then sorted out. [inserted] as they failed to achieve the required standard. [/inserted]
[inserted] All details of my flying at Desford were lost as I had no log book at that time. This was unfortunate as I particularly wanted to know the exact times I required to be “solo” day & night. [/inserted]
I then went to Heaton Park, Manchester [inserted] & slept [/inserted] under canvas to await my posting as trainee pilot to Canada. This was also the time of Gwyneth and John's wedding. John was heading for the Middle East, and they decided on the spur of the moment to marry. Under the circumstances, I was unable to attend the wedding. I only stayed in Manchester for some three or four weeks, during which time, I got engaged to Eve Bock. She was also living in the [inserted] symbol [/inserted] Manchester area, as she had not at that time been called up for the WAAF.
During my stay at Heaton Park, the Station Warrant Officer who was a bit of a bully , was thrown into the lake and almost drowned. Nobody had much sympathy for him, and I believe he was later removed from office and absolved of all responsibility for airmen, as clearly we were on the verge of rioting. I finally left Manchester late at night by train for Greenock, Clyde Scotland and was taken out to a liner, namely the Thomas H Barrie, by a steamer known to me from my days on the Menai Straits as the St Seriol, which pre war, was a pleasure steamer plying from Liverpool to Menai Bridge during the summer season.
I sailed in a large American convoy, which zig zagged its way across the Atlantic in August 1942, and after fourteen days at sea during which one boat was sunk and another set on [deleted] fore [/deleted] [inserted] fire [/inserted] , the convoy arrived in New York. The journey had been fairly unpleasant as we had very little to do and my bunk was situated near to one of the vents from the engine room and it was very hot and uncomfortable. However the food was good and there was plenty of it. Most of the lads had stomach trouble due to the richness of the food which we were not used to. I had severe diarrhoea but I didn't stop eating. There was a large 14 inch gun at the back of the boat on a special platform and this was firing from time to time. It was manned by naval personnel who were also dropping depth charges because of the submarine menace. I can well remember going through the Newfoundland fog bank off the coast of the USA and waking up in the morning on the outside deck soaking wet and very cold. I had little choice but to sleep [inserted] outside [/inserted] most of the time on deck due to the heat from the engine room. On arrival in New York, we saw the liner Queen Mary which was used at that time as a troop ship. She was speeding back to the United Kingdom full of troops and without a convoy.
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We entrained for Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, and stopped at a place called Bangor Maine on the way north. We were allowed to get off the train, and this was the first experience I had of spending American dollars. The journey took about 24 hours to complete and was reasonably comfortable. We had plenty to eat and the seats were large and roomy.
Moncton was a very large holding unit, and all RAF aircrew personnel going in and out of Canada had to pass through there. I was only in Moncton for about four weeks and was then posted to Stanley, Nova Scotia No 17 elementary Flying training School ( Royal Canadian Air Force) where all instructors were civilian bush pilots. Here we flew Fleet Finch bi planes which were fitted with a Kinner 5 R radial engine. The machine was roughly twice the size of a Tiger Moth and used for initial training purposes. It was, I think, a very good aircraft on which to commence flying. The instructors were also very good at their jobs. They were conversant with the aircraft and knew the territory over which we were flying. Seldom did they have to refer to any maps, although these were always taken on our flights. Apart from day and night flying, and aerobatics, we had to attend Ground School, and covered Navigation, airmanship, Aircraft Recognition, Meteorology, and Armaments. [inserted] & Signals [/inserted] Altogether, I did some 76.55 hours flying at this station. There were no serious accidents, apart from the occasional ground loop to which these machines were subject in [deleted] the [/deleted] [inserted] a [/inserted] cross wind. [inserted] The remedy to counteract this was a very quick & positive pressure on the rudder bar – to stop the swing to the right - which was a characteristic of this aircraft.
My next posting was to No 8 Service Flying Training School at Lakeburn, New Brunswick, another Royal Canadian Air Force station. This was a fairly large aerodrome, and in those days used by civilian aircraft on regular routes throughout Canada. All Staff in our area were Royal Canadian Air Force, and our unit was separate from the civilian sector. Incidentally, our training was carried out under the Empire [inserted] Air [/inserted] Training Scheme. (Later the name was changed to Commonwealth Air Training Scheme) and there was a large notice board to this effect at the camp entrance.
I started my training here on Harvard 2 aircraft, but only did some [symbol ] 2hrs 30 [deleted] m [/deleted] [inserted] hrs [/inserted] on these before changing over to the Anson twin engmed aircraft. I flew some 270 hours in total before getting my wings, instrument rating etc.
Again it was , hard work, and I had to attend some of the extra instruction [deleted] exercises [/deleted] [inserted] classes [/inserted] in the evening [inserted] s [/inserted]when I wasn't flying. We had no flying accidents during my time here, although the winter was very harsh and the aircraft difficult to control when landing on ice and snow, particularly in any cross winds. Naturally, we had a `Wings Parade' at the
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end of the course. My `wings' were presented by the C.O., namely, Group Captain Hubbard, and I was promoted to Sergeant Pilot.
The `wings' presentation was the subject of a telegram home, as I felt I had achieved a positive result of which I was duly proud. Many of my school friends had failed the pilot's course in the early stages, and I don't believe they expected me to pass, in view of the results I had obtained at school.
I returned to 31 PD Moncton to await my posting back to the UK, and was fortunate to meet two old school friends from Beaumaris Grammar School, namely David Prewer and Clifford Roberts. David Prewer was a sergeant bomb aimer, and Clifford Roberts was commissioned as a wireless operator/air gunner. Both were on operations late in 1944 and David Prewer was killed in action. Clifford Roberts bailed out over France and was taken prisoner of war.
I returned to the United Kingdom on a very fast liner called the Louis Pasteur. We had no escort and were not troubled by submarine activity en [inserted] – [/inserted] route. However, again it was a very uncomfortable few days at sea, and during this time we had to sleep in hammocks and were squashed into one of the lower deck compartments. Had anything happened while we were in transit, we would not have got out. We had no fresh water on board for washing etc. and sanitary arrangements were very primitive. Going to the latrines was a dangerous business since these were merely long troughs with the sea water rushing through, and any careless movement would have been disastrous.
We duly arrived in Liverpool after about seven days out of Halifax which was really good going. The customs people checked all our kit and [deleted] other [/deleted] baggage for cameras and other contraband, and several airmen had to pay up or get their goods confiscated. There were no concessions made even in those days.
From Liverpool, we went on to Harrogate by train, and were billeted in the town centre in the Majestic Hotel. My intake was settled mostly on the top floor, and we were a mixed batch of pilots, navigators and bomb aimers. There were no lifts in operation and the main staircase had been boarded up to prevent wear and tear and other damages. We were given further tests, and one which I particularly remember was to check on our night vision capacity. Mine was assessed as being above average and this was noted in my log book. We were also given further inoculations and vaccinations, and after one particular dose, I was taken ill and removed to the sick bay. There I remained for two or three days recovering. Upon discharge, I had noticed some suppurating sores occurring on my nose and mouth area. Nevertheless, the M.O. still discharged me, but by evening time, I was re admitted with impetigo.
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This meant isolation for some three weeks, and then of course a period of sick leave.
On returning home, I contacted Eve Bock who was by this time a WAAF sergeant, and based in Lewes in the south of England. I went down to see her, but obviously she had found another boyfriend. I decided almost immediately to retrieve my engagement ring. [inserted] & [/inserted] I finally returned home to Beaumaris really sad and fed up. After this, I had several more girlfriends but nothing serious until I arrived at Shepherd's Grove on a Heavy Conversion course on Stirlings. I was home on leave when I met Mary. More will be said about this at a later stage.
My first posting in the United Kingdom was to South Cerney near Cirencester, Gloucestershire to an A.F.U (Advanced Flying Unit). Since South Cerney was the `parent' unit, we were almost immediately transferred to satellite units namely Tetbury and Southrop, to do our day flying and night flying respectively. Owing to the blackouts, night flying was very difficult, and we depended on occults and pundits for determining our position when on navigational exercises. ‘Occults’ were green lights flashing a single Morse [delete] character [/deleted] [inserted] characteric and denoted an aerodrome [/inserted] , and ‘pundits' were red lights flashing a two letter character [inserted] [ indecipherable word ] [/inserted] These were changed periodically to confuse the enemy, and all details of these were given [inserted] to us [/inserted] during pre flight briefings. In the event of any air raids in our vicinity, all aerodrome lights were switched off, and when flying we had to stop all transmissions, and fly from pundit to pundit until the raid was over and the all clear given.
In the event of any emergency when flying in Training command, the code word [inserted] for aircraft in difficulties [/inserted] was "Darky” as opposed to the international "Mayday" code used by operational squadrons. All these things had to be fully explained to [deleted] all [/deleted] aircrew taking part in such exercises, and this information was given usually in pre flight briefings.
The next stage of my training took me to Cranage in Cheshire where I completed a [inserted ' [/inserted]Beam Approach [inserted] ' [/inserted] course which we had to use in extremely bad visibility, conditions where we could not see the surrounding territory [inserted] or airfield [/inserted] . This was quite a difficult procedure, and we found it almost impossible to follow when flying heavy four engined aircraft because of the frequent large course changes which were necessary to carry out the landing procedures. We therefore used a different, system namely QGH, which was a `talk you down' control through [deleted] the [/deleted] cloud, and your aircraft headings [inserted] & height [/inserted] were all given by the ground controller. A similar system is still in use today. [inserted] Another procedure in foggy conditions was called “Fido” comparatively few airfields were equipped with this system. [/inserted]
Upon finishing at AFU, I went to Upper Heyford near Banbury - No 16 OTU (Operational Training Unit) on Wellingtons. Here we had to pick a crew of five people out of numerous aircrew milling around. This
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included a navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator, air gunner, mid upper gunner, and rear gunner. [inserted] My flight engineer was chosen at Heavy Conversion Unit they were only employed on 4 engined A/C. [/inserted]
Flying the Wellington, which was classed as a twin engined medium sized bomber, was very different from what I had been used to. [inserted] As it looked very big and of course far more sophisticated from previous aircraft flown to date. [/inserted] Fortunately most of the people I chose as my crew proved reliable and [deleted] very big and of course far more sophisticated [/deleted] efficient, or at least they did at this stage. Further on, in [inserted] training on [/inserted] the different courses, some weaknesses did develop, and more will be said about this later. First of all, Upper Heyford closed down as a Bomber command [inserted] OTU [/inserted] [deleted] OUT [/deleted] and we were all transferred or posted to No 84 OTU at Desborough, Northants again on Wellingtons. This aircraft, [deleted] as already stated [/deleted] was far more complicated to fly because of [deleted] the [/deleted] [inserted] its [/inserted] size and extra instrumentation. We did many cross country flights particularly at night, some lasting six hours or more, and under some terrible weather conditions. Consequently, there were many accidents occurring in OTUs throughout the country. Many of these flights consisted of [deleted] a [/deleted] simulated attack [inserted] s [/inserted] on various towns and [inserted] chosen [/inserted] targets throughout the country, and usually fighter affiliation and [inserted] machine [/inserted] gun firing exercises were included in these flights. Firing the guns at night particularly, is quite an experience at first as we had tracer bullets mixed in with ordinary rounds of ammunition and the idea of this is self explanatory as it enables the gunners to [deleted] fix [/deleted] [insert] set [/insert] their sights on a particular [symbol] target. [insert] and see exactly where their bullets were going [/inserted] However, when first experienced one got the distinct impression that the aircraft's bullets [inserted] when fire in the [indecipherable word] areas [/inserted] were coming straight in at us, in our aircraft [inserted] which was extremely frightening [/inserted] . However, we all completed this course satisfactorily and went on to fly Stirlings Mark I and Mark III at Stradishall in Suffolk, and; [inserted] then [/inserted] on to its satellite at Shepherd's Grove, near Bury St Edmunds. This aircraft was [inserted] again [/inserted] huge by comparison with the Wellington and was classed as a heavy 4 engined bomber, with a particularly bad reputation: Numerous aircrews were killed flying the Stirling which suffered from all sorts of problems. Operationally they were almost useless because of their limited height approximately 12 14,000 maximum with a full bomb [inserted] if you were lucky [/inserted] . The undercarriage and flaps were operated electrically, and the undercarriage particularly [inserted , [/inserted] was in two tiers making the pilot's cockpit position [inserted] when on the ground [/inserted] some 2 [deleted] 6 [/deleted] [inserted] 0 [/inserted] ft above ground level [inserted] . [/inserted] Added to this, the braking system was inefficient and during circuits and bumps many aircraft ran off the runway due to lack of brake pressure. The undercarriage was weak, as already stated, because it was in two tiers, and in a cross wind, it was easily damaged and I [deleted] f [/deleted] [inserted] t [/inserted] often collapsed. [inserted] with catastrophic results. [/inserted]
Towards the end of the Stirling course, I was obliged to take a full medical examination. This happened [inserted] to all aircrew [/inserted] every six months to ensure that [deleted] aircrew [/deleted] we [deleted] e [/deleted] [inserted] were [/inserted] in good physical condition. [deleted] On this occasion [/deleted] , [deleted] I [/deleted] [inserted] I [/inserted] t was [deleted] found [/deleted] [inserted] discovered [/inserted] that my blood pressure was. too high [inserted] & [/inserted] I was immediately sent to hospital in Ely. I was kept under observation [inserted] there [/inserted] for some two to three weeks during which time several tests were carried out, as they thought I might have a
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[inserted] ** [/inserted] kidney problem. However, nothing was discovered and I was then sent down to London to No 1 Central Medical Board where I was seen by about eight doctors. Once again nothing could be found, and I was posted [inserted] on completion of the course [/inserted] [deleted] back [/deleted] to No 3 LFS (Lancaster Finishing School) at Feltwell in Norfolk. During this time, my crew had all been on leave and had been enjoying themselves. We were lucky in one way, as we missed [inserted] our previous [/inserted] [deleted] a [/deleted] posting on Stirlings to Algiers, and were really quite pleased about this. [inserted] We were not keen on the Stirling because of its operational performance & other major problems taking off & landing due to weak undercarriage & poor brakes etc. [/inserted]
However, I still had to complete [deleted] my [/deleted] [inserted] the [/inserted] Heavy Conversion Course on the Stirling and was obliged to do a night exercise which was a simulated night attack on Bristol. This was called a `Bulls Eye' and during the exercise, it was customary to have on board a screen navigator and also a screen pilot. It was [inserted] therefore [/inserted] very important we all pulled together as an efficient crew. Unfortunately, due to a navigational error, our navigator, by the [deleted] m [/deleted] =name of Jack O' Toole, got us to the target too early, [inserted] and In stead of getting me to do a dog leg in order to waste some time, he took us straight to the target, which was enough to fail him on this particular [deleted] course [/deleted] [inserted] exercise. [/inserted]
While stationed at Shepherd's Grave, Jack Gambell and I decided to purchase an old Morris 8 Saloon for £50 at a garage in Bury St Edmunds. The car really was `clapped ' and [deleted] s [/deleted] had a hole in the roof [deleted] of [/deleted] [inserted] on [/inserted] the right hand front corner, and when it rained your legs got wet. It also consumed a large amount of engine oil. [inserted] and this was an indication of pending expensive repairs [/inserted] I taught Jack to drive on this car; and he took it home on his first leave from HC unit. Really speaking, the car served its purpose very well as Shepherd's Grove was way out in the sticks. [inserted] and we needed some transport. [/inserted]
The next car I bought was a Triumph Dolomite [inserted] ( [/inserted] Open Tourer [inserted] ) [/inserted]. This was in Littleport. I paid £50 for it from the next door neighbour of Mrs Leicester where we went quite regularly for a slap up meal. She always had plenty of eggs on the menu and made good Yorkshire puddings. Many of our Australian and New Zealand crews [inserted] also [/inserted] met here. The first time I took the Dolomite out, it caught fire [deleted] . [/deleted] I got the wiring behind the dash panel renewed on the camp [inserted] at Mildenhall [/inserted] by a corporal from the MT section. I took this car back to Coventry several times, [inserted] and [/inserted] On one particularly cold winter's day, I was just outside Daventry on my way to [inserted] Coventry [/inserted] to see Mary, when coming towards me on the wrong side of the road was a huge Scammell truck. Apparently, the driver was having difficulty getting up the hill [inserted] in the slippery conditions [/inserted] and had [deleted] chosen [/deleted] [inserted] decided [/inserted] to to try the right hand side [inserted] of the road [/inserted] . I couldn't stop because of the ice and snow on the road, and didn't want to hit the lorry, so chose to turn into the left hand hedge and a deep ditch! The car turned over and I was left upside down in the ditch. Fortunately, I was unhurt and my car was pulled out and put back on its wheels and I drove on my way. I didn't even take the offending vehicle's registration number. However, I found
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that the steering was damaged, due to bent track rods and had difficulty getting to Coventry where it was easily repaired.
I took this car with me to Feltwell and Mildenhall, but in the meantime, I had acquired a Hillman Minx, which was being sold cheap on the squadron by a F/Lt Parker. I must mention that second hand cars on the squadron were plentiful, and it was customary when crews were shot down and killed, for these vehicles to be auctioned off on the station. The Hillman saloon proved to be the best car I had purchased to date, and in it I covered a few thousand miles. I remember deciding to paint it blue while on leave in Coventry, but after hand painting it, it started to rain. What a mess! Mary's father finally got it resprayed for £20 in grey and it looked quite presentable. I kept it until the end of the war.
The Triumph Dolomite was not used much in Mildenhall as I had two cars, and one night my two gunners stole it. They drove to Littleport where the steering broke and it was finally left on the side of the road for several weeks. I finally arranged for it to be towed back by the army. The towing vehicle was a Matilda tank, and by the time it reached our base, it was a complete wreck and ready for the scrap heap.
I duly finished my heavy bomber conversion Stirling course at 1657 Shepherd's Grove on Ist September 1944. We all went through to a Lanc finishing School at Feltwell on 14th September 1944 and I did some 12 hours 50 minutes Conversion Course on Lancasters. We found the Lancaster comparatively easy after the Stirling.
On completion of the Lancaster course, I was posted to No 622 Squadron at Mildenhall, where I completed further exercises in fighter affiliation, air firing and bombing before going on to actual operations. I started full operations on 23rd September 1944.
The first trip I made was a flight with F/Lt Orton to Duisburg in the Ruhr. This procedure was followed on all operational squadrons as it was felt that the pilot required some actual operational experience before taking a complete crew over Germany. It must be mentioned that F/Lt Orton did not do many more sorties after this, and was shot down and killed along with his crew.
I did several more flying exercises in Mildenhall consisting of cross country flights, loaded climbs with full bomb load, fighter affiliation etc., before taking my complete crew over Germany. It was during these exercises that my navigator Sergeant Jack O'Toole was assessed to be incapable of navigating with the accuracy required for operations, and was `washed out.' I was therefore without a navigator for some time.
I was very lucky in Mildenhall to quickly find another suitable navigator, namely Sam Berry, as most of the spare people were doubtful
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characters, who had either come off operations because of illness, or because of other navigational discrepancies. Sam Berry was a Flight/Lieutenant and was of Indian descent. He had been taken off operations because of being ill, and had at one time been suspected of having tuberculosis. During the time he was in hospital, his original crew who were Canadian, had been shot down and killed. He was a Fl/Lt when I met him and I was a Fl/ Sergeant, but I was in charge of my aircraft, so he was obliged to carry out my orders.
Sam flew eleven operations with me before being seriously wounded on a trip to Homberg in the Ruhr on the 8th November 1944. we were flying in aircraft `L' Love. This was the nearest I got to being shot down, although we had various damage [inserted] s [/inserted] on all flights over Germany, mainly due to the accuracy of their anti aircraft fire. The Germans knew that we would normally be flying in at heights between 18 20,000 feet, and they would put up what we would call a `box barrage' between these heights , and obviously they had to hit something or somebody. As a matter of interest, I will describe what really happened on this particular visit to Homberg.
I remember remarking to Jack Gambell, my bomb aimer, that there was a very dark cloud over to our starboard side, and of course, he immediately replied that this was our target and that we would be turning right into it in exactly one minute. He was, of course, right, because the next thing I knew was a big bang and we were on fire caused by a direct hit on the starboard inner engine and aircraft fuselage. Sammy, who was sitting directly behind me at his navigating table, was of course hit in the back by shrapnel. By the time Bill Ralph had got to him, it was after we had cleared the target and he was bleeding [inserted] and [/inserted] in a bad way. My starboard inner engine [inserted] had been [/inserted] [deleted] was [/deleted] on fire. [inserted] And in [/inserted] [deleted] In [/deleted] addition, my windscreen in front of me was smashed, and in the panic, I gave instructions to my engineer to feather the starboard inner engine and stand by. Bill Ralph, my flight engineer, feathered the wrong engine, and consequently we were obliged to fly as accurately as possible over the target area on the remaining good engines, and this proved to be very difficult with an aircraft that was fully loaded with bombs and flight crew. However, we managed after losing about 2000 feet in height, and began to assess the damage. As already mentioned, my windscreen had been completely shattered, and the glass had fallen down and cut my face a little bit, but it was not serious. My mid upper gunner had suffered similar injuries in his turret. Fortunately, we all played our part in getting out of this serious situation, and Bill Ralph who had experience in first aid, managed to get Sammy to the bed which was available a mid ships. Sam was awarded an immediate D.F.C. and I was assured that mine would come later.
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My first priority was to keep the aircraft flying and try to get Sammy comfortable. It was not possible, however, to stop his bleeding, and my next consideration had to be to get down as quickly as possible on to an aerodrome on the English coast. I chose Woodbridge emergency aerodrome situated on the east coast, and [deleted] o [/deleted] after considerable difficulty [inserted] in [/inserted] getting the undercarriage down and locked, I made a reasonably good landing, despite having a further two engines pack up on the approach. Fire engines and ambulances were awaiting our arrival as we had called the station up in advance and Sammy was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. We were all examined by the station medical officer and were all back in Mildenhall soon afterwards. My aircraft was written off, and I was obliged to fly the Lancaster that picked us up, back to base. This procedure was always adopted on our squadron whenever air crews had been involved in such actions or flying accidents, in order to restore their confidence. I was later informed that I could not have reached my home base, had I decided to remain with my original aircraft.
I didn't get my DFC until after I had left the Squadron in Mildenhall, although I had been told unofficially that I was to get the award [inserted] . [/inserted] [deleted] and could wear the ribband [sic] [/deleted] . This information was given to me by the Squadron adjutant, who contacted me at Chipping Warden, and was also confirmed by Sammy my old navigator, who had by this time returned to Mildenhall after his hospitalisation, and was working at the base headquarters. [deleted] Also n [/deleted] [inserted] N [/inserted] ormally, it would have been presented by the King, but at this time he was very ill and the medal was sent by registered post with a personal letter with his signature. I also received a letter of congratulation from the Beaumaris Town Clerk and Town Council.
I went on with my crew to complete our tour of 33 operations, which finished on 22nd February 1945. I did not fly with Sammy again after the eleventh operation and had to fly with many spare navigators who were floating around the squadron, and this was not very easy as some of them were pretty awful. One in particular Fl/Sgt McKay got me lost over Germany on a trip to Leipzig and we got back very late and had been given up as `missing' on operations. [deleted] Fl/ [/deleted] McKay proved to be a complete nervous wreck and mentally unstable. Whatever happened to him afterwards, I could not say, but I believe he was assessed as LMF (Lack of moral fibre)
I must say at that time, I had no regrets about bombing Germany, as they were bombing us and I just wanted to return the compliment.
Flying conditions over the continent, particularly during the winter, were the cause of many flying accidents and frequently many crews did not find their target. They were initially obliged to depend on D.R. Navigation (dead reckoning). The inaccuracy of aircraft instruments and in many instances lack of flying experience….. [inserted] also took their toll. [/inserted]
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[arrow headed line down left hand side of page]
Finding the target depended on evading the enemy fighter [inserted] s [/inserted], and ack ack anti aircraft barrages and searchlights which were particularly fierce in the Ruhr and around all the main towns and cities. As mentioned, navigation depended on D.R navigation initially, and later on new equipment such as radar [inserted] – [/inserted] GEE, G.H and [deleted] H25 and also [/deleted] [inserted] H2S increased accuracy [/inserted] …… Target marking was also important as Jerry often jammed radar and radio equipment. Added to this when flying through a cold frontsome [sic] of the flying instruments ie pilot head, although electronically heated, froze solid and this meant that we had no airspeed indicator or altimeter, and the ice that built up on the leading edges of the wings and on the [inserted] airscrews [/inserted] ………..used to come adrift and crash against the fuselage, which was very disconcerting, and when experienced for the first time, the noise was frightening. [inserted] T [/inserted] [deleted] t [/deleted] owards the end of the war, the main bombing force was assisted by Pathfinders, a specially trained force who marked the target in various ways, again depending on the prevailing weather as sometimes we bombed through cloud and with the GH equipment, we …:[inserted] were able [/inserted] [deleted] with this equipment [/deleted] to bomb to within 50 yards which was considered to be a direct hit.
There were occasions when bombs got iced up on the bomb racks due to the cold, and these dropped into the bomb bay when we descended to a lower altitude, usually after leaving th target. The ruling was that in an emergency bombs would be dropped "safe" in certain areas ie the Wash and the Channel but we had to drop all our load in or on enemy territory. We would not land with a bomb rolling about in the bomb bay, and in such cases where we were concerned, a secondary target was chosen on the return route.
Prior to any raid, day or night, there were many regulations and procedures to be followed. First of all security on the bomber stations was strict, but even so, it often happened that the people ` [deleted] dwn [/deleted] [inserted] down in [/inserted] the village' knew what was going on. Battle orders were drawn up usually each morning upon receipt of instructions from Bmber [sic] Command Headquarters. These indicated the names of crews affected, the target to be attacked numbers of aircraft taking part. All arrangements for bomb load, rations, fuelling aircraft and briefings of aircrew members, were given to the various sections pilots, navigators bomb aimers, gunners were briefed by their section leaders, and a general final briefing was given by the squadron C.O. and senior staff. A little later, after this general briefing, we were taken out with all our kit to our individual aircraft to carry' out further checks and await take off time. Radio silence was strictly adhered to, and orders to take off were given by means of Aldis lamp or signal cartridge from the control tower. A limited amount of time was taken for take off and taxiing and all aircraft were checked
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and lined up ready for departure. Timing was , of course, all important as all aircraft had t [sic] bomb and clear the target spot on time and on the appointed compass heading to avoid collisions. We usually bombed from 18000 to 20000feet and reduced height by 8000 immediately after releasing our bombs.
I would mention that to ensure we all bombed our target, every aircraft carried a camera in the nose, and a photo flash in the tail portion. When the bomb doors were opened over the target area and the bombs released, the photo flash would be released at the same time, and a photograph taken of the target area. The photographs were scrutinised by our Intelligence Department on our return to base and if anyone had not been to the target, they wanted to know why! This was really a .......method to ensure that we all did our job.
On completion of my operational tour (33 operations), all of my crew were posted as screen instructors to various OTUs in 3 Group. My wireless operator, Fred Charlesworth and myself were posted to Chipping Warden, and I was awarded my DFC on leaving the station. Prior to going there, I did an instructors' course at Silverstone to get me acquaint [inserted] again [/inserted] with [deleted] t [/deleted] Wellington aircraft on which we were instructing. My time in chipping Warden was very restricted and I did very few trips. The war in Europe ended, and many aircrew were then made redundant. I was not asked, but was posted on a Tiger Moth course at Birmingham Airport. I was not very pleased about this. However, whilst on holiday in Beaumaris, I met Lady Megan Lloyd George at a garden party and would mention here, that my father knew her pretty well. When I explained my situation, she promised to do her best to get me into Transport Command. Shortly afterwards, I had a posting, not to Transport command, but to Ferry Command, which was the next best thing, and I did a short course on airspeed Oxfords at [deleted] Boscombe [/deleted] [inserted] Aston [/inserted] Down.
I was then posted to No 5 Ferry pool at Silloth. I flew many different types of aircraft, most of them twin engined and four engined types. On the twin engined aircraft, we carried no crew, but on the four-engined aircraft, we always carried a flight engineer. We were supplied with crystal [inserted] s [/inserted] for the radio transmitter unit and had to tune this equipment ourselves.This was quite an interesting job as we flew all the different types of aircraft arriving on our station. Most of these were taken to the north of Scotland or to Ireland to be put in storage. We were given no instruction on the aircraft we flew. [deleted] We [/deleted] [inserted] But [/inserted] were given a little blue book containing details of all types of aircraft and were obliged to study the respective performance figures prior to take off. Surprisingly, we had only one fatal accident the whole time I was with this unit.
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I was demobbed in August 1946, and completed a course for a `B' flying licence, as I intended to do some civilian flying. However, pilots were very plentiful in those days after the war, and there were problems finding a suitable job. Also, there was my high blood pressure which always came to the fore during the regular six monthly medical examinations, so I decided to seek work elsewhere.
First of all, I made a bad mistake and joined the Coventry Police force, serving as a police constable for some twelve months. During this time, I got married, and found the money in those days very tight. I earned £5.00 per week plus a boot allowance, and had to work on shifts. I finally handed in my resignation after twelve months. Again, I experienced considerable difficulty in finding suitable work, as I had no real qualifications apart from flying aircraft.
I finally got work in the Standard Motor Company in Canley. I had no wages for the first year as I was a student. I then went on to Service Reception, and was eventually allocated a territory as a service representative. This territory included the whole of the Midlands, South Wales as afar as Aberystwyth and right across to the Wash and East Anglia. This job entailed being away from home quite a lot. However, there were other advantages, such as having a car which was change [inserted] d [/inserted]. frequently every 10,000 miles, and of course, all the maintenance, insurance and running costs were paid for by the company.
Eventually, I had the opportunity of going abroad, which was a step forward, and an increase in status and salary, so I jumped at this. My first trip abroad was for three months, and included most countries in Europe and North Africa plus a visit to the oil wells of the Middle East which were at that time operating the Standard Vanguard. On my return,a great deal of service reorganisation and company changes were taking place, and I was posted on a permanent basis with my family to Brussels in the 1950s. This again, meant a great deal of time being spent away from home, and although Brussels was a very good centre, the job, to say the least was a little bit inconvenient, and threw a lot of extra work on my wife Mary.
After three years, I was again recalled to the United Kingdom [inserted] because of reorganisation [/inserted] and given the territory comprising Spain, Portugal, all of North Africa, as far as Angola and the Belgian Congo, and the Mediterranean countries as far south as Egypt. These changes of territory were taking place the whole time I was with British Leyland, and I finally ended up with a territory comprising the whole of Asia, Australasia, south America, central America and the Caribbean. This meant going round the world practically every time I did a trip. For this, I was promoted to Service Executive, and awarded an increase in salary for the extra responsibility and inconvenience involved. However, it meant a lot more work for Mary and
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the children. With all the problems it caused at home, the move was not really worth it, but work was difficult in those days.
I finally finished up at Land Rover at Solihull. I had by that time completed 33 years service with the company which was then known as British Leyland. The final crunch came when I had reported sick with prostate gland trouble. I was instructed by the company to get the operation completed quickly and they would pay all my expenses. This I did, but the company did not want to pay, and I finally had to foot the costs myself. I was in BUPA, but because I had previously had similar problems, they refused to accept the expenses involved.
I felt that the company had let me down, and even the trade union to which I belonged was useless. I felt that nobody had appreciated my effort s over the past years and I got out as quickly as I could. I did manage to buy my company car - a Dolomite Sprint at a special price. Apart from that the company paid nothing and the pension in those days was extremely poor by today's standards.
I would also mention that life during my working days in the motor trade was extremely precarious, as the unions were always going on strike and fighting for better conditions and better wages, but the quality of the final product was poor, and often disgusting. As a consequence, our sales, in overseas markets in particular, suffered. This deterioration became more noticeable in later years. The people in top management were most incompetent, and got their jobs not because of what they knew, but because of who they knew.
During my whole service with Standard Motor Company, Land Rover, and British Leyland, I can only remember going on strike once, and I vowed I would not do it again regardless of the consequences. It was a waste of time and money.
On retirement, Mary and I went to live in Portugal. We had a nice little two bedroomed villa situated some 3 km from Tavira, in a kind of cul de sac. We had all facilities including a swimming pool measuring some 8 x 4 metres. Most of the neighbours were English, and we got on with them all very well. We carried out various modifications during our time there including converting the top floor into a self contained flat with full facilities and capable of accommodating 3 4 people. This flatlet opened on to a flat tiled roof and overlooked the swimming pool. We were very happy living there although we did find the medical expenses there. high, and had always feared the day when we might need to pay for expensive medical treatment and hospitalisation.
We were very happy, until Mary became very ill with lung cancer and on her return to the UK, died after only two weeks in Walsgrave Hospital where she was receiving treatment. Unfortunately, she had a bad fall in the hospital ward just prior to her death and smashed all her front
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teeth, and was badly bruised. I often wonder how much this fall affected her life span, and sometimes wish that I had complained more to the hospital authorities.
However, Mary had been a heavy smoker all her life. She would not go to see the doctor because I do believe she knew what he was going to say. Being sick in Portugal was very costly, and I am sure she was avoiding medical attention over there because of the conditions and expenses involved. Being back in the UK would have improved her chances of survival, but I feel that she had left it too late to do anything about her problem.
When Mary died, my real life seemed to end and can never be the same again. She was wonderful, always so kind and considerate, not only to me but to everybody she met. Everybody I have spoken to held her in very high esteem. I feel that my life is over now and if it wasn't for my children and grandchildren, I don't think my life would be worth living. They have all been truly wonderful.
19
WKT Memoirs revised Feb 2005
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Title
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If you can't take a joke...
Description
An account of the resource
A detailed account of Ken Thomas's life from his early years at school, through his ground crew technical training followed by his aircrew training, operational tour, short post war service and his civilian career, he revised the account in 2005.
Creator
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Ken Thomas
Date
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2005-02
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19 typewritten pages
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eng
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Text
Text. Memoir
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BThomasWKthomasWKv10001 to 10019
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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IBCC Digital Archive
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Pending review
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Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
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Peter Bradbury
David Bloomfield
16 OTU
1657 HCU
622 Squadron
84 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
Anson
Battle
Blenheim
briefing
Distinguished Flying Cross
flight mechanic
Flying Training School
Fw 190
Gee
ground crew
H2S
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Initial Training Wing
lack of moral fibre
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Me 109
mechanics engine
military service conditions
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
perception of bombing war
RAF Bridgnorth
RAF Cranage
RAF Desborough
RAF Feltwell
RAF Heaton Park
RAF Hednesford
RAF Llandwrog
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Paignton
RAF Penrhos
RAF Shepherds Grove
RAF Silloth
RAF Silverstone
RAF South Cerney
RAF Stradishall
RAF Torquay
RAF Upper Heyford
sanitation
Stirling
strafing
training
Wellington
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1467/26603/BSangerEWSangerEWv1.1.pdf
49166e2ac2a0645ba282d78b26665089
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Sanger, Eric William
E W Sanger
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2015-11-04
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Sanger, EW
Description
An account of the resource
10 items. The collection concerns Pilot Officer Eric William Sanger (b. 1915, 125630 Royal Air Force) and contains his prisoner of war log, documents and a photograph. He flew operations as an observer with 9 Squadron before being shot down and becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Trevor Denis Simms and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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335497 – Mr Sanger 10.45 Tuesday mid am [indecipherable word]
[underlined] It happened on night. [/underlined]
R.A.F. 9 Squadron, Waddington, Lincolnshire, 25th February 1943. About 7 pm on a rather dull evening.
All pre-flight preparations had been made, the target was a tank factory near Nuremberg. We were to fly in the main stream towards the Ruhr and at some point along the route, to change direction towards the south-east, to arrive over the target at the E.T.A. We were under strict orders to bomb only on the target marker laid down by the Pathfinder force.
We scrambled aboard the waggon and bumped off to dispersal where our Lancaster “W for Willy” stood ready for take-off. We climbed aboard, and get ourselves settled into our positions, the skipper and flight-engineer started the four engines and ran them ready for departure. A few minutes before we were due to taxi to the runway, a message was received to the effect that the flight had been delayed. Engines were stopped, and we all trooped out into the evening air and sat about talking and smoking to await further instructions. I found my parachute something of a nuisance, so I took it off and laid it on the tarmac.
Eventually the signal came for the all-clear. Engines were re-started, the crew took their places and slowly, the aircraft moved towards the runway. Suddenly there was a loud banging on the aircraft door, and shouting could be heard above the noise of the engines. The aircraft halted, the door was flung open, and one of the ground crew handed in a parachute! It was mine! We continued to taxi, and arrived at the point for take off. “W for Willy,. W for Willy! you may taxi up and take off (repeated) Off you go!
[page break]
Off you go! Over.” The engines revved as the throttles were opened, and we were soon hurtling down the runway. One or two little bumps and we were airborne. I left my position in the nose, and entered the front gun-turret. As bomb aimer I was responsible to man the gun in certain circumstances, and endeavour to map-read the route. As we climbed away from the airdrome, we entered thick cloud, and I was fascinated by the reflector [sic] on the clouds of what appeared to be several Lancasters. As it was, the reflections were of our own aircraft. We continued to climb still in cloud, until suddenly the cloud ended and we came out into bright moonlight. Below me, I could see some scattered islands which I now realise were the Frienans [sic] and shortly after this point we altered course for the target area. I spent most of the time [indecipherable word] anxiously scanning the night sky for any approach of danger, but fortunately there was none.
As [deleted] were [/deleted] we neared the target, I left the turret and returned to the bomb-bay, where I made sure all was set for the job in hand, including bombing height 16,000, air speed etc which I set on the bomb sight. In the bright moonlight the town of Nuremberg could be clearly seen, but no sign of anti-aircraft fire, searchlights or Pathfinder target. Something was wrong. Either we were early over the target, or the Pathfinders were late. I could clearly see the factory in the bend of a river, but bearing in mind the [deleted] ode [/deleted] orders about bombing, refrained from attacking it. We were forced to retrace our path in order to come in again on out prescribed target marker, and by this time air defences below had realised what our target was. Searchlights swept the sky, tracer flew up form the guns, and we were in for quite a reception.
[page break]
At last the large red white & blue marker flowered down below, and we started our bombing run. With eyes glued to the target in the bomb sight, I directed the pilot on a bombing run. “Bomb door open” Left, left. Steady! as the target loomed in the sight, I pressed the button. As the thousand-pounder left the bay, the a/c almost bounded up. [deleted] and [/deleted] “Bombs gone”. The a/c pulled away from the target area, and set course for home. Suddenly, there was a violent thud, the aircraft shuddered and then over the intercom. I heard the skipper shout, “Port engine on fire. Pull extinguisher cord, (or press button whatever was needed.) There was a great deal of noise and confusion. The engine was still burning away, and all the [deleted] manouvers [/deleted] manoeuvers [sic] of the pilot could not prevent the flames from spreading along the wing. Finally it became obvious that the aircraft had to be abandoned and the order was given.
It was my duty in the event of abandonment to remove the escape hatch, and jettison it through the open hatch. It refused to be jetisonned [sic] . It jammed in the hole, so I was forced to release it, and stack it inside the bay. This meant that only one person at a times could occupy the escape passage, so that it would have been very difficult for me to have made enough space for any one else. So, I had to be first.
I unplugged my inter-com. Knelt over the hatch, and went headlong into space.
Remembering instructions I grasped my parachute release, and buffeted by the slipstream of the aircraft waited a few seconds before pulling the rip cord.
I eventually pulled it, but to my horror there was no [deleted] not [/deleted] welcome tug on my shoulders. I looked own, and in the moonlight I saw that the small pilot chute
[page break]
had opened inside the parachute bag, like an upsidedown unfurled umbrella. Quickly, I reached inside the bag and pulled it out. The parachute streamed out behind it, and I was floating gently to earth in the bright moonlight. Since I had left the aircraft, I had held my breath, and now it exploded in a feeling of relief. For what seemed a few minutes I floated between earth and sky, and then the ground below began to speed up towards me, and I had landed.
For a few seconds I lay there getting my senses back, and when I was able to take stock of my surroundings I found myself in a ploughed field seemingly miles from anywhere, and at the foot of a large electricity pylon. A third time lucky!
I did my best to bury the parachute, but the ground was still frozen, so I did the best I could. I felt in my flying-suit pocket for survival kit, map, compass, money etc. It was not there, it must have fallen out on the way down., and Switzerland or France was a long way off. However, I decided to remain free as long as I could, so I made my way to the nearest road and set off. Overhead I heard the sounds of the lads on their way home, with regret. I [deleted] did [/deleted] had no idea of the direction in which I was heading. There was no one about and no habitation that I could see. All of a sudden as I came round a [deleted word] bend in the road, I saw and heard what appeared to be a village hall or canteen type of place. I hurried past, but as I came opposite the door, it opened and a figure came out. “Gute nacht” it said. “Gute nacht” I replied, and continued on my way. To my relief there was no sound of following footsteps.
By now it was well past midnight, and a brilliant moon. I continued along the road
[page break]
making no attempt to conceal myself, and in a mile or two I came to a cluster of cottages. I paused to decide whether to turn right over a bridge or follow the original road. A dog barked, I continued along the road. In a while, I came to what appeared to be a group; of farm outbuildings, and as I felt rather tired, I decided to rest a while. I found a convenient hay loft and clambered in. What seemed a very short time later, I heard the sound of horses’ harness clinking and a man’s voice. Realising that someone would probably come to collect some hay – maybe armed with a hay-fork, I slipped outside and made off towards the road. A clump of trees offered some shelter, so I settled in. Once or twice during those hours, a motorcycle went up and down the road probably in search of me. I stayed where I was till dawn, and then decided that since I had no chance at all of existing uncaptured for any length of time, I left my shelter and took to the road which now ran through a pine forest from which came to [sic] sound of axes. Finally breasting an incline, I was aware of two young lads on cycles approaching me. They looked at me with curiosity as they passed, and then turned and sped off up the hill. Shortly after, down the hill towards me appeared a small crowd of people, mostly older men, some women and a few youngsters. The men were armed with heavy sticks and prongs. I continued walking towards them, their ranks opened, and I walked unharmed down the centre of a village. Here, they all crowded round me, curious, asking questions which I could not understand. I pointed at myself, then up to the sky, and mimed a falling aircraft. At that point, the atmosphere changed as down the road came a man in a greenish uniform brandishing a revolver, which [deleted] I [/deleted] he stuck in my back, and marched [inserted] me [/inserted] up the way he had come.
[page break]
We went into a house, he motioned me to a chair, and keeping me covered, started a conversation on the ‘phone. He made no attempt to speak to me or to offer me even a drink of water. At the end of the telephone conversation he marched me back into the village and put me in what appeared to be a home-guard billet. There was a bunk, a straw paliasse [sic] and a window protected by barbed wire. I was left in charge of a civilian and during the day, several village women came to look at me. One offered [deleted] my [/deleted] me a piece of black bread, and when I showed my dislike, she burst into tears and hid her head in her apron.
Later in the day, I was collected by two policemen and taken off in a car. On the way, one of them offered me a cigarette, and told me he had been a P.O.W. in Shornecliffe during the 1914-18 war. We arrived at a police station where I received a piece of bread [deleted] ersatz [deleted] [inserted] and [/inserted] ersatz butter. Later on three members of my crew were brought in, and I learn that it was doubtful whether the skipper and rear gunner had survived. Towards evening I was again escorted by the two policemen on a train journey, and at one station where we changed trains, a very hostile crowd, among them Hitler Youth, advanced menacingly towards us. My Escort produced revolvers, and the danger subsided. At the end of the journey, I was deposited at a Luftwaffe station, and put into a cell. Here I was visited by an Officer who told me that the skipper had been killed, and he gave me the skipper’s tunic. Early next morning, a military truck arrived with an armed escort, and I with other P.O.W’s [inserted] we [/inserted] were whisked off to our first taste of imprisonment.
The camp was near Frankfurt [deleted] on Eder [/deleted] [inserted] am Main [/inserted] [deleted] as [/deleted] [inserted] and [/inserted] was known as Dulag Luft, it being a transition camp. We were
housed in wooden huts, in single cells with shuttered windows. Within a
[page break]
short time, an officer appeared and in a friendly manner, [deleted] Rol [/deleted] “For you the war is over”. He produced a form purporting to be from the Red Cross, and asked me to fill in all the details which included Squadron, station, aircraft and other military details. I filled in Rank, Name and number whereupon his attitude changed. He told me that unless the form was completed, they could not send it to the Red Cross in Geneva, and my parents would not know what had happened to me. He then accused me of being Jewish since my name had a Jewish sound. I assured him I was not, and he left. Feeling bored by the isolation I managed after a struggle to open the shutter, not with the [inserted] in [/inserted] [deleted] at [/deleted] tention of escaping because that was pointless. I was taken out of the cell for some reason or other and when [inserted] I [/inserted] returned I found the shutter had been closed and firmly fixed. Later, with others I was taken to a clothing store where my flying suit was removed and I was given a large Polish Army overcoat with a khaki shirt. A few days later, I was taken in company to the local station, and herded into wagons marked “Forty men or ten horses”. My journey into captivity had begun.
For several days we travelled East in somewhat uncomfortable conditions. The doors were kept locked and armed guards kept watch. We had little food or water during this time, but at intervals the train would stop and we would be allowed out for a breather under very close supervision. Finally, one afternoon we arrived at [underlined] MAR ’43 [/underlined] a small town named Schubin, which was in East Prussia, possibly then in the Polish Corridor. We were marched along cobbled streets and up the hill into Offlag 21b. It was a small camp built round an old country house with a courtyard. Some PO.Ws were housed in it, the rest in wooden shacks. During my time there, there was one suicide, [inserted] and [/inserted] several unsuccessful escapes. The Camp Commandant was the old type of
[page break]
German officer portrayed in British films. Monocled, in a swaying cloak. He appeared [deleted] on [/deleted] at every parade to greet us with “Gute Morgen, Meine Herren”, to which many a ribald answer was chorused. The only exercise was to walk [inserted] around [/inserted] the circuit within the barbed wire. The countryside was drab and uninteresting. In the fields we could see Polish women working under the eyes of armed guards. Food was not plentiful, not varied and not appetising. We ate to live. Lumps of kohlrabi in hot water, sauerkraut and a slice of black bread was the usual fare, [deleted] su [/deleted] sometimes a piece of meat could be seen swimming in the hot water. Drink was a kind of mint tea which was at least hot. An occasional Red Cross parcel was a god-send. Life went on much the same, rumours of moves, [inserted] and [/inserted] parcels circulated daily. News that the German Commandant had mined the perimeter wire to discourage escape attempts aroused bitter indignation.
In April 1943 we entrained once again, this time Westwards. After several days of uncomfortable travel, we arrived on 7th April at Stalag Luft III at Sagan, Silesia. This is the camp from which the “Wooden Horse” [deleted] Alo [/deleted] escape took place, and also the escape in 1944 of 50 R.A.F. officers, who were captured and shot by the Gestapo.
Life was a little better here. A bigger compound gave us more freedom of movement if only in the same direction, and Red Cross Parcels arrived more frequently. Huts were divided into rooms, and each of which contained up to 14 prisoners. Each room allocated duties on a rota. Cleaning, cooking!!! fetching water, and fuel (briquettes of powdered coal) for the stove. Cookery consisted of mashing a few rotten potatoes with perhaps some corned beef or spam from parcels. Each officer was expected to involve himself in some way in [deleted] A [/deleted] escaping activities. Some were used as diversions to take attention away from genuine attempts. These activities were fairly risky as the compound was flooded by searchlights which swept it from end to end, and was patrolled
[page break]
at night by armed guards and vicious guard dogs. Not many were successful. Members of security dressed in overalls and armed with very [deleted] log [/deleted] long screwdrivers used to prod the ground at intervals to detect tunnels, so that all activities had to be stopped when the “ferrets” entered the compound. Their arrival was heralded from the entrance gate to the working areas by a variety of signals e.g. removing washing from a clothes line shutting or opening a window etc. One camp had been constructed in a large clearing of a pine forest, so the soil was sandy and loose, easy for digging into but also prone to collapsing tunn [inserted] e [/inserted] ls. The summers were very hot, and the winters very cold. Despite the heat of the stove, insides of windows were coated with ice. It was possible to build a skating rink by filling a chosen area with water, and letting it freeze overnight. The skates were supplied by the Red Cross. Also, golf enthusiasts were able to construct a “make-do” course, clubs supplied by the Red Cross, balls home-made from pieces of leather from boots cut down to shoes wrapped round a smooth pebble, and sewn together with unravelled string – permission having been obtained from the Commandant. Several interesting things happened during the years. The tunnelling meant the removal of large amounts of sand, which had to be disposed of without arousing the suspicions of the “ferrets”. On one occasion it was stored in the roof of one of the huts, which collapsed under the weight, and [deleted] was [/deleted] brought down the wrath of the establishment upon us. We were locked out of our huts for a whole day whilst they inspected every one.
There was a small orchestra in an [indecipherable word] unoccupied room, which was being used to house the “wooden horse”. Whenever it was carried [indeciphable word] out or brought in containing its human cargo + sand, the orchestra kept watch for German interference, and at such times, the music would stop abruptly, and all operations cease.
[page break]
We were able to follow the progress of the war through daily news readings. A reader would appear in each hut, look-outs would be posted to warn against approaching “ferrets”. The news was gathered by means of a clandestine radio-receiver, which picked up the B.B.C. Broadcasts. The set had been built from off materials, - pieces of wire filched from unsuspecting quarters, silver paper and tin sheeting from cans of powdered milk supplied through the Red Cross. Valves which could not be made, were brought into the camp by bribed workers in the camp hospital usually. The set was kept in a KLIM tin, which was hidden in such a way that only the operators knew where it was. Suffice to say that not a day passed without a news bulletin – even when we were on the March in 1945. 1943 – 44 passed slowly enough, and although we were aware of the D Day landings and the progress of the Russian armies towards Germany, there was always the question How Long?
The beginning of the end came towards the end of 1944 and January 1945. Russian guns could be heard in the east, getting nearer and nearer each day. Finally on 28th January 1945 orders were given to evacuate the camp, and the trek to the West began. In the short time we had for preparation, we managed to collect such things as would help us on our way. Tins of food saved from parcels, cigarettes (sometimes used to barter for food) and the warmest clothing we had. It was the middle of winter and the snow was deep. We walked along in double file, guarded by what seemed to be “Dad’s Army”, some of whom found the going extremely hard, and there were occasions when prisoners kindly carried the guards’ knapsacks. We weren’t the only people on the roads. Reminiscent of 1940 in France, the way was crowded with assorted
[page break]
civilians fleeing westward away from the Russians advance. Some walked, some pushed wheelbarrows and prams laden with family possessions. The better off [indecipherable word] [inserted] rode [/deleted] in old-type carriages, pulled by lean horses or in farm wagons.
[underlined] Day 1. [/underlined] 28th January. Left Sagan at 9.00am pulling home-made sledges loaded with all transportable belongings & food. Arrived Halbau 1800hrs. Billeted in RC Church after roll call in falling snow. No heat. No water. Spent cold night on hard pews. [underlined] 17 Kms. [/underlined]
[underlined] Day 2 [/underlined] 29th January. Moved to a school in Halbau. No comment.
[underlined] Day 3. [/underlined] 30th January. Left Halbau 0600hrs for Priebus. Arrived [deleted] Liffa [/deleted] Lippa 1600hrs. [underlined] 20 Kms [/underlined
Spent another cold night in a church.
[underlined] Days 4/5 [/underlined] 31st January. Left Lippa 0600hrs, arrived D [deleted] ei [/deleted] [inserted] ie [/inserted] bus. Continued to Muskau [underlined] 30 Kms [/underlined]
Billeted in Glass factory. Very warm Had first wash in hot water and a shave. Dried our wet clothes. Spent whole day & night resting up. Collected 1 1/2 Red Cross Parcels. between 6 people. Hank Harris “obtained” some beer.
[underlined] Day 6. [/underlined] 2nd February. Left Muskau 1200hrs. Arrived Graudin 1800hrs. Slept in barn amongst plenty of straw. Sled finally collapsed. [underlined 18Kms [/underlined]
[underlined] Day 7. 3rd February. Left Graudin 0900hrs. Arrived Spremburgh 1400 hrs [underlined] 10 kms [/underlined]
Soup at Army barracks. Marched to station and entrained in goods wagons, 40 men per wagon after [inserted] 17.30 hrs Train left Spremburg at 21.30 hrs
[underlined day 8 [/underlined] . Arrived Falkenberg at dawn. Train [deleted] stops [/deleted] [inserted] stopped [/inserted] and shunted for hours. Eventually arrived at
[page break]
Stalag 3A. Luckenwalde at 1615 hrs [underlined] 100 Kms. [/underlined]
Shower, search and bed 0200hrs.
Luckenwalde was a mixed camp containing all sorts of nationalities besides Allied prisoners. Conditions were worse than those at Sangan.
(Photos in back of wartime log will show something of those)
Incidentally on the march we passed several groups of tanks heading for the Russian front, often accompanied by companies of Mongols in field-grey on nimble little ponies. We didn’t give much for their chances if captured by the Russians. Days went by without much incident, until on 21st [underlined] April [/underlined] the Germans began to leave the camp and head westwards. In order to prevent mayhem in the vacuum left by their departure General Ruge (Norway) assumed command a Camp Defence Scheme was set up. The citizens of Luckenwalde camp were evacuated by order of police. German general threatened to fire on the camp unless 8 rifles taken from his men were returned. Rifles returned. Russian artillery shelled the town which was now defended by only 1000 Volksturm (Home Guard) and Hitler Youth.
22nd April. Town of Luckenwalde surrendered; and 0600 hours Russian tanks burst through the wire, companies of infantry were seen in the surrounding woods, followed by more tanks and armoured cars. After much sporadic fighting around the camp, the German defences collapsed. General Ruge visited Marshal Konief’s H.Q., and was told we would be evacuated westwards.
April 26th/27th . Russian operational troops moved out, and occupational troops took over
[page break]
The period of Russian occupation was not a pleasant one. Although we had been “liberated”, yet we were not free. We were still confined to camp, and food supplies were both erratic and sparse.
29th April. We were allowed to walk outside the wire for the first time. It was still a hazardous pastime as fighting was still continuing near the camp, and our Russian “allies” who controlled the camp were in the habit of holding prisoners at gun-point and relieving then of rings, watches and other possessions which took their fancy. All this time, negotiations were going on between the British and Allied Senior Officers and the Russians to speed up the repatriation of all prisoners. Time dragged, and spirits rose and fell according to the content of spreading rumours. Meanwhile supplies of food began to improve. The Russians were definitely stalling on the business of repatriation. Attempts by American & Allied Supreme HQ met with a show of force when attempts were made to proceed with an evacuation of the camp. This situation prevailed until [underlined] 6th May [/underlined] when [deleted] another [/deleted] an American convoy was sent away empty. In the meantime, all British prisoners were taken before a tribunal, consisting of a [indecipherable word] political officer and two Russian officers to be vetted – for what reason remains a mystery. During this hiatus, many prisoners had walked off in the direction of the Allied lines, begging lifts from passing Army transports. A decidedly risky affair as there were still armed Germans in the area, and the Russians weren’t [deleted] fussy [/deleted] choosey about whom they shot
9th May Norwegian prisoners repatriated.
10th May – 19th May. uneventful boredom [deleted] e [/deleted]
[page break]
except for the marriages of 3 Officers to women refugees.
19th May an announcement of impending departure the next day was received with a mixture of hope and scepticism.
20th May. Leave Luckenwalde in Russian convoy, crossed the Elbe by a pontoon bridge at Coswick and entered American lorries. Arrive Halle late evening. Were received with great welcome. The first taste of American white bread was heavenly, and so was the beer. We spent five pleasant days here with medical checks etc and good food.
25th May. Flew from Halle in DC3s to Brussels reception centre to receive a marvellous welcome from the Canadian staff.
26th May Flew in Lancasters to Oakley. Spent the night at Bicester.
27th By Train to Cosford, de-loused and re-kitted and sent home.
P.S. There would appear to be some connection between the enforced delay in our repatriation and the enforced repatriation of Russian refugees to the Red Army, and Yugoslav refugees to Tito.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
It happened one night
Description
An account of the resource
Eric Sanger's personal account of his last operation, of being shot down and his time as a prisoner of war. Detailed account of last operation to Nuremburg on 25 February 1943 in 9 Squadron aircraft from RAF Waddington. Mentions delayed take off and nearly leaving his parachute behind. Describes trip out to target, having to go round again as Pathfinders had not arrived. Continues with aircraft being hit and engine fire which spread to wing. Describes abandoning aircraft parachute decent and subsequent evasion before capture. Describes journey to and treatment at Dulag Luft. Goes on to describe journey to Offlag 21 B at Schubin and then life in camp. Then transferred to Stalag Luft 3 and describes events and life in camp. Goes on to describe long walk from Poland to another camp as Russian forces approached followed by repatriation.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
E W Sanger
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Fourteen page handwriten document
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BSangerEWSangerEWv1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Poland
Poland--Szubin
Poland--Żagań
Germany
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Luckenwalde
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-02-25
1943-04-07
1945-01-28
1945-05
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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IBCC Digital Archive
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Peter Bradbury
9 Squadron
aircrew
bale out
bomb aimer
bombing
Dulag Luft
escaping
evading
Pathfinders
prisoner of war
RAF Waddington
shot down
Stalag 3A
Stalag Luft 3
the long march
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/885/31593/MHowesJ19330425-180610-010001.2.jpg
a442ee5aa9135b2e8e583b138902c7f5
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Howes, Jack
J Howes
Howes, Jean
Description
An account of the resource
Two items. An oral history interview with Jack Howes (b. 1933) and a short memoir. Jack Howes grew up in Lincoln and remembers the city being bombed.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Jack Howes and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-06-10
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Howes, J
Transcribed document
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For Charlotte and Amber from Grandad
Whilst standing recently at the bottom of the south common in Lincoln a short distance from Canwick Hill road and looking up at the newly installed International Bomber Command centre monument. I was taken back some 70 years when as a schoolboy at the local St Andrews school, a friend and I were walking up to the allotments situated at the top of the common. When my attention was drawn to the sound of heavy aircraft engines approaching from our right, as it approached I realised by the sound that it was a large aircraft flying very low, literally at roof top height over what was at the time the South park school for girls, its speed soon covered the distance to where we were standing, and still flying very low, to pass a short distance in the front of us, being at that time used to large RAF aircraft we dived onto the ground shouting in fun it's a German, as the aircraft by this time was almost overhead I rolled over onto my back it was then I recognized by the markings underneath the wings that it was indeed a twin engine German aircraft at the same time seeing in detail there was a man sitting in a transparent dome situated between the huge engines and propellers plainly seeing he was holding in his hands the handles of a gun pointing forward of the aircraft he turned his head to look at us as the aircraft passed by continuing on to cross Canwick hill so low that trees growing there were bent backwards by the wash created from the two propellers with the appearance of cutting the tops of the trees the aircraft continued flying on presumably to over fly the villages of Washingborough and Bardney
It may also be of interest that in the evenings at that time the drone of hundreds of night bombers could be heard at bedtime circling the cathedral to get in formation before flying of to their destinations, this droning would stop suddenly into silence when they departed to their destinations some of whom would never return We also had to carry gas masks, and made wristbands out of the strips of anti radar silver foil called chaff scattered over the countryside by returning English aircraft, also we were told not to touché live butterfly bombs droped [sic] . By German aircraft.
My granddaughter's questions regarding this incident made me think subsequently to what happened to what was I think a Junkers JU88 aircraft. and the man with the gun who looked at us as they passed by.
[photograph]
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Title
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Jack Howes reminiscence letter to his grandchildren
Description
An account of the resource
Recalls German twin engine aircraft flying at very low level over Lincoln. He subsequently though it was a Ju-88. Adds some other wartime anecdotes. Includes b/w photograph of a JU-88.
Creator
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J Howes
Format
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One page printed document with text and b/w photograph
Language
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eng
Type
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Photograph
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
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MHowesJ19330425-180610-01
Coverage
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Civilian
Wehrmacht. Luftwaffe
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincoln
England--Lincolnshire
childhood in wartime
Ju 88
-
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Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Parker, John Joseph
J J Parker
Description
An account of the resource
14 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer John Joseph Parker (1062881, 121671 Royal Air Force) and contains documents, heirlooms and photographs. He served as ground personnel.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Ann Pilbeam and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-03-15
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Parker, JJ
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[photograph]
[page break]
Phone: 121.
Mrs. J.H.McCREA.
“South Bank,”
74, Albert Road,
[symbol] BLACKPOOL.
BOARD RESIDENCE. Piano. Separate Tables.
Electric Light and Running Water, all Rooms.
Nr. Sea, Station and Amusements.
[page break]
[photograph]
Phone: 121.
Mrs. J.H.McCREA.
“South Bank,”
74, Albert Road,
[symbol] BLACKPOOL.
BOARD RESIDENCE. Piano. Separate Tables.
Electric Light and Running Water, all Rooms.
Nr. Sea, Station and Amusements.
John Joseph Parker
Seated left of centre
inbetween two young
ladies
[page break]
[photograph]
[page break]
[photograph]
[page break]
John Joseph Parker
Seated centre left
in between two
young ladies –
outside
74, Albert
Road,
Blackpool
[inkstamps]
[page break]
25th April, 2001
Dad said this morning that he does remember Mrs. MCcrea at Albert Road, Blackpool.
She had two houses and 37 (74 in total) were billetted [sic] in each house – all R.A.F. lads on training courses. Dad was in charge of the billett [sic] .
Her husband was the manager of the local Co-op.
Dad spent nearly a year in Blackpool in the early part of the war as part of his officer training. They went out each day to Squires Gate which was the training school just south of Blackpool. They travelled on corporation buses which had been confiscated for the war effort.
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Title
A name given to the resource
John Joseph Parker at Blackpool boarding house
Description
An account of the resource
Seven items:
1. A photograph of the boarding house.
2. An advertisement for Southbank, the boarding house.
3. A photograph of 22 airmen, including John Joseph Parker as a corporal, three ladies and one man arranged in four rows in front of a boarding house. (Three copies of photograph)
4. On the reverse of photograph: 'John Joseph Parker seated centre left between two young ladies - outside no 74 Albert Road Blackpool'. Photographer's stamp: 'J Wolstenholme, Portrait and Press photographers, 34 Corporation Street, Blackpool'.
5. Note written by his daughter, gives the background to these photographs and describing John Joseph Parker's time in Blackpool as a non-commissioned officer in charge of a boarding house being used as a billet for RAF trainees.
Format
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Four b/w photographs, one card, one single handwritten sheet.
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BPilbeamAFParkerJJv3, PParkerJJ1604, PParkerJJ1605, PParkerJJ1606, PParkerJJ1607, PParkerJJ1613, PParkerJJ1614
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Blackpool
England--Lancashire
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2001-04-21
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
military living conditions
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1186/18578/SWatsonC188489v1-1.2.pdf
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78bceef44f30c4e1a4f2d533cd690cd9
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Watson, Clifford
C Watson
Description
An account of the resource
Five items. Two oral history interviews with Flying Officer Clifford Watson DFC (1922 - 2018, 1384956, 188489 Royal Air Force), a memoir, his service and release book, and a scrapbook containing photographs and documents. He flew operations as an air gunner with 150 and 227 Squadrons.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Clifford Watson and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-06-28
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
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Watson, C
Transcribed document
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Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Photograph
JUST ANOTHER TAILEND CHARLIE
CLIFF WATSON DFC
HUNTINGDON
JUNE 1989
[page break]
[underlined] SEQUENCE [/underlined]
[underlined] File [/underlined] [underlined] Page [/underlined] [underlined] Location [/underlined]
[underlined] GROUP O [/underlined]
D 3 Joining up [underlined] AC2 [/underlined]
4 Babbacombe - 11 ITW Newquay [underlined] LAC [/underlined]
8 Troopship HMT Mooltan - Freetown - Capetown
G 7 Southern Rhodesia - Bulawayo [underlined] LAC [/underlined]
8 EFTS Belvedere Scrubbed TIGER MOTHS [underlined] AC2 [/underlined]
10 A/G Course, Moffat ANSONS [underlined] LAC-Sgt [/underlined]
11 Polsmoor Transit Camp [underlined] Sgt [/underlined]
J25 14 HMT Monarch of Bermuda
15 West Kirby - Bournmouth
17 25 OTU Finningley - Bircotes - WELLINGTONS
18 30 OTU Hixon - Sieghford
19 Leaflets to Paris
Wedding
J26 21 West Kirby - HMT Johan Van Vanderbilt
K1 23 Algiers - Blida - 150 Sqdn WELLINGTONS
K2 27 Fontaine Chaude (Batna) [underlined] FIt/Sgt [/underlined]
LT 32 Kairoaun
LU 35 On leave in Tunis, Chad in Jail
MT 46 End of First Tour - 47 raids
47 2 BPD Tunis - 500 mls. by lorry to Algiers
HXM Capetown Castle - Greenoch - West Kirby
NS 49 Screened 84 OTU Desborough
50 Norton, Sheffield Discip. course
53 W.O - 6th June D Day [underlined] W/O [/underlined]
OS 55 Aircrew Pool, Scampton - HCU Winthorpe STIRLING
56 Syerston Lanc. conversion LANCASTERS
P 57 227 Sqdn. Bardney – Balderton [underlined] P/O [/underlined]
60 DFC [underlined] F/O [/underlined]
63 End of Tour - VE Day
Q 67 Redundant - Photographic Officer, Farnborough
68 u/t Equipment Officer 61MU Handforth
[underlined] GROUP 4 [/underlined]
69 Lager Commandant, Poynton prison camp
2W 75 Civvy Street, Whitehaven Relay Service [underlined] MR [/underlined] .
79 Development Manager, Metropolitan Relays London
44 83 To Kenya, Kirksbridge Farm, Kiminini Kitale
48 85 HM Prison Service Asst. Supt. gr2
555 95 Civil Aviation Radio Officer
556 Mbeya Radio Supt.
557 103 UK leave PMG1 – Flt/RO lic. C. & G.
670 104 Eastleigh - Mwanza
107 Royal visit
680 113 UK leave
114 Entebbe Telecomm. Supt
115 Kisumu
700 123 Nairobi Comm. Centre Ast. Signals Officer
720 129 UK leave
750 134 Nairobi HQ & retirement
800 135 Laikipia Security Network
96 151 Pye Telecommunications, Cambridge Project Engineer
[page break]
[underlined] ILLUSTRATIONS [/underlined]
12A Air Gubber Coiurse 24 CAOS Moffat
15A Finningley Reg. Whellams
20A Bride & Groom 1/3/43
CW in flying kit
CW & HF at Richmond
26A Stan Rutherford with Hilda & Cliff at Richmond
Bill Willoughby (NAV) at Whimpey port gun position
Bill Willoughby & Stan Chatterton in their pits at Blinda
44A Pantelleria target photographs
48A CW with Mum, Barnoldswick
Skipper & B.A. with Hilda at Richmond
Skipper & Hilda at Richmond
48B Skipper& [sic] B.A. with Cliff at Richmond
Stan Rutherford in the snow, at Bircoates
Outside Chalet at Blida
Wimpey at Kaircan
48C At Richmond CW & Hilda
52A Warrant Officer parchment
54A three of Aircrew peeling spuds at Scampton incl. Frank Eaglestone
56A F/O Forster DFM 2nd tour Nav.
C.W.
W/O Foolkes at rear of NJ-P
64A Crashed Remains of 9J – O
64B F/O Cheale, F/O. Bates
S/Ldr Chester DFA with F/O Cheale, W/O Foolkes & F/O Forster DFM
64C More of 9J – O
64D F/O Ted (Ace) Forster DFM, CW & W/O Pete Foolkes
64E CW with rear turret of 9J – O
CW with motor-byke
Sgt. Geoff (Doogan) Hampson, Flight Engineer
64F Newspaper cutting
Start of Second Tour – Frank Eaglestone, Ted Forster & Pete Foolkes
More of 9J – O
64G Ted Forster Ready for Gerry?
Lunchtime over Homberg [sic]
64H P/O Bates (My last tour Skipper)
Part of F/O Bates’ usual crew
64J F/LT. Maxted (Gunnery Ldr) Pete Foolkes and F/O Sandford (spare gunner or Sqdn Adj?)
More of 9J – O
64K Doogan again
More of 9J – O
64L DFC Citation
64M Apology from H.M.
64N F/O Croker’s Lanc. on Torpedo dump at Wyke
Christmas Dinner at Wyke
Reverse of Pete’s Xmas Card 1989
Part of F/L Croker’s letter with Xmas Card
66A-H Examples of Battle Orders
[page break]
[underlined] DEDICATION [/underlined]
The section dealing with my R.A.F. career is dedicated to Lady Luck who shows no compassion, is completely immoral and yet cannot be bought.
After a remarkable interview on television recently, Raymond Baxter asked of Tom Sopwith "To what do you attribute your tremendous and unparalelled [sic] success over such a long period?” In his 94th. year he replied “Luck, pure luck”. His reply was the same when asked again at his 100th. birthday party.
This must apply to every aspiring aviator, and I was no exception.
[page break]
[underlined] THE EARLIEST YEARS [/underlined]
My first ten year or so were spent in Yorkshire, having been born on the [deleted] 22nd [/deleted] [inserted] 11th [/inserted] of February 1922, at 45 Federation Street [inserted] the home of my paternal Gt Grandparents [/inserted], Barnoldswick almost opposite nr. 26 where my Grandparents lived, and about two years after my father was demobbed from the Kings Own Yorkshire Light lnfantry after the Great War. My sister Winifred Sofia was born almost two years later on the 2nd. of January 1924. About that time the family moved to a shop at 33 Rainhall Road where my father established a wireless business. I attended the infants school only 50 yards away, often joined by Winifred.
At the shop, my father built radio receivers of the "Tuned Radio Frequency" type, (TRF), a good 10 years ahead of the superhet. At the same time he held one of the first radio amateur licences in Yorkshire, with the callsign 2ZA. His aerial was a wire to the top of a 50 ft. pole in the back yard and starting with a spark transmitter his first radio contact was with another amateur in Colne, whose transmitter output was connected between the gas and water pipes, He had no means of measuring his frequency but thought it was somewhere around 300 KHz. (1000 metres) He soon progressed to using valves and gradually higher frequencies, though almost everything was really trial and error. When communication progressed to "working" other countries the prefix G was added to UK call-signs. He once told me that his first telephony transmission was achieved using a GPO carbon microphone in the aerial circuit. The only receivable broadcast wireless station at that time was the BBC's 2LO and when people heard it for the first tine there was indeed great wonderment and excitement
In 1926 came the general strike. Money was very scarce and people were hungry. There was no money coming in and the shop closed down. The family moved to a house in Rook Street, close to the railway bridge and opposite the cobler's [sic] wooden workshop. Most of us wore clogs in those days, with leather tops and laces, and iron-shod wooden soles.
Before going to war my father had served an engineering apprentiship [sic] , and worked with steam engines. With outstanding debts at the shop and a wife and two small children to support, he volunteered to work with L.M.S. railway company, and drove a train between Barnoldswick and I think Skipton. The engine was pelted with stones at some of the bridges and he was very unpopular with the strikers, althought [sic] many of them were quite happy to use the train. Thus the family was sustained and he received a letter of thanks and a medalion [sic] from the chairman of L.M.S.
When things returned to normal the family moved again, to nr. 14 School Terrace in Dam Head Road and Winifred and I attended the infants and Junior Schools across the back street. My mother was able to resume working at the mill as a cotton weaver with her sisters Molly and Annie. Their brother Jim -my uncle- was a 'twister', that is he connected the cotton threads on the warp to tails ready for applying to the loom for weaving. The noise. in the weaving sheds was deafening and weavers were quite adept at lip reading. This had a great influence on their broad northern accent. Most weavers operated six looms, loading manually the weft into the shuttles before changing them. My uncle Charlie -the brother of my paternal grandfather=- was a manufacturer employing about a hundred people running 500 or so looms. I remember the big warehouse doors and the lift which was operated by water pressure. To go up, just turn on this tap!. Going down transfered [sic] the water back into a holding
[page break]
tank. There were two offices, large wooden boxes, one on each side of the big doors and just under the ceiling. Accessed by ladders. One office was for uncle Charlie and his clerk, and the other for the more junior staff. When I called to see them in 1941 I noted the intercom. system between the offices. It comprised, at each terminal, two empty Lyle Golden Syrup tins one for speaking into and the other for receiving. they were connected by two lengths of taught string which vibrated the diaphragms being the bottoms of the tins. I was surprised at their effectiveness. There was also a loop of string pulled manually between the two places with a small box attched [sic] for transferring documents. I was impressed. Uncle Charlie said he would consider changing the strings after the war.
At School Terrace my father carried on building wireless sets in the attic and also helped his friend Tom Shorrock who owned the local radio relay service. This comprised a wireless receiver and amplifiers connecting some hundreds of houses with a pair of bare wires to loudspeakers at a cost of ninepence per week for each loudspeaker. The idea appealed to my father and he was able to instigate some technical improvements. By then the wireless manufacturing industry had become well established and radios became readily available. My father had paid off his debts and was discharged from bancrupsy [sic].
At this stage we moved into a new house at 25 Melville Avenue. which was nearer to Fernbank Mill for my mother but also had an inside toilet and bathroom. It also had electricity mains in place of the more customery [sic] gas lighting. An electric soldering iron must have seemed luxurious after heating a copper bit on a gas ring.
Our school was only a few minutes walk from home. Gisburn Road Council School. I remember it and the teachers very well, Mr Alfred Green Petty.the Headmaster, Miss Housen who tought [sic] music english and poetry, and above all Mr Heaton who tought [sic] arithmetic, citizanship [sic] and physics. Miss Housen did not think much of my efforts, I couldn’t sing and disliked poetry, but I got on fine with Mr. Heaton, who also tought [sic] my father over 20 years earlier. Over a fairly long period he gave me extra homework in arithmetic most nights, generally a problem or two and he checked the results next day. It was almost private tuition and thanks largely to him, I excelled in the subject. I think children’s attitudes' in the main were very different to those of the present day. Discipline was strict by consent, not fear. Reward was achieved by effort alone and there was friendly competition between us. Most of us got the cane for some minor offence like climbing over the school wall, in my case refusing to stand in the front of the class and recite ‘the wreck of the Hesperus’. We did respect our teachers.
About this time we moved to a house in Headingley for just a few weeks and then on to. Fence, which we knew as wheatley Lane. During that period my father was working in London at Stag Lane fitting the electrics in Rolls Royces. My mother worked at the cotton mill nearby and Winifred & I were looked after partly by Mrs. Ingham who had a sweet shop. Our stay in Fence was also [deleted] m [/deleted] of short duration.
Tom Shorrock was a friend of Mr. Ramsbottom who was struggling with a one programme radio relay system in Keighley. He already had thriving electrical business and Tom introduced my father to him. So we moved yet again, to Keighley, and my father became Engineer and Manager of Ramsbottoms Radio Relay Service in the centre of Keighley. From 33 Lister Street, the Receiving and Amplifying Station the wires branched
[page break]
out on the roof tops in all directions. By then there were two BBC programmes, Home Service on 342 mtrs, and the Light Programme on 1500 mtrs, so they converted to two pairs for two programmes. We were living at 25 Lawnswood Road but soon moved to a new house at 21 Whittley Road. I recall helping Leslie Wright – Dad’s foreman to erect a garage which cost £7.10.0 to house the new Austin 7 which cost £75 taxed and insured. The other personality I remember well was Walter Spurgeon, chief wireman.
Winifred and I attended Holycroft Council School. Some of the lessons were by listening to the radio, an innovation in those days, and it was my job to check the radio was working, each morning.
It was in Keighley that Mrs. Alice Kilham, my father’s secretary came on the scene. She lived in Oakworth with her daughter Mary, her husband being in a sanitorium being treated for TB. During very cold winter around 1933 the snow was six feet deep and they came to live with us at Wittley Road.
Winifred and I were in the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts respectively and we decided to take the Signaller badge which meant sending and receiving the morse code. We were told the speed required was 12. Having established a battery and buzzer, and a morse key and headphones by the beds in each bedroom, we soon memorised the code and communicated with each other, quickly reaching 12 words per minute. Eventually we progressed to 18 words per minute and then went to take the test. Only then did we find that the speed required was 12 LETTERS per minute, not words. 12 letters is only 2 words per minute. However this faux pas proved very useful about eight years hence.
After just a few years in Keighley, the system was working well and no longer presented a challenge. My father was approached by a group of businessmen from Norwich who were interested in the “wired wireless” system. They were owners of radio busineses [sic] who felt they shouId have a stake in the competition and bank managers hoping to earn a quick buck. All the bank managers were Yorkshiremen. So Norwich Relays Ltd. came into being with premises in St. John Maddermarket, and my father became Engineer and manager, taking with him his secretary and foreman Lesley Wright from Keighley. Allan Moulton joined the firm and was responsible for obtaining wayleaves, that is obtaining permission from owners to put wires on their property. He was a popular figure in Norwich, his main qualification for the job was that he played cricket for Norfolk and knew most people who mattered. Leslie died whilst in his thirties in Norwich.
Once again we moved house, to 119 Unthank Road, and Mrs. Kilham and Mary moved into a cottage in Blickling Court near Norwich Cathedral. Winifred I went to the Avenues Council School initially but not for long. I remember getting a prize for my ‘lecture' on how a TRF wireless worked, showing them the working radio I had made. Probably not very accurate but there was no-one present who could contradict me, fortunately.
At 13 I changed to the Norwich Junior Technical School in St. Andrews. Soon after we moved house yet again to a new house, “Wayside", in Plumstead Road, on the boundary of Norwich Aerodrome. Winifred then joined Mary at St. Monicas private school. On Saturday mornings I attended Art School on the top floor. I achieved very little there, the art master quite rightly concentrating on pupils who showed some potential. For an enjoyable two years we concentrated on technical
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subjects, woodwork, maths, physics, Chemistry, mechanics, technical drawing, metal and woodwork etc. The masters I remember well, ‘Chemi’ Reed the principle, Mr. Abigail, Mr. McCracken and Mr. Lishman. At the end of two-year course I transfered [sic] to Unthank College in Newmarket Road, joining the 5th. form. This was big change for me, the emphasis was on classical subjects, in English literature we spent a whole year studying Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream and Spencer's Fairy Queen. I couldn't: get interested in either but I later achieved a credit in the School Certificate by answering questions on A.G. Street’s Farmers Glory which I read in bed the night before the exam. Mr. Bertwhistle the English Lit. master was furious. For Physics and Mechanics I had tuition from Mr. Horace, the Principal's son and on Wednesday afternoons I visited “Chemi” Reed's house at 33 Britannia Rd. for tuition.
In early 1939 my father, Mr. Moulton and Mrs. Kilham acquired six run-down relay firms and the Nuvolion loudspeaker factory in South London from a Mr. Olivisi, a Frenchman. My father moved to Stretham to a flat in Pullman Court and Mrs. Kilham and Mary and to duCane Court in Balham where the Moultons also had a flat. My mother and Winifred moved to a house in West Norwood and I became a boarder at Unthank College. Soon after taking the School Certificate I joined my mother in London and we moved to a flat in New Southgate. I became articled to George Eric Titley, a Chartered Accountant in St Paul’s Churchyard, commuting to the city 6 days a week by underground. Rail fare was tenpence return per day and I was paid ten shillings per week. Fifty pence in 2004 currency The firm was Gladstone Titley and Co. at 61-63 St. Pauls Churchyard and I was the junior with qualified accountants Joe Oliver, Clarke and Jenkins, and Miss Miller the Secretary. It was amusing 6 years hence when I barged into a Board Meeting at 69 Lavender Hill, Sqdn/Ldr Jenkins still in uniform was sitting there when F/O Cliff Watson appearedstill [sic] in Battledress. Jenkins was called up in 1940 as an Account Squadron Leader.
On the 3rd. of September 1939 War was declared and any plans we all had for the future were kiboshed. During the blitz in 1940 to be nearer my father and to help out at Relays we moved home to Ascot Court in Acre Lane, Clapham.
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[underlined] JOINING UP [/underlined] .
The outbreak of war found me as a clerk articled to a Chartered Accountant in St. Paul's Yard. London. At the age of 17 1/2 it went without saying that within a year or two my occupation would be changed way or another. In the family Radio Relay business men were already leaving to join to Forces. My father was on an army reserve and expected to be called up at any time. I felt my best course was to abandon accountancy for the time being and try and help out; so I joined the firm as a General Factotum. During the Blitz on London my job was fault-finding and replacing the overhead lines, knocked down by Jerry bombers where buildings and whole streets were destroyed. The Radio Relay Service, a two programme four wire system in those days, linked the BBC with some tens of thousands of homes in South London, homes where the radio was never switched off. The system carried air raid warnings also. All too frequently the radio was interrupted by an announcer at Scotland Yard with “Attention please, here is an important announcement, an air raid warning has just been officially circulated". There were occasions when bombs were dropped before the sirens sounded, but never before the announcement was made on our Radio Relay System.
September, aged 18 1/2, I found my employers were trying hard to register me as being in a reserved occupation. The Manager, Allan Moulton, had already been successful in his own case, which was reasonable. Someone had to run the firm and my father had sailed off to Abbysinia [sic] in March. At the time I was working literally 18 hours per day and my fifty bob per week hardly paid for digs.
On a very rare afternoon-off I was walking down Kingsway and tried my luck at the R.A.F. Recruiting office. One look at an applicant for aircrew wearing glasses brought an instant decision from the man at the door. I walked along the Strand and down Whitehall, and having removed my spectacles tried the Royal Navy. I completed the application form and was told that I would be called for interview eventually, but there was a very long waiting list.
I tried the R.A.F. again about a week later having left-off my spectacles for several days, and an application form for training as a pilot was completed. Had I previous flying experience? Yes. Fortunately I was not asked for details, as a passenger with Alan Cobham's Flying Circus might not have carried much weight. - In 1936 we had lived at a house called "Wayside” in Plumsted Road, Norwich, on the Mousehold aerodrome boundary, with a panoramic view of the aerodrome, and I was fascinated by it all like most boys of my age. It was to be three months before I heard from the R.A.F. - the Navy had missed the boat – I was to report to the Aircrew Selection Board near Euston station, on the appointed day about a week hence, for 'medical and academic examinations'. The letter added that in the maths exam `log tables but not slide rules are permissable [sic] ’.
The great day arrived, and at 8.30 am. with about 80 other applicants we were told there would be three one hour written exams, Maths, English and General Knowledge, followed by a medical and a brief interview. Maths was a typical 5th. form end of term test, and English an essay with a wide choice of subjects. General knowledge was mainly common-sense. One of the questions I recall; "Is the distance from London to Warsaw nearer 100, 600 or 2000 miles?”. The Medical Exam was carried out by about 6 examiners, probably Doctors, on a production Iine basis.
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Then the interview after a delay of some hours. Three uniformed R.A.F. officers who had obviously been places in previous wars. "Why do you want to fly"? I have forgotten the particular piece of flannel I used, but it brought no comment and another member of the Board fired his shot, "Which is colder, minus 40 Centigrade or minus forty farenheit [sic] ? Instant answer to that, I'd hear. it before somewhere. The third member asked "that does your Father do" I replied "He is an officer in the R.A.S.C. fighting the Italians in Abbysinia [sic] ". This brought a chuckle from two of them for some reason and the interview was over. I would be advised by post of their decision after the exam. results had been studied.
A week later I was told to report to Euston for attestation, actual reporting for duty would follow after some weeks. There was a brief ceremony and I was given a document which stated that " AC2 Clifford Watson 1384956 has been accepted for training as a pilot in the R. A. F. and is to be prepared to report for duty of a few days notice". It went on to state further that his teeth should receive the earliest attention, one extraction and two fillings.
About three months later my call-up papers arrived, and meanwhile I had met two other local lads whose paths had converged with my own and were to stay parallel for the next six months or so. Raymond Colin Chislett, the son of a Battersea butcher, .and Tom King., of Wandsworth. The three of us reported to the R.T.O. at Paddington and joined a party bound for Babbacombe near Torquay.
During the week at Babbacombe we were issued with uniforms, introduced to drill and Service discipline, lectured on the history of the R.A.F. and told something of what the future held for us. We were made to feel that we really belonged and were indeed priveleged [sic] to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of 'The Few'. We were perhaps more than a little naive to think that we were all destined to become fighter pilots, but we were made to feel that the fate of England and the empire rested entirely with us. The Bombers were taken for granted and were not in the forefront of than news at that time. In any case we Londoners had seen our Fighters in action and - we admit it - imagined ourselves in their shoes. There was a tremendous urge to get on with it and to make a success of it. A great sense of urgency prevailed. I remember well that first day in the Royal Air Force. We were advised to write down our Service numbers so we wouldn't forget them, and above all, we had strawberries and cream for tea. The last I saw of strawberries and cream for about eight years, and as for forgetting one's Service number...! Perhaps it was intended as a joke, but we were taking everything very seriously. At the end of the week there was another Pep talk, very well delivered by a Squadron Leader - and equally well received. He remarked that about Babbacombe, people will say "Never in the History of human conflict, have so many been burgered [sic] about by so few". A misquotation of those immortal words. He went on to say that the two most important weeks in your R.A.F. careers are the first and last, and "you have already survived 50% of them, Good Luck chaps, and have a good trip". There was probably a lot more feeling and sincerity behind those words than we realised at the time. He had seen it all and been there 'in the last lot'. "Have a good trip” was to have real meaning in due course.
A short journey by train took us to no. 10 Initial Training Wing at Newquay for 8 weeks of ground training. We were accommodated in
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Trenance Hotel, one of many taken over by the R.A.F. Another hotel was used for lectures in Navigation, Airmanship, Aerodynamics, Engines, Aircraft Recognition, Signalling, R.A.F. Law and Administration, etc. etc. some drill and P.T., and swimming in the local baths. The sea and beach were out of bounds due to mines and other surprises awaiting the enemy. I had to concentrate hard in the classroom on everything, except signalling. The required speed for sending and receiving morse was 12 words per minute and I had been happy at 18 w.p.m. in the Boy Scouts.
The 18 w.p.m. came about through a misunderstanding. My sister Winifred (a Girl Guide) and I were learning morse for our Signaller badges and were told that a speed of 15 was required, so we practiced until we were competent at 18. It was only when we took the test that we learned the required speed was 15 letters and not words per minute. However this mistake was now serving me well.
The only part I did not enjoy was the cross-country runs, but someone had to be in the last three. After two weeks we were told now that we had smartened-up a bit we would wear white flashes in our caps so we would not be mistaken for real airmen.
There was great speculation as to where we would go for flying training. Maybe stay in Britain, or was it to be Canada, U.S.A., South Africa or Rhodesia, and was there not a possibility of it being Australia?. Meanwhile we must concentrate on passing the current hurdle, it could not by any means be taken for granted that we would all pass the course. In fact after only four weeks, four out of the original 50 were "scrubbed" - a new word to add to our rapidly 'increasing vocabulary.
After about 5 weeks we were issued with some flying kit, boots and Sidcot suits, goggles, helmet and a full issue of gloves - silk, wool, chamois and gauntlets. 4 pairs worn together, and a fifth, electricalIy heated, yet to came. We were not to know that it would be 15 months before we wore any of this. I doubt whether our destination was known to anyone at I.T.W. except that it was overseas somewhere. Seven days embarkation leave and the entire course was posted to West Kirby, no. 1 P.D.C., near Birkenhead on the Wirral. We were joined by about 300 other u/t Pilots from other I.T.W.s and it was just a matter of waiting for the draft. There were parades each morning and we were allowed out of camp at mid-day. It was here that Tom, Ray and I teamed up with John Heggarty, a u/t Pilot who had been at 11 I.T.W. in Scarborough. He was from Birkenhead, of Anglo/French parentage. The four of us visited Liverpool every evening, a place crowded with Navy, Army and Air Force types mostly in transit to somewhere or other. Scores of ships were loading in the Mersey, but after a couple of weeks it was a special train for us to Greenock on the Clyde for immediate embarkation on the "Mooltan", a merchant ship of same 30,000 tons. Our 350 were accomodated [sic] on "D" Deck, just above the water-line, where we spent most of our time, not by choice but by order. Some slept on the mess tables, others under them, with the top layer of bodies in hammocks, a crippling device. To realise that hammocks were the traditional sleeping arrangements for British sailors left me unimpressed and I felt that something far more superior could have been devised. However, navies of many countries seem to favour them. Once aboard, there was no going back. On the second day aboard we were tugged down the Clyde and next morning counted over 40 big ships steaming very slowly in a north-
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westerly direction out at sea. Obviously we were bound for Canada, hence the heavy flying kit .and four pairs of gloves. A week ought to see us in the St. Lawrence. How wrong we were. the convoy was shepherded by some very impressive naval ships, Cruisers, destroyers etc. and Sunderland flying boats were in constant attendance for the first few days. After three weeks of steaming in all directions, first into the freezing cold, then warmer and finally very hot indeed, at 0500 one day the engines slowed and finally stopped; a rattling of chains and then silence. All very dramatic but a buzz on the P. A. system told us we had arrived in Freetown. Portholes were to remain closed. We may go up on deck but on no account were we to remove our shirts nor buy anything from the natives. By mid-day the temperature below decks was almost unbearable and there was no respite from that for a further two weeks. Salt water showers were available at all times, it was just a matter of stripping and walking through the shower. No need for a towel, but in any case that was reserved for absorbing perspiration and we became accustomed to the salt water. Food on board was very good under the circumstances. Two orderlies from each "table" would collect it from the galley (vocabulary still improving) and dish up, and after the meal two more orderlies would clean the tables and wash up. The chores were shared on a roster basis at each table, and each had some duty to perform every few days. We were very fortunate in that we were cadets and not yet real airmen we spent some of our time attending lectures in the second class lounge. We estimated there were about 3000 troops aboard. There was lots of talent for the almost daily concerts. A daily newssheet called "DER TAG”, together with the P.A. system kept us up-to-date with the news. The 9 o-clock news was a must.
Five weeks out of Liverpool it who getting cold again, even below decks, and greatcoats were essential deckwear for the endless lifeboat drills. There were lifeboats but for most of us it was a matter of parading on deck near a stack of Carley floats. The subject was better not discussed, there was no satisfactory answer to abandoning ship.
The Mooltan carried one gun mound at the stern above the propellers, manned by a RoyaI Artillery crew in transit. It seemed to be of about 4" calibre but was not fired during our voyage. It was said the deck would cave in, but this might have been an exaggeration. There were also two ramps off the stern for depth charges of which there was a supply near the ramps. The sixth week was really cold and wet and we estimated our position as somewhere in Antarctica. We then turned more or less north and after a total of seven weeks dropped anchor late one afternoon a few miles out at sea, with much speculation about our location. At about 7 pm. the shore was like Blackpool illuminations. Wherever we are, don`t they know there's a war on? A buzz on the P.A. system told us we would be disembarking next day and our British currency would be of no use to us in this foreign country. We should hand-in all currency, and get a receipt which would be exchanged for local currency when we got ashore. Next morning we entered the docks and disembarked. It was only then we found we were in Durban and were taken straight to the Transit Camp at Clairwood. The army contingent remained on-board and were understood to be bound for action in the Middle
East. So we had arrived in South Africa, and a very congenial and pleasant place it turned out to be.
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[underlined] SOUTHERN RHODESIA [/underlined] .
Clairwood Camp was just a few miles from Durban and there we spent 7 days, very enjoyable, but for the first two days, stoney broke. We had handed in all our money aboard ship but it was to be 10 days before it was exchanged for local currency. However, we seemed to get into Durban every day and we were made very welcome in the Service canteens and clubs.
Before I left England, I was given a card which stated that LAC Cliff. Watson was the son of a respected member of the Battersea Rotary Club and any co-operation afforded to him would be greatly appreciated. I noticed the Rotary insignia at the doorway of a Barclays bank in Durban and asked to see the manager. Could I please borrow £5 and I would refund it as soon as I was paid. 45 years later I would certainly not undertake such a venture. It happened to be the first Friday in the month which was the day of the monthly Rotary luncheon. The three lads from Battersea were invited to lunch and each given £10 on condition that we did not refund it. This was hospitality indeed. Several times in Durban we were entertained by the local people, and of course the environment was completely strange to us, so were the bunches of bananas, pawpaws and other fruits.
After about a week to regain our land legs, we embarked on a train and steamed north. The train was a coal burner and we were aboard for 3 days bound for Bulawayo. Food on the train was really first-class. At one stage we were told to disembark for a spot of exercise [sic] and whilst this was in progress the train moved off. We were marched in a direction at right-angles to that of the train and met up with it about an hour later. This was my first experience of African trains, and the 4-berth cabins, rather superior to even today's "sleepers" in Britain. Looking back on it 35 years later when I was concerned with radio communications between trains and stations in the U.K., - my firm was trying to Introduce a communications system-, I recalled chatting with the Radio Officer in his Radio Cabin on the train whist he was on the morse key in contact with the station at Mafeking. It was many years later that communication with trains in Britain was established.
After a very pleasant three-day journey, we arrived in Bulawayo and buses took us to Hillside Camp, formerly the Agricultural Show Ground. We were accommodated literally in what had been the Pig Sties. These were merely wattle poles supporting corrugated iron roofs with hessian round the poles to represent walls. The whole structure was whitewashed and with plenty of fresh air the accommodation was ideal. There must have been about 600 trainee pilots at Hillside Camp, and we embarked on a second I.T.W. course of ground training. There was however a single Tiger Moth on which we learned to swing the prop. and start the engine. So at last we had sat in an aeroplane although it wasn't going anywhere. At least it was supposed to be anchored down, but an Australian did taxi it a hundred yards or so after an evening of celebration.
Our stay in Bulawayo was certainly very pleasant, we visited Cecil Rhodes grave at Matopas, the ancient ruins of Zimbabwe, spent weekends on farms, enjoyed the swimming and so on, but our minds were on the war of which we were not feeling a part. Pearl Harbour had brought the
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Americans into the fray, several Capital Ships had been lost and things were going badly 'up north'.
In January came a very welcome posting, to 25 E.F.T.S. (Elementary Flying Training School) at Belvedere, on the outskirts of Salisbury. Here the day started at 0400 and we enjoyed tea and toast of our own making before assembling at 0425 for two-mile march to the airfield. By 0500 half the course would be standing-by for flying and the other half lectures and more ground training. Breakfast was between 0900 and 1030 hrs. which included the 2 mile march each way, and after breakfast the two halves of the course changed over. Flying started on the sixth of Jan. with what was to be a typical day, with 30 minutes of flying instruction at 0515, and lectures after breakfast. Addresses by two ex-fighter pilots F/O Newton and a Flight Sergeant whose left leg was in plaster. The following day I managed to get in an hour’s flying with P/O Bentley, concentrating on turns, glides and climbing. From the outset the instructor frequently cut the throttle without warning sometimes deliberately putting the aircraft into a spin. then telling the pupil to get on with it. My next flying session was with Ft/Sgt Oates as P/O Bentley was on leave and in six weeks of flying instruction managed 12 hours with 7 different instructors. A final three hours was spent with F/O Newton in one hour sessions and I was full of confidence and looking forward to the C.F.I.'s test the following day.
Maybe in retrospect I was over confident, even though most of my friends had been "scrubbed", including Hancocks, Robinson, Morgan, King, Barlow, Vivian, Bolton, Friend, Britton, Jones and Fry. Having made what I thought were two acceptable circuits and landings, the C.F.I.'s final remarks were "Sorry old lad, but as a Service Pilot you make a bloody good rear gunner". I did not regard these as being the words of the Prophet, but so ended my career as a u/t Pilot after 9 months in the R.A.F.
All was not lost however, like all the others whose Personal file was stamped "wastage", I found myself at Disposals Depot, which also happened to be at Belvedere, and in good company. All of us were sadly disillusioned and disappointed at failing the Pilot's Course, and the reasons given for the apparent failure were seldom accepted. Where do we go from here in the long term was the main question, and the opportunity to influence this came at an interview at Group H.Q. in Salisbury. The only guidance came from others who had already had their interviews and were awaiting a posting. The alternatives appeared to be many, we could opt out completely and remuster to ACH GD, reduced to the lowest rank of Airman 2nd. Class and thence take pot luck with no trade and no personal ambition. But we had joined the R.A.F. with too much purpose for this to be acceptable. We could apply for training as Observer which at that time embraced both Navigator and Bomb Aimer duties, but we were meeting chaps just starting that course who had waited six months for it after failing the pilot's course, and this indicated that it could be a year more before we qualified. The most logical answer appeared to be the Air Gunner Course which lasted only six weeks, and apparently with hardly any waiting list, so in less than two months it seemed we could become a sergeant with half a wing, not quite what we set out to achieve, but a far cry from where we stood at the time.
At the interview at Group H.Q. I asked why I had failed and was shown the comments made by my instructors. With the exception of the
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C.F.I.’s comment they were all favourable and I became a little argumentative. For the first time I learned that on the C.F.I. test I had climbed at less than full throttle but at the correct air speed with the normal rate of climb. What I should have done apparently was give it full throttle, keeping the correct air speed and letting the rate of climb take care of itself. On the training aircraft the emphasis had been on speed and rate of climb whereas it should have been on speed only and full throttle.
I remarked that the C.F.I.'s aircraft was more like a Gladiator than a Tiger Moth. The alternative careers were as we had deduced amongst ourselves and I applied to remuster to u/t Wireless Operator/Air Gunner and to do the A/G course as soon as possible. This was approved on the spot, and my file was endorsed “Watson requests an A/G course merely for the quickness in getting onto ops." I was supposed to start the course the following week.
It was to be three months before I was actively posted to Moffat to do the Air Gunner Course, and the greater part of this was spent on leave, returning to camp periodically to check progress. We had only to walk along the road away from town to be offered a lift which generally meant spending the rest of the day with new friends, and quite often arranging to spend a week or so with them. It was on the 15th. of Feb. Tom King and I were spending 10 days leave with our hosts Mr. & Mrs. Bedford at Poltimore Farm, Marandellas that we listened to Churchill's speech, with the dreadful news of the fall of Singapore. This led to a general discussion on the likely future plans of the war and it was generally felt there would be an allied landing at Dakar with the assistance of the French, and the forces would move north and then east to catch Rommel in a pincer movement. Not too far out in our argument, only 2000 miles, but we had the general scheme and timing right. Later we were shown around the tobacco "barns" where 12,000 leaves were drying in each of 10 barns. My diary records that "one of the most interesting things we were shown was the castrating of 300 pigs" A rather messy business", perhaps I was less squeamish in those days. Later about 2000 head of cattle were dipped including 3 wicked looking bulls. The two children tried to keep us amused, and with great success. We repaired their bicycles, small car, swing and dolls' house furniture, the dolls house being about 20 feet square. We carved out the names Wendy (8) and Cliff (20) on a tree and really began to enjoy the Rhodesian way of life. We cycled over to Chakadenga Farm and had tea with Mrs. Nash and also met the local jailer. We tried to repay all this kindness by making ourselves generally useful, and I recall changing the oil in Mrs. Nash's Chevrolet and repairing the lights. We also refitted the long-wire aerial on the house radio and refurbished the engine house which accommodated the lighting plant and batteries.
We tried to spend.as much time away from camp as possible, our idea being 'out of sight, out of mind'. Occasionally the S.W.O caught up with us and we were detailed for guard duty on the aerodrome, a 12 hour guard working 2 hours on and four off. The complete guard comprised 6 airmen, 4 on standby in the guard room, one cycling around the aerodrome and one standing in a sentry box at the side of the double gates which were normally closed. There were neither fences-nor ditches linking the gate posts and it was easier to drive a car onto the airfield on the wrong side of the gate posts than to bother with the gate. Generally the Orderly Officer carried out his inspection about 7.pm. but on one
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occasion suddenly appeared about 3 am. from the direction of the airfield and drove up to the main gate on his way out, parking so near the gate it could not be opened. I turned out the guard, which took about 5minutes and we were treated to a tirade and lecture covering several subjects including how utterly futile the guard was. One of the chaps said “you are absolutely right Sir" which made matters worse and he stormed back into his car. The headlights had been left on and the car wouldn't start, so we leaned our rifles against the sentry box and pushed the car backwards so we could open the gates. Finally the entire guard pushed the car forward and it started without trouble, but headed back towards camp. We decided to remain at the open gate, and a few minutes later the car returned at great speed, and disappeared through the gate in a tremendous cloud of dust without further formality. We had good laugh but it did little for the morale of chaps whose ambitions had been thwarted and who felt they were wasting their time in the R.A.F. and, even more so in guarding a gate which had no real purpose with blank ammunition and rifles which it would be too dangerous to fire. By the end of March the aerodrome guard was taken more seriously and comprised 24 Europeans and about 60 Africans, which meant the remustering aircrew trainees were on guard every few nights. I was given the job running the Post Office and Stores which exempted me from guard duties but also curtailed my leave periods.
On the 3rd. April Tom King and 20 others were posted to 24 C.A.O.S. at Moffat, near Gwelo, about half-way between Salisbury and Bulawayo, for their Air Gunner Course. The intake was 50 per month and we wondered where the other 40 had come from. Meanwhile Ray Chislett the other member of the Battersea trio- was doing extremely well at Cranbourne flying Oxfords. Root and Robertson were killed the previous day in a Harvard whilst officially on practice instrument flying but actually beating up a tree and misjudging matters
On the 1st. of May, I was posted to Moffat and started the A-G course. Things seemed to be happening in our favour at long last; and had been delayed because of a large influx of remustered ground crews who had got out of Singapore just in time, and also another large influx of Aussies for Air Gunner training. It was good to see Tommy King pass out as a Sgt. A-G and for Cpl. Luck to receive his commission.
On Sun. the 10th. of May there was a church parade in best blues and khaki topee, held in Gwelo. Two days later L.A.C. Chick Henbest, u/t A-G ex u/t Pilot shot a large hole in his own aircraft's tail. When he as charged with the offence he brought an expert witness, the Station Armament Officer ! - to state that such a thing was technically impossible. The Air-Gunner training was partly intergrated [sic] with that of the Navigator's, and on the 13th. May on such an occasion 'Ace' Buchanan and another A-G, piloted by Sgt. Reed, force-landed near QueQue and were missing for 5 hours
In the four weeks at Moffat we carried out 9 hours of Air firing in Anson aircraft using a Vickers Gas Operated gun of .303 calibre. This was mounted on a Scarfe ring with the gunner standing and firing at a drogue towed by a Miles Master aircraft. 200 rounds were fired during each exercise [sic] , the 3 "pans" of ammo. having been filled by the gunner and then 'doctored' by an armourer with faulty rounds, and other simulated faults. The only turrets available were on the ground, and comprised an ancient Frazer Nash, Daimler and electrical Boulton & Paul. A total of 4 hours was spent in them. We were supposed to swing the
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turret aiming at moving light images on the wall but in practice the bulbs in the ring-sights were all faulty.
On the 29th. May we graduated and were presented with brevets and tapes. The course was posted to Capetown but I had to report to Salisbury to give evidence at Gooding's Court Martial. Gooding had stolen my Agfa Carat camera and scores of other items in Bulawayo. Meanwhile on the news, 1000 Bombers over the Rhur [sic] again and 37 missing. A few days previously the very first raid on this scale was made on Cologne with 44 aircraft missing. The Middle-East war was becoming more intensive and in Russia Jerry was in real trouble, but we seemed a very long way from it all.
One of my friends on the Pilots course was Ian Smith who lived in Salisbury and with whom I used to go looking for buck in the early mornings. Ian had failed the course like most of us but being a Rhodesian had obtained his discharge locally and joined the Southern Rhodesia Light Battery currently at the K.G. VI barracks. I went to the barracks in the afternoon and saw Norman, and was introduced to Solomon, Slim and other Rhodesians in the S.R. Army Medical Corps. After tea in the mess we went to the local bioscope to see 'East of the River'. On the 13th. of June I managed to get another 19 days leave which was spent with Mr. & Mrs. James at their farm at Gilston, about 16 miles south of Salisbury. With three Aussies we had a wonderful holiday, riding, cycling, tennis, swimming, all at the farm. We rode up to the bushman's caves in a copje 4 miles into the bundu and photographed them. To the Aussies it was like being home and I concluded there was no alternative to this sort of life.
On my return to Disposals Depot my stolen camera was returned to me and I found that Gooding was on yet another charge,- stealing a W/T Set - . A few more days leave to say cheerio to all my friends in Salisbury, and I returned to Gwelo to find that I was posted to Bulawayo to give evidence at the Court Martial. I stayed with Mr. & Mrs. Rose for a week or so and spent some time at the Cement works where Mr. Rose was Manager. I was offered a job there if I would return after the war and for a long time this formed the basis of my post-war plan, but a great deal was to happen before that time came. The Court Martial was a very formal affair, and Gooding was charged with theft on about 45 counts. He had not disposed of anything he had stolen for personal gain, and pleaded Kleptomania. He was sentenced to dismissal from the R.A.F. after immediate return to U.K., and recommended for psychiatric observation. He survived the war, certified unfit for Military service and resumed his career with a firm of solicitors in Surrey. The case was finished just in time for me to join the rest of the course on the 1st. of July at Bulawayo station. In Gwelo I had bought a tin trunk which was now nearly full of presents, pyjamas for Hilda, stockings for Mum, embroidering material, tobacco, cigarettes, jam and so on.
After a 55 hour train journey we arrived in Kapstaad and enjoyed Iunch with John Heggarty before joining another train to Retreat and the drive to Polsmoor Transit Camp by bus. It rained heavily for a couple of days and the activity was just one big reunion. I met friends I had not seen since Newquay. Dicky Aires and Jack Frost were there as Sgt. pilots, Howard Iliffe (1090111) and Bob Hildred also, having trained as pilots at George, in the Union. Arthur Brittain a Sgt. Observer and Stewart Evans who was in the Officers Mess at Kumalo. In the next four
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weeks we spent most of our time in Capetown, making a beeline for the Soldiers Club. The welcome we received from the South Africans was positively overwhelming, and people were literally queueing up to entertain us. On the 4th. of July a group of four of us including Ray Chislett and two Maltese soldiers met Mrs. Williams and had tea at her flat. After tea we motored out to a vineyard and got quite merry on four glasses of their own wine. On the way out one of the tyres was punctured and it took us less than three minutes to change the wheel. In the evening we went to the Odeon Bioscope at Seapoint with complimentary tickets which appeared from out of the blue. Howard. Iliffe, John Heggarty and I spent a great deal of time together in Capetown where Howard & I met two young ladies. One of them, introduced as Cheri de la Chene said she was French and had spent five years in Paris, but she could not understand my efforts at speaking French. John Heggarty had quite a brainwave and I introduced him as a member of the Free French Forces,-L'Aviation Francais Libre-. John was absolutely fluent in native French and soon discovered that Cheri was neither French nor a University student, but a schoolgirl of 14 at the Convent. Whilst in Capetown I met Binedall with whom I used to correspond before the war, and he gave me a large matchbox which I left with Mrs. Williams' mother to be collected after the war. I have left it rather too late. The climb up Table Mountain with Ray was very interesting and from the top we had a wonderful view of Muizeuburg. This reminds me of one night during a trial blackout at Muizenburg, Heggarty and I met Mrs. Macbeth who invited us to dinner on the following day. We gladly accepted and on arrival at the house next day referred to her as Mrs. Shakespeare. This was laughed off and we spent a very enjoyable evening. After dinner we went to a show in Muizenburg and met a lady who had lived near Battersea Park. In 1952 in Mbeya in Tanganyika I was talking to another 'Radio Ham' in Muizenburg arid mentioned my faux pas with Mrs. Macbeth's name. He said he was living in Mrs. Macbeth's guest house and she had related the story at dinner only a few days previously. Stuttafords of Adderley Street provided a very interesting experience for Heggarty and me. We wandered into a tea-room the likes of which we had never seen before, it seemed the ultimate in luxury. We asked mildly for just two cups of tea but up came the whole works of silver teaset with lots of pastries and cakes. We said no thankyou, really, just two cups of tea, but the lady was adamant. We said it was jolly nice but funds were limited and the cakes were beyond our means. She said she would be very cross if we didn't have at least half a dozen cakes and then gave us a bill -for 1/3d. Fixed charge for two, she said. Wonderful people, it was embarrassing at times. We called in a Milk Bar for a milkshake and they insisted it was on the house. We would buy a bunch of grapes for a 'ticky', -3d- and they refused payment. One Saturday Ray and I spent the day with the Brandt family who lived at Rosebank . We went for a run with them in the car in the afternoon, round Table Mountain and took some very good photographs. They also drove us to the Lion Match Company's factory in Capetown, where we were given a tour - and quite a lot of labels- a wonderful finale to my first trip to Africa.
After meeting up with our old friends whose paths had taken many different ways and finally converged, but not without the loss of several due to accidents, the resentment at failing the pilot's course had just about worn off. The original crowd of rookies at Newquay were still basically together and covering all aircrew 'trades'. Someone had
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[photograph]
[underlined] AIR GUNNER COURSE [/underlined]
[underlined] APRIL 1942 [/underlined] [underlined] 24 C.A.O.S. MOFFAT, GWELO. [/underlined] [underlined] S. RHODESIA [/underlined]
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[underlined] POSTSCRIPT [/underlined]
The A/G course was rather an anti-climax after the concentration and determined outlook on the pilots course. Most of us felt we had wasted our time and had been let down.
During a "lecture" on the Browning gun by Cpl. Paddy Gilligan he noticed correctly that my eyes were closed and pointing to me, yelled "You, what was I saying?", I replied "You were saying 'as the breach block moves to the rear the cam on the rear sear rides along that on the barrel extention [sic] . . . ' There followed a discussion on my detailed phraselogy [sic] and he wound up by shouting "Your problem Watson is you don't speak effing english". I replied that I try to speak the King's english Cpl! and that did it, he swore to fix me. Study of the Browning gun comprised learning parrot-fashion the sequence of events and other odd statistics such as effective range and rate of fire. There was a drawing on the wall which gave us some idea of what it looked like, but the Browning was something for the future, the R.A.F. currently uses the V.G.O. or so we were told. The following day Gilligan told me to go to the billet and make sure the African had cleaned all the lampshades, including the one in his little room. This I did and two hours later reported they were all clean. The next day with no preamble I was told to report to the Orderly Room immediately. I was marched in to the C.O. and charged with failing to carry out an order, and also making a false report. Gilligan gave evidence and said the lampshade in his billet was filthy, I could not have checked it. The C. O. accepted this and I was given a severe rep. and 7 days jankers. I went straight away to the billet and I asked the S.W.O. to accompany me. He delegated a Sgt. Clerk and together we checked the offending lampshade. Sure enough it was filthy. I found the african cleaner and he swore that he had cleaned the shade but the Cpl. had then made him change it for one in the next but where they were all dirty. We all trooped next door and saw that all were indeed filthy except one.
The Sgt. could see what Gilligan was up to and endorsed my written report addressed to the C.O. which also applied for redress of grievance. The result was that my Severe Rep. was cancelled and so was the balance of the jankers.
At the end of the course the exam. papers were marked by Gilligan and he gave me 61% in all subjects which was the absolute minimum for a pass. Again I wrote to the C.O. and he agreed that Gilligan was up to his tricks again. He changed the exam. results to an average of 93% If I had not been so argumentative I could very well have "failed the course"
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to fly the thing, but there was a lot of other work to be done also. A cutting from the Rhodesia Herald whilst at Moffat spelt it out:-
I wished to be a pilot,
And you, along with me;
But if we all were pilots,
Where would the Air Force be?
It takes guts to be a gunner,
To sit out in the tail,
When the Messerschmitts are coming,
And the slugs begin to wail.
The plot's just a chauffeur;
It's his job to fly the plane;
But it's we who do the fighting,
Though we may not get the fame.
If we must all be gunners,
Then let us make this bet;
We'll be the best damn gunners
That have left this station yet
Nearly half a century later it does seem somewhat corny.
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[underlined] OPERATIONAL TRAINING. [/underlined]
And so to the 2nd. August 1942; we boarded HMT J/6, The Monarch of Bermuda and were shown to our cabins, stowed our kit and were issued with passes to go ashore until 1500 hrs. A last look at Table Mountain and Kapstaad and at 1630 on the 3rd. we left South Africa, hoping and firmly intending one day to return. The 10 day voyage to Freetown was a very pleasant cruise, escorted by two Battle Cruisers and three Corvettes and accompanied by The Empress of Russia, we ploughed along at a steady 12 knots. Our favourite pastime was reading the inter-ship messages on the Aldis lamps. Among other things we learned that one of the Empress's boilers was u/s and shut down. Which limited the speed of the whole convoy. There were several U Boat warnings during daylight and these coincided with lifeboat drills, which were taken very seriously.
The accommodation was very good, all the R.A.F. NCOs being accommodated six in each cabin. The cabins were equipped as they had been for luxury cruising pre-war, each with a toilet room with saltwater shower. The portholes remained open the whole time, but this time we were on 'A' and not 'D' Deck. In the Sgts Mess Italian P.O.W.'s waited upon us, and make a very good job of it. All fatigues are carried out by them and they caused no trouble at all. The vigilance of the Polish guards probably influenced that, their bayonets being fixed ALL the time, and there were few words passing between the guards and prisoners, just a few gestures with the bayonet. The Poles had been in action since August 1939 and were a long way from home, first defending their country, evacuating to Yugoslavia, and then making their way to Abadan to join the British. There were 1800 Italian prisoners aboard, mostly captured in Bardia and Tobruk about two years previously. They were a meek and miserable-looking lot. One of our 'stewards' who we called 'Grandpa' was a Cpl Major, and had medals for the Bolshevist and Abbysinian [sic] wars. He spoke very little English, but excellent French, and in return for a few cigarettes made me a bracelet in which he put photos of my fiancee [sic] , Hilda, and me. The material was similar to duralumin and he claimed it was a piece from a shot-down British Bomber in Abbysinia [sic] , a most unlikely story. His only tools were a pen-knife, a razor blade and a 4” nail for engraving. The Italians were confident the Axis would win the war and were expecting Stukas, Fokker Wolfe Condors and 'U' Boats to appear at any time.
There were several hundred European civilians aboard, mostly evacuees from Alexandria and Cairo, who seemed to think they owned the ship. Many of them were ducked during the Crossing the Line ceremony, we claimed exemption, being old timers at that sort of thing!!
There was some form of entertainment almost every evening; mainly variety concerts organised by the troops. During one of these I recall a wounded ex 8th-Army Soldier impersonating Stanley Holloway in his Northern accent with a poem,
"The Reason Why"
The unity of Empire .is seen in ships galore,
As they plough in convoy fashion, to Britain's island shore,
Across the world's big oceans, around continents as well,
The Bulldog breed keeps up the creed that history will tell.
We've roughed it on this convoy, we've lived like herded sheep,
Yet all can see, it's got to be, if freedom's cause we'll keep
We're mixed like breeded cattle, the R. A. F. as well,
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That R.A:F. who two .years ago Just drove the 'uns to 'ell.
They say the good ship Monarch, J6 her tag, goes back to Afric [sic] shortly,
but always behind that Flag.
The Flag we're fighting Jerry for,
the Flag of which we're proud,
the Flag which may be a tattered rag,
but with honoured blood endowed.
In that environment and atmosphere this was pretty stirring stuff.
On the 14th. of August we dropped anchor in Freetown. Just as a year ago, it was very hot and humid, with an overcast sky. This time we were not restricted to below decks, but enjoyed the freedom of the ship and were able to trade with the natives. Sunderland seaplanes were seen patrolling out to sea, with Walrus amphibeans [sic] doing about 60. m.p.h., around the harbour. There was lots of signalling between ships and we could cope with the morse, but the semaphore was too advanced and clever for us.
Sunday the 16th at 0600 the Monarch and the Empress slipped out of Freetown and rejoined the Royal Navy out at sea. We were a little concerned for an hour or two, as the sun was rising on the port beam, but we eventually turned right and the sun returned to it's proper place, astern. We expected to reach England by thursday, but rumours of the invasion of France were rife and my diary actually records that this might delay us a little!. The general topic of conversation was what would it be like going through Customs. We were advised on the P.A. system to hand in any unauthorised arms and ammunition, including loot taken from the enemy. I had 3 kitbags, a tin trunk, suitcase and issue R.A.F. webbing and packs, and somewhere in that lot was 25 lbs. of sugar, 10 lbs of tea, 8 pairs of silk stockings, 2 dress lengths, 15lbs. of jam, lady's pyjamas, 2000 cigarettes and other dutiable material. I also had a very small .22 revolver in my pocket and decided to risk it. It was really a toy, hardly a weapon of war. In the very early hours of the 26th. of August we docked at Greenoch. An hour later our party of 240 or so assembled on deck with a mountain of kit, all newly trained sprog aircrew sergeants. The train pulled in to within 100 yards of the ship and in less than 30 minutes we were on our way by train to Glasgow, then on to London. Whilst changing stations in London, I telephoned the office, BATtersea 8485, at 0730 and was disappointed that Hilda was not yet at work!
We arrived at no. 3 P.D.C. Bournemouth and moved into luxury hotels, expecting to be sent on leave immediately, hardly worth unpacking, but this was not to be. We were interviewed several times, medically examined, kit reorganised and generally messed about for a week. According to my pay book, I was a Sgt. Air Gunner, u/t Wireless Operator, and at one interview I was told that this could not be so. Either I could stay as a Sgt. A-G or lose my tapes and become an AC2 u/t Wireless op., eventually doing a wireless op. course. It was emphasised that the whole business of training was highly organised into streams, and once in the main stream it was better to drift with it rather than to try and change course. Streams could not cross, but only merge. All very academic and enlightening so it was agreed that u/t wireless op. would be deleted from my paybook, and of course, having done a couple of tours as a rear gunner I could always apply for a wireless course.
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That's what the man said and I was in no position to argue, 'Just a couple of tours'.
A week later we were on leave, and Hilda met me at Waterloo after just over a year apart. We had a few hours in London before going up to Barnoldswick to take my mother by surprise. After five rather hectic days of visiting relatives and friends we returned to London and met Hilda's parents and relatives, for just one day before returning to Bournemouth.
We were billeted in an attic at Ocean Lodge and took our meals at the Vale Royal. The food was the most unappetising and uninteresting we had seen in the R.A.F. so far. Life in Bournemouth consisted entirely of parades, square bashing, P.T. drill, lectures and swimming, each activity taking place some miles away from the previous one.
Bournemouth was full of sprog air crews, 90% Sergeants, few realised what the future might hold, and; in retrospect, I don't recall even thinking about it.
We were clear of Bournemouth on the 2nd. of October, and posted to 25 O.T.U., Finningley. near Doncaster.
The first 14 days were spent in lectures, practical work on guns in the armoury, and in firing on various ranges. We were introduced to the FN20 rear turret and relieved to have the opportunity of stripping the .303 Browning guns. We who had trained in Rhodesia did not advertise the fact that we had never actually seen a real Browning gun, only a wooden model, all our air-firing having been carried out on V.G.O.'s [Vickers Gas Operated) guns. We had spent several hours in a turret on the ground in Rhodesia. A Boulton & Paul electrically operated mid-upper type as fitted to a Defiant but bearing no resemblance to the rear turrets of Wellingtons and Whitleys.
11th. November was relatively peaceful at Finningley. In the world outside the Allies had landed in North Africa and occupied the coastal strip from Casablanca, through Oran to 50 miles east of Algiers where the big build-up was taking place. Jerry was being pushed towards Tunisia and Rommel's Afrika Corps was in full retreat in Libya, having been pushed out of Egypt, The Huns marched into hitherto unoccupied France and hard fighting was still going on in Stalingrad. Madagascar was in British hands. My diary records that Jerry lost over 600 aircraft in two days, according to the B.B.C. Nearer home I also recorded that "I flew today for the first time with my pilot, Sgt. Rutherford, and with Sgt. Bishop, W/optr., on circuits and bumps. Our Navigator Allan Willoughby is at Bircotes doing cross-countries". For some of us the pace was slow, and some of the time was spent in 'Brains Trust' sessions. Here a team of experts would sit on the platform and questions on any subject would be asked by the rest of us. In reply to the question "How do you think we should deal with the Huns after the war?", the M.O. replied "Castrate the bloody lot, the R.A.M.C. could do that in only a couple of weeks". Most of the discussions however were in a more serious vain. Over this period the weather was not very good. No 14 Course crews have been helping the Landgirls digging up potatoes and 12 Course chaps were heaving coal, We then had coal and coke allocated and delivered to our billets, which eliminated the need to pinch it from the Officers' Mess. we were accomodated [sic] in the peace-time married quarters close to their Mess.
One of our Wimpies from Bircotes crashed into a Beaufighter near Caernarvon where my sister was stationed in the W.A.A.F. There were no
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[photograph]
[photograph] [underlined] REG WHELLAMS [/underlined]] 1333520
[underlined] AT 25 OTU FINNINGLEY [/underlined]
(10 FORSTER RD. WALTHEMSTOW E.17 )
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survivors. A Defiant crashed near my home in Barnoldswick and we pressed on with the routine of local flying, stripping nothing more interesting than guns, and lectures and so on.
My diary records that on the 9th. December, after a little over two months we were taken by lorry to Bircotes to fly as a crew. Losses were high, on a Bullseye on London we lost three aircraft. One of them apparently ditched without trace near the French Coast, the only clue to this being their dinghy which would have been released automatically striking the water. A second crew headed by Ft/Lt. Anneckstein crashed into the watch office, killing the Bomb Aimer who was stretched out in the bombing position. A third crew crashed on landing at Bircotes, without fatality, but with the crew rather shaken-up. We were living Nissen huts about 2 miles from the 'hangars' and 3/4 mile from the in the other direction. The place was a sea of mud in parts and we generally washed AFTER breakfast for some reason which eludes me after 45 years
One point in favour of Bircotes, it was on the Great North Road and just before Christmas I enjoyed a 48 hr. leave with Hilda in London! I met Tommy King in Battersea who was a Rear Gunner on Halifaxes with three ops. to his credit, all to Italy. A brief respite and back to Bircotes. The flying aspect was proving more interesting now, I could see a little beyond my own situation and get involved to some extent in the general carry-on of working as a crew. We had a first-class Skipper, Sgt. Stan. Rutherford, a down-to-earth tough New Zealand sheep farmer. Our Navigator Allan Willoughby from the West country whom we regarded as the Academic member of the crew, but who suffered greatly from air sickness. On those occasions our Bomb Aimer Stan Chadderton from Liverpool took over the navigation without any problems. Stan trained as an Observer - which included both Bomb aiming and Navigating in the U.S.A. and we were thus very fortunate in having a standby navigator. Our Wireless Operator Harry Dyson was from Huddersfield possibly the socialite of the crew, and fancied his chances in the rear turret, giving me a welcome change on occasions.
I started the New Year well by having four runaway guns, over Missen, the bombing range, splattering a main road. The safety catches were 'off' and the guns ready for instant action almost all the time the air, and the reason the guns fired has not been fully explained. I vaguely put it down to a build-up of hydraulic pressure in the triggering system. This did not fool the Armourers who put it down finger trouble on my part - literally.
By the 7th. of Jan. we had completed all our day-flying details of cross-countries, bombing, air firing etc. and were suddenly posted to 30 O.T.U. Hixon, in Staffordshire to complete the night flying excercises [sic] . It took three days visiting various sections to obtain signatures on a Clearance Certificate before we were free of Finningly [sic] , and the after we arrived at Hixon, we were despatched to the satellite airfield at Seighford. A week later we were still without aircraft at Seighford and when the Skipper, Navigator and W/op went to Finningley to collect one, Stan Chadderton & I took French leave and shot off to see respective Hildas. It was on that leave that Hilda and I decided to get married and arranged for bans to be called in Seighford and Battersea.
On the 24th. Jan, our night-flying excercises [sic] almost completed we enjoyed a new experience. We were put on the battle order and briefed for an attack on Lorient. Everything was rushed and finally when
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boarding the aircraft -which was u/s-, the raid -or our part in it- was cancelled. We were to have dropped six 500 lb. bombs in 10/10ths cloud and were warned about the fighters and lots of flak. We found later that the Americans had bombed Lorient in the afternoon followed by 121 aircraft of Bomber Command that night. One Stirling was lost. In early Feb. we were doing a 6 hour cross-country operational excercise [sic] simulating a real trip and towards the end of it were joyfully bombing what was thought to be our target on the bombing range. After dropping two sticks of 11 1/2 lb. practice bombs the "target" lights were extinguished and although we remained over them for a further 20 minutes they did not come on again. Thirty minutes later "W" William landed at base amid great consternation. Apparently the O. C. Night Flying had thought we were lost and had been sending up rockets. These were seen by the Stafford Fire Brigade who came dashing out to Seighford expecting a major disaster. On reporting to the Watch Office the Skipper was congratulated upon a successful bombing attack on Hixon aerodrome.
A few nights previously Jock King and crew had crash-landed on the Yorkshire moors. They were over the North sea, badly iced up and losing height gradually until they ran out of it on the moor. The aircraft was a complete write-off and the Rear Gunner very badly injured by the Brownings crashing into his chest. On the 7th. Feb. the whole crew went to the local church and heard the Banns called. Two aircraft were lost from our unit the previous night, one piled straight in at Hixon, all killed, and Sgt. Browning bounced off the runway and finished upside down in the adjacent field. The 11th. Feb. was my 21st. Birthday and the Crew got absolutely sloshed in Eccleshall. It was a memorable party and the Skipper and Bomb Aimer got themselves lost on the way home and spent part of the night in a ditch. On the 14th. we completed the last of our cross-country details. The pages of my diary covering this trip are indistinct having been submerged in water in 1949, but there were problems. The first 4 hours were spent on accurately flown courses, but there was difficulty in keeping to specific heights. The aircraft seemed to climb and alternately lose height for no explicable reason and this distracted the Skipper from the required accuracy. Eventually with only 60 gallons of fuel indicated, the Skipper called "Darky Darky this is Nemo xx .....". Up came a 'gate' of two searchlights and signalled the direction of a friendly runway. 10 minutes later we all developed an instant inferiority complex, we had landed at Wyton, the home of 109 Squadron Pathfinders. One Wellington Mk.111 bombed up with four small practice bombs, was parked amid Lancasters, Mosquitoes and B17 Fortresses. However we were made very welcome and at 0400 hrs. thoroughly enjoyed the bacon, egg, fried sausages, toast and marmalade etc. Had I known then, that 40 years hence I would be retired and settled within 4 miles of Wyton I would have been a happier man. Aircraft on the first raid of the war had taken off from Wyton. The next two weeks were very active with little actually achieved. We were briefed almost every day for something which was cancelled every time but with one exception. We were told to do an air test on an aircraft which was parked near the perimeter fence. The rear turret was almost touching the fence at the other side of which was a haystack and chicken coop. The ground was muddy and rather more revs than usual were needed to free the wheels and move the aircraft forward. The hurricane strength wind created completely demolished the hen coop and the haystack, and many of the hens became airborne as never before. There
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was no time for recriminations however, on landing we went straight to the briefing room and learned we, were on a Nickel that night. The Oxford Dictionary gives a different meaning, but to Air Crews 'Nickel' is a generic term for a bum fodder or leaflet raid. It did imply that someone had some confidence in us, maybe. The target was Paris.
At last we were over enemy-occupied territory, still on our side of the Rhine, and still a long way from it, but we were getting nearer and there was no lack of confidence, at least initially. Problems developed, first my ring-sight ferrel broke off, so there was no hope of accurate aiming if attacked, then my intercom microphone ceased to function. The fault was later found in the Rotating Service Joint below the turret. We had a standby signalling system of push button and lamp, but that too was out of order for the same reason. I could hear the skipper calling me on a routine check but had no means of replying. Receiving no reply, Barry Dyson crawled back to the rear turret to check up, not knowing what to expect. He had overlooked the fact that we were at 15.000 feet - the highest we had been at that time- and almost passed out due to lack of oxygen. He reconnected his adapter to the system just in time. He was also inadequately clothed for a temperature of -18C but putting 1800 lbs of leaflets down the flare chute restored his circulation. Di banged on the turret door and we exchanged greetings. He returned to his office and reporting my situation to the Skipper. Meanwhile I was incommunicado for the rest of the trip, but I could hear the others conversing. Shortly after that I felt the rotation of the turret was becoming sluggish and I tried to fire a short burst. Three of the guns fired one round each and then stopped, but number one was working. I cocked and recocked the guns several times, tried firing them manually and eventually three were working. I fired a short burst and regained a little confidence. An hour after leaving Paris the turret rotation would not respond to the hydraulics so I ensured that manual operation was still possible. I knew that to bale out I would have to open the turret doors, then the aircraft bulkhead door, grab my parachute pack, drag it through both doors and into the turret, rotate the turret onto the beam, fit the 'chute, open the doors, disconnect the intercom and oxygen and go out backwards. I decided to give it a try except for actually bailing out - and decided it was probably not feasible in the time available, but I did get the parachute into the turret and tucked it down the side. I learned a lot that night, more had gone wrong in my department on that one trip than during all my training. Di learned the odd lesson too, to wear more clothing in case he had to move away from the hot air system under his table.
The following day we were advised that our O.T.U. course was completed and the Skipper was asked to state the crew's preference either to join a squadron bombing Germany or to go overseas. Our preference for Germany was unanimous; after all, I was getting married and most of us had already been overseas!. And so we went our separate ways on 7 days leave
March 1st, 1943 perhaps the most important day of my life, Hilda and I were married. Staying at Hilda's home I took my cousin Frank to Trafalgar Square and showed him the Lancaster bomber, then on to St. Pauls Churchyard where I used to work and showed him a Stirling Bomber. He was thrilled with London and with the aircraft in particular. At 1pm we met Mum and Topsy at duCane Court and lunched in Balham, and whilst Mum and the others went to meet Hilda's folks, I went on to the Church,
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St. Mary's in Battersea. Some years later when I saw the photographs I realised I was wearing a white shirt with my airman's uniform. Hilda joined me at the Alter [sic] and looked absolutely lovely in her white wedding dress. The service was grand and the organist played two hymns. The church bells remained silent, they were reserved for signalling a possible enemy invasion. We enjoyed a wonderful reception at Hilda's home and on Monday we went to Lancing on honeymoon, the guests of Mr. & Mrs. Pittock at 10 Orchard Avenue. After a few days at Lancing I returned to camp and somehow organised more leave. At 0300 on the 10th. however the police delivered a telegram-which stated "Report to Hixon immediately, posted overseas". I tried to convince them that it was a joke on the part of the crew, and I was not stationed at Hixon in any case. However, at 0700 Hilda accompanied me to Euston where we said goodbye on the platform for the last time for several months at least. One night spent at Hixon, and the following day we travelled by train with two other crews to no. 1 P.D.C. West Kirby.
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[photograph] [photograph]
1st. MARCH 1943 (WHITE SHIRT) 25 O.T.U. FINNINGLEY
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SECOND HONEYMOON SEPT ‘43
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[underlined] SECOND TIME TO AFRICA [/underlined]
At West Kirby we handed in our blue uniforms and were issued with army Khaki battle dress and tropical flying bowlers and helmets. Within a few days we embarked on a Dutch Vessel, the Johan van Vanderbilt in the Mersey, and were allocated first and second class cabins still equipped to. peace-time standards. Service in the Dining Hall was fabulous, staffed by natives from the Nederlands [sic] East Indies. The cuisine was superb, there was white bread and butter and sugar on the tables. A full breakfast at 0800, a peacetime lunch at 1300, tea at 1630 and dinner at 1900. Coffee was available in the Snr. N.C.O's lounge at any time during the morning. The Army Privates' quarters were similar to those we had experienced on the Moultan, sleeping in the same place as they eat, scrubbing everything by 0830 and with lots of bull. They had to wear greatcoats at all times whilst on deck and carry their life-jackets and water bottles. They not only manned the guns but were also detailed for lots of guard duties. Everything seemed to be guarded, but the reason was generally obscure. The cabins were shared with the Army Snr. N.C.O.s and they felt it quite a change to enjoy such comfort. The main topic of conversation was speculation about our destination, North Africa, Middle East or Far East? At a lecture on the 20th. March a senior Army Officer gave us a talk in the big second-class lounge, a very interesting run-down on the state of the war in all theatres. He dealt at some length with the North African campaign and said that very shortly the 1st. and 8th. Armies would meet and a few days after that Jerry would be slung right out of Africa. He wanted to dispel all rumours that we were part of a force invading the south of France. I cannot recall whether we were actually told in so many words, but we expected our destination was either Algiers or Bone.
The armourment [sic] on the Johann was comparatively small. We had about 10 Lewis guns, .303 calibre, and a naval gun at the stern, all manned by the army. There were about 16 ships in the convoy, with troops and cargo, protected by 5 Cruisers and Destroyers, and 2 Corvettes. Not as impressive perhaps as in August 1941, but a more wartime environment.
It was a feeling not entirely new to us, we knew by calculation that it was the 21st. of March and we were sitting comfortably in the First Class Lounge enjoying a coffee, but whereabouts on the Atlantic ocean was the ship? We know we had been heading east all morning so the chances. were we are heading for Gibralter [sic] , it was not warm enough for Freetown to be our destination. Where we were bound was open to speculation like most other vital factors affecting us. What were we going to do when we get to wherever it was? We were a Wellington crew which did not rule out finding ourselves on a Boston or Mitchell doing close army support work. And what after we had completed a tour of ops.? Chad the Bomb Aimer and Di the Wireless op. were both keen to remuster and train as Pilots. Allan Willoughby said he was 'marlish' and quite happy to carry on navigating. I felt the war would be over before we had finished our first tour. The Skipper said little but probably thought we were a bunch of dreamers, comparing us with his sheep back in N.Z.. We were not in fact approaching Gibralter [sic] , we had passed through the Straits during the night.
At 0300 on the 22nd. we were approaching the minefield off Algiers and were attacked by a Ju88 torpedo bomber. We heard the Johan's guns open up
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and the Windsor Castle received a direct hit from a torpedo on her stern, three members of her crew being killed. She also lost her steering and means of propulsion. Efforts were made to tow her into Oran without success but she sank at 1700 the same day. The Service personnel and remainder of the crew were taken aboard destroyers. Hurricanes arrived within minutes of the attack, but just too late and not ideal aircraft for the job at 0300 hrs. My diary - written up a few days after the event,- refered [sic] originally to The Duchess of Windsor and this was changed a few years later to the Windsor Castle.
There was no longer any secrecy about our destination. Di said the R.A.F. had opened an O.T.U. in Algiers, and we were destined to do another course. There were lots of rumours, but one fact was established, we had been in the R.A.F. over two years and we felt it was high time we did something towards the war effort.
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At 0300hrs. on the 23rd. March we were paraded on deck thankful for our greatcoats, which we were still wearing with great discomfort when we disembarked at 1100. A brief stop at an Aircrew Reception Centre, a large hotel on the sea-front, before going to the Aircrew Pool at Surcouf, about 30 miles from Algiers. There was no great feeling of urgency here, the Allies had landed at Algiers on the 6th. of November and the Germans had already been driven some hundreds of miles, to the East.
It was just a matter of waiting, something that most servicemen became very good at. We could not take the initiative and start our own war, but could only make the best of it. Quoting from my diary, "Life at Surcouf is perfect, we share the officers' mess and enjoy typical French peacetime meals. Lots of Bully Beef but the Chef - a French Civilian - certainly knows how to camouflage it. Our chalet is literally on the beach and the sea never more than 20 yards away. We could swim all day long without the formality of swimming trunks, or walk around the village. Sometimes we hitch-hike Into Algiers". There was very little to do in the village, and I recorded that I found the French very unhelpful and generally impolite. We all carried side-arms of course. There was practically nothing to buy except strange local booze, the Americans had seen to all that when they passed through, and the bars seemed to be open all the time. Algeria was, politically, a part of Metropolitan France in the eyes of the French, it was home to many Frenchmen, and they probably realised it might never be quite the same again. After a three-week rest at Surcouf we reported to 150 Squadron at Blida, about 30 miles south of Algiers. This place was most certainly at war, there were Wellingtons, Hudsons, Hurricanes, Commandoes and Albacores for squadrons of Bomber, Coastal, Fighter and Transport Commands, and the Fleet Air Arm. With the exception of Transports and 142 and 150 Wellington Squadrons, all aircraft were controlled by Coastal Command. We were part of the North Africa Striking Force - so we were told. Life was good at Blida, most of the food was tinned and we enjoyed eggs and bully beef every day in the mess. Generally in the evenings we would have a fry-up of eggs and bread with more bully on the primus stove in the billet. The Mess Hall was used as both dining hall and lounge. The arabs wandered round the camp selling eggs and oranges but prefered [sic] to exchange them for food -- more bully beef.
The currency in use was the French Franc with an exchange rate of 200 to the £1 sterling in which we were paid. BMA (British Military Authority) notes were also in use but the most popular currency outside the town was the tin of bully. We were billeted in chalets formerly the peacetime living quarters of the French Air Force. Each chalet had four large rooms-and accommodated two Wellington crews. It was very pleasant to sit out on the verandah [sic] . My rather battered diary records that on the 28th. March 1943 we were discussing what we proposed to do on completion of our first tour. Rather naive, we would have little or no say in the matter. We had been allocated an aircraft, "F" for Freddie, but it was a case of one crew to one aircraft and its present owners had not quite finished their tour and were reluctant to part with it. For two days they had been bombing and straffing [sic] a large German convoy bound for Bizerta which was not left alone even when part of it had docked. We finally took over the aircraft and for five days were airborne for several hours each day. On the afternoon of the 5th. April we took off
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in "F" for Freddie for an hour's fighter affiliation excercise [sic] with two Hurricanes. Employing violent evasive action to make things difficult for the fighters, we crossed the coast about 10 miles east of Algiers at 3000 feet and passed directly over a British destroyer. The Navy was wide awake and saw a heavy bomber being chased by two Hurricanes, immediately opened fire on us with considerable light flak. The pilot of a third Hurricane which was on an operational patrol saw the mini-battle and joined in. When he saw that one of his chums was only 100 yards from my rear turret and happy to stay there, he realised that we were in a different ball game, peeled off and, carried on with his patrol, finally returning to Maison Blanche.
On the night of the 6th. April we bombed the Marshelling [sic] yards at TUNIS, with 3500 lb. and 54 30 lb. incendiaries. We bombed in one stick from 8000 ft. and surprisingly were held in searchlights which we lost at 3000 feet. Not a very good effort on our part, the bombs overshot the target but hit the aerodrome 3 miles north according to the timing point photograph. All 28 aircraft returned safely, two of them damaged There was little light flak but some heavy stuff said to be radar controlled. For an hour on the return journey I changed places with Harry Dyson, our Wireless op. On the 7th. we attacked troop concentrations at night making several bombing passes at low level and finally coming in very low firing 7 Brownings. Chad the bomb aimer used the two guns in the front turret, I had four in the rear and we carried beam guns on these occasions. Only the front gunner could see what he was firing at. One aircraft of 142 Squadron, G George was shot down by light flak. On the 10th. we raided MONSERRATO aerodrome in Sardinia, an aircraft was seen over the target with navigation lights on, visibility was good and we moved away hoping the runway lights would be switched in. The aerodrome remained in darkness and we dropped our bombs singly. There was no light flack from the aerodrome to worry us, and the aircraft with lights on was not seen again. After a further 30 minutes of stooging about we returned to Blida. There was a reasonable amount of heavy flak which we learned on return had downed one aircraft of 142 Squadron. - 2 in 2 nights-. On the way back a searchlight opened up a few miles ahead and the skipper put the nose down so we were at 2000 ft. when we passed directly over the searchlight. Stan Chadderton in the front turret opened fire and the Skipper told me when to open up, aiming straight down. The light stayed on after we had passed, pointing vertically, maybe we did a little damage, probably not. Inside the aircraft however, the dive had caused the Elsan lavatory to come loose and scatter it's contents over the floor.
The following morning, fearing the wrath of the ground crew when they saw the Elsan, we stayed in bed until noon and breakfasted in the billet. Eggs and fried potatoes, fried bread and tinned pears and fresh oranges, served by the wireless op. and rear gunner to the Skipper and the rest of the crew still in bed. In the afternoon we were stood down and Joe Shields (Sgt. Rimmer's Rear Gunner) and I went into Blida to try and find presents to take back to England. The bigger French shops were all closed - no stocks- and we scrounged around the Arab quarters, without success. I mentioned earlier that we always carried side-arms and several times we were crowded by the Arabs. Production of the revolver dispersed them but it could have been very tricky.
On the 14th. April we raided MONSERRATO for the second time, the first run-in at 8000 feet and then 6000 feet. Direct hits were seen on
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the aerodrome this time with 1000 and 250 pounders. No incendiaries were dropped but 10 minutes was spent 8 miles north of the town dropping leaflets. The leaflets were the "laissez-passer" type printed in German instead of the more usual Italian. An aircraft over the target area sporting an orange light seemed to be signalling to a searchlight. We assumed it was acting as a decoy for a night-fighter and the only one of us keeping an eye on it was the navigator standing at the astrodome.
The rest of us searched the allocated parts of the sky according to the book!. All our aircraft returned safely and reported good aiming. Photographs confirmed the success, but we had borrowed "M" Mother which was without a camera. The return journey was uneventful and crossing Mare Nostrum Di tuned in to the 9 o-clock news from London. The announcer Alvar Lidell read "Algiers reports that the R.A.F. Strategical Airforce in North Africa has continued to batter aerodromes in Tunisia and Sardinia, damaging runways and destroying aircraft on the ground, without loss to themselves". Someone remarked "That's one way of looking at it"!. Actually a few nights ago 142 Sqdn. had lost 2 in 2 nights. 150 Squadron had lost one but the crew bailed out. Four of the crew managed to get through the enemy lines but the Rear Gunner was wounded and there was no news of him for several weeks.
The docks at TUNIS received our attention on the night of the 17th. April, with very careful placing of 500 and 250 pounders. Direct hits were observed in the docks area and there was concentrated heavy flack. It didn't worry us, we were well below it at 6000 feet. There was lots of light flack mostly concentrated on an aircraft displaying red and green navigation lights. At one stage this aircraft came to within 600 yards on the starboard beam and we converged to about 300 yards. We clearly identified it as a Wellington and gave it a long inaccurate burst from the rear turret. On this occasion every fourth round was a tracer. The nav. lights were extinguished and the aircraft was not seen again. There was no satisfactory explanation as to the identity of this aircraft. A captured Wellington perhaps acting as a decoy but attracting most of the flak. Possibly one of ours with the lights switched on accidentally, one shall never know. Two aircraft are missing, piloted by Sgt. Chandler of 150 and Sgt. Lee of 142. One sent out an SOS and ditched but there was no signal from the other. On our return to Blida there was a blanket of cloud over the whole area and our 23 aircraft were diverted to Maison Blanche. One aircraft was known to have a damaged undercarriage, which collapsed on touch-down and was a write-off but there were no injuries. Road Transport was waiting to take us the 30 miles or so back to Blida and we finally got to bed at 6 am. We shared the lorry with Sgt. Leckie's crew who had bailed out over Tunisia on the 14th. The Squadron Leader had flown to Sousse and brought them back to Algeria. Leckie had himself crash-landed the aircraft with no hydraulics and only one engine, somewhere in Allied-occupied Tunisia.
On the 23rd. April my diary records a tedious week of activity which achieved very little. Every day we were briefed for a night op. and every day we did our Daily Inspections and air tests, but in the late afternoon the Sirocco came up suddenly and the trips were cancelled. During the week, two Albemarles crashed on the runway, both from Gibralter [sic] carrying supplies which included mail from U.K.
Our uniform since leaving West Kirby has been British Army Khaki but with shoes and no putees. Our R.A.F. blue shirts with collar and tie and also blue forage caps were not exchanged. We have no tropical
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kit and it is getting very warm here. Our aircraft "F" for Freddie, has been grounded all week with "G" George, both with a trimming box problem. The policy is still one crew to an aircraft, and we enjoyed a very easy week. On the 28th. we managed to borrow "D" Donald and bombed DECIMONANU again, this time with a 4000 lb. 'blockbuster’ and a few incendiaries for good measure. After bombing we stooged around for 30 minutes having a close look at fires on the ground. Searchlights waved about apparently aimlessly and the light flack with tracer seemed equally haphazard. At 3000 feet we were caught by one searchlight and within seconds were held in a cone of five. The lights were dazzling and the three of us manning guns all fired point blank, it being impossible to aim. In theory a combined rate of fire of over 8000 rounds per minute should have hit something worth while, but after a very short burst my four guns jammed, a problem seldom experienced. At only 3000 feet we were quickly out of range of the searchlights. We were over Blida at 0700 hours which was covered in fog and diverted again to Mason Blanche. We were not very popular at Maison B, everyone had-their own problems which were not always appreciated by others on different types of aircraft performing widely differing types of work. We were in bed at Maison B. by 1000 hrs. probably without the knowledge of the 'owners' of the beds who had spent the night in then; and there we stayed until 1700. The tinned steak pie for tea made a very welcome change. Our aircraft "F" for Freddie still had a faulty-trimming box.
It was only in the air we were able to listen to the Radio News from London, although we had a reasonable supply of current newspapers brought out by the steady stream of aircraft from U.K. On the 29th. we logged another trip to BIZERTA, this time in "T" Tommy with a 4000 pounder. Take-off was at 0005 hours and the weather the worst for flying we had yet experienced in Africa. The target was the docks and all was unusually quiet. The coast-line was visible through about 4/10ths cloud and on our first run over the docks we dropped incendiaries. Positive identification of the target, so round again to release the 4000 pounder which the press were refering [sic] to as 'cookies'. It seemed that over Germany the lads were dropping 8000 pounders. The flak and searchlights opened up simultaneously and was relatively intense. We found later that we were the first to bomb. Some had difficulty in finding the target due to cloud and the enemy was trying not to attract our attention. Again there was low cloud at Blida and we were diverted to Maison Blanche. Two aircraft were lost on the Bizerta raid, one landed at Bone (now renamed Annaba) with one engine u/s, and a 142 Sqdn. aircraft did a belly-landing on the grass at Maison B. On our return we found that Sgt. Leckie, operational again after being shot down in Tunisia, had crashed into the mountain immediately after take-off. Another 150 Sqdn aircraft crashed on take-off, barely getting airborne, and it was assumed that he had engine failure. Two of the crew actually survived the explosion. It had been a fateful night, we were briefed for take-off from west to east, with a left turn onto course. Just before take-off a strong wind developed from the west causing the duty runway to be changed from 09 to 27 and we took off from east to west. Sgt. Leckie turned left instead of right, straight into. the Atlas mountains, all killed instantly. Our own Bomb Aimer Stan had flown on a raid with Sgt. Leckie only two nights previously. When I revisited Blida on business in 1978 I was astonished to appreciate just how near those mountains were to Blida aerodrome..
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[photograph] WITH HILDA & THE SKIPPER SEPT ’43 RICHMOND ON THAMES
[photograph] BILL WILLOUGHBY NAVIGATOR AT THE PORT BEAM GUN POSITION
[photograph] NAVIGATOR & BOMB AIMER IN THEIR PITS
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The following morning an aircraft of 142 was seen to be making a peculiar approach, and just before touchdown. one engine cut and the other was going flat out, resulting in a spectacular disintegration at the side of the runway, in which no-one was seriously hurt. By the end of April we had four aircraft all Wellington Mk.10s equipped for carrying 4000 pound bombs. Bomb doors had been removed and they were said to have a special main spar.
On the 5th. May it was farewell to Blida, the war was moving east. Each crew was issued with a First World War Bell tent and this together with official stores and personal effects was piled into the aircraft. I remember the Wireless Op. Di and I putting our (stolen) palliases [sic] aboard for our Ground-crew passengers to rest on during the flight. A very thoughtful act on our part said the Skipper. It was just that Di and I intended to sleep in the manner to which we were accustomed. Our destination was Fontaine Chaude, about 250 Kms. ESE of Blida. About half way in deference to our guests we opened a tin of spam and served slices of spam followed by stewed plums from a large tin we had been hoarding. Our destination was a stretch of desert near a tiny village. After landing we pitched our tent and organised our palliases [sic] into beds with the help of a dozen or so empty boxes. Meanwhile vehicles were arriving with our squadron personnel, more stores, aircraft and by late evening we had a small township. A small marquee served as a Sgts. Mess and on the first evening we enjoyed stew and green peas followed by pears and real cream. These had been provided by the Americans on an emergency basis. The following day was spent partly on an aerodrome inspection. The war had passed through Fontaine Chaude and it was possible the Arab scavengers had overlooked bits of war material which could do damage to aircraft, particularly the tyres. There were no runways, only sand with some coarse grass.
Back to war next day and Group Captain (Speedy) Powell briefed us for a raid on TRIPANI, a naval base in Sicily. We were 30 minutes late on take-off due to delays in bombing-up. We carried only six 500 pounders instead of eight, and some incendiaries. We were 20 minutes behind the bomber stream of 26 Wellingtons. 'The bomber stream'!. This was an expression used by a newly joined crew who were very displeased with having to finish their tour in North Africa after starting it over Europe. They treated our desert war with some contempt after their recent experiences over Germany, but were reported missing about three weeks after joining us. We were in cloud shortly after take-off and nearing the target came out of it at 12,000 feet. We moved over towards a concentration of heavy flak bursts and the bomb aimer thought he had found a pinpoint through breaks in the cloud. The bombs were dropped into the area of flashes and fires on the ground but it was not a satisfactory raid. We lost two aircraft. One was seen to go down in flames over the target having been coned by searchlights. Sgt. Pax Smith, a New Zealander and crew ran out of fuel in pitch darkness and had strayed too far to the west, over Algeria. My diary records "They bailed out in an airmanlike manner but the Bomb Aimer was concussed and the Rear Gunner broke both legs on hitting the ground and rolling down the side of a hill. Three of the crew are in the rest camp at Constantine and the two inured in hospital in Algiers".
The reader might be surprised at apparent navigation errors such as this, but the only nav. aid available was a QDM (course to steer) to reach in this case Algiers, which would not have helped. We had no M/F
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Beacons on which to take bearings. The Navigator worked on his dead reckoning plot backed up by a visual pinpoint from the bomb aimer map-reading if visibility was suitable. Quite often the only aid was the Rear Gunner taking a drift reading from his turret. Over the sea the Wireless op. would drop a flame-float down the flare chute, which would burst into flames on striking the sea. The Rear. gunner would rotate his turret and depress the guns, holding the flame in his ringsight for ten seconds, then read off the drift on the indicator by his side. There was sometimes a drift indicator in the 'Nav. Office' also. The same procedure was used over the desert during the day using a smoke bomb in place of a flamefloat.
We learned that Sgt. Leckie who was killed hitting the mountain was Commissioned two weeks before his death and had also been awarded a D.F.C. for his crash-landing in Tunisia. So Sgt. Leckie was really P/O Leckie D.F.C. and didn't know it, but the end result was the same. He and our own Skipper, Sgt. Rutherford 416170 R.N.Z.A.F. had been great buddies for a long time. (or what was regarded as a long time in those days)
May 10 my diary states, a Boomerang lastnight. We took-off with a 4500 pound payload for delivery to PALERMO, the Capital of Sicily. About 30 min. after take-off the petrol cover on the port fuel tank came open and the Skipper had great difficulty in keeping the left wing up. There was no option but to jettison half the bomb load in the sea and return to base. There was an enemy air-raid in progress at Bone and we kept a few miles to the east of it with the I.F.F. on. Our own night-fighters operating from Maison Blanche were known to be very active and we had great faith in our I.F.F. We were first back of course - not really having been anywhere!- and we waited for the others in the debriefing tent. To no avail, they had been diverted and returned the following afternoon. We enjoyed an afternoon and evening off, and went by lorry to Batna, a small town about 30 miles from our base. There was little to be seen and nothing to buy and no sign of any social activity. Conversation with the natives was difficult and they were not interested in the war.
On the night of the 12th. it was the turn of NAPLES again, 21 aircraft with 90,000 lbs. payload bombed within five minutes of each other. It was a lovely night, visibility 30 miles and not a cloud in the sky. As we approached Naples we could clearly see Mt. Vesuvius and convinced ourselves we could see the thin column of smoke drifting from it. Our last pinpoint on the way out was the Isle of Capri and we gave it a short burst of .303 for good measure. A futile act but the guns had to be fired occasionally. At NAPLES we went straight in, the target was clearly visible and the one stick straddled the railway yards and industrial area. My diary records that flak was intense and said to be some of the hottest in Europe, and reading that after a lapse of 45 years causes me to question the authority for such a statement. It was a small target compared to some of those in Central Europe, and the 40 searchlights at Napoli were quite effective, but would have been more so if it had been dark. All our aircraft returned safely after a 7 1/2 hour flight, not a bad effort for Wimpies with no overload tanks. As the W/op describes it, we climbed into our pits just as dawn was breaking. By 0900 we had the option of discarding our mosquito nets and being pestered by the insects, or enjoying a turkish bath due to the heat. Our 1916 vintage bell-tent was reasonable for our crew of five although in earlier times it accomodated [sic] , goodness knows how, 22 soldiers.
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At about 1400 we were happy to get airborne again on an air test where we could cool down, but at 1700 it was briefing again. A "maximum effort" - another phrase. imported from our colleagues bashing away in Central and Northern Europe, on CAGLIARI, a port and industrial town in Sardinia. All 26 aircraft were over the target area within minutes of each other, again visibility was near perfect. Bombing heights were staggered and we bombed from 6000 feet. Our 4000 pounder landed just north of the railway yards among some tall buildings and started a fire. Our W/op Harry Dyson claimed at debriefing that he could feel the heat from our own fire when we turned in again to see the damage. Di was prone to exaggeration by this time, perhaps due to frustration of monitoring broadcasts from Base and seldom touching the morse key. We came back over the target at 2000 feet and the flames were leaping high. We could still see the flames from 70 miles away at 8000 feet on our way home. Listening to the B.B.C. we learned that American bombers had raided Cagliari earlier that day, "wiping the place out". They also claimed they could still see fires burning when they reached the African coast. In daylight too; our W/op was not alone in the exaggeration stakes. However, it was a very satisfactory raid. We were in a shallow dive when the bomb was released and is thought to have scraped the fuselage under the aircraft where there was damage to the geodetics and six feet of fabric had been torn off.
On the 15th. our crew was stood down for 24 hours and I received four letters from Hilda, the first for many weeks. At this rate of completing ops I should be home in less than three months. It was very tiring night after night, particularly as is [sic] was not possible to sleep comfortably in the heat of the day. The target was PALERMO, and three of our 25 aircraft failed to return, including Sgt. Rimmer, and Sgt. Alazrachi, the latter a Free French pilot. It is not known what happened to any of them except that one aircraft was seen to go down in flames over the target. Rimer's Rear Gunner was Joe Shields, one of the best, and the crew had been with us since O.T.U. at Finningley. Polfrey the Navigator, Cave the Bombadier [sic] and Jack Waters the Wireless-op, all very keen types.
On the 16th. it was our turn to make a fragment of history. For the very first time, the R.A.F. bombed ROME. Rome, we were told was an open undefended city, and we were briefed to fly from the mouth of the River Tiber, over the city dropping leaflets, and return at 5000 feet dropping more leaflets, then bomb the LIDO DI ROMA near the mouth of the Tiber. Our first bomb went in the river and the last one in the sea, but the rest of the stick neatly straddled the buildings at the Seaplane Base. Over the city itself, there was considerable light flack with tracer, aiming point- blank without result. Not bad at all far an open undefended city, but we were forbidden to display any hostility except dropping leaflets. Even the lids of the Small Bomb Containers loaded with leaflets were secured with wire so as not to fall on the Romans. Later the B.B.C. claimed there was no flak over Rome.
An easier trip the following night which after the event gave me a slight suggestion of a guilty conscience for the the [sic] very first (and last) time.
"Your target" said the Group Captain, "is the German 'U' Boat refuelling Base at ALGHERO, in Sardinia, put paid to it". Our bomb load was 7 x 500 pounders, 4 S.B.C.'s of 30 lb. incendiaries and 2 x 250 pound bombs. We overflew the target at 4000 feet and first dropped several sacks of
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leaflets. These were in Italian and told the people of Alghera that when we very shortly occupied their country and liberated them from the beastly Germans, they would be treated better than ever before, provided with medical aid and food, and every other possible benefit. All we need is a little co-operation and understanding from them. Having spread the gospel, we made three bombing runs over Alghero, at 3000, 1500 and 700 feet, all perfect O.T.U. practice type runs. On the last bombing run, Allan Willoughby manned the port beam gun, Dyson the front turret and the [deleted] the [/deleted] three of us fired our 7 Brownings at point-blank range into the chaos below. The sole opposition comprised two small-calibre machine guns which were soon out of action. Maybe it was a U Boat refuelling base, but only in the sense that it was a small fishing village and happened to have a jetty where drums of oil could be trundled down to a U Boat at the end of it. Our vision of a Sardinian type Lorient or Brest was soon dispelled. The BBC reported 'our bombers based in North Africa attacked targets is Sardinia lastnight'.
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For a couple of days our conversation had centred around an incident over the Lido di Roma. A seaplane base consists mostly of water; on our first run over it we had difficulty in locating the buildings and were hoping to see a tidy straight line of parked seaplanes. The Skipper decided to drop a flare and asked the Wireless Op. to arm no. 1 of 4 already in position in the flarechute. As he removed the safety pin the flare ignited and the top part of it shot through the roof of the aircraft with flames pouring out of the lower end, streaking past the rear turret.
The blinding light startled Stan Chadderton at the Bombing panel and he instantly jettisoned all the flares, undoubtedly preventing a major disaster. How easy it was to be shot down by one's own flare.
According to Intellegence [sic] reports, there were 1,100 casualties in our raid on Cagliari on the 13th., most of them having been caught by a single bomb. This figure is highly suspect but it originated from an Italian report.
On the 21st. it was a stooge over Sicily with 18 250 lb. bombs.
A convoy was within range of the Ju88 Torpedo bombers based in Sicily and our task was to try and keep them on the ground, or if they did manage to take off, prevent them from making an airmanlike landing on return. Aircraft took off singly starting at 1700 hrs.; we were the 24th. at 2045 hrs., with two others to follow. A direct flight to Castelvetrano, identify the aerodrome and one bomb away, then set course for Ciacco, same procedure, and on to Borezzo. If a flare path is seen anywhere give it priority and stooge around in that area for a while. All the bombs were dropped on the three targets and no flarepaths were seen. We concluded there were no enemy landings or take-offs, but one aircraft was seen to go down in flames into the sea; probably Sgt. Williams of our squadron who was on his first mission from Africa, although he had done several over Germany. At Castelvetrano there was lots of light flak using tracer, and we felt the heavy flak in some areas was predicted. We were not experiencing the 'thick carpets' of flak ever-present over Germany, perhaps ours was more personal, just a few batteries carefully aiming at one or two Wimpies.
It was all go, and on the 23rd. we did an easy 3 1/2 hour trip. 2 hours of which was over Africa. We crossed the Tunisian coast and reached Pantelleria 20 minutes later, an island only 7 miles in length with an aerodrome on the western side. Visibility was poor, but we went straight in and dropped 4,500 lbs. in one stick. These were plotted later as just to the south of the aerodrome. We cruised around out at sea for 20 minutes at 7,000 feet, studying four barrage balloons clearly visible at 5000 feet. On our return however there was no support for this theory from anyone else and we were told it was only heavy flak. This was of course quite possible, in poor conditions and with tired eyes imagination can take over. Within a week however, it was generally accepted that the enemy were deploying barrage ballons [sic] although not in great numbers. Most of our aircraft were not fitted with cable cutters on the leading edge of the wings. Pantelleria was an easy trip and we were advised that it would count only as half a trip towards our 35. We had generally assumed the first tour was 30 trips but it did not seem to worry anyone. The day. after the Pantelleria trip, the Squadron mascot, Wompo, or Wimpy. a pedigree Heinz 69 was killed in action. Whilst he was
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merrily chasing some small creature he was accidentally hit by a jeep driven by F/O Langlois, a pilot of 150. He was so badly damaged that one of the lads put him down with his Smith & Wesson .38.
On the 24th. we staggered off the desert in "F" for Freddie heading for Sardinia carrying eight 500 pound bombs and some incendiaries and it seemed ages before we reached even 100 feet. I was not aware of the drama in the front office, both the Skipper and Bomb Air were struggling even to keep us airborne. At about 500 feet it was not possible to maintain height and the Skipper had no option but to lighten the load quickly. Two 500 pounders were released and seconds later there was a tremendous bang from down below, but the aircraft began to maintain height. We were just within sight of the Sardinian coast with the engines overheating when the Skipper jettisoned the remaining bombs and nursed the aircraft back to Fontain Chaude. That was our second boomerang. Had we been carrying a 4000 lb. cookie the episode would have had a very different ending. By the 2nd. of June we had completed 6 more trips and moved camp further east, to Kairouan. Our patch of desert was about 6 miles west of the walled City, said to be the fifth most holy in the Moslem world. The place was very dry, and the well 100 yards from our tent was out of bounds. The R.A.M.C. and the Afrika Korps had both marked it as poisoned by their repective [sic] enemies. It was said to contain human remains, but tests carried out just before we moved on showed the water had not been polluted and was 100% fit for drinking. Meanwhile our water was delivered by two water bowsers each of which travelled 30 miles east to Sousse several times each day. Many years later the record shows that neither the Germans nor the Allies polluted any water supplies. After all, both hoped to recapture them and put them back to their own use. On the first night from Kairouan we were credited with one more trip, having completed two halves! That is, two trips to PANTELLARIA.
We took off in waves of 3 or 4 throughout the night, arriving over the target 45 minutes later. Our aircraft was "C" Charlie which carried one 4000 pounder. On the first run in we overshot, but came round again and in a typical OTU practice run, Stan Chadderton placed the bomb neatly in the centre of the small town. A 45 minute flight back to base and an hour's respite whilst the aircraft was checked, refuelled and bombed up, then the mixture as before.
On the 27th. we were piling into a lorry to go out to the widely dispersed aircraft; the nightly German raid on Sousse was in full swing when a single Ju88 came over to look at our flare path. He was clearly visible and stooged around at will for about 10 minutes before making a run at about 1000 feet dropping 3 bombs in a salvo 300 yards from the Sgts. mess. Nothing was hurt except our feelings and there was no material damage. We had no A-A guns, so the Luftwaffe did not receive the same energetic welcome handed out to us. We relied on Beaufighter squadrons for defence. The R.A.F. policy was reasonable, as the aircraft were dispersed over a wide area and a single stick of bombs would be ineffective against a single aircraft as a target on the ground. We took-off half an hour later for a tour of Sardinia, again with a payload of eighteen 250 lb. bombs. Our only brief was to stooge around between aerodromes and generally make a nuisance of ourselves. There were no allied troops in Sardinia yet so no special care was called for. Our bombs were expected to be released on aerodromes, searchlights and guns. The
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main object was to keep the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica on the ground. These trips were not very popular and provided good practice for Ju88 night fighters. We were stood down on the 3rd. June after doing two ops the previous night. We slept all morning and in the afternoon crowded into a lorry and went to the seaside. Monastir, near Sousse and we had our first baths since leaving Blida. We were in good company and had Mare Nostrum to ourselves with tens of thousands of other Allied troops. I have been there several times since and always think of the mass of naked troops in the sea. A good target for the the [sic] German aircraft? Not really, the scores of light A-A guns made it a very dicey target. The Allies must have had well over a thousand aircraft of different types in the area. The Arab town of Monastir was out of bounds to the Army but not, for some probably invalid reason to the R.A.F. We had a 'shufti' and two of us invested in a sort of haircut. Most of the inhabitants seemed to be French, Monastir having been the fashionable part of the Sousse area,
The night of the 4th. June was an unlucky one for 150 Squadron. We lost three of our 16 aircraft on the ground without intervention from the enemy. The aircraft were bunched fairly close together, having been bombed-up and ready for take-off. During a final check, a Bombadier accidentally released a flare which lay on the ground. He dashed off to find an Armourer to make it safe but within minutes the flare ignited. Within 15 minutes the whole area was ablaze and three aircraft, M Mike, A Able and P Peter, each complete with over two tons of bombs and full petrol tanks blew up. Our aircraft which was to have taken us twice to Pantelleria that night 'N' Nuts, together with seven others, was severely damaged. About half the squadron went to Panteleria [sic] , 2 half-trips and in full moonlight reported a couple of Ju88's circling the island. One aircraft returned with about 40
square feet of fabric torn off.
The following night a new target was added to our growing list, SYRACUSE in eastern Sicily, only a little light flak was encountered, and it was just a matter of bombing the water front. Our main task was in fact to drop leaflets on several of the coastal towns, working our way anticlockwise round Sicily. We passed slightly to the west of Pantelleria on the return leg and saw the Wimpies from the Western Desert squadrons bombing the island.
The exact words written in my diary are "bashing hell out of the island".
Our own Group Captain - "Speedy" Powell also went to Pantelleria but complained that his bomb did not explode. We riled him that it went into the sea. We were now seeing a great deal more of the British army and the Americans and we were realising just what small cogs we were in all the activity. We had an American guest with us when he ran us over to the Ops. Room in his personal jeep to collect lastnight's aiming point photograph. He noticed in the caption at the bottom of the photograph "280 deg.T" and remarked "Geez, mighty hot up there aint [sic] it?". It refered [sic] to our course, not the temperature, but we did not add any further complication to trying to explain.
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in the next 12 days we carried out only two raids, the first an easy one to PANTALARIA [sic], which surrendered the following day, and the second to a new target, MESINA [sic], the straits between the toe of Italia and Sicile [sic] . on the way out we passed very close to our favourite island and across Sicily to the target. The target was already marked with 14 flares by the Western Desert squadrons, and for the first time in North Africa that part of the job was done for us. I noted at the time that "the A-A defences were baffled by the number of aircraft over the target at the same time. There were 34 aircraft and only F/Lt. Langlois ran into trouble. He was caught in the searchlights from both sides of the straits and dropped from 11,000 to 2,000 feet to escape them. In doing so he flew through the balloon barrage, but without further incident.
My diary has recently been opened for the first time in over 42 years, so I have not pondered over its accuracy. 34 aircraft simultaneously over the target probably did seem like a thousand bomber raid to us!. Our Bomb Aimer that night was Ft/Lt. Casky, our own being in jail in Tunis. After our last trip to 'the' island we went to Tunis on a 48 hr. verbal pass. The Skipper had the trots, which we all suffered from time to time, and he tried to rest in the tent nearest the toilet trench. Willoughby the Navigator, Stan Chadderton Bombadier [sic] , Harry Dyson the Wireless Op and myself, Rear Gunner. We were each issued with two boxes of American "K" rations, and hitch-hiked first to Sousse and then to Tunis. The first leg was in the back of an Army lorry and the main leg up the coast road by R.A.F. "Queen Mary" which carried about a hundred of us. The whole trip took only 6 hours. The town of Tunis had been in Allied hands for 4 days and there were still a few Germans in hiding. We had given no thought to accommodation which did not seem to be important. Leaving Stan and Di in a canteen abandoned by the Germans, Wally and I eventually found an hotel near the docks area where we were able to book two rooms. I cannot recall the name of the hotel, but the address was 49 Rue de Serbie. The hotel was in very poor condition, no water, all the windows had been blown out, doors smashed, walls cracked and so on. No catering but we had our 'K' rations. Opposite the hotel was a bombed church and all around the buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged. The docks had been our main target in Tunis, and they were destroyed, with all the warehouses practically levelled out. One cargo vessel was beached and two others rested on the bottom. The Arabs were mostly friendly and told us the bomb damage in town was done mainly by 4 engined bombers is daylight, which let us off the hook. The European French were not so friendly, possibly many of them having lost comfortable homes. Some were quite abusive verbally but to others we managed to explain that we flew Chasseurs, pas des bombardiers. In our minds we had liberated the people of Tunis - and the rest of North Africa - from the Germans. We did not fully appreciate that the Arabs saw it differently. The Inglisi and Americans were no different to the Germans and Italians, and they in turn did no less for them than the French. They lived for the day when they would be left to manage their own affairs. In our wanderings around town we met a Tommy who was a Prisoner of War on a ship which had. been bombed at night a few miles out of Tunis. The ship was Italian, homeward bound and had been straffed [sic] by Spitfires during the day. The ship was spotted by two Wellington crews during a night raid on the docks, and the ship was
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bombed, then straffed [sic] from a few hundred feet. The vessel came to a halt and the 20 or so Germans and Italians abandoned ship. Three of the several hundred British prisoners had been regrettably killed in the action and all the others managed to get ashore in lifeboats and floats in the final days of the Axis evacuation of North Africa. The ship was without lights which should have been carried. Another 8th. Army private told us he was a P.O.W. being transferred from a lorry onto a boat about a week ago when about 30 Spitfires and Kittyhawks arrived and caused chaos with their 20 and 40 mm. cannon. The guards were overpowered and most of the 500 or so P.O.W.’s managed to get away. He spoke highly of the fighter pilots, convinced the attack was a very well-planned sortie to release the P.O.W.'s., not just to blaze away at anything German that dared to move. He could very well have been correct,
On our last evening in Tunis the four of us shared a battle of wine with a meal at a roadside cafe. When we were paying the bill we found there was money left over and asked for another bottle of their excellent wine. As the wine was brought over, a Sgt. M.P. standing behind us shouted "no more wine for them", after which Stan told him to mind his own business. The M.P. then grabbed Stan's arm and held it to his back, but seeing threatening movements from the rest of us, released it. Stan then turned quickly and thumped the M.P. who promptly disappeared. Shortly afterwards two R.A.F. Sgt. S.P.'s came is and asked if we had had some trouble and if so would Stan like to put in a complaint to the Provost Marshal? This seemed like a good countermeasure to a possible charge made by the Sgt. M.P. and Stan accompanied the two R.A.F. S.P.’s to the Provost Marshal's office. In reality this was the jail and as they entered the door the Sgt. M.P. set about Stan who gave as good as he got. But this was inside the jail, Stan was at a big disadvantage and about to spend the first of three nights in it. The jail was is fact next door to our hotel is Rue de Serbie. Willy and I did not suspect that Stan was in trouble, we assumed our S.P.’s were just being helpful, so we sat down again with the bottle. Perhaps Di's conscience was not quite so clear, and when he saw the S.P.'s coming he made himself scarce. We caught up with him later asking an M.P. where he could pinch a Jeep. The M.P. humoured him and directed him to an American car park with lots of Jeeps, but Di had seen a tramcar and decided to pinch that instead. Fortunately the tramcar was off the rails, and he changed his attention to the French tricolour on top of a derelict building. He climbed the building and removed the flag, then Willy and I managed to get him back to the hotel. Di's condition was not due to a session of heavy drinking, we had seen very little of anything alcoholic for a long time and two glasses of local wine would have been more than enough to really get him going.
The three of us hitch-hiked back to Kairoaun and reported the loss of one Bomb Aimer to the Skipper. The following day Squadron Leader Miller D.F.C. flew to Tunis and demanded Stan's release from jail. He had a major row with the same Sgt. M.P. who started it all and who was asking what authority the Squadron Leader had. The Squadron Leader pointed to his 2 1/2 rings of rank and the D.F.C. and asked the M.P. whether he thought they were scotch mist. Stan was released and back at Kairoaun was charged with causing an affray, resulting in a Reprimand. The Sgt. M.P. was charged and given a Severe Reprimand and reduced to Corporal.
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By the 16th. of June we were operational again as a crew. the target was again NAPLES, a 6 hour 15 min. stooge and rather tiring. There was a full moon and visibility was 25 miles. We could clearly see Pantelaria [sic] to port, and later, north of Sicily, the small island of Maritimo, just the tip of a mountain sticking out of the sea. The Isle of Capri provided a good pin-point. Over the target area there was 9/10ths. cloud so we bombed from above the flares. Flak was moderate and widely spread. There was slight consternation when one of my turret doors fell off for no apparent reason. I wondered what else would fall off but everything else seemed to be intact so it was just a matter of strapping myself in - which according to the book should be so in any case. Just after "bombs gone" I reported a twin-engined aircraft starboard quarter up at 1000 yards. The Skipper started to weave gently. and Di went to the astrodome position to search above the horizontal whilst I -theoritically [sic] at least-- concentrated on below the horizontal. This is not an easy task when the rear gunner is expected to ignore one fighter leaving it to his colleague whilst searching for others. Di became somewhat emotional to say the least, said it was not a fighter but merely flak, and then went on to give a commentry [sic] on searchlight activity and flak at least - by then- five miles away, and of only historical interest. Whilst in a turn to port the other aircraft was directly astern and I identified it as twin engined and without the high tail fin of the Wellington. The Skipper did a diving turn to starboard and we lost the other aircraft. Di claimed it was another aircraft not to be confused with the one he identified as flak! Normally Di stayed at his radio position, it was better that way. On the return journey, either there was a raid on Trapani or someone had strayed off-course. On the 18th. it was again to SYRACUSE, an exceptionally clear night, almost no cloud and a full moon. We could have dispensed with the flarepath on take-off and we felt as if we were doing a day trip. Over the target there was tracered flak up to 7,000 feet and we were geared up to bomb from 5,000 feet. We expected night fighters, and even day fighters, so went straight in at 5000 feet, bombed and straight out again, down to 3,000 feet for a quick tour of several nearby small towns and villages where we dropped leaflets. We were glad to get home that night, such met. and lunar conditions were hazardous. SALERNO again on the 21st, a routine trip, but on the 24th. of June I got a message to call at the 'Orderly Room', which in reality was the bell tent next to the C.O.'s tent. There was great discussion on which particular crime had caught up with me, but it was all very innocent. I came out of the bell tent as a Flight Sargeant [sic] much to the annoyance of the Sgt. Skipper and the three other Sgts. in the crew. It didn't help very much when I told them they need not call me Flight Sgt. ALL the time, just once in the morning and again in the evening.
In the early hours of the 26th. June we bombed the naval base of BARI in S. E. Italy, and it was an almost complete fiasco. It was not possible to see the ground due to haze, and the Western Desert aircraft had dropped the marker flares in the wrong place. Fires were started over an area of about 60 square miles, maybe one or two on the target by sheer chance. The target was a small oil refinery built especially to deal with the crude oil from Albania. Important to the Axis because that particular oil needed special treatment which, we were advised, only Bari could provide. We were now spending more and more time over the Italian mainland, for the first time we were seeing concentrations of
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lights in the form of a triangle which were assumed to be Prison and Internment Camps. On the way out we saw Trapani being bombed by our colleagues from the Western desert. The following afternoon it was too hot to sleep and I flew with Sgt. Whitehouse, a new pilot from Britain, in a brand new aircraft, 'D' Donald. We traced the path of the 8th. Army to beyond the Mareth line, at about 2500 feet. There were few battle scars; It was hard to appreciate that this was a place of such dreadful carnage so recently.
Kairouan was placed out of bounds due to Typhus, and there was nothing in the walled city to tempt us to ignore the order. The Arabs were less friendly and our revolvers were not looked upon merely as a taken of authoriity [sic] . According to a report in a Daily Mirror which took a few weeks to arrive, the lads were reported to have been given a hearty welcome by the French people in the Holy City of Kairouan. Actually there were only a handful of French remaining. Another Daily Mirror headline we found amusing was "BLOCKBUSTERS ON BIZERTA". It went an to say that "Lastnight our Bombers based in North Africa again pounded Bizerta; During the entire raid, blockbusters were dropped at the rate of one every two minutes. Absolutely correct, it was a raid from Blida, but it did not say that the raid was of 2 minutes duration and that we had only two aircraft able to carry the blockbusters. However, we looked forward to reading even an old Daily Mirror and to listen to the B.B.C. when airborne. Some of the stock phrases brought a chuckle at times 'Fires were left burning..', "Rear Gunners straffed [sic] the target..." "All opposition was overcome.." "Many two ton blockbusters ...." etc. etc, It appeared far more impressive in print than in reality doing it. Generally all we saw were explosions and dull red glows, tracer coming up and curving away passed us, and being blinded sometimes by searchlights. We did not picture at the time the loss of life down below and the damage caused to factories and buildings of all descriptions, in any cases, mostly houses. Straffing [sic] was invigorating and served to let off steam, but the supporting arithmetic was disappointing. An aircraft travelling at 180 m.p.h. (264 feet per second) over a target 360 yards in length would take 4 seconds to traverse the target. A .303 Browning has a rate of fire of 1200 rounds per min., the four in the rear turret having a combined rate of 4800 per min., or 80 rounds per second. There is time only for a 4 second burst of 320 rounds - not a lot - The Reargunner sees nothing of the target until it is passed and needs to be told when to open fire by someone in the front office. On straffing [sic] details it is likely the front turret with two guns, and one beam gun would be in use, increasing fire power by 75%, Possibly even a four-second burst once experienced at the receiving end might cause the enemy to duck next time we come by. This was an acceptable technique along a straight road. The aircraft was often fitted with two beam guns, one on each side, but only one was manned. Vision was poor from the beam positions and normally we would pass to one side of the target with one wing low. The gun on the other beam would have been aiming upwards. On the 28th 150 Sqdn. was stood down for 24 hours, but the previous night we paid a visit to SANGIOVANI on the southern toe of the Italian mainland: This was a daylight trip with four squadrons of Wellingtons to the train ferry terminal, a dock or lock which the ferry would enter and the water level be adjusted such that the level of the rails on land and ferry coincided. The train would then be shunted an or off the ferry as required. Flack was intense for
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Italian targets and there were trains both on-the ferry in dock and onshore. The whole lot was successfully reduced to a shambles but 6 of our aircraft failed to return. Our heaviest loss yet in a single night.
The 30th. of June was Willie's birthday and we celebrated it over MESINA. According to the B.B.C. we are blitzing both sides of the straits, Mesina to the west in Sicily and Sangiovani on the Italian mainland. The straits are only 3 1/2 miles wide, and carry the greater part of all enemy traffic to Sicily, entirely in German control with concentrated light flack [sic] from both sides and from ships in the middle. A trip lasting 5 1/2 hours.
The whole crew is beginning to feel the strain of long periods of intense activity. Although most of the memories are of the actual bombing ops., that was only a part of it. Aircraft had to be inspected daily on the ground and also air tested ready for the next trip, before bombing up. The Navigator had to prepare his flight plan prior to take off and this was done also on the many occasions when trips were later cancelled. All of us spent at least some time in the Intellegence [sic] Section to keep up-to-date with the position of the front line and the general trend. It was perhaps in some ways easier for us than for our counterparts in Europe. We had fewer distractions. There was no looking forward to a pint in the local pub. nor getting home to the family for a day or two. Not even the local cinema. There was very little booze to be had, I seem to remember a ration of one bottle of beer per fortnight which I used to take up on an air test to cool it down, and then give to the Armourers after landing. The batman was not going to ask "which suit and shoes are you wearing tonight Sir? " as he did later at Spitalgate. Evening wear was the same as for the rest of the day, shorts, perhaps a shirt, certainly no socks, and sandals on the feet. On the few occasions when we went out of camp we generally wore khaki battledress which we wore also of course on ops. I was finding it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open at night for long periods, and finding it very tempting to rest my head on the guns and have a doze, but to do so would be absolutely unforgiveable. The Skipper was under an even greater strain and a six hour trip was 6 hours of concentrated effort. On one or two occasions he dozed off for maybe just a few seconds, but fortunately by his side most of the time was Stan Chadderton the Bombardier who very quickly realised the position and watched points up front. The amount of nattering in the air was on the increase, also. It was standard procedure to use oxygen at night regardless of altitude, and the microphones with their electrical heaters were built-in to the mask. Everyone was connected to the intercom system all the time except for the Wireless op. who was able to switch out his own connection when using his radio. Microphones were switched as required by individual wearers. The Skipper's microphone was switched on all the time and so too was the Rear Gunner's in danger areas. Procedures were relaxed somewhat in our particular theatre of war; we could get along quite nicely without oxygen below 10,000 feet and I don't recollect flying much above that height. Whenever I reported anything Di dashed to the astradome [sic] and objected. If the rotation of my rear turret was not rythmical [sic] both the Skipper and Navigator objected. The turret and guns presented an assymetrical [sic] shape to the slipstream with a consequent rudder effect. If I kept the turret facing starboard for too long the aircraft would do a gentle flat turn to starboard. Meanwhile the Skipper was trying to maintain a course determined by the
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Navigator who was keeping a watchful eye on his compass, perhaps not appreciating that it was the rear gunner making things difficult. Although the sides of the turret were clad with perspex, it was difficult to see through it with the degree of clarity required. In fact the perspex in front of the turret had been removed to provide a clear vision panel. Even on the ground the whole crew was getting very irritable with each other. For almost a year we had lived worked, ate and near enough slept together almost without a break, the same endless routine, and anything to which we could look forward seemed an awful long way off. Whose turn to carry the water, became a very important issue at times and would lead to an argument [sic] . After some very harsh wards we would agree that it was stupid to argue about such a trivial issue, which in turn led to a bigger argument on who started the argument in the first place. I remember Chad the Bombardier putting paid to the row one day by getting off his bed - known as a pit - and announcing "Well, I've get to go for a **, anyone care to join me'? The loo comprised a trench, 20 feet long, several feet deep and about one foot wide over which one crouched. There was a choice of direction in which to face, and one or two of the bigger chaps preferred to straddle the trench. There was no need to interrupt a conversation in going to the toilet.
By the end of June the length of tour was clarified. First it was to have been 30 trips as in Britain, then it had been increased to 40 as some trips were not very hazardous, then some of the trips counted only as halves, and the tour was again changed to be 250 hours of operational flying. The Western Desert tour was said to be 40 trips or 250 hours, whichever was the less. However, there were other things to think about. Sgt. Lee and two other pilots were paraded before the whole squadron Air Crews and called "Saboteurs" by the Group Captain, having between them written off five aircraft in taxiing accidents. Group Captain 'Speedy' Powell was a very keen type and conducted all the briefings himself, was generally the first one off the ground and first back in time for debriefing. Whilst we were resting he would sometimes return to the target in an American twin boomed lightning to try and assess the damage - or find what we had actually bombed!
On the night of the 30th. June we were stood dawn and watched 142 Sqdn. take off for southern Italy. The starboard engine of one aircraft cut a few seconds before the aircraft should have get airborne. The aircraft swung and crashed into a jeep which was waiting to cross the 'runway', killing both American occupants and breaking it's back, a complete write-off. My diary makes no mention of the fate of the crew. We had just been issued with a new aircraft, 'B Beer' and I spent most of the day cleaning the guns and turret which were still all greased up as when they left England. Normally this work was carried out by the Armourers, but I was expected to take an active interest in the guns and turrets. The guns were removed, stripped, soaked in petrol, thoroughly cleaned and reassembled, replaced in the newly-cleaned turret and then harmonised. In Britain the harmonising of guns was carried out by placing a board at a predetermined distance in front of the turret and adjusting the ring-sight and guns to line up with specific paints or circles on the board. In North Africa we placed a can or any handy object on the ground 300 yards away and pointed the guns and ring-sight at it.
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Another day-off on the 2nd. July and Jumbo Cox, a Navigator on 150 Sqdn. and I hitch-hiked into Sousse and spent a few hours in the sea. After our dip we queued for 20 minutes at a huge marquee and enjoyed the most wonderful mug of tea of all time. I have thought many times in the last 40 years of that mug of tea.
The 4th. of July turned out to be the-hottest in temperature we had experienced for a long time. We had bombed TRAPANI in the very early morning. Intensive flack and searchlights with tracer up to 5000 feet. At 2000 feet the temperature was 95 Farenheit [sic] and not much lower at 9,000 feet, our bombing height. I was wearing only trousers and a shirt and was soaked in perspiration. Even the slipstream felt hot when I put one hand outside. Apart from the oppressive heat, it was a routine trip, and we managed to sleep most of the following afternoon, in 130 deg. in the shade. The wind was from the south-west, straight off the Sahara, and several airmen passed out with heatstroke. Metal parts of the aircraft were too hot to touch and a Wellington on the ground of 37 Squadron went up in flames. On the night of the 6th, we were briefed to attack aerodromes in Sardinia, and Sgt. Chandler piloted the first aircraft off. Both engines cut immediately after take-off whilst his undercarriage was still lowered. With full fuel and bomb load he somehow managed to avoid the inevitable and landed in a cultivated area at the end of the runway. Some of the crew suffered minor injuries, but it was 40 minutes before the rest of us were given a green to take-off. The wrecked aircraft was directly under the take-off path. Seven aircraft failed to get off the ground, including ours, all due to engines overheating after running for over 40 minutes on the ground. We had also lost air pressure for the brakes. Of the aircraft which did take off none was successful in finding the target, flouted by bad weather over Sardinia. Sgt. Valentine was above 10/10ths cloud with engines overheating and deemed it necessary to jettison his bombs "over the sea". We were not generally briefed with the positions of Allied shipping convoys, but were routed away from them without being given the reason. Sgt. Valentine decided to return by the shortest route and when has bombs whistled down on the convoy the Navies took a very poor view and let fly with everything they had. This was a well-established practice on the Navy's part, so there was no cause for complaint. In all, that night was a waste of 30 tons of bombs, 4000 gallons of petrol and over 150 flying hours.
On the 7th. we visited an aerodrome at COMISO in Southern Italy, delivering 4500 lbs, of bombs. It was a new target to the R.A.F., and apparently undefended, Only three of us managed to locate it and we were lucky in the timing of our 3 flares in obtaining a pinpoint. We obtained good aiming point photograph which showed our stick of bombs had straddled the dispersal area, with the last two landing in the olive groves.
Nearly half a century later I wonder why we did not use the radio for communicating with other aircraft in providing mutual assistance. We had no V.H.F. but the TR9 H.F. R/T would have been adequate. Observing Radio silence I feel was taken to extremes, our signals might indicate our presence to the enemy, but they were aware of that in any case. They might home onto us, but our transmissions would have been brief and on a frequency initially unknown to the enemy. They were not equipped to respond fast enough to information gleaned by monitoring, neither was the area covered with direction-finding
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stations. I feel this was one of the matters where a principle had been established and which was not reviewed often enough under changing circumstances.
On the evening of the tenth of July, just before briefing we heard aircraft engines and it was like being at a cinema show. Wave after wave of Dakota transports thundered overhead on their way to Sicily. It reminded me of the film "An Engishman`s Home" and the massive formations of German bombers, but these aircraft were American and British and were definitely not making a film. At briefing Groupie put us in the picture. "Accurate timing and accurate bombing, more so than ever before" was his opening phrase. We were briefed to bomb a specific part of SYRACUSE whilst paratroops were being dropped close by and other paras were already in position ready to capture our target immediately after the bombing. Flares were dropped accurately and the target successfully bombed, although some bombs went in the sea because of its close proximity. We noted a very large fire at Catania and "a number of queer lights which suggested fifth column activity" according to my diary. 45 years later I wonder how I reached that conclusion. Looking down from about 9,000 feet on the southern coast of Sicily on the return journey, we saw the Navy shelling the coast and several searchlights on shore began to sweep out to sea. One of the searchlights located a ship and held on to it, whilst the others went on sweeping. From another ship there were just three flashes of light, and seconds afterwards, three flashes on shore, one in front of the offending searchlight, one slap on it, and the third behind it. That was one searchlight out of action, and the others switched off in sympathy. The Navy carried on firing without further interruption. My panoramic view of the action from nearly two miles above gave no indication of the destruction and agony caused by those three shots.
The following, night it was the turn of MONTECORVlNO in western Italy, a new German aerodrome. Over the target we narrowly missed colliding with Jack Alazrachi in `Q' Queenie. His starboard wingtip scored our port wing and my diary records "a very shaky do". Our stick straddled the aircraft parking area and we took an excellent aiming point photograph of 15 aircraft an the ground. It was later confirmed officially that our two squadrons destroyed 40 aircraft and damaged many more.
On the 13th. at briefing, Group Captain Powell grinned and glanced down at his flying boots and said "Yes chaps, we are in for an interesting trip, Jerry is landing a massive convoy at MESINA and we are instructed to smash it." We went out at 6000 ft. above sea level which, over Sicily averaged about 2000 feet above ground. I found it difficult to concentrate on a formal rear-gunner type search, there was so much activity. Ground detail could be seen very easily and the Tactical Air Force was observed bombing all over the island. There were flares everywhere, bombs creating havoc, flak barrages and intensive shelling by the Navies. Over our target, the flak was intense but scattered. Sgt. "Pax" Smith's aircraft was holed, something went through his bombing panel and made two big holes in the front turret. This crew, like most did not include a full-time front gunner, the Bombardier occupied the turret as and when expedient and on this occasion had just returned to the second dickie seat when the aircraft was holed. One aircraft was seen to crash and another, in flames, exploded on hitting the ground. At debriefing we learned that one Wellington of 142 Squadron was missing,
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and this was manned by six officers, five of whom had completed one tour over Germany. The sixth, flying as 'second dickie' was on his very first trip.
Another new target to us, on the 15th, CROTONIA, an aerodrome on the east coast of the toe of Italy. A routine trip out, good visibility and straight in to the taget [sic] . There were four flak batteries, but Sgt, Mickie Mortimer was just ahead of us and his first stick silenced all four. Our single stick straddled the aerodrome and enlarged the existing fires among aircraft on the ground. We stooged around for a little while watching aircraft blowing up and more bombs adding to the havoc on the ground. When all was quiet we dropped to 250 feet and went in with guns blazing and between us fired about 4000 rounds into the fires, We must have hit something. There were dummy fires to the north and south-east of the aerodrome, very unreal and no-one was fooled by them. On the way out of the target area we were followed. by an aircraft sporting an orange light, and at one stage took light evasive action, but he did not attack. Several other rear gunners reported the same experience, non [sic] was actually engaged. We were routed back round northern Sicily, as usual Trapani was being attacked and other targets nearby were being bombed. We were hoping to see the 142 Sqdn. aircraft with the blue light which we nearly shot down returning from Salerno. The Bombardier in the second pilot's seat reported two aircraft ahead, one with a white light which we assumed to be a decoy. We expected the aircraft to allow us to overtake, and whilst the one with the light drew our attention his chum would sneak is from another dirction [sic] . We lost both the other aircraft for a minute or two, then the aircraft with the light - this time a blue one - reappeared on the starboard bow at about 500 yards. Meanwhile Chad had taken over the front turret, but held his fire. He identified it as a Wimpey. The Skipper altered course and we passed about 100 feet below the Wimpy. I got a plan view of him and confirmed the identification. As he fell behind I flashed dah dah dit, dit dit dit on my inspection lamp. There was no reply from the other aircraft but it landed 15 minutes after us and taxied towards 142 dispersal, On that same trip two of us saw an aircraft at 800 yards on our port quarter up which closed in to 500 yards. He was at too great a range for our .303s, but we were ready for an instant dive to port. He surprised us by turning away to port at about 400 yards, and again two of us identified it as a Wimpey.
Enemy aerodromes continued to take up most of our effort, and on the night of the 17th. it was three hours each way to POMIGLIANO near Naples, passing round Vesuvius with it's dull red glow. The target was initially very quiet and consequently not easy to locate. On our first run in at 6000 feet, we were a few minutes early, but dead on time at 4000 feet on our second run. We were caught and held in searchlights, and the light flak was point-blank. Allan Willoughby claimed he could smell it when the Skipper asked him for a course for home after the second run-in. When Stan the Bombardier announced that we still had nine 250 pound bombs aboard, someone suggested we should jettisson [sic] them on the town. Allan suggested we strike at a village a few miles ahead but Stan refused to drop them anywhere except the aerodrome at Pomigliano. The third run-in was at 5000 feet and the searchlights got us again as soon as the bomb doors were open. We were in a cone of eight and it seemed we had the aerodrome to ourselves. The bombing was accurate and we lost height to 2000 feet, all quiet again. My part in all this had
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really been that of a passenger listening to and witnessing the drama, and I was not popular when I suggested to the Skipper that we go back at low level and put a few lights out. Chad was in favour and had the front turret in mind, Allan was not keen and didn't like the smell of flak, and Dyson thought the idea was 'plain stupid'. Dyson was probably right for the wrong reason, but the Skipper was thinking we had got away with it for well over 30 trips so far, and there was no point in tempting providence. A three hour stooge back to Blida with nothing but silence on the intercom. Other aircraft were seen in the circuit and our TR9 radio was out of order. This was a very low power transmitter/receiver operating between 4 and 8 MHz. and used by the Skipper to contact Air Traffic Control at Base. If we still had an acceptable reserve of fuel we would have gone away and returned in 30 miniutes [sic] , but fuel was low and the Skipper decided to land without any formalities or delay. This aroused the wrath of the Flight Commander who tore a terrific strip off him next day. Our report at debriefing was very different to that of Sgt. Whitehouse and crew, who said it was a wizard O.T.U. run, bombs slap on the runway, no flak, no searchlights and the whole thing was 'a piece of cake'. He had in fact been to the wrong aerodrome, Crotone, which we had pranged on the 15th. where the defences stayed silent in order not to attract attention. - an old Italian custom -. The reason for the accuracy of the searchlights was a layer of cloud at 10,000 feet, a full moon and clear visibility. We were silhouetted against the cloud even without the searchlights.
Two nights later Sgt. Whitehouse, this time officially and with the rest of us, went again to CROTONE. We were all very tired and I found it difficult to keep awake. Visibility was 15 miles with a nearly full moon and on the way out for long periods we actually enjoyed the visible company of other Wimpies. On arrival at CROTONE we were surprised to see fires already started and spent a good five minutes in ensuring that it was indeed the target, Two bombing runs were made, at 3000 feet and 1500 feet, dropping nine 250 pounders each time. The bombs were seen bursting among aircraft on the ground, some of which were already ablaze. 400 yards from the burning aircraft was a small wood which had obviously been hit and was burning merrily. My diary records "from the ground it would have seemed like Nov. 5th.
Rockets were going up and verries by the score.
Someone had pranged a pyrotechnic store."
We made a third run at 200 feet and spent some 1500 rounds at the aircraft on the ground. Other gunners did the same. We were amazed to find everything so easy, and no opposition as far as we know, our raid on the 15th. should have given them a good idea of what to expect. There were no dummy fires and still they make no effort to disperse aircraft. The absence of fighters was strange; even day-fighters would have been very effective under those conditions. One crew reserved an odd bomb for the village south of the arodrome [sic] . It had a 36 hour delay and landed in the centre of the village. Not a very nice thing to do, and an act certainly not in accordance with our leaflets. Sgt. Pax Smith the intrepid Kiwi was on the last trip of his tour and elected to hit a railway bridge near the coast. It also had a' 36 hour delay fuse and missed the bridge by 50 yards. The British army was not at all happy with Smithy's effort, they planned to use the bridge within a week or two and were going to some considerable trouble to make sure the enemy
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didn't blow it up. They hadn’t counted on Smithy, but fortunately he wasn't quite up to scratch an that last trip.
One night off and then back try the 'Big City" , the capital of Italia, not to be confused with the really big one, the Capital city of Deutchland, with which there was absolutely no comparison. It was over two months since we had been to Rome, and it was still supposed to be an 'Open, undefended City'. Our specific target was PRACTICA DI MERE, an aerodrome just to the southwest of Rome. The Groupy had made it very clear at briefing, that nothing must be dropped on Rome itself. The target would be marked by flares positioned by W/O Coulson of 142 Squadron. We had no target map but the the [sic] aerodrome was plotted on the map of Central Italy - probably half million scale -. As we were passing the island of Maratimo, Chad was in the second dickie seat, map in hand and decided to get a clearer view of Maratimo by opening the sliding window at his side. The map disappeared out of the window, but with Allan's D. R. navigation we reached the target as Coulson's flares went down. Target marking at that stage of the war in Italy was in its infancy and was carried out with flares designed for lighting up the ground. These were very different from the coloured Target Indicators used to such great effect over Germany. Bombing was not particularly accurate, but well clear of Rome itself, where there was plenty of light flak and searchlight activity which exploded the myth about an undefended city. This activity extended down the Tiber to the Lido di Roma, where the Radio Station was still operating. The Vatican was blacked out very effectively
On the 25th. we started 8 days leave, taking an aircraft back to Blida for an engine change and major inspection. We took advantage of the stores at Blida and were issued with new uniforms, shoes and anything we wanted, just a matter of signing for it, it was two years before the system caught up with me and I was debited with the cost.
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[bearer document in English and arabic]
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[photograph]
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TWO OF OUR AIMING POINT PHOTOS
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The first three days were spent in Algiers with Harry Dyson at the Hotel Radio Grand but the inactivity - or something - was too much for Harry so we returned to Blida, only to find the rest of our party had adjourned to the rest camp at Surcouf. I spent most of my time in the next few days in Blida, partly with a French-Arab family Iloupcuse Moka Mourice Bijoutier, at 11 Rue Goly, Blida. 30 years later I was able to find the area but no-one recognised either the name or the address. Like most places, Blida had changed a lot in the intervening years. I remembered it as an almost typical French village, beautifully clean, tables and chairs outside the cafes, and a very pleasant atmosphere. After 20 years or so of independence it was a very different story, and I thought a rather sad one. I made several excursions into Algiers where the Yanks had become very well organised. They had-taken over and re-organised six cinemas, all with continuous shows for about 12 hours per day, and open house to Service personnel. I visited all six. The N.C.O.'s Club in Rue d'Isley was our base camp in Algiers, where we enjoyed endless cups of tea and cakes. The Malcolm Club, exclusive to R.A.F. personnel provided a good hot meat each evening. It was on this leave that I visited the local Match Factory at Caussemille, being an ardent Philumenist - collector of matchbox labels-. The factory was at that time owned and operated by the French and I was given a conducted tour of the factory. Most of the labels presented to me at the factory are in my collection to this day. My next visit to the factory was 37 years later, when I met with a very cool reception. The French had gone long ago, only their name remained. In that area of Algiers, all the street names were written on the street signs in Arabic except one, Caussemille. This was the name of an old French or Belgian family of match manufacturers possibly difficult to translate into Arabic. I met several of the chaps from the Rhodesia training days, one had joined Coastal Command and was detached from 'U.K. to Maison Blanche on White Wimpies. It had taken him six months to complete 100 hours and he was rather gloomy about the next four hundred to complete his tour. He was in fact rather nervous, his job being mine-sweeping; I asked him "what height do you fly at?" He replied that `it was a two-dimensional job, no such thing as height'. Causing magnetic mines to blow up by flying over them at very low level could not have been very pleasant. Maison Blanche is now known as El Beda, the International airport of Algeria, not so well organised as it was in 1943, and not half so busy! Blida aerodrome is the Headquarters of the Algerian Air Force and is a prohibited area to foreigners.
At the end of our 8 days in comparitive [sic] civilisation, we were glad to collect our newly serviced Wimpey and return to Kairouan. I was immediately recruited to fly with Sgt. Stone to MARINA DI PAOLA. We stooged over northern Sicily is daylight and very close to Trapani our old favourite which had been severely bashed about. During the invasion it was subjected also to heavy Naval shelling. Being with a different crew perhaps made things more interesting, seeing how they reacted to various aspects, and I thought they had a rather strange and formal appoach [sic] . We did not see our bombs burst and our photoflash failed to go off. There was none of the usual binding we experienced with our own crew, everyone was pleasant, courteous and cheerful. At debriefing Group Captain Powell said "Good Show chaps, I expect you are glad to get onto ops at last, and that's the first one done". I was speechless but thinking about their next 44, maybe they were also. I can see "Speedy Powell" very clearly making
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that statement, a memory revived recently in the film "Target for Tonight" in which he was the Flight Lieutenant taking the briefing; the same very distinctive and distinguished voice.
On the night of the 4th., the crew not feeling particularly refreshed after its leave, our target was BATTAPAGLIA. It was daylight almost to the Italian Coast and we arrived with 20 minutes to spare, circling the target area. 'Bang on time we dropped the flares, but there were no bright lights'. The twenty minutes of sight-seeing had upset the routine and the flares were dropped on 'safe', and therefore failed to go off. We still had two flares so went down to 3000 feet and dropped the bombs through 9/10ths cloud using individual flares. 90 seconds after bombing, Stan identified the target 4 miles ahead. We had neither bombs nor flares left, and were depressed at putting up such a rotten show on what turned out to be the last trip of our tour. We could have done a spot of straffing below cloud, but instead called it a day.
The following night we waved the boys off to MASINA, and we felt rather sad that we were no longer operational. Sqdn. Ldr Garrad and crew were also no longer operational, having failed to return from MASINA. Someone suggested staying and doing another tour, but Dyson thought the idea was "stupid" - like most other ideas - and with deep regrets we said cheerio to our friends on 150 and 142 Squadrons, and climbed in the back of a lorry bound for Tunis. Pax Smith and Mickey Mortimer and crews were with us and we sat back and enjoyed the scenery, some taking pot-shots at nothing in particular with their revolvers. We had in fact lots of unofficial ammunition of 9mm. calibre, captured from the enemy. This fitted nicely into our .38 Smith & Wessons and differed from the .38 ammo. only in that it had no ejection flange at the end of the cartridge. This had the effect that we could use captured enemy ammo. but they could not use ours because of the flange.
We arrived at no. 2BPD in Tunis just in time for dinner and a cold shower, the first shower for about nine months. During our week or so in the Transit Camp, we had a sort of parade each morning and then were free for the day. It was on one of these parades that our Skipper's name was called to approach the C.O. "Sir, 416170". With no prior warning, the citation was read out and he was presented with the D.F.M. Next it was the turn of Mickey Mortimer to march up and also receive a D.F.M. I seem to recall that he did a somersault before saluting in front of the C.O., or was it a back somersault after receiving the award? either of which today seems quite incredible. Pax Smith had already received a D.F.M for his earlier exploits. My one other recollection of the Transit Camp was an old Italian Water Tanker which was used as a static water tank. It held 10,000 gallons of water and must have weighed over 53 tons when full. All 24 wheels were firmly embedded in the sand up to their axles. It was when we departed from Tunis by lorry for Algiers that one of the Canadian officers decided to hitch-hike back to U.K. and to rejoin the party at the Reception Centre. I learned later that he flew first to Algiers with the R.A.F. and then flew to U.K. with the Yanks. He was an old hand at that sort of thing, having hitch-hiked from Blida to New York and back with a colleague in less than a week.
Meanwhile the rest of us travelled the 500 miles to Algiers by lorry along the coast road, and after a few days in the transit camp boarded a troopship, the Capetown Castle, a passenger liner of the Castle line. We were accommodated in 4-berth cabins with full peace-time fascilities [sic] .
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each cabin was allocated one Italian P.O.W. who slept outside the door, and attended to the cleaning, dhobi etc. We were not impressed by the Italians as fighting men, but had no complaints of their ability and willingness in the job they were then doing. It was a very comfortable voyage and we lived it up in a manner to which we were certainly not accustomed.
After a very pleasant and restful 10 days or so we disembarked at Greenoch and I recollect forming up on the key [sic] prior to joining a train for Liverpool and West Kirby. A rather pompous redcapped Military Policeman called us to attention, right turn, at the double, march! It was more astonishment than lack of discipline which caused everyone to stay put. He was told to get his knees brown and get a few other things too, and we walked to the train, deliberately out of step. Our first steps back in England were certainly not going to be at the double ordered by Red Caps.
This was my fourth visit to West Kirby, where we were rekitted, saying cheerio to our Khaki battledress and tropical kit, documents checked, medical exam. and then disembarkation leave. It was at West Kirby that our Crew was really disbanded, very sad after working as a team for so long, but another phase of our careers was completed.
Of the Crew? Stan Chadderton was commissioned on his second tour and we have met several times in the past 40 years, but I have no news of the Skipper and the rest of the crew. Stan met the Skipper, then a Flight Lieutenant at Brise [sic] Norton at the end of the war on his return from a German P.O.W. camp. We can only hope he returned safely to New Zealand and was able to return in the farm. Allan Willoughby is thought to have ended the war as a Squadron Leader.
My association with the Wimpy was not yet over, however, it was still in use in large numbers in the U.K. for operational training, and was to remain so until the end of the war. More "Wimpys" were built than any other operational. bomber.
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[document from C-in-C]
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[photograph] C.W WITH MUM BARNOLDSWICK
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[photograph] HILDA WITH THE SKIPPER AND BOMB AIMER
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[photograph] [underlined] WITH THE SKIPPER & BOMB AIMER – SECOND HONEYMOON SEPT. 1943 [/underlined]
[photograph] [photograph]
[underlined] AT OUR CHALET AT BLIDA [/underlined]
WATSON – RUTHERFORD- DYSON – CHADDERTON & PADDY (MORTIMER’S FRONT GUNNER)
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[underlined] OUR 150 SQDN. SKIPPER SGT. STAN RUTHERFORD 416170 RNZAF [/underlined] [underlined] A WIMPEY AT BLIDA [/underlined]
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[photograph] AT RICHMOND SECOND HONEYMOON
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[warrant officer parchment]
52A
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[underlined] Screened [/underlined] .
September 1943 saw me at 84 O.T.U. Desborough, a Flight Sgt. with 43 ops under my belt, and that wonderful feeling of being ex-operational. For the next six months or so I was to be a "Course Shepherd", responsible for 12 Air Gunners. Desborough was a typical Operational Training Unit where, in the main, newly-trained aircrew were introduced to operational aircraft and the techniques of dealing with the opposition which was by no means limited to the Germans. There were three courses running simultaneously which gave ample scope to the Captains in making one of their most important decisions, that of selecting their crews.
For the first two weeks or so the training comprised mainly lectures and familiarisation with equipment. Air Gunners were generally able to make an early start with the flying where even on circuits and bumps an extra pair of eyes was to advantage.
The Course Shepherd ensured the smooth-running of the Air-Gunners training. There were specialist instructors for lectures on subjects such as guns, turrets and tactics, but the C.S. supervised their flying aspects and work on the range, in detail.
I particularly enjoyed the Fighter Affiliation sessions, where trainee gunners would take over the rear turret whilst being attacked by one or two Miles Masters or any other "Playmate" who could be cajoled officially to co-operate.
I would stand at the astrodome guiding the gunner with the timing of his advice and instructions to the Pilot. The standard evasive action (referred to later in 5 Group as "Combat Manouvre [sic] ") was the corkscrew, well known to, and anticipated by, the enemy, I might add that until I arrived at 84 OTU I had never even heard of the corkscrew. During the OTU excercises [sic] the fighter pilots were generally sporting enough not to press home their attacks with too much determination, but to allow the bomber sometimes to 'escape', thus giving the rear gunners - or some of them-- the false impression that they actually stood some chance of survival.
I felt quite at home in the "Wimpy" and encouraged the pilot to throw the aircraft around, and make the corkscrews rather more violent to simulate a real attack, where a quick getaway was the only solution to survival. For fighter affiliation excercises [sic] , the turret was equipped with an 8mm. Camera Gun, fitted in place of one of the four .303 Browning machine guns, the remaining three Brownings being de-armed. Each gunner plugged-in his own personal film cassette, and results were assessed the following day in the cinema.
Air firing excercises [sic] were supervised, where the speed of the Wellington was reduced, and a Miles Master would overtake about 3 or 400 yards abeam, towing a drogue. The gunner would be authorised to fire when the towing aircraft was outside his field of fire. He would then fire off about 200 rounds from each gun (five 2-second bursts), at the drogue. It was more than likely that air firing during his initial training had been carried out using a single gun not mounted in a turret. Air to ground firing was limited to a single exercise on a range near the coast, there being little scope for this type of work for heavy bombers over Deutchland.
Not very popular with the coming of Winter weather were the exercises at the firing butts or range. Six trainees would each be given a rear turret, together with four belts each of 200 rounds. He would
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mount the guns and fit the ammunition belts. Take-off procedure with safety catches 'on', then firing a few short bursts, landing procedure, clear the guns, etc. . Generally a few faulty rounds were deliberately built-in to create gun stoppages which the trainee had to clear. Finally he removed the guns from the turret and stripped and cleaned them ready for the next trainee.
All this took about three hours and it was on one of these sessions that unpleasantness developed with one of the trainees. Of the 12 Air Gunners in my little flock, eleven were Sergeants and one was an Acting Pilot Officer on probation. Like the others, his previous flying experience was limited to about 8 hours, and he had not yet been within 10 miles of an operational aircraft. He had been top of his course at Gunnery School and granted a Commission. I found that one of the Sergeants had fitted the guns in the turret and armed them with the belts of ammunition for him whilst I was busy with the others. He had managed to fire-off the rounds, and eventually, with some assistance the guns were removed. He flatly refused to clean the guns, claiming that it was an inappropriate task for an officer. I put it to him that although on a squadron the guns would be lovingly cared for by the armourers, he must still be fully au-fait with every aspect of guns and gunnery. He firmly refused to touch the guns and soil his hands and I told him that unless he gets on with it, we should be late for lunch. Four of the sgts. each took a gun and cleaned them. Some very cryptic comments were made by the Sergeants and I told the Ag. P. O. he was foolish. Later that day, to my absolute astonishment, I was marched in front of the C.O. and charged on a form 252 with insubordination. I was advised that an N.C.O. does not give orders to officers and I replied with something to the effect that I was the instructor and the officer the pupil, giving orders was an essential part of the job. Nevertheless, I was severely reprimanded. I had on several occasions applied for a posting back to operations, and the following day the Station W.O. told me my request had been granted and I was going to a squadron at Norton, near Sheffield in Yorkshire. Which squadron and with what type of aircraft was unimportant. I had never heard of Norton, bit hush-hush they had said. I should have realised that something was amiss, I was not being posted, but only detached. On arrival at Norton I found I was on an Aircrew Refresher Course which I was slow to realise was a correction or discipline course, a form of punishment. There were about 150 aircrew at Norton, from Flt/Lts to Sgts, almost all operational or ex-operational. At least I was among friends.
The day started with a call at 0600, on parade at 0630 , march to breakfast and an inspection at 0730 with greatcoats, followed almost immediately by a further inspection without greatcoats. This was followed until 1800 by sessions of drill, P.T. and lectures, with a break for lunch. Drill was just ordinary uninspiring square -bashing, wearing aircrew-issue shoes, and not boots. The instructor, said to be an L.A.C. Ag-Sgt. shouted commands and abuse, and was indeed very smart and probably efficient at his job, but utterly ignorant and useless off the barrack square. There was no rifle drill, and requests to introduce it were rejected. It was too easy for us to obtain .303 ammunition. P. T. was equally uninspiring and great emphasis was placed on recording improvement in performance as the training progressed. Lectures were farcical and covered most aircrew subjects, including navigation, gunnery, bombing techniques, target marking, etc. etc. There was not a
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flying badge among the instructors and obviously none had any flying experience in any capacity. No-one could possibly take the lectures seriously and there must have been some hair-raising answers in the written tests. The main problem was that at the slightest provocation one could be put on C.O.'s report. This was not a formal charge - which would have been on record - but an interview with the C.O. which would generally wind-up with an award of an extra 3 weeks at Sheffield. My policy was to keep my head down, or in modern parlance, to maintain a low profile. I generally managed to be near the back of the classroom and in the rear ranks on the drill square trying to be invisible. We were allowed out of camp after 1900, with an inspection at the gate, but lights out was at 2200, not allowing much scope. Most evenings were spent in the mess comparing notes and discussing our "crimes"; the instructors were conspicuous by their absence. I recall no-one admitting to flying or taxiing accidents, or misdemeanours whilst flying. Most of the reasons seem to have been absence without leave probably through boredom-, saying the wrong thing in an off-guarded moment or making someone more senior look silly. There was no connection between Norton and aircrew who were alledgedly [sic] L.M.F. or those who were reluctant to fly. Rather than charge a man formally with an offence, the easy way out was to send him on a "refresher course" with no reference to alleged crime or punishment. Operational aircrew discipline is often quoted as having been unique. All jobs were carried out with the same degree of dexterity, and responsibilities in the air within a trade were the same irrespective of rank. The Pilot was the Head Man, whether Squadron Leader or Sergeant. In the air, there were no formalities. The Pilot was 'Skipper' and no-one called anyone 'Sir'. This was generally so on the ground within the confines of the crew, but if it was a non-crew matter or there were V.I.P.'s about, a low-level type of formality might be introduced. Neither was there time for formality in the air where an attack may start and finish - one way or another - in seconds or less. On sighting a fighter at 300 yards a Rear Gunner in a film picked up a microphone and was beard to say "I say Skipper, I think we are being followed". A Guardsman might come up with "Permission to speak Sir", but life's not like that in the air.
Nearing the end of the 3-week course at Sheffield came the farcical final exams. I sailed through everything except P.T. where we were required to run 100 yards in 14 seconds. I was feeling fitter than I had for many years, but that 100 yards took me 17 seconds. Not good enough, try again. The second attempt took 19 seconds and the third attempt 24. I was told that "we would keep doing it all bloody night until I achieved it in 14 seconds". I merely said there was no point in attempting the impossible and I refused to carry out an unlawful order. So for me it was C.O.'s report next day. The C.O. said it was within his power to grant me an indefinite extension to the length of my course. I realised that to argue was probably futile and I recall being contradictory by saying something to the effect that "I have nothing to say except to remind everyone there is a real war going an out there and the sooner some of us get on with it the better". I don't know why I said it or thought what it might achieve, but I was easily provoked. I was awarded an extra 3 weeks at Sheffield, and was very surprised next morning when I was issued with a railway warrant to leave that morning with the others on my "course". I was convinced this was a mistake and succeeded in remaining invisible until I was well clear of Sheffield.
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Most of us felt the invasion of Europe was imminent and we had discussed our plans in the mess within earshot of the 'instructors'. When the balloon goes up, we return to base regardless of the opposition on the grounds that it was our duty to escape from captivity. In retrospect this was not entirely logical thinking but it might have influenced the C.O., I don't know. As far as I know there was no mass exodus and I have no idea how or when R.A.F. Norton was finally closed down. Suffice to say that it was a disgrace and an insult to aircrew, it would have been far more British to charge a man if he had allegedly done something wrong rather than take this easy way out. In general, training and lectures were taken very seriously by air crew and it could be claimed that the type and standard of lectures at Norton were in fact dangerous. Most of us realised it was just a load of absolute rubbish and did not take it seriously, and we had learned long ago to assess the value of the spoken word relative to the background and qualifications of the speaker.
The question of L.M.F. is an even more deplorable but entirely separate subject. Books have been written about it and it became a highly controversial issue. There were indeed some chaps who took such a bashing they felt they had had enough and to continue would increase the risk to the aircraft and crew or even crews. Most other operational aircrew have no less respect for them for admitting it and asking to be excused. L.M.F. and R.A.F. Norton were totally unconnected.
However, feeling very fit physically, and mentally ready to deal with the Ag. P. O. who knew all about the form 252 but couldn't strip even a Browning gun, I returned to 84 O.T.U. Desborough. A written request for an interview with the C.O. was given to the S.W.O. within minutes of arrival. I saw the Gunnery Leader and learned that I was to resume charge of the same course but less the sprog officer who was last seen on his way to Eastchurch as L.M.F and unsuitable for operations. I found later that he had been reduced to the ranks. It seems the other instructors had given him a very hard time all round, and particularly with combat manouvres where he was sick every time he flew. It was just not done to issue 252's but his chances of survival were improved. The C.O. agreed later that a mistake had been made and on paper my case had been reconsidered and the severe rep. withdrawn. Sheffield could not be undone and would have to be written off to experience, but he would see if he could hasten my promotion to W.O. and a posting to a real squadron.
At this time, the O.T.U. instructors were all crewed up and ready to back up the operational squadrons if necessary. Many of us were getting restless seeing a great increase in ground activity to the south and southeast. Lots of real aircraft, Lancasters, Halifaxes, Mosquitoes, Gliders etc. etc. and our status with the Wimpies as ex operational did little for our ego, making us feel like the 'has beens' we really were.
At about 0200 on the 6th. June, now a Warrant Officer, I was Orderly Officer and asleep in the duty room. The Duty Officer, a Ft/Lt. was flat out in the other bunk. A message was delivered marked "Top Secret" and I awakened the Duty Officer. He told me to open it. The message caused his to open a sealed envelope from his pocket and his exact words were "Christ, it’s started". 'It' was "Operation Overlord". Within a minute the Tannoy was blaring "All Duty Flight personnel to their flights immediately" 'All sreened aircrews to the Briefing Room
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at 0500," and so on. There followed a day of intense activity; air tests, bombing up, briefing, changing the bomb load, rebriefing, and the job of Orderly Officer went completely by the board.
In July, the great moment arrived, and our complete second tour crew of five was posted to Aircrew Pool at Scampton en route ultimately to a 5 Group Squadron.
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[photograph]
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[photograph] AT AIRCREW POOL SCAMPTON AUG ‘44
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[underlined] SCAMPTON [/underlined]
For Wellingtons we were indeed a complete crew, but we were not destined for Wellingtons, but Lancasters, and we needed either a Navigator or Bomb-aimer and another Gunner. Our Pilot and Observer had already completed tours on Blenheims and were good material for Mosquitos. They said cheerio on our third day at Scampton and were posted to a Mosquito Conversion Unit. The remaining three of us had ceased to exist as a crew and had become “odd bods”. We began to feel like members of staff but eventually we went our individual ways. Indeed I was put in charge of the Night Vision Centre for two months, until I met a pilot who was a Flight Lieutenant with a tunic that had obviously seen some service, and he had over 3,000 flying hours to his credit. With him was a Flying Officer Observer plus DFM, obviously clued up and who looked the academic type, a cheerful Flying Officer Bomb aimer and a Pilot Officer Rear Gunner. Four clued-up characters forming the nucleus of a gen crew. Somehow or other I became their other gunner and we were joined by a second tour F/Sgt Wireless operator and a Sgt. Flight Engineer ex fitter. A few days later we were posted to Winthorpe to 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit and settled into a course on Stirlings, flying together for the first time as a crew.
Familiarisation with a four-engined aircraft was the main purpose of the course; important to the skipper F/Lt. Chester who had been a Flying Instructor on Tiger Moths in Canada for a long time. He was about 8 years older than the rest of us and we were happy with his rather more mature approach to the job. The Flight Engineer, Sgt. Hampson, whom we called Doogan for no apparent reason, had flown on Liberators over Burma and nothing seemed to worry him unduly. F/O Pete Cheale was successful on two or three practice bombing sessions, and to F/O Ted Foster DFM it was all just routine stuff. F/Sgt. Frank Eaglestone’s radio was the same as on his previous tour, the good old R1155 and T1154 (still in service in 1960). The Rear Gunner was P/O Harvey who nattered endlessly about a chunk of flack [sic] still embedded somewhere about his person, and his first tour in general. He knew it all, or thought he did, but it soon became apparent that his experience was very limited and he had yet to do his first trip against the enemy. Because of this I insisted that he should have the mid-upper turret, and as Senior gunner, pulling a negative seniority in rank, I would take over the rear turret. He didn’t like that at all, and he left the crew. What became of him I don’t know, but Flt/Sgt Foolkes appeared from somewhere and took his place. Pete was one to take everything in his stride and was welcome to either turret. He preferred the mid-upper, possibly finding it more comfortable, being much taller than the average rear gunner. As for me, one rear turret was very much like another, the same Frazer Nash FN120 we had used on the later Marks of Wellington. A few mod cons perhaps, such as Hot air central heating in the turret. I recall that when we touched down on the runway at Winthorpe, the rear turret was still over the graveyard on the other side of the main road.
Whilst at Winthorpe, I found that 150, my old squadron, was about 20 miles away at Hemswell. I paid them a visit, but their only real link with the 150 of North Africa was the squadron number. 150 Squadron had been disbanded in Algiers though it’s final station was Foggia in Italy. I left
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it at Kairouan just before the move to Italy. Later it was re-formed with Lancasters and in theory had been in action since the beginning of the war, having been at the forefront with Fairey Battles in 1939-40 in France.
After about three weeks of routine and not very demanding training we graduated to the “Lanc” Finishing School” at Syerston. There we converted to Lancasters with about 14 hours flying, circuits and bumps, the odd practice bombing exercises, fighter affiliation and a Bullseye over London, co-operating with searchlights. Just what the Londoners down below thought of this aerial activity without an air raid warning was probably misconstrued. We were still in one piece, feeling fit, very confident and ready to join a squadron.
Our next move was to Bardney, near Lincoln, about 160 bods, and judging by their ranks and gongs, a rather experienced bunch, mostly second tour types. Bardney was the home of 617 and 9 Squadrons, rumours were rife of course. Were we obvious replacements for 617, where prestige was high and directly proportionate to the losses, - the highest in the Command? Our luck held, we were to become a new squadron, 227, just an ordinary Lancaster Squadron to enhance the might of 5 Group. It transpired that we were to become “A” Flight, and the Skipper was promoted to Squadron Leader. Meanwhile “B” Flight was forming at Strubby.
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[underlined] 227 SQUADRON [/underlined]
The first op. by aircraft of the newly-formed 227 Squadron was on the 11th. of October 1944 and most of us at Bardney were not even aware of it. Only three aircraft of "B" Flight, forming up at Strubby, were involved, a short early afternoon trip to FLUSHING. Three nights later "A" Flight provided three aircraft and "B" Flight four aircraft on a more typical raid by 240 aircraft of 5 Group on BRUNSWICK. The Squadron was beginning to take shape and on the 17th., two aircraft of "B" Flight joined 47 others on a short excursion to breach the dyke at WESTKAPELL. Two nights later was a 5 Group effort to NUREMBURG, with "A" and "B" Flights providing seven and five aircraft respectively. This fourth raid by 227 aircraft was only "A' Flight's second involvement, the aircraft and crews really becoming attached for this purpose to 9 Squadron.
On the 21st. October we were transferred to Balderton, at the side of the A1 near Newark and joined the crews of "B" flight.
Our Skipper had been promoted to Sqdn/Ldr. in command of "A" Flight, and was very such absorbed in getting his half of the squadron organised and operational, with little time left for actual flying. Our crew was kept busy in their respective sections, particularly Navigation, Bombing and Wireless, but there was not a great deal to be done in the Gunnery office: The Gunnery Leader was Flt/Lt. Maxted who occupied a small office in a sectioned-off Nissen hut. It was barely furnished with a desk and a few chairs; posters on the wall amplifying the vital issues and a notice board. The state of readiness of each aircraft and gunner was displayed with a record of daily inspections completed. The D.I. 's were an important part of the routine, and the gunners generally took part in the air tests prior to bombing up.
Our first mission as a crew was to Bergen in Norway. It was also a personal first trip for the Skipper, Bomb aimer and Flight Engineer. It was my 46th. op. but also my first in the mighty Lancaster. The Navigator, Wireless op. and Mid-upper gunner were all veterans having carried out their first tours on Lancs.
Our flight out over the North Sea which used to be called the German Ocean by some was uneventful, and Bergen was approached from the east at 10,000 feet. With the target ahead and in sight to those in the front office, all was quiet except for engine noise through someones [sic] microphone which had been left switched on. Peace was shattered by an almighty bang and shudder, confirming we had been hit, and the nose of the aircaft [sic] went down. I was forced against the left side of the turret unable to move, and found later the speed had built-up to over 370 mph. The Skipper was shouting for assistance. Ace the Navigator somehow managed to crawl forward a few feet and found Doogan with his head in the observation blister admiring the view of Bergen above. The Skipper had both feet on the dash trying to pull the aircraft out of the dive. The only control Ace could reach was the trimming wheel on the right of the Skipper's seat and he turned this to make the aircraft tail heavy. The nose came up and so did the target. The Flight Engineer added his contribution by exclaiming "Coo, i'n' [sic] it wizard". That was his opinion, but we were heading straight up the fiord and Ace brought this to the attention of the Skipper very smartly. Our height was down to 1500 feet and Ace and the Skipper somehow managed to turn the aircraft through 180
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degrees without hitting either the sea or the hills. Still tail heavy, we gradually climbed away to the west, and for the first time I saw the target, dead astern, always a welcome sight, and I set about sorting myself out from the intercom. leads, electrical heating cable, oxygen pipe and also checking that the turret doors would still open. Silence was broken about 100 miles from Bergen by our brash young Canadian Bomb Aimer, Pete Chiele, "Skipper, we still have the bombs-aboard". I think It-was Ace, who pulled the jettison toggle. At least my turret seemed intact and I took the opportunity of the lull in the drama of opening the turret door with my elbows, leaning backwards into the fuselage and making sure I could reach my parachute pack. Then a quick reversal and I was again "on the job” after a break of less than ten seconds. On the Wimpey and Lanc. the Rear Gunner had a choice of exits, either through the rear escape hatch inside the fuselage, or direct from the rear turret. I was well rehearsed in the latter method, first to rotate the turret dead astern, using the manually operated handle if there was no hydaulic [sic] pressure, then to open the sliding doors. These never failed to open on practice sessions, but an axe was provided inside the turret just in case. Then to remove the parachute pack from its housing and drag it carefully into the turret, placing it above the control column. Off with the helmet complete with oxygen mask, intercom, 24 volt supply and associated pipes and cables and also the electrical heating cable connector. The parachute pack was then clipped on, the turret rotated onto either beam, lean backwards and push with the feet. The alternative exit gave one more room to manouvre [sic] , but the escape hatch itself was rather narrow for a Rear Gunner wearing his full flying kit, particularly the 1944 version of "Canary suit", so-called because of its colour. There was also the phsychological [sic] aspect of deliberately entering an aircraft which was probably on fire. On the Wellington Mk1C with an FN20 turret and only two guns, there was provision to stow the 'chute pack inside the turret. Also the doors were hinged, opening outwards and they could be jettisoned. Although I mentioned being well rehearsed, drill was carried out with the aircraft stationary and upright, not quite the same as in an anticipated emergency bale-out. My only excuse for claiming the checking of my 'chute as practice was that I felt I should be doing something more useful than just sitting there, whilst there seemed to be so much happening up front. There was even more drama unfolding, the Wireless op. had passed a coded message to the Navigator instructing us to divert to Holme on Spalding Moor in Yorkshire, but only the W/op was issued with the code-sheet of the day. The Skipper did not receive the message in plain language until we were in R/T contact with Balderton, which was closed due to thick fog or very low cloud. However, the Navigator knew our exact location and there was fuel in the tanks. Eventually we re-joined the tail-end of the gaggle and landed at Holme. I recall spending the rest of the night on the floor in the lounge of the Sgts. Mess. The following morning we took a walk around the hangars and Doogan chatted with some ground crews who were changing an engine on a Halifax. He actually told then they were not going about it properly and their reaction was quite startling and informative.
Our second trip as a crew was two days later, to WALCHEREN in daylight. This was more reminiscent of our raids from North Africa except that 110 aircraft, including 8 Mosquitoes, took part. From North Africa our "Maximum Effort" had been two squadrons, a total of 26 aircraft, which
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seemed a lot at the time!. 12 aircraft from 227 took part, each having its own specific target, ours being a gun battery which was already completely submerged in water when we arrived. Just ahead several aircaft [sic] were bombing the sea wall and the Skipper decided to back them up, bombing from 3500 feet. The wall was breached and the sea poured through, but our bombs were all fused for delayed action which would not have amused the natives. In fact too much damage was done which, according to a story in Readers Digest, took over six months to repair. However, the main object was to silence the German artillary [sic] and this was achieved. This particular trip had been our introduction to the "formation" known as the "5 Group Gaggle". Pilots were not very practiced at Straight and level flying, it had been seldom recommended, and it seemed to me as a Rear gunner that everyone weaved along in the same direction, taking great pains to stay as far away as possible from other aircraft, but remaining in the stream.
Two days later Ches. and Co. joined 16 other crews from 227 on an afternoon excusion [sic] to an oil plant at HOMBURG. The ground was mostly obscured by cloud and visibility at 17,000 feet was poor, about three miles. Approaching the target a Lancaster in front of us was hit by flak and one engine was on fire. The aircraft passed below us and the fire was extinguished, but its no. 2 engine was stopped. It remained just behind us until we were over the target. The target was marked by 8 Mosquitoes of 8 Group, but marking was scattered over a wide area and out of the 228 Lancasters only 159 bombed. Results were poor, a recce. next day showed that most of the bombs had hit the industrial and residential areas. One Lancaster was lost, due to flak.
The following night 15 aircraft of 227 joined a total force of 992 aircraft on DUSSELDORF. Our Skipper flew as Second Dickie to F/L Kilgour, and the rest of us kicked our heels. This was the last heavy raid on Dusseldorf by Bomber Command, and 18 aircraft were lost. F/O Croskell and crew failed to return, our first 227 Sqdn casualties, but news was received shortly afterward they were safe in Allied hands. They were operational with the squadron again in Feb.
On the 11th. of November, we surprisingly found ourselves on the Battle Order for an evening raid on the Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery at HARBURG, close to the battered Hamburg. This was a 5 Group effort with 237 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes. 7 Lancasters were lost, including 9J"S" with F/O Hooper and crew. F/O Bates' crew reported that "oil tanks were seen to explode at 1924 hrs". but German records make no reference to the oil tanks, only that 119 people were killed and 5205 others were bombed out. Flak was not intense and the bombing appeared to be mainly on target. There were fighters about but the return journey was uneventful for us. Once again we were beaten by the fog at Balderton, and as our new F.I.D.O. was not yet operational, we were diverted to Catfoss. The night was spent in the chairs in the Sgts. Mess, but the officers among us were luckier to find beds.
For most of the following four weeks we were without either a Skipper or a Navigator. The Skipper was detached "on a course" and then spent a couple of weeks on a Summary of Evidence. Ace the Navigator was detached to Newmarket racecourse to clue up on some new equipment or technique. For three days I was detatched [sic] to Waddington as a Witnessing Officer at a Court Martial, which I found depressing. It seemed that at Waddington there had been an old car which was used by anyone who could find some petrol to run it. It was the property of an unlucky aircrew
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member who failed to return one night. The car was very useful, but whilst having neither licence nor insurance it was eventually involved in a serious accident, and the R.A.F. took over where the civilian court left off.
0n the 6th. December I had a letter of complaint from my mother, enclosing a newspaper cutting from the Barnoldswick & Earby Pioneer, showing a photo of me and referring to my award of a D.F.C. Why had I not told her? I don't think she ever believed me when I claimed that her letter was the first I knew of it. On Dec. 11th., with Ace still at Newmarket, we became 'Dambusters' - of a sort - for the day. Bomber Command Diary states " "233 Lancasters of 5 Group and 5 Mosquitoes of 8 Group took part. Hits were scored on the dam but no breach was made. 1 Lancaster lost". The squadron diary reflects a successful sortie, in that direct hits on the dam wall were observed, but the 1000 lb. bombs were too small for the purpose. My own recollection of the raid was quite different. We were stooging along just above cloud in company with scores of other Lancasters when the others were seen to be doing a 180 degree turn. Within seconds the sky within my range of vision was empty and in all directions no-one could see another aircraft. The mid-upper and I advised the Skipper that we were now unaccompanied and for 20 minutes we tried to impress upon him that we were extremely vulneruble [sic] (or words to that effect). We were just a few hundred feet above and silhouetted against a layer of stratus and I asked him to fly just inside the cloud, or at least just to skim the tops, but he replied that it was too dangerous, too much risk of collision. The mid-upper gunner agreed, collision from Gerry fighters. Vocabulary worsened and finally the Skipper realised we were 40 minutes and over 200 miles from the rest of the gaggle, we turned round. It has been suggested that as Flight Commander he must display a press-on attitude, and we were all in favour of this, but there was no-one around to impress and it was pretty obvious to the gunners that either Frank had missed a diversion message or we were in the wrong gaggle. Bomber Command Diary disproves the latter, but there is still uncertainty in my mind about that particular operation. Both Pete in the mid-upper turret and I realised that if we were attacked by fighters the Skipper would not take the slightest notice of our requests or advice. We were not disputing that the Skipper was in charge and the one who makes the decissions [sic] , but in our situation he had no choice other than to take advantage of the cloud. We regarded this as an expression of no confidence in the gunners, and we made it very clear to him both then and later that it was no way to finish a tour.
It was 10 days before we flew again, our 6th. trip with 227 embarking on their 22nd. trip as a squadron. The target was the synthetic oil plant at POLITZ, in the Baltic. 207 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito were detailed, including 13 Lancasters of 227. Two from 227 experienced mechanical failure and aborted soon after take-off. This was a long stooge, and 3 Lancasters were lost, plus a further 5 which crash-landed in England. The raid was successful, the main chimneys having collapsed and other parts of the refinery being severely damaged. On return to eastern England we were again unable to land at Base due to weather, and were diverted to Milltown, in Scotland. Fuel gauges were reading zero or less when a weary Ches. and crew finally landed after a trip lasting 10 hrs. and 15 minutes. F/O Croker in 9J"K" wound up at Wick, in Morayshire, his aircraft being so badly shot-up it was declared
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a write-off. The following morning we flew to Wick to join F/O Croker and crew and give then a lift back to Balderton. Among others, there was a Met. Flight at Wick, equipped with B17s, Flying Fortresses. It was their job to climb to a great height, making Met. observations, and some of their trips exceeded 12 hours duration. I recall the armourers at Wick cleaned and polished our three turrets and 8 Browning guns without being asked, and making a very good job of it too. Everyone was provided with beds, and it seems the officers were so comfortable the Skipper decided to stay at Wick over Christmas. The town of Wick was "dry', no pubs, but among the N.C.O's, this made no difference, we had no money with us. Normally on a diversion we didn't need any money, but for a several day stop-over it was embarassing [sic] to be absolutely without. We would like to have taken our turn in paying for the drinks is the Mess. I seem to recall trying to obtain an advance from Pay accounts without success, accompanied by the other two W/Os in our crew. I was reminded of one incident at Wick by Ace, our Navigator; We were not like most other crews, sticking together as a crew. The Commissioned officers kept to themselves, the three Warrant Officers maintained their own little triangle, and Doogan prefered [sic] his own company despite the W/O's efforts to get him to join us. It seems that one night at Wick we carried him and his bed outside and he awoke next morning in the middle of the parade ground which was covered is snow. I have no personal recollection of this, but there it is in black and white in Ace's book, 'Just Another Flying Arsehole'. We returned to Balderton on the 27th., with 14 of us aboard, and did not see the ground until we actually touched down. For the first time we landed with the assistance of FIDO, which was probably very scary for the pilot. In the rear turret I just got an impression of landing in the middle of a fire.
The following night we missed a trip to OSLO, our squadron providing only 5 of the force of 67 Lancasters. On the afternoon of the 30th. we were briefed for an evening take-off to HOUFFALIZE, a total force of 154 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitoes. German Panzers had broken through the American lines in a desperate attempt to thwart the Allied advance, in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The weather gave the Germans the advantage, low cloud and thick fog prevented the 2nd. Tactical Air Force from playing its part to the full. With almost 100% Allied air superiority in the area, Typhoons and other fighters operating on a cab-rank principle responding in seconds to detailed requests from the chaps below, Gerry was learning what it was like to be at the receiving end of the slaughter he started is 1939. But not for that few days at the end of 1944 in the Fallaise gap. The close proximity of Allied troops called for great accuracy in bombing and straffing [sic] , and this was not possible in the prevailing conditions. Because of the bad weather in the target area, take-off was postponed every few hours but we were eventually relieved to get airborne about 0230. Conditions over the target were quite impossible and the flares dropped into the murk below probably caused hearts on both sides to miss a few beats. Some crews did bomb, but Chas. quite rightly felt it was too risky. We had not been briefed for any secondary target so our bombs wound up in the Wash. Finally, we landed at about 0830 after 24 hours of effort of one sort or another. Nothing really achieved, but at least we had tried.
It was about this time that my father visited the Squadron for a few days. He was a Captain in the R.A.S.C. recently returned from East
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Africa and awaiting release on medical grounds. He was very impressed with what he saw but we could not obtain authority for him to actually fly with us. On the Sunday morning he watched our parade and later mentioned that as the W/O called out names, one Ft/Sgt responded to at least five of them. Also that some were in best blues, some in battledress, one or two with greatcoats and one even with a raincape. Two were actually standing on parade with bicycles ready to shoot off somewhere immediately after the parade. His thoughts at the time were how can such an undisciplined lot perform any serious task. Later that morning sitting in the Gunnery Office, gunners came in with more of a wave than a salute, a brief word from them and I would put a tick on the board against their aircraft. I explained to my father that this was their way of reporting that their turrets and guns had received and passed the daily inspection. After lunch in the mess he noticed a great deal of activity and movement, and a clear but quiet sense of urgency. He asked what was happening and I showed him the Battle Order.
The following day he said how wrong was his first impression. Everyone had a job to do, they know what was required of them and they got as with it without any shouting of orders or people stamping around. I was Duty Gunnery Leader that night, as was my lot quite often over that period, and was able to show my father what made a squadron tick. He thoroughly enjoyed his stay, but I don't think he met the Skipper. In fact I don't think we saw anything of our Skipper during the whole month of January, by the end of which 227 had completed 33 ops. "A” Flight Commander's crew had totted up only 7 as a crew and some of us were not at all happy with this performance. On the 2nd. Feb. F/O Bates was short of a Rear Gunner and I could have kissed him when he asked me to deputise for WO Bowman. This was an experienced and popular crew who had already completed 14 trips of their second tour. Bowman was in fact the only one outside our crew I had known a year ago. We had carried out our first tours together on 150 Sqdn. Wellingtons, and he was the only other 227 bod with an Africa Star. I cannot recollect why he was not available that night. Our target was KARLSRUHE, a 5 Group effort of 250 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes, of which 19 were from 227. Cloud up to 15000 feet and the consequent difficulty in marking caused the raid to be a failure. 14 Lancasters were lost, including 9J"D" with F/O Geddes and crew. The total effort of Bomber Command that night was 1252 sorties. Targets included Wiesbaden's only large raid of the war, and Wanne-Eickel, neither attack was regarded as a success. Very little was achieved that night for a loss of 21 aircraft.
On the night of the 7th. Feb., F/O Bates was airborne again with 11 others from Balderton in a total force of 188 aircraft, to the Dortmund-Ems Canal. All 227 Sqdn. a/c returned safely, but 3 were lost in all. I was not with him this time although W/O Bowman was not available. After about 5 hours sleep the Battle Order for the coming night showed 18 crews from 227 sqdn., including F/O Bates, with F/O Watson as Rear Gunner. It felt great to be doing something useful. The weather en route was clear and there were still fighters about, largely responsible for the loss of 12 Lancasters, but the bombing was extremely accurate. According to Speer, the German armaments minister, the oil refinery was kaput for the reminder of the war and a big setback to the German war effort. All 227 sqdn aircraft returned safely, one, F/O Edge's 9J"B" having aborted with problems on 2 engines and landed safely at a farm in Norfolk. It was in fact F/O Bates’ 18th. and final trip on
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227 sqdn., a very satisfactory finish. It was a satisfying night too for 'our own' Navigator, Ted Foster who flew as a 'spare Bod' Navigator with F//Lt [sic] Pond. On the 14th. Feb., 6 weeks into what surely must be the final year in the war against Germany, we were no doubt startled to see our Skipper and crew on the Battle Order. A 5 Group effort, the target was ROSITZ oil refinery near Leipsig [sic] , a force of 232 Lancasters and Mosquitoes, including 12 from Balderton. Our aircraft was 9J"H" and a couple of hours or so after take-off the Skipper found he could not come to terms with his magnetic compass, the performance of which was erratic. An hour or so later the Giro compass also started to play up and fortunately the Skipper did accept the advice of the Navigator and turned back, navigating solely on "Gee" back to base. It was not possible to carry-on navigating to the target on "Gee", we would have [inserted] 14/2/45 Rositz [/inserted] been out of range long before the target was reached. 9J"G" skippered by F/O Tate had engine trouble just after take-off and returned on three engines. We were the second aircraft to abort on that trip. There were some ribald comments next day when the Instrument Section reported there was nothing wrong with either compass. The comments were not facetious however, no-one would seriously accuse either the Skipper or an experienced Navigator like Ace of pulling a fast one. Both I am quite sure would have preferred to take part in the destruction of Rositz This was in fact the Skipper's final trip, although we did not realise it at the time and still regarded his as our Skipper for the next two months.
The record shows that in the following four weeks Ace did three spare bod trips whilst the rest of the crew passed the time somehow. The spell was broken for me when F/Lt Hodson asked me to take over his rear turret on the 14th. of March. Ace had already done his last bombing raid although he too might not have realised it at the time. His grand finale, quite fitting was a daylight 1000 plus Bomber raid on DORTMUND on the 12th. of March, as Wing Commander Millington's Navigator. It was also to be the Wingco's final trip before swapping his duralumin pilot's seat with a little steel armour plating at his back, for I think a wooden one in the House of Commons where his back was probably just as vulnerable.
Our target was another oil refinery, at LUTZKENDORF, a typical 5 Group effort of 244 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes, 15 of the former being from Balderton. We enjoyed the company of F/O Howard as 2nd. Pilot. In fact five aircraft from 227 Sqdn. carried 'Second Dickies' that night. Out of a total of 18 aircraft lost, two were from 227 Sqdn., both with Second pilots. It was feared by many that carrying a Second Pilot increased the risk, but I did not share this concern. The Second Pilot it is true would take the place of the Flight Engineer who would either stand between the two pilots or sit on the dickie-seat. Some drills had to be slightly modified for the occasion, but I would have thought the presence of an extra bod would tend to put the others more on their toes. The crew I was with were on their 18th. trip and had been with the Squadron from the outset. Nothing untoward happened to us, there was the usual flack and searchlights, maybe fighters but one saw none. Bombing seemed reasonable well concentrated and photo-reconnaissance next day showed that 'moderate damage' was caused.
On the 7th. of April the squadron completed its transfer to Strubby, and was detailed for action the same night. I was favoured to fly once more with F/Lt Hodson and crew, LEIPZIG again, this time to the
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Benzol plant at MOLBIS. 13 Lancasters of 227 joined 162 others and 11 Mosquitoes, all from 5 Group. The weather was good, bombing accurate, and the oil plant put completely out of action. No aircraft were lost and the raid was considered a 100% success.
After a few hours sleep we were briefed for an attack on LUTZKENDORF, the same target as on the 14th. March. It had been attacked the previous night by 272 aircraft from 1 and 8 Groups who caused only moderate damage. I was detailed to fly with W/O Clements and crew who were on the 5th. trip of their first tour, in 9J"Q". On take-off the starboard outer engine failed and Ace who waved us off said he saw the aircraft sink to within a few feet of the ground; but that few feet made all the difference and the Skipper was able to gain height gradually until it was safe to jettisson [sic] the bombs in the sea. The trip was aborted and a safe landing made at Strubby. Subsequent inspection showed a fuel leak from no.2 port tank and oil leaks from the two outer engines. 242 aircraft were on this raid, and 6 were lost, but another oil refinery was put out of action for the rest of the war. The 19 aircraft put up by 227 all returned safely and were diverted to the west because of weather.
Two nights later, on the 10th. I was again with W/O Clements, to the Wahren Railway yards at LEIPSIG. The force of 230 aircraft comprised 134 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, and 6 Mosquitoes, of which 1 Lancaster and 1 Halifax failed to return. Immediately prior to take off I had trouble with the turret sliding doors, they wouldn't close, but I rotated the turret onto the port beam as was general practice for take-off with the doors open. This was spotted from the ground and the Skipper was told on R/T soon after we were airborne. I had to get out of the turret and through the bulkhead door to fix them, but finally managed to get then to slide. If I had failed to fix then nothing would have made me admit it, it would just have been a little draughty. The trip went very well, the marking was accurate and the bombing concentrated. Some flak and plenty of fighter flares about but we saw no fighters. It was a quiet return trip and all 227 aircraft returned safely.
That was my last trip and also the last for W/O Clements and crew. It was the 57th. involvement by 227 Squadron which was to carry out 4 more bombing raids, terminating with BERCHTESGADEN itself, on the 25th. of April. The war in Europe was virtually over, but our impression was that 5 Group was to form the nucleus of Tiger Force to help finish the job in the Far East and we would be a part of it. It was with these thoughts that I went on leave on the 26th. April, a spare bod without a pilot, but still expecting to fly again with the squadron..
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[photograph]
[photograph]
[photograph]
64A
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[photograph] [photograph]
F/O. CHEERFUL CHEALE R.C.A.F.
[photograph] [photograph]
F/O BATES F/O PETE CHEALE (BA) W/O PETE FOOLKES
S/LDR CHESTER (PILOT) F/O FOSTER
64B
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[photograph]
[photograph]
[photograph]
64C
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[photograph] F/O. TED FOSTER D.F.M.
C.W. PETE FOOLKES MID-UPPER
[photograph] [photograph]
64D
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[photograph] CLIFF’S OFFICE
[photograph]
[photograph] OUTSIDE OUR DES. RES.
C.W. & GEOFF HAMPSON (FLIGHT ENG
64E
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[newspaper cutting of D.F.C. award] [photograph]
227 SQDN W/OP – NAV – MID- UPPER
[photograph]
64F
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[photograph] [underlined] TED (ACE NAV) FOSTER D.F.M. BALDERTON NOV 44 [/underlined]
[photograph] [underlined] RUNNING UP ON HOMBERG 1/11/44 AT LUNCHTIME [indecipherable word] [/underlined]
64G
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[photograph] [underlined] F/O. BATES [/underlined]
[photograph] [underlined] F/O BATES W/O JENNERY (NAV) SGT. WESTON (FLT. ENG) [/underlined]
FEB 45
64H
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[DFC citation]
64L
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[letter from HM George VI]
64M
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[Sgt Mess Wick Christmas Menus 1944]
[photograph]
F/O CROKER’S LANCASTER AT REST IN TORPEDO DUMP XMAS ‘44
64N
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[inside of christmas card]
CHRISTMAS CARD FROM PETE IN CANADA
64P
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[photograph]
STIRLING AT H.C.U. WINTHORPE
[photograph]
AT BLIDA
[photograph]
LANCASTER AT SYERSTON
74A
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[letter of introduction to airfield manager in Iran]
154A
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[photograph]
F/LT. MAXTED (GUNNERY LEADER) PETE FOOLKES & F/O SANDFORD (SPARE GUNNER OR SQDN ADJ)
[photograph]
TED FOSTER WITH BITS OF 9JO
[photograph]
64J
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[photograph]
GEOF. HAMPSON FLT. ENG.
[photograph of 9J-O]
[photograph of 9J-O]
64K
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[christmas card]
CHRISTMAS CARD FROM PETE IN CANADA
64P
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[typewritten letter]
[underlined] PART OF F/L CROKER’S LETTER WITH XMAS 1990 CARD [/underlined]
64Q
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[location map for 1994 reunion]
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[underlined] FINAL LEG [/underlined]
Recollections of events in my final 15 months in the R.A.F. are reasonably clear but somewhat hazy of detail and of the order in which they took place.
I was still with the Squadron on VE Day, the 5th. April, on leave in London with Hilda. I recall going up to Leicester Square by tube train with my father, Alice and Hilda to join the celebrations and actually walking back the five miles to Lavender Hill in the early hours. This would explain why I had no knowledge of the Victory Parade at Strubby until I was shown a photograph of it many years later. I was on leave again in London in early August when the Americans dropped the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and suddenly the war was over. I was still in uniform and had to await my turn for demob.
I have no recollection of attending a Reselection Board when I was made redundant from flying, nor of actually leaving the Squadron. I think my first posting after the Squadron was to Gravely, as a Squadron adjutant. I had always thought that the Squadron was 106, but according to the Bomber Command War Diaries 106 was never at Gravely [sic] !. There is no mistaking the actual station, however, it is only 4 miles from my present home and parts of it are still recogniseable [sic] . I was astonished to find many years later that 227 Sqdn had transferred to Graveley about the 8th. of June and was disbanded there on the 5th. of September. I was there for about 6 weeks during which time we closed the Sargeants’ [sic] Mess and did a very little paper-work. We had neither aircrews nor aircraft, it was just a matter of holding office and very little else!. I probably spent most of it on leave.
I then became a Photographic Officer u/t and did a very interesting course at Farnborough which lasted 8 weeks. One of the instructors was a Sgt. Peter Clark, a leading Saville Row fashion photographer before the war and Hilda’s first employer. I went on leave yet again and was eventually told to report to 61 M.U. at Handforth in Cheshire as a u/t Equipment Officer. I duly reported to the Station Adjutant at Handforth feeling very much out of place. Of the hundreds of service types around only the ex-Air-Crew were in battle dress, the others were either in best blues or dungarees. I had always thought that battledress was the working uniform of the R.A.F., but it was not so at Handforth. I felt more as if I was in the Luftwaffe. The Station Adj. took me to see the Chief Equipment Officer, who was a Wing Commander and this feeling became even stronger. I reported formally and the C.E.O. said “And what the hell are you supposed to be?”. Those were his exact words and I did really wonder whether we were in the same air force. I replied that “I am here as a u/t equipment officer Sir”. “MM what’s your trade?” “Rear Gunner” – without waiting for the ‘Sir’, he exploded and almost shouted “That’s not a trade, it’s General Duties”. He was technically right but raising his voice unduly went on to add “You are supposed to be able to sit here and do my job, you’d feel a bloody fool doing my job, wouldn’t you!”. Fascinated by the smirk on his face and hypnotised by the Defence medal on his breast I just stood there in disbelief at this outburst and quietly laughed. “Well?” He wanted an answer and I said in a rather light vane “Yes Sir I would, but less of a bloody fool than some would have felt doing my job for the last three years”. That was it, he stood up and said “Right, come”. We went along the corridor and straight in to see the Station Commander, a Group Captain. The WingCo[sic] was very agitated and without preamble
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told the Groupie of my ‘gross insubordination’. He recited the dialogue in accurate detail and the Group Captain asked for my account. I agreed with the C.E.O.’s account but said that I was provoked, there was no reason for his outburst and I grinned only because I didn’t think he was being serious. Invited to comment the WingCo said he had been affronted by my being improperly dressed. I made no further comment and the Groupy told the WingCo that he would deal with the matter. The WingCo saluted and left, and I thought I was for the chop. The Group Captain sported R.F.C. wings and had obviously seen his share of action. He stood up and extended his right hand in friendship. “Sorry old chap, I didn’t get your name, do sit down”. I was back in the R.A.F. He asked “Where were you in Africa?” Not an idle question, followed by “Did you know Group Captain Powell?” Yes Sir, he was our Base Commander of 142 and 150 Squadrons, Speedy Powell of “F” for Freddie”. Speedy had been the Briefing officer in the film ‘Target for Tonight’. I mentioned some of his exploits and finally his loss, and the Group Captain was distressed. He told me that like the other 12 ex-Air Crew on the station, I was a square peg in a round hole, but to make the best of it and to go back to see him if I had a problem. In the mess that evening I met the others and soon found we were all on duty every day and every night. u/t Orderly Officer, then Orderly Officer, and through the whole range of Asst. Duty Officer, Duty Officer, Fire Picket, in-line Fire picket, Cyphers, Security, etc. etc. Only the ex Air-Crew Officers performed these tasks and after two weeks of this we agreed something must be done. One period of 24 hours I was Duty Cyphers Officer. This was just a title, there was neither Cyphers Section nor Intellegence[sic] Section and I found that for almost all the duties we were allocated there were no instructions. Several of us individually addressed the Station Adjutant in writing and one even enquired whether he should draw-up his own set of procedures for inclusion in Station Standing Orders. For reasons that could only have been sour grapes, there was a measure of ill-feeling between the ‘permanent’ equipment and Admin officers, and the air-crew types. Many of the former had spent the entire war at places like Handforth, and there is no doubt they did a vital job, and maybe were still doing it. In our case, the war for us was over, and after our experiences of the last few years there was a limit to the amount of being messed around that we were willing to accept. We discussed having fire drills with real fires and creating a few incidents for practice, but finally we drew lots and two of us applied through the C.E.O. to see the Group Captain. The C.E.O. refused permission so we made our request through the Station Adjutant. This was approved and we told the C.O. what was happening, we were being “imposed” upon from a great height. He called in the Station Adj. and told him that all Air Crew Officers would go on indefinite leave the following day. He told the two of us to ensure that all application forms were with the Station Adj. by 3 pm. And for me, it was straight to Whitehaven, in battledress.
I had applied for release from the Service under “Class B”, having an immediate job to take up which would in itself create work for 5 other ex-Servicemen. Hilda was in fact holding the fort in Whitehaven, and nothing came of the application.
It was about four months before I was recalled to Handforth, and immediately detached to no. 7 Site at Poynton to take over as Equipment Officer i/c and also as Officer i/c. the Prison Camp. There was an Equipment W/O running the Stores with about 200 Airmen and I agreed with him that it could
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stay that way. The Stores comprised 8 massive hangars full of equipment. I regarded my main job as O.C. the Stalag with its 1000 P.O.W.’s (750 Italian and 250 German) and my staff of 15 Air Crew N.C.O.s who had all been kriegsgefangener themselves. The Senior German prisoner was a Warrant Officer who spoke excellent English having studied it for 5 years in prison camps. Most of the prisoners, including the Italians, had been taken in the Western Desert. The Germans were very smart indeed, in contrast to the Italians, and the two axis partners had as little to do with each other as they could arrange. Gangs of prisoners were guarded by some of the 200 Airmen, supervised by ex-AirCrew NCO.s. The prisoners were not interested in escape, there would have been no point, but I put an immediate stop to their sneaking out of camp at night to try their luck. The German and Italian messes were separate from each other and staffed by R.A.F. cooks. The Germans asked if they could do their own cooking and I agreed but with nominal supervision of two airmen in case we had visitors. I made the same arrangement for the Italians but initially they refused. I appointed one of the Corporal Majors as Senior Iti [sic] and made him responsible. I threatened to fully-integrate them with the Germans if there was any nonsense, and with that some of them nearly burst into tears. They were a lazy shower. I had the Officers’ Mess all to myself, but that’s another story. It was a very cosy three months, with most long week-ends spent in Whitehaven where Hilda had taken-over the Relay system. It was also a tremendous anti-climax to the previous five years.
Eventually when the magic number 26 came up, I reported to R.A.F. Uxbridge for demob. and collected my pin-striped suit and a cardboard box to put it in. I realised then that my career in the R.A.F. was initially over. Straight to Whitehaven by train, still in battledress.
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[underlined] FIRST TOUR TARGETS [/underlined]
[table of targets and bomb loads]
71
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[table of targets and bomb loads continued]
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[underlined] 2nd TOUR [/underlined] [underlined] 227 SQUADRON [/underlined]
[table of targets and bomb loads with additions]
[underlined] 227 SQUADRON [/underlined]
After flying Beaufighters from Malta the Squadron folded in August 1944. The new Squadron was formed in 5 Group on 7/10/1944. Flying Lancasters from Bardney, Balderton and Strubby. Flew 815 sorties and lost 15 aircraft (1.8%) in 61 raids. 2 were also destroyed in crashes.
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[underlined] Back to Civvy Street [/underlined]
By early 1946 the great transition from War to Peace was taking place and many of us were gradually realising that we could now plan some years ahead with a very good possibility of surviving to carry them out. Of my colleagues at Metropolitan Relays, only Reg. Weller had paid with his life, having been killed in action in Italy, with the army. Allan Cutbush had been taken prisoner at Tobruk and spent some time in a prison camp in Italy. Eventually he escaped and spent a couple of years as an Italian farm worker. Soon after the invasion at Anzio he rejoined the Allies and had the greatest difficulty in convincing them that he really was a Private in the Royal Signals. Alan was first to be demobbed and rejoined the firm as manager of a newly aquired [sic] group of branches in the Mansfield and Retford areas. George Holah had left in 1939 to join the army, and spent the next six years in India, returning as a Major in the Indian army complete with an Anglo-Indian wife and family. George did not return to Relays, but joined the Metropolitan Police, and in 1975 was a Clerk in the Central Registry at New Scotland Yard. How he managed to transfer from being a private in the British army to a Commissioned Officer in the Indian army I don’t know, assuming it actually happened. I have not met George since 1939.
In June 1945, my father, Mrs. Kilham and Mr. Moulton bought privately another run-down radio relay system, West Cumberland Relay Services, Ltd., in Whitehaven, and I was invited to develop it. Although Germany had capitulated, the war was not yet over. Japan might have seemed a long way off but was still our Enemy and the job had to be finished. Meanwhile Hilda moved to Whitehaven and set-up home in the flat above the shop at 49 Lowther Street. Colin was then 9 months old and it was a further year before I was demobbed, but during that period I seemed to have spent most of my time in Whitehaven. Hilda kept the Relay ticking over, with very limited assistance from the staff, until March 1946 when I was given indefinite leave on compassionate grounds.
The relay was well and truly run down, with about 400 subscribers each paying 1/3d per week for two radio programmes. It was losing money fast, the entire network needed rewiring and the amplifiers and other equipment were just about a write-off. I had with me the name-plate from my office door at Poynton. One of the German prisoners had made it for me, a notice which proclaimed in Gothic characters
Obr. Lnt. Cliff. Watson D.F.C.,
LAGER COMMANDANT EINTRITT VERBOTTEN
I put this on my new office door, but drew a line through the bottom line.
Sorting out a fault on a 100 watt amplifier, I asked the engineer, Joe, for a soldering iron, and he said he never used one but preferred the special solder in a tube, which he handed to me. In that single sentence he had proved to me that his technical knowledge was just about zero. I demonstrated the solder’s futility by proving that it was not even an electrical conductor. Consequently all the equipment was full of dry joints and I spent a whole night in soldering connections. The stuff Joe was using out of a tube was for repairing small holes in pans and kettles. I was very disappointed in Joe, his technical
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knowledge was effectively less than zero. The next weekend he claimed to have worked all day Sunday clearing a line fault. He had deliberately caused this fault on the previous morning and I traced and corrected it myself within an hour of his doing so. He had shorted out two wires on our own roof and on Monday morning went straight onto the roof to remove the short. I was there waiting for him and sacked him on the spot for sabotage and dishonesty.
I thus took over the technical side but also looked closely at the system of collecting and keeping records of accounts and customers. The only record of payments was in the collector’s field book and there was no record of where the customers or relay installations actually were. I spent a week with the collector who was very reluctant to assist, and Hilda and I drew up a set of records and established a working system. In the next two weeks I found so many fiddles and had proof of so much skulduggery that I sacked the collector without notice. I found installations where the user claimed to have made one outright payment to the collector who had pocketed the money, a hundred or so loudspeakers recorded as being “on loan” which had in fact been paid for and all manner of other private arrangements. The collector was easily replaced, and Mr. Fee joined us. I was fortunate too in meeting Bert Wise, ex Royal Navy P.O. Telegraphist who had been on Submarines, and who took over the technical aspect including the outside lines. Bill Campbell, ex Royal Army Service Corps driver/mechanic was very quickly trained on installations and line work, assisted by John Milburn, a school leaver. John had a very broad Cumbrian accent and initially I found communication difficult, “As gan yam nar marra” meant “I am going home now chum”. I felt I ought to be replying in French or something other than English.
Bill Campbell’s first job was to take the train to London and bring back a vehicle. It was a new Hudson NAAFI wagon completely fitted out by Met. Relays and full of cable, bracket insulators etc. My first act was to buy a set of maps covering the area to a scale of 1:10,000, and display it on the wall. The idea was that if we could establish exactly where we were we stood a better chance of knowing where we were going. A basic plan for the overhead lines was derived and we worked as a team, stripping out old wiring, checking and replacing where necessary, and keeping a record of installations connected. When an installation was serviced and documentation complete we fitted a capacitor in the loudspeaker for technical reasons and a new programme selector switch. The capacitors were to prove very useful later. The service we had to offer at that time was poor, and although it was gradually improving, we were spending far too much time on fault-finding, diverting us from the main program. Within a month it was very clear that our top priority was to rewire and re-equip. I managed to convince the London Office of this and they sent me a team of 3 wiremen from London, led by Dennis Horton who was inherited as a foreman at Mansfield, complete with two Dodge trucks and tons of installation materials. For four months this team concentrated on rewiring for four programmes, gradually reducing and finally almost eliminating the line faults.
The receivers and amplifiers were at Harras Moor in a cottage, but this was at the end of a two mile line, too far from our main load. We ran a 6-pair cable the whole distance and used these as 600 ohm lines, to feed five 1 KW amplifiers at Lowther Street. A bank of 6 AR88 receivers was installed at Harras Moor and two “straight sets” on loop antennas for the BBC Home and Light programmes. In town we had 210v. DC mains and had to fit rotary
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invertors. We also installed a 9KVA petrol/paraffin engine-driven alternator for use during power cuts, which were all too frequent. I could never understand how the grid system could sustain power through seven winters of wartime industrial production and as soon as the war was over we had to live with power cuts. Harras Moor was providing us with four good radio channels, Home, Light and Third BBC, Radio Eirein, Luxembourg, Paris, New York and others from around the world. We were getting organised and I was able to concentrate on sales, keeping our own gang of three busy on new installations. Within two years we had 2,200 installations, including the two Music Halls, cinemas, and all the factories. In addition we were doing more than 90% of all the Public Address work in Cumberland, some of which were quite memorable. At Grasmere Sports the events included a Fell Race and the first year we gave a running commentary over our P.A. system. The runners were out of sight near the top of the fell, so for the following year we applied to the Post Office for permission to use an H/F radio link to cover the gap. This was refused, “you will have to apply for a telephone”! The following year Bert Wise and John Milburn climbed the fell with an Aldis Lamp and battery, and established themselves where they could see the runners at the top and the ‘ops room’ on the showground. I too had an Aldis lamp and Bert flashed me the numbers of the runners as they reached the top of the fell. This delighted the spectators but completely upset the bookies who alone had the complete information in previous years.
The Post Office were also upset, claiming they had a monopoly on signalling, but declining to put it to test in court. I suggested that to try and licence boy scouts to signal in morse code with torches was ludicrous. I enjoyed the atmosphere of these events and went to quite some lengths to obtain the appropriate marshal music. At a Conservative Party fete one particular rather rousing piece was played several times and I was asked by a retired General why the Hell I kept playing the Red Army March Past.!!
A month after taking over, Hilda and I went for a walk - with the pram - to Hensingham, about three miles inland, and I was surprised to see Relay wires between chimneys and lots of downleads. I had not expected to find another system so close and I checked at some of the houses, asking who provided the system! I was told it was owned by a builder called Leslie but it hadn’t worked for several years. Leslie was the fellow from whom the company had bought West Cumberland Relays, and on checking with him I found it was part of the ‘system’ we had taken over. Further search showed a line of poles stretching for about two miles across the fields which had originally linked the village to the lines in Whitehaven. It also showed that a whole area of Hensingham had no electricity, ideal for relay. There was already a big housing estate and this was being extended, and I decided there was adequate potential in the village, but to replace the trunk route to it would be too expensive. We compromised by obtaining four modified 50 watt Vortexion Amplifiers and four receivers from London. Fred Wright brought them by road in his small van, the logo on the side of which was “Radio Trouble-shooting Service”. I did my very best to put up a case for keeping the van, to no avail. The next day we installed the equipment in an air-raid shelter at Hensingham, as a temporary measure, and immediately started connecting subscribers. Within a few weeks the wiring reached the side of the village where the lines from Whitehaven went across the fields, and we began to replace one pair all the way to link with Whitehaven. With this in operation on the third channel we were able to switch
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off one of the Hensingham amplifiers. Later all four programmes were fed from Whitehaven and the station in the air-raid shelter dismantled. The amplifiers were put to use at Whitehaven Hospital and the Workhouse. Both places were wired for 4 programme relay, but at the flick of a switch microphones could be switched in for announcements, and in the case of the latter, to broadcast concerts from the stage.
It was at Hensingham that I found a row of about 30 terraced houses, all without electricity and all wired with three twin cables of different sizes. This rather intrigued me and I enquired further. Most of the houses had battery driven wireless sets which used a 75 volt dry battery for H.T., a 2 volt accumulator for L.T. and a 9 volt grid bias battery, and in one case I found one of these sets without batteries but connected to the 3 pair cable. The old lady owner said it had not worked for several years. I quickly found the man who recharged the accumulators and he confirmed that the cables I had seen were once used for providing power supplies to radios. I think the system must have been quite unique. Shortly afterwards, the houses were connected to the relay system. My only regret is that I didn’t buy up those radios and store them for 50 years. As more and more installations were connected on the Woodhouse estate, the load on the five mile line gradually became too heavy with a corresponding reduction in line voltage and therefore volume. To overcome this we rented an air-raid shelter from the British Legion on the estate and fitted 4 amplifiers to take the load. These were fed from the incoming line itself, but for emergency use we also fitted receivers. Later the receivers came in useful for about three months during reconstruction of an area over which our main line had been fitted. One of the radio dealers found that we were using local receivers and that they were subject to radio interference from vacuum cleaners, so he had a sales drive in the immediate area of our receiving station with rental vacuum cleaners at 1/- per week. Reception gradually deteriorated but after three months of emergency operation our main line was again complete and the receivers switched off. Reception then was near perfect on our system and dreadful for the rest when the vacuum cleaners were being used. He had put a lot of time and money into trying to wreck our system, and had a double-fronted shop in Lowther Street, but I was sorry to see his shop with a bicycle in one window and a Bible in the other when I left Whitehaven..
On a new housing estate where 5 new houses were commissioned each week, we took a gamble and wired them all. When the first tenants moved in the loudspeaker was playing and the tenant’s radio problems were resolved. After 3 or 4 weeks I would go along and generally sign them up. Some of them of course compared it to their own ‘wireless’ if any, which could not possibly reach our standard of reproduction and reception. There are very few places in and around Whitehaven where we had not fitted microphones and radio, and after reaching near saturation in two years there was little scope for further development.
Whitehaven had been a very satisfying experience, but was marred by the Williams Pit disaster where 160 miners were trapped underground and lost their lives. John Milburn’s father was among them. It was traditional for the eldest son to take over where the Dad left off, and we were very sorry indeed to lose John. Hilda had run the office and “showroom” assisted later by Connie Sim from St. Bees. Bill Campbell was still our mainstay on the lines.
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I handed over to Bert Wise, still wearing his Navy P.O.’s hat, and moved to Wandsworth as Development Manager for Metropolitan Relays. A flat was available for us above the shop at 111 Garratt Lane, but on arrival we found it occupied by squatters. For several weeks we lived with Hilda’s parents until the squatters moved to the second floor and we took over the first floor. They were a decent couple in their forties, and had been desperate for accommodation. Our shop had been empty so they moved in, knowing that when an eviction order was issued by the court, they would be allocated a council house or flat. It was a short-cut to the top of the housing list, and the firm had to go through the motions of demanding court action. The ground floor was established as a showroom, even with T.V. in the window, an impressive amplifier room and an office with the same old sign on the door, Lager Commandant!
The original plan was to develop the area working outwards from Garrett Lane and to use the linesman from H.Q. at Lavender Hill, but there was line work to be done from the very outset and it was this part of the job which would be the limiting factor in our rate of progress. I insisted that we employed our own gang of wiremen. Bill Cutler was my wayleave expert, and having planned the main basic routes of our main lines, it was Bill’s job to find out who the landlords were and to obtain their formal permission to fit our wires on or over their property, generally between chimneys. The easiest way was first to sell the relay service to the tenants and their order was used as the reason for our request to fit the wires. We started to run four main lines, no.1 along Garrett Lane to link up with the Lavender Hill system at West Hill. No 2 made a beeline west along Garrett Lane to a Council-owned housing estate which at the time had no electricity. No 3 went due south to Southfields and along Merton Road, over the Redifon buildings and on to Putney, and No. 4 went north towards Wandsworth Common. Everyone on the staff except me, but including Bill Cutler and the linesmen was given five shillings commission for each new customer they signed up. The average wage at that time was £7 per week (in London) and there were few days when the gang did not hand in the paper-work and deposits for customers they had signed up and probably already installed in addition to the day’s work allocated to them. Quite often we would have thousands of leaflets distributed to houses in a particular area which was proving difficult but which they needed to cross.
At about this time, my father retired and went to East Africa, settling at Kirksbridge Farm, Kiminini, 10 miles west of Kitale on the Kakemega Road, and about 260 miles from Nairobi.. He sold his controlling interest in Metropolitan Relays to Seletar Industrial Holdings, Ltd. and their representative, Colonel Slaughter, took over as Chairman. Mr. Moulton became Director & General Manager and I was Development Manager with sufficient shares to qualify for a seat on the board. At the time T.V. was still in its infancy, though beginning to catch on, but the main background entertainment would be the wireless for some time to come. Transistors were still in the experimental stage and Radio Relay provided an alternative to cumbersome and relatively expensive valve radios, with near perfect and trouble-free reception. As Development Manager I made sure I was not bogged down with routine day to day running, and at the outset established a reliable Manager at Garrett Lane, Jack Thompson, whose knowledge of the business was gleaned entirely from Bill Cutler and myself with on-the-job training. Bill had been with Radio Relay since about
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1930, except for during the war when he was a technician in the R.A.F. on Link Trainers.
I was asked to have a look at Yeovil in Somerset and see whether it appeared suitable to establish a relay system, and if I felt it so justified, to spend some time there making a detailed study. I spent a week studying the layout of the town, types of housing, probabilities of future development, the people and their attitudes and in discussion with the Borough Surveyor and Town Clerk’s office staff. I realised that Colonel Slaughter had been a senior army officer and also a senior civil servant for a long time, and that my future relationship with him depended to a large extent on the impression he gained from my first formal report. I recommended that it was a border-line proposition and included a financial budget for 5 years. It would be three years before the system was breaking even and this was too long. The Capital required was too high unless the system was subsidised by another well-established branch. I felt we could find better places to apply our efforts. The Colonel decided to have a look for himself and I went with him to Somerset a week later. Alone, he met the Council officials concerned and one of them agreed to support our application if a relative of his was given a seat on the board of the new company!. I had known of that before the meeting but thought it better not to be involved, nor to include thoughts of that nature in my report. The Yeovil proposal was dropped and I turned my attention to Maryport.
Whilst Bert Wise was on holiday Bill Cutler and I went to Whitehaven for two weeks to relieve him and also to investigate Maryport.
I had known Maryport for some years and I already knew that it would be a goer from the outset. With lots of Council houses (no wayleave problems on them), a working type population, even with an element of communism. It had known major unemployment and soup kitchens and was still a little Bolshie.
We had many friends in the area and a good popular working system in Whitehaven as an example. In that two weeks I produced the same type of report as for Yeovil, but recommended we should go ahead immediately. We saw the Council Officials and agreed a draft agreement with them, found suitable accommodation for a shop in town and a receiving station just out of town to which we could run our own lines. Two weeks later I returned with the Colonel and together we met the Council Committee and completed formalities. From then on it was all systems go. Bill Cutler asked if he could get it organised and he did a very thorough job, using the labour and resources from Whitehaven. He stayed on as Manager and a few years later took-over Whitehaven also when Bert Wise ran-off with his secretary, Connie Sim.
Meanwhile Garratt Lane was running smoothly, and number 1 line had reached East Hill. In a junction box on the wall of a block of flats we had two four-pair cables, one from Lavender Hill, and the other from Garratt Lane, and on an experimental basis we linked the two together, isolating the line at Garratt Lane. We were thus able to monitor the Lavender Hill system in our Control Room, providing their service to our installations on the way. The Garratt Lane amplifiers were fed by Post Office line from Lavender Hill, and each amplifier could provide 1 kilowatt of audio power, sufficient for 3000 loudspeakers. Most of the loudspeakers were switched to no. 2 channel, the Light Programme, still referred to as the Forces programme by the majority. Channels 3 and 4 were very lightly loaded and we were able to switch off the Garratt Lane amplifiers on these channels for most of the time. At that time my family
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home was the flat above the showroom at Garratt Lane, and was guarded by Rex, a huge Great Dane/Alsation [sic] hybrid. Only Hilda and the children could handle it, presumably because they fed it regularly, but everyone else - including me - had to be very cautious.
Eventually it took a bite out of the Manager’s wife and was returned to Battersea Dogs’ Home.
I was spending more time at Garratt Lane where progress was losing momentum, and extending our no. 3 line over West Hill to East Putney was proving difficult. Near Putney Bridge, still a mile from our lines was a highly suitable area of small houses and it was going to take a year to reach them at our current speed. Without much fuss we established a station in the basement of a shop in the middle of this area, using 4 receivers built by Fred Wright’s dept. and 4 small 50 watt Vortexion amplifiers. This station was identical to the one fitted at Hensingham. We then had a sales drive in that part of Putney with the emphasis towards West Hill, and in 4 months were able to link the two systems.
I was interested to recall that for monitoring our four programmes we used a modified aircraft type automatic bomb release mechanism. This was a uniselector type of relay unit which clunked round and changed programme every 30 seconds instead of releasing bombs.
All my staff were ex-Servicemen and there was a dynamic no-nonsence [sic] approach. In contrast to this, our General Manager Allan Moulton based at Lavender Hill, had a stock answer to any serious proposal for action put to him, of “Wait a little while and see what happens”. My attitude was that we know what we want to happen and it wont unless we make it. He didn’t like my Lager Commandant notice on the door either but there it stayed. In 1948 the war was not forgotten by most of us and many satisfactory business deals were made in that spirit of comradeship and trust.
In Feb. 1949 I found that someone called Fry had studied Belfast on our firm’s behalf and had strongly recommended starting a relay service there. The report came to me quite by accident and at the same time I found he was surveying Bath, introducing himself as Development Manager in Relay Association circles. I tackled Colonel Slaughter about it and he said it was news to him, but he took it up with Moulton to whom Fry was reporting. I found that Moulton resented the fact that I was responsible direct to the Chairman, and also that my contract detailed my renumeration including commission which was the £1500 per year, 4 times the average wage. To clear the air we had a formal meeting and I put forward my prediction for future development. I forecast that within 2 or 3 years a general rundown of the system would be inevitable with the increase of television; further that it would be prudent to reduce expenditure on “wired wireless” and to develop the rental side of both radio and T.V., but to reconsider with Fred Wright - who was not at the meeting - the policy of manufacturing T.V. sets. My prediction became factual and was influenced also by transistor radios of which we had no knowledge at that time. There was 33% Purchase Tax on most things including T.V. sets. This was payable at the point of sale and not on rentals. As our sets were never sold but remained the property of Met. Radio & T.V. Rentals Ltd. no Purchase Tax was payable. This loophole was soon to be closed, as forecast, and tax was payable on the rental itself. It became cheaper to buy sets from the big manufactures than to actually make them.
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The Colonel remarked that as Development Manager I was really saying we should stop developing, and I agreed. This set the scene for further discussion well outside the intended scope of the meeting. The Chairman asked Moulton for his views on likely technological advances, but Moulton had none and said we can only try and stay afloat, seeking support from Fry. The Colonel shot down Moulton completely and asked Fry to detail his relevant qualifications. After a silence Moulton was told to study the content of my prediction and not to go off at a tangent on development nor without reference to him. Fry was sent packing and the meeting was closed. I learned quite a lot from Colonel Slaughter, he had spent a long time in the Royal Engineers and one of his attributes was building a flat-bottomed boat on the Nile, one of the biggest in service. His personality was such that when he looked up and down disapprovingly at an obvious ex-Serviceman leaning over a bar, the man immediately took his hand out of his pocket and squared himself up. I actually saw this happen in Maryport, he had that effect on people. (That was in 1948, it might not be the same over 40 years later).
No more was heard of Fry, and I never did join the Board, I was too busy getting on with the job, but it was time for reflection. I realised that when my father was Chairman he had the engineering and technical aspects at his fingertips and he took care of them. He was succeeded by the Colonel who was a business-man but who had no backing on the engineering side. My brief was the Development of the Radio Relay Systems, I regarded technological changes as a matter for the General Manager, Moulton, but I was not responsible to him.
I met the Colonel again privately and I said it seemed that I was Development Manager in a firm which was not going to develop any further. Although there was plenty of routine work to be done I felt the Electrical Trades Union would soon start making things very difficult as it was doing in the Post Office. In view of the probable technological changes, I felt that Colonel Slaughter would rather sell-out than try to steer a ship without a rudder. I was being rather outspoken but straightforward and the Colonel approved of this. I told him I would like to call it a day and try my luck in Africa, Kenya was said to be a land of opportunity. If that failed there was always a job in Bulawayo 2500 miles further south of the Cement Works with Mr. Rose.
The Colonel agreed I could leave when convenient but if I wanted to return within 6 months, to drop him a line. It was four years since the war in Europe had ended. Britain was changing and so was the attitude of many people some of who were very disillusioned. Hilda and I agreed it was time to make a move.
And so in July 1949 I went to Africa for the third time, but with Hilda and the two children, not knowing what sort of a career I was seeking, but nevertheless full of confidence, and still with my Lager Commandant board.
The following year, Colonel Slaughter retired and Seletar’s controlling interest in Metropolitan Relays was sold to British Relay Wireless which later became Vision-Hire. Within a further 12 years the wired-wireless or Relay industry in the U.K. closed, being overtaken by technology.
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[underlined] KENYA [/underlined]
The flight to Nairobi was a very pleasant trip by Argonaut, calling at Rome, Benina, - which we had known as Bengazi [sic] -, Cairo, Khartoum and Entebbe. On the last leg of the flight we flew very low at times, quite unofficially to give us our first views of big game from the air. The flight was very enjoyable, in very easy stages, and in retrospect the Argonaut was about the most comfortable aircraft we were to fly in, in our many subsequent flights to Africa. It was I think the first and only time we travelled in first class.
We were met in Nairobi by Duncan Fletcher, a friend of my fathers, and spent the night at Torr’s Hotel, in Delamere Avenue, the leading hotel at that time. The Stanley Hotel across the road was being refurbished to become the New Stanley, and within a few years Torr’s was closed and became the Ottaman [sic] Bank. I recall the strawberry and cream cake for tea at Torr’s for which it had been famous for many years. The following day we journeyed the 260 miles by bus to Kitale. This was a road we would take many times in the years to come. The first half was tarmac, 100 miles of which from the top of the Nairobi escarpment, through Naivasha to Nakuru, having been built by Italian prisoners of war. From the top of the escarpment there was a wonderful view of the Rift Valley and Mount Longenot [sic], an extinct volcano, and to the west over the plains towards Mau Forest and Kisumu. The bus took us down the escarpment, dropping about 2000 feet to the floor of the Rift Valley, passed the little Italian church built by P.O.W.’s, and northwards past Lake Elementita and Nakuru, then the rough murram road to Kitale. The journey took about 10 hours, but was far from tedius [sic], there was so much to be seen.
Kitale seemed like a typical american western type of small town, the roads were not made up and the sidewalks were made of wood. Many of the buildings were made of timber clad with mabati - corrugated iron - and most europeans wore khaki drill. We were met at the bus station by my father and completed the remaining 9 miles of our journey to our new home, Kirksbridge Farm, Kiminini where a guest house had been built for us, about 100 yards from the main house. Colin and Wendy, aged 6 and 4 were introduced to the Ayah, the african nurse, called Nadudu, who spoke only Swahili and her tribal language, Kitoshi, but within a matter of days was communicating without difficulty with the children. Nadudu had her own rondavel, a thatched roundhouse on the lawn at the side of the guest house, and took care of all the children’s needs.
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[underlined] Hoteli King George [/underlined]
Life on the farm had provided a welcome anticlimax to just about everything that had gone before, but it could hardly be a long-term solution for a young couple with a growing family. We did not appreciate at the time the serious effects of the political unrest and changes which were beginning to take place. We thought that common sense would prevail and most of us felt we had a good working relationship with the Africans; only a misguided few claimed to really understand them! Neither Hilda nor I felt we were achieving a great deal on the farm and we agreed it was time to look further afield.
In April 1950, after almost a year in Kitale, I responded to an advert in our national newspaper, the East African Standard, for Prison Officers. Salary £550 per year, uniform and furnished accomodation [sic] provided, generous leave etc. Military experience advantageous, with the rank of Asst. Supt. of Prisons. One pip! At least the job would get us to Nairobi where most of the action was, and we would have an opportunity to look around, but it was also to give me an insight into a very different and often sordid aspect of life. My application was successful. Our family, Hilda and myself, Colin and Wendy, with Paddy and Jeep our two Alsations all crowded into the Austin A70 and once again made the now familiar safari to Nairobi. 150 miles of murram road, through the Transnzoia, and the plains around Eldoret settled almost entirely by South Africans from the Union, winding around ravines to Mau Summit, up and over the 11,500 ft. mountains at Timbarua to Nakuru then 100 miles of luxurious tarmac through Naivasha with its flamingoes [sic] , passed Elementita an extinct volcano, up the escarpment to Nairobi. The tarmac road was built by Italian prisoners of war in W.W.2, the best stretch of road in East Africa. We also took with us Edward Ekeke, an African driver who had been with my father in Abbysinia [sic] during the war. Although a Kikuyu he was a trusted servant, and if left alone by the politicians and other agitators would have stayed loyal, but tribal and other pressures on chaps like Ekeke were great, and in retrospect it was foolish of us to trust them. Ekeke returned to Kitale with the Austin for more personal effects and re-joined us after a few days. I think he must have finally returned to the farm by 'taxi', as the african buses were called.
As it claimed in the advert., accomodation [sic] was provided. It could have been described as a three-bedroomed chalet, the walls and roof being of mabati (corrugated iron), and was built on stilts about a foot off the ground. We learned that is [sic] was originally built at the other side of the prison and had been carried to its current location by 200 prisoners. As far as I remember, we moved straight into the 'house', and roughed it until Hilda made it comfortable. There was a bathroom, but the loo was a 'thunderbox' at the end of the back garden with a bucket which a gang of prisoners dealt with about 5 am. every day. The kitchen was a Colonial type near the back door, with a wood stove, and an adequate supply of kuni (firewood) provided by more prisoners.
The prison was totally enclosed within a high stone wall, designed to hold 700 prisoners, but with a prison population of about 1900 Africans, 180 Asians, 20 Somalis and 12 Europeans. Quite separate was a small compound for the Wamawaki, (women), with about 20 African and 1 Asian inmate (in for murder but only men were eligible for hanging, so she was serving life). The whole 2000 or so were in the care of about 9 European officers and 200 African Askari. The
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Officer i/c was 'Major' Martin M.C., W.W.1 Veteran,as [sic] Snr. Supt., his number 2 was Henry Thacker with 3 pips as a Supt. Henry spoke fluent Kikuyu in addition to Swahili, and in fact had a Kikuyu 'wife'. He had been in the Prisons service for 36 years at that time and sported one medal ribbon, on his right breast. Legend had it that it was awarded by the Royal Humane Society after he saved a cat from drowning, but Henry was on a totally different wavelength to other Europeans. Sid Swan with 2 pips was i/c the stores and accounts, having spent the war in the Kings African Rifles, and having been demobbed as a Major. Other junior officers like myself included Bunty Lewis, rather effiminate [sic] but nevertheless an ex Royal Artillery officer who had a Kenya-born wife; Paddy McKinney, a large hairy ex Irish Guards Sergeant; Jimmie Vant, ex Kings African Rifles, the son of a Keswick lawyer turned Kenya farmer. Jimmie and his wife Dulcie regarded themselves as Kenya settlers and claimed to spend most of their time at the ranch on the Kinankop, hence their landrover vehicle. Another officer, Whitehouse who joined about the same time as me seemed to spend most of his time off sick and did not stay with us very long. There were three other officers whose names elude me but they were all ex-service, and all lived just outside the wall of the main prison.
The Duty Officers i/c worked a shift system, 0600 to 1800, assisted by a "day-duties" officer during more or less office hours. The Duty Officer was responsible for the day to day activity in the main prison. We were each armed with an enormous ancient revolver of 0.45 calibre and six rounds of ammo., issued by Mr. Thacker. I objected to the rounds of ammo., pointing out they were dum-dums, the bullets having been filed down to within 1/8" of the cartridge cases., and they contravened the Geneva convention. I remember Henry saying "there is nothing in the Prisons Ordinance about the Geneva Convention, and that's all that matters"! We were ordered in writing to wear the revolver in its holster at all times when on duty, and I thought of my four Brownings of long ago to deal with one enemy, compared to a ridiculous revolver in a compound with nearly 2000 potential enemies. It was in fact general practice, strictly unofficial, to carry the revolver but to leave the ammunition in the safe, and the prisoners knew this. I did carry a loaded Czech. .25 automatic in my pocket of which the prisoners were not aware. Some months after I joined, the Snr. Supt. inspected Paddy's revolver and put him on a charge for not carrying ammunition, "contrary to station standing order number something or other". Paddy was eventually charged before the Commissioner of Prisons and pleaded not guilty, asking to see the written order. This was produced and the charge dismissed. The order refered [sic] to the revolver only, and not ammunition. All very childish, but Paddy of the Irish Guards was not one to be messed about. He produced his dum-dum bullets to the Commissioner who was astonished, and all the dumdums were withdrawn. Paddy also pointed out how ludicrous it was for a lone officer to carry firearms in a crowd of hundreds of prisoners, but the order remained. He was a likeable fellow and when the C.O. quoted the book of rules, Paddy made a detailed study of it. In addition to the Prisons Ordnance, we also had Station Standing Orders which gave Paddy ample scope for playing the barrack-room lawyer. He was seen one night at a party in the Military Police Snr. N.C.O.'s mess, and was put on [deleted] a [/deleted] two charges by Martin. Before the Commissioner he was charged with sleeping off the station and drinking whilst on duty. Again Paddy asked for the rule-book and pleaded not guilty. The book stated that an officer would not sleep off the station whilst
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on duty. Paddy agreed he had been at the dance all night and did not in fact sleep anywhere! case [sic] dismissed. Station standing orders also stated that an officer would not partake of alcoholic drink whilst on duty, but a further order stated that an "officer was deemed to be on duty at all times". It therefore followed that all Prisons Officers were required to be completely teetotal, and that was an unlawful order. Martin had met his match and was told to edit Station Standing Orders.
The day started at 0630 by unlocking the European cells and counting the inmates, whilst the Askari dealt with all the other prisoners. There was no point in an escape attempt by Europeans, they would not have got very far before being picked up, but for other races it was a different matter. They were guarded very closely. The four main racial groups were quartered separately for sleeping and eating, their customs and diet and indeed their whole culture differing considerably. Only the Europeans slept on beds, the others were not interested and prefered [sic] the floor, some with very thin mattresses. The Europeans wore shoes, the Somalis heavy boots, Asians wore flipflops and the Africans stuck to their bare feet which were generally tougher than any footwear. European food was probably similar to that in U.K. prisons, and with each race having its own traditional food, this was not a case of discrimination, each prefered [sic] its own. Each group also provided its own cooks. Some of the Asians in fact opted out of Prison food and had it sent in, but it was very thoroughly checked. Uniforms differed too, some compromise between standard prison garb and ordinary native dress. Europeans wore K.D. slacks and shirts with arrows printed on them. Africans wore white shirt and white shorts held up by string.
Two or three hours were spent in the early morning preparing prisoners for court, generally about 50 of them. Some were on remand, and others were convicted prisoners who were required to give evidence in cases where they were involved as witnesses. In the late afternoon all were returned to the prison possibly with changed status. The paper-work had to be watched very carefully, confusion could arise where one prisoner might have a conviction warrant on one case, a remand warrant on another and possibly a production order to appear as a witness in an entirely different case. It was not unknown for a prisoner to be involved in two cases under different names. Language sometimes presented a problem. The courts conducted the business in English and Kiswahili, but there were many tribal languages and quite often interpreters had to be employed. One such case was when 60 prisoners of the Suk tribe were charged with murder having massacred the District Commissioner and his staff of 12. The only interpreter who could cope with the Suk language translated into Kitoshi, and a second one translated from Kitoshi into Swahili. All 60 were hanged at the prison in due course. They seemed very young to me and I doubt if they really knew what it was all about. They were the ones rounded up by the Police after spears had been thrown at the D.C.'s party from a crowd of 2000 whilst he was reading the Riot Act -literally-.
Relationships between officers at the prison were generally very good, with the exception of Martin who thought he was playing soldiers and Thacker for whom we felt rather sorry. 36 years as a prisons officer must have warped his mind somewhat. After about two months I decided to be like the other officers and wear my medal ribbons, and that was when I first fell foul of Major Martin. He asked me what the first medal was and I told him. He said he
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had not authorised me to wear it and I laughed and said I didn't need his authority, the King's was good enough. Shortly after this I was on duty when 45 new African prisoners were admitted, but there were 50 warrants. Some were convicted on Capital Charges, (murder, manslaughter, rape etc). My Chief Warder had signed for 50 bodies and 50 warrants, but there were only 45 bodies. It was 5 pm and my obvious priority was to determine which 5 prisoners were missing. It took until 6.30 to sort it out, no-one was missing, the Court was at fault in issuing two warrants each to five prisoners, instead of one warrant and one production order each. Only then did I get around to locking up the European prisoners for the night, 30 minutes late, and I entered this in the log. The next day an Asian prisoner complained to an Asian Official Prison Visitor that the Europeans were not locked up until 6.30 whereas the Asian prisoners were locked up on time. This was racial discrimination and the official visitor reported the matter direct to the Commissioner. I was charged by Martin for failing to carry out a particular standing order in that I failed to lock up the Europeans at 6 pm. 'How do you plead?' saith [sic] the Commiss. 'I don't', I replied, 'I request the case be taken by the Member for Law & Order'. He was the member of Legislative Council equivalent to the U.K. Attorney General, and this was a genuine option available to an officer charged before the Commissioner, same sort of procedure as an Airman on a 252 asking for a Court Martial rather than take his C.O.'s verdict. The Commissioner suspended the charge for the time being and asked Martin why the charge was brought. I was then asked why I had failed and I said that I was the Officer responsible and in unusual circumstances I concentrated my action in what I considered the most important aspect, which was resolving the problem of the 5 apparently missing prisoners. I consider I acted correctly, regardless of Station Standing Orders. Martin said he had not known that and I suggested that he should read the duty log before signing it as seen, next time. I also suggested that an amendment be made to the standing orders to the effect that nothing contained therein would prohibit an officer from using his initiative when he felt it necessary. Anyhow, I went on, it is an unlawful order in any case, and that will be my alternative defence with the Member for Law & Order. The commissioner was intrigued and read out the order "You will lock-up the European prisoners at 6 pm.", looking to me for comment. I said it was an impossible order, locking-up people involves work which takes time, 6pm is a moment of time in which by definition no work can be done. I said the whole set-up is childish and the Commissioner asked Martin to withdraw the charge. It seemed I had joined Paddy in his war of attrition against Martin.
Our two alsations, Paddy and Jeep had settled-in very nicely, with only their hereditary training. Their self-appointed task of guarding Hilda and the children was unending. When the family was inside the house, one guard would remain with them whilst the other maintained watch on the verandah [sic] and patrolled outside in the garden. When the children were in the garden whilst prisoners were working in the area, either Paddy or Jeep would deploy themselves between the two groups. Only by instinct our dogs knew the prisoners were not to be trusted and were watched very carefully, but the African askari were regarded as allies. The prison was very close to the boundary of Nairobi National Park, and grew cabbages two feet in diameter in what must have been some of the most fertile land in Kenya, receiving all the effluent from the 2000 odd inmates. Late one afternoon an african prisoner in a work gang fancied his
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chances and made a run for it, sprinting along the road passed [sic] the house hotly pursued by about six askari. The askari were at a disadvantage wearing heavy boots and jerseys, but they were joined by Paddy and Jeep who caught up with the prisoner and arrested him in the Game Park. When the askari caught up with them they found the prisoner literally with his pants down, leaning exhausted against a post supporting a notice "Stay in Your Car, Beware of Lion".
It was essential but sometimes difficult not to become involved emotionally with the prisoners, almost all of whom had in their eyes suffered a grave injustice by winding-up in jail. One afternoon whilst I was on duty the Chief Immigration Officer, a Mr. Pierce, came to the prison and required me to serve a Deportation Order on a European Prisoner, Major Melbourn. I read the document first and found that Melbourn had been declared an 'undesireable [sic] immigrant' and was therefore to be deported within 5 days. Melbourn had in fact served about 12 months of a three year sentance [sic] for bigamy and would be required to complete the term in the U.K. He was 'undesireable [sic] ' because he had changed his job without permission. I remarked that this was a very lame excuse for such drastic action. After an exchange of views I said I had not sought his permission when I joined the Prisons Service and he advised me to do so without delay! A few days later I was detailed to escort the prisoner to Mombasa, and hand him over to the officer i/c of the prison at Fort Jesus. Meanwhile I had studied all the Melbourn files and they showed a good example of how a fellow could slip up over small technicalities which produced major consequences. Melbourn was a British Army officer serving overseas for almost the entire war. During the Blitz, his wife was in a Convalascent [sic] home in Liverpool which received a direct hit and she disappeared without trace like many others. He had been drawing a marriage allowance in the normal way and eventually reported to his C.O. that it should be discontinued because he believed his wife had been killed in an air-raid. He was advised that until he had proof of this the allowance would continue. He should have applied to the courts for it to be deemed that his wife had been killed but the environment of the Burmese jungle and other wartime pressures were not conducive to that sort of logic and he let the matter rest. After the war he made enquiries in Liverpool without result, and was eventually released from the Army having served for 30 years. Several years later he became engaged to the daughter of the French Consol [sic] in Nairobi, and when they were married he declared that he was a bachelor. They were Catholics and had he referred to himself as a widower, there could have been difficulties and the authorities would have required proof in any case, which he could not provide. Soon after the wedding someone who had been a clerk in the Pay Corps spotted the reference to 'Bachelor' and thought it rather odd that Melbourn had claimed a marriage allowance during the war. He reported this and the subsequent enquiry led to Melbourn being charged with bigamy and convicted. Whilst it was essential that justice must be seen to apply equally to all races, Europeans were the Bwana Mkubwas and were supposed to set an example. White men in jail were an embarassment [sic] to Government and wherever possible they were returned to the U.K. Melbourn had slipped-up on a second trechnicality. [sic] In the U.K. After [sic] demob. he and two ex-Army colleagues, all of whom had served in East Africa in 1945, decided to establish a business in Kenya, and the three applied for Entry permits, Employment passes, Dependants [sic] passes in two cases, and Residence permits. Complete with ambitious plans for the future and proper documentation
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the trio arrived in Nairobi and set about organising their new enterprise, one of the first acts being an application to register the name of their company. Whilst this was 'going through channels' problems came to light which could not have been foreseen and their plans had to be abandoned. Melbourn remained in Nairobi and obtained employment, and his two colleagues returned to U.K., disillusioned by the red tape. Whilst looking for a reason to declare Melbourn an undesireable [sic] immigrant the application for permission to work with a firm which did not exist came to light and provided the necessary ammunition.
On the night train to Mombasa Melbourn was very chatty, we were both in civvies, he was allowed to use his own money and I felt the best policy would be to let him have a few drinks and to sleep it off. He undertook to behave and understood that at the first sign of being unco-operative he would be handcuffed to his bunk. He told me his story which was the same as gleaned from the files, and added that he had made arrangements to escape at Suez and join the sister of one of the Somali inmates. I handed him over at Fort Jesus, wished him luck and had a look around Mombasa before returning to Nairobi on the night train. About two months later we learned that he had indeed jumped ship at Suez and was working as a Newsreader at Oomdemaan on Egyptian International Radio Broadcasts. I bought some brass plates from him in Nairobi which today are displayed at Wendy's home in Cherryhinton [sic] , and which remind me of the injustice metered out to one who served for 30 years in the British Army.
Another European prisoner, on remand, had been arrested for vagrancy. He was a British merchant seaman who felt like a change, had legally entered Kenya with proper documentation and had taken a job driving a native bus. The authorities deemed this was not a suitable job for a white man, declared him undesireable [sic] and deported him, by ship. He would have been quite happy to have joined a ship at Mombasa as crew-member or paid his own passage. He most certainly did not meet the definition of vagrancy, he had more than adequate means of support. I recall his bitterness when he said it was fair enough to drive a bloody army lorry for five years but not an african bus.
For nearly six months I relieved Ron Woods as officer i/c the Tailoring section of Prison workshops, whilst he was on home leave. In the workshop 200 prisoners beavered away sewing and stitching, 100 with sewing machines and the other half working by hand. We produced uniforms for all Government departments and also for prisoners and were allowed to undertake private work for anyone willing to provide their own material. One of the European prisoners had been a tailor in civvy street and he was very helpful. There was also a 'mechanical workshop' employing about 100, mostly producing articles in metal for Gov't departments, but also repairing and generally working on motor-cars. I took the opportunity of turning them loose on my father's Packard and they did a very good job. The Tailoring section even produced some seat covers for it without being asked. Shortly after the car was finished, a Salvation Army Major came to me and said that Johnson, a European prisoner who had worked on the car, had seen the light after several months of Bible study and was now determined to go straight. He was serving five years for armed robbery, having held up a taxi in Mombasa. The Major asked for my support for his application to the Parole Board and was in fact going to great lengths to secure the Prisoner's release. I declined my support, and told the Major he had been spoofed, Johnson would never go straight. However, the appeal
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was successful and Johnson suggested to me the night before his release that for a small fee he could arrange to 'steal' the car and drop it over Nairobi escarpment for me. Such were the people we were dealing it, [sic] [inserted] with [/inserted] but what finally became of him I don't know.
After several months we moved to a much nicer house in the prison officers' compound. Hilda was doing photographic retouching and finishing work in the city for Arthur Firmin, and life was without undue pressures. On saturday [sic] evenings we occasionally went to see our friends George and Iris Dent at the Oasis pub. George was an engineer with the Army Kinema Corporation and a very keen 'ham', VQ4DO, ex ZS6DO. At their parents' Pub George showed films which provided entertainment. This was before the days of television in Kenya. It was on the evening of one of our visits we were sitting in the Dent's home, Wendy was stretched out asleep on the couch and Iris's little boy was playing with his toy cap-gun. This reminded me that the pain in my rear was caused by my .25 automatic in my trouser pocket, so I moved the gun to my jacket pocket. Iris saw this move and said it looked a far nicer gun than her .38 and asked to see it. I handed it over, having checked there was no round up the spout and it was on safe. To our absolute astonishment, Iris cocked it, off with the safety catch and fired. The bullet demolished the leg of the couch less than a foot from Wendy's head. The song "Pistol-packing mamma" didn't seem at all funny any more. Colin was with us and had attended Nairobi Primary School for about two months. Wendy was looked after during the day by Nadudu, the Kitoshi ayah we had taken with us from Kitale. The children called her Bundudu.
With the withdrawal of the British Army from Kenya, George and Iris returned to South Africa, George taking up employment with the S.A. Broadcasting Corporation. Today the Oasis pub is thriving, still on the main Mombassa [sic] Road and close to Nairobi airport at Embakasi.
I was concerned only with Nairobi prison, but there were prisons in 8 or so towns, backed up by several camps. Later when Mau Mau really got under way, there were many more much bigger 'internment' camps. Some of them in my day were known as rather tough places. Hard Labour was still the prerogative of the courts; It meant exactly that, and was invariably stone breaking. A gang would be given a task of smashing up a number of very large boulders and feeding the fragments through a screen before putting them onto a lorry. Only when the task was complete would they be marched back to the living area. One of our camps was at Lokitong, about 450 miles north of Nairobi, and it frequently happened that prisoners had to be returned from there to Nairobi to attend court. There was no telephone, the only communication with the camp was was [sic] by a telegram to Kitale prison and thence a letter by bus and camel to the camp. It was generally a three-week process, so six weeks was needed to produce a prisoner from Lokitong to a court in Nairobi. I put up a written suggestion that in the absence of telephones we should establish a number of radio stations. I could undertake to establish the stations myself using ex-army 21 sets, maintain them and also to train the operators. The suggestion was submitted through Mr. Martin but addressed to the Commissioner, and according to the Chief Clerk went straight into Martin's waste paper basket. A few days later I delivered a copy direct to the Commissioner's office with a covering letter with my estimate of costs, about £100 per station plus my time and travelling.
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I promised instant communication with the camps but it was too revolutionary and there was no provision in the budget for it. About four years later the job was done for them by the Police at a cost of £700,000 with recurring annual expenditure of over £100,000. A lot of money in those days. Jimmie Vant became the Prisons Dept. Telecommunications Officer with no knowledge whatsoever of the subject. He didn't really need any, all the work was carried out by the Police which was staffed entirely by technicians on secondment from the U.K. Home Office. Such is the price of progress and sophisticated over-engineering. No doubt in the 1990s they will be able to spend even more millions and do the job via satelite [sic] .
Returning home one afternoon having collected Hilda and two other ladies from the city, and Colin from school, we found the prison surrounded by armoured cars and light tanks with hundreds of Police and Army personnel. Apparently there was a rumour of a pending mass breakout, but it was only a rumour. I regarded it as a show of strength for the benifit [sic] of the unruly.
The job in the Prisons Service was like no other I have held either before or since. It was work which started and finished according to the duty roster and activity was determined and limited by the various orders laid down. For every minor detail there had to be a written authority. The Prisons Service had become established about the turn of the century and the antiquated system did nothing to inspire enthusiasm. On one occasion Paddy Mc.Kinney and I were taking a five minute breather in the office and enjoying a coca-cola, when Martin came in and without preamble ordered us to put leg-irons on Mchegi, then stormed out again. Mchegi was a "casi kubwa", a 6'3" Kikuyu in a condemned cell. The leg-irons were a reprisal for Mchegi's offensive the previous day. Martin, on his round of inspection had moved aside the 6" square observation panel in the door of Mchegi's cell to look inside, and received the full force of the contents of the choo (night soil!) bucket in his face. Mchegi was awaiting hanging and had nothing to lose. He was a very dangerous individual who had already killed and because of his violance [sic] often remained in his cell during excercise [sic] periods. Putting leg-irons on this tough character was a formidable task and Martin knew that. Paddy startled me by suggesting that I should open the door of Mchegi's cell, and he would wait at the open end of the corridor where it entered the prison yard. I replied that I would rather he opened Mchegi's door and I would wait in the yard. However, Mchegi had no personal animosity towards me and Paddy's complete plan appeared rational. I opened the cell door with the greeting "Mjambo Mchegi", and he stepped out of the cell, seeing a clear passage to the prison yard and beyond to the open gate in the outside perimeter wall of the prison, with neither officer nor askari in sight. Mchegi recognised his chance to escape and made a dash for it. It was at the end of the corridor that Paddy stepped out hit him and simultaneously an askari tripped him up. Before Mchegi recovered four askari had rivetted on the leg-irons and dragged him back to his cell. A few minutes later Paddy and I were finishing our cokes in the office when Martin came in and remonstrated, "why haven't you carried out my order?" Paddy said we had done so and Martin exclaimed "impossible". When Martin was told just how it had been done we were both on a charge once more. The Commissioner reminded us that striking a prisoner was a very serious matter but when Paddy said it was the preferred alternative to shooting him, there was no answer, and the matter was dropped. Mchegi gave no more trouble and apologised to Martin for his indiscretion, and
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Paddy saw to it that Mchegi received his full ration of excercise [sic] time in the prison yard. It was about three weeks after the choo bucket incident that Paddy was in the yard and attacked from the rear by a prisoner with a pair of 12" scissors. Fortunately Mchegi was watching and although still in leg-irons tackled the assailant, overcoming him just in time. Paddy was still cut, but there was no doubt that Mchegi had saved his life. He took a great interest in Mchegi and asked why he had been a condemned prisoner for so long, just waiting for the death sentance [sic] to be carried out. Paddy saw to it that the stabbing incident received a great deal of publicity, and eventually Mchegi was released from jail. Some years later I found he was a Snr. Warder at the prison.
About the same time, a new recruit joined us, with the same rank, Asst. Supt. Gr.2, but we found his salary was in fact 2 increments (£120 per annum) higher than ours and we wanted to know the reason why. We were told that he had been in the armed services and was awarded two increments for war service. We, apparently, had been under the average age of entry for the Prisons service at the time of our war service. Our next move was to try and compare our respective efforts during the war, but the new recruit was very reticent about his service career, and somehow didn't seem to speak the language of the soldier. It was several weeks later we found he had been in the German Army and the rest of us felt this really was too much. Regulations on war service increments however did refer to the "armed services" and made no mention of which side a fellow was on. We were not still fighting the [deleted] a [/deleted] war, but we were a uniformed service after all. The Gerry could see he was not wanted and resigned.
After 12 months as a Prison Officer I was very disgruntled with the way of life and went to see the Commissioner and gave him one month's notice. This he accepted and on my return to the prison I was handed a letter terminating my appointment with immediate effect, signed by Martin.
I then set about thinking of another job, there was lots of scope and on the air next morning my father suggested I should go and see Joe Furness who was Director of Civil Aviation. Later that day, in prison uniform, I called to see the Personnel Officer of D.C.A., one Bert Leaman, and found there might be a possibility of joining the Telecommunications section, and arranged an interview for the following day.
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[underlined] CIVIL AVIATION [/underlined]
In April 1951 I joined the E.A. Directorate of Civil Aviation as a Radio Officer on a salary of £610 per year. I had no relevant qualifications for this job but I could cope with the morse code at 25 words per minute and had aquired[sic] a general background of aviation during the war years! The first two weeks were spent at R.A.F. Eastleigh studying the workings of the Telecommunications and Air Traffic Control systems, after which I was posted to Mbeya near the Tanganyika/Northern Rhodesia border at 6500 feet above sea level. The journey down to Mbeya was by road, 900 miles, and in the middle of the rainy season. Much advice was received, “all the hotels are closed”, “the roads are waterlogged and blocked”, “there is no petrol beyond Arusha” and so on. We decided to do the trip in four short stages of between 200 and 300 miles per day, with night stops at Arusha, Dodoma and Iringa.
Our 1949 Ford Prefect, KCC13, with 60,000 miles on the clock was reshod at a cost of £10. Recapped tyres were the vogue at that time, a practice which has since stopped, being said to be dangerous. However, those recaps. did 22,000 miles on some of the worst roads in the world, without problems, before being replaced, a better performance than the original new tyres. With the car loaded with household equipment, and with Colin and Wendy lying on blankets near the roof of the car we headed south down “the Great North Road”. The first 100 miles was tarmac and no problem in the pouring tropical rain. Always to the south of us -dead on track- were towering thunderheads of cumulo [sic] -nimbus, but nearing the end of the tarmac the rain stopped. Indeed for the next three days the rain stopped falling about twelve hours ahead of us, but also remained on our tail. On the second day, deep ruts in the road caused a broken rear spring near Dodoma, but this was repaired overnight at George’s Garage; very well equipped with spare springs was George. Crossing the hundreds of fords, or drifts was exciting and at times quite hilarious, many being over 100 years wide and comprising merely a strip of concrete 10 feet wide on the bed of the river. Most of them were covered by water, hiding the concrete and the only clue to its location was provided by the poles at each side of the drift. More often than not the river bed at the side of the concrete was worn away creating a drop of a foot or so. A piece of thick wire fixed to the front of the car together with a vertical line on the windscreen, could be lined up with the centre of the two distant poles. By ignoring everything else and having implicit faith in the navigational instrument, we always reached the other side without going over the edge. Without this blind faith there would have been a tendency to keep a little to the up-stream side of the drift. To go over the edge on the other side could have been disastrous. In two places on the second day we were really bogged down in mud but we quickly mastered the technique of driving in reverse over the worst parts, thus becoming front-wheel drive. The most interesting village we passed was Kondor Arangi, between Dodoma and Iringa, on the third day. A beautifully painted and spotlessly clean Arab village, probably unchanged for centuries and almost completely independent of the world outside. After over 35 years I can still recall the aroma of freshly-baked bread, and the welcoming atmosphere of the village. On through Iringa and the final leg of 250 miles of the beautiful scenery of Southern Highlands, completely unspoilt by development. After a night at the Iringa Hotel, we had made our usual early-morning start and reached Mbeya by mid-day. Straight to the Railway station in
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Mbeya, a typical East African Railways and Harbours station complete with platforms, but the nearest railway lines and trains were over 400 miles away. A search for Paddy and Jeep, our two alsations, which had been put on the train five days previously in Nairobi, was to no avail. It was to be a further three days before they reached Mbeya, very hungry and very thirsty. After a night in ‘Links’ Salter’s Mbeya Hotel we inspected our new home at the airport. Known as Wilson Airways Rest House, built in 1932 for use by British Airways – before the change of name to Imperial Airways, and B.O.A.C. – It was ‘U’ shaped with 2 kitchens and 10 bedrooms. No electricity of course but a dozen or so paraffin lamps took care of the lighting problem. An african [sic] was provided to carry water from a tap about four hundred yards away to keep our small tank topped-up. The house was very convenient at the side of the runway, actually the grass landing area. It was very pleasant to sit on the verandah[sic] where there was a wonderful view of Mbeya Peak. We had only two neighbours, the Claytons from Burnley who were ‘refugees’ from the groundnut scheme at Kongwa and now in charge of a tipper unit with the Public Works Dept., and Bwana Grigg, an old-timer who had been a prospector and was then a Weights and Measures Inspector.
Mbeya was our home for 2 1/2 years, the aerodrome had been up-graded from a one-man to two-man station open from 0600 to 1800 hrs. every day. My colleague was George Hanson, who originally hailed from Selby in Yorkshire, an ex-wireless operator in Royal Signals during the war who had joined E.A. Posts and Telegraphs as a Radio Officer in 1947. George had spent 3 years in Burma during the war and returned to Selby in 1946. To find his fiance [sic] in the arms of two Italian prisoners. According to George he gave the Italians a thrashing – which would have been very true to character – and left them with their heads jammed in the railings, to be released later by the fire-brigade. The Law caught up with him and George was given a dressing -down by the magistrate who said “We don’t want ruffians like you in this country”. George claims he told the magistrate to get some service in and his knees brown and the case was adjourned. At that time the Crown Agents were recruiting for East African Posts & Telegraphs Dept. and George felt it was time to emigrate. All aeronautical communications were handled by E.A.P. & T. until the end of 1950 when they were taken over by the Directorate of Civil Aviation. George and I had to cover 84 hours each week between us, thoeoretically[sic] a 42 hour week, but there was no provision for sickness, local leave, and the many chores which required both of us, like being in three places simultaneously. We were assisted by an african [sic] wireless operator, a Kikuyu 1200 miles from his home, a cleaner, a watchman, and a diesel mechanic, Kundan Singh Babra, all of whom lived on the station. George and I agreed our individual responsibilities, we would each carry out our 42 hours per week on watches, which included R/T to aircraft on HF and VHF, an aerodrome control function, W/T to Nairobi as required, originating meteorological reports each hour and coding them into Aero format, and customs duties. In addition, he would deal with all the admin., and I would see to the technical aspect of keeping the station on the air.
The station had been established in 1932 and the original Marconi M/F Beacon, a type TA4A was still in use and in immaculate condition. We had a stock of MT16 valves enough to last for another 30 years. We also had an ex-South African Air Force T1190 of 1933 vintage, fitted in 1940, and four ET4336 transmitters for working aircraft on R/T and Nairobi on W/T. Everything was in very good condition and gave me no problems. Our “office” was at the D/F
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(direction finding) station, and was fitted with one of the original DFG10 Marconi recieivers [sic] .
We could not see the runway from the office, which rather limited our scope in controlling it.
Each week, Mbeya had only 4 East African Airways scheduled Dakotas and Loadstars, on the Nairobi-Dar es Salaam route, plus a Beaver of Central African Airways from Blantyre in Nyasaland and one R.A.F. transport from Johannesburg to Nairobi. There were also up to a dozen or so charters which sometimes arrived with little or no notice. Our M/F Beacon was the only navigation aid for some hundreds of miles in all directions. The D/F Receiver was not in use and had a faulty power unit. This I serviced and used the receiver for monitoring Tabora’s M/F Beacon. We were operating also on 6440 KHz, the Salisbury F.I.C. channel, unofficially, to keep in touch with the Beaver aircraft which were not fitted with Nairobi F.I.C. channels. This proved very useful and also gave us a rapid link with Salisbury Ndola and Blantyre. One day and R.A.F. Anson called on [underlined] 6440 [/underlined] and reported his MF/DF receiver, - in his only [inserted in margin] NOT 6440 BUT 5190[?] [/inserted in margin] navigational aid – out of order. He was over mountains, - he hoped – in cloud, could we give him QDM’s, (courses to steer) on M/F ?. I told him to transmit on 333 KHz, the standard frequency for this purpose, and it took only a few seconds to retune the DFG10 to this frequency. For the next 2 1/2 hrs. I gave him a QDM every three minutes. The weather was bad and the aircraft eventually landed at Mbeya, staying overnight. The Navigator was visibly shaken, he did not know his position, only that if he acted on the QDM,’s he would eventually reach Mbeya. Only after landing could he calculate his ground speed, about 70 knots. On arrival over Mbeya the crew were able to see Mbeya Peak above cloud, This was five miles to the North of us and with a cloud base of 3000 feet above the aerodrome they were able to descent and land. All this would of course have been totally unacceptable to a civilian aircraft which would have possibly returned to it’s starting point. The R.A.F. aircraft without any Nav. Aids had really no option. Some weeks later we received a letter from the R.A.F. thanking us for the assistance we had given the Anson crew in providing M/F bearings thus preventing a possible disaster, etc. etc. Unfortunately this letter was also copied to D.C.A. H.Q. with another asking if the facility could be retained. The next mail brought a letter from our own boss, the Director of Civil Aviation.. “Whilst complimenting and thanking you for taking the initiative on this occasion…”. The letter went on to point out the legal significance of giving information to pilots and of undertaking to provide a direction-finding facility with 20-year old equipment and no spares. I made sure I could provide an alternative power supply of 2 and 130 volts which did not take much imagination and adapted some modern valves – type 6C4 – with bases to replace the original 1930 vintage triodes. There were not used in my 2 1/2 years in Mbeya and we continued to give bearings to the R.A.F. unofficially. About 2 years later a Pye VHF set was fitted together with a D/F antenna and also a modern Redifon M/F Beacon, both with an effective range no better than 25% of the 1932 equipment. This was not the fault of the manufacturers. In the case of the D/F the reason was the difference in propagation characteristics and with the M/F Beacon it would have been better to retain the original 1932 Marconi type antenna.
I have no notes of this period, but memories are many. I recall seeing a Cheetah on the grass landing area we called a runway, whilst carrying
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out a runway inspection. As I approached, the cheetah ran off. My foot was hard down doing 58 m.p.h. just behind it, but the cheetah gradually drew away. Daily inspection of the ‘runway’ was necessary. Ant-Bear holes appeared quite often, and just one of these was sufficient to wreck an aircraft. Africans had free access to the runway except when aircraft were actually using it. One evening a grass fire started and swept first along the windward side of the runway where the grass was long, and then crossed it in a line of flame and black smoke the whole length of the runway. Hilda and I were on foot at the other side of the runway and witnessed literally hundreds of snakes fleeing from the fire. There were lots of snakes and other creatures in that area which after all was open African bush. This was again highlighted at 6 am one morning when I drove to the D/F station and opened up the radio. It was still dark and there was a very pungent smell of pigs. I assumed there was a dead animal outside but within a few minutes it was daylight and having established contact with Nairobi on w/t and confirmed there were no overnight disasters requiring my attention, I went outside to investigate. There were elephants all over the place, standing there, and looking just as surprised as I was. I made a strategic withdrawal smartly into the D/F station and bolted the door. On my way to the office I had met the African nightwatchman who was waving his arms about and saying something about ‘tembo mningi sani”. The word Tembo was generally associated with Elephant Brand Beer, which was more a part of everyday life in our immediate area than the animal after which it was named. I assumed he had been drinking and thought no more of it. The africans too were soon awake and trying to chase the elephants out of the maize, throwing tin cans, stones and even pangas at them. Three africans were killed in the process. Meanwhile I telephoned the police who said it was not their shouri (affair), “tell the Game Warden”. It was then 6.15am. and the Game Warden would not take the matter seriously, claiming I was drinking too much, “see the M.O.”! There was a scheduled Dakota due at 7 am. and I asked the pilot to overfly the runway and make sure there were no elephants on it, and this he agreed to do. I gave him the surface wind and QNH and landing clearance, and he came straight in and landed, without checking. He too thought I was not being serious about the elephants. It was mid-day before the elephants left of their own accord and moved back towards the mountains to the south. The Africans said the elephant movement was a sure sign that Rungwe, our local dormant volcano was about to erupt, and the elephants had already received warning. They took me to the fire trench round the Shell petrol dump which was 10 feet deep, and showed me the alternate layers of volcanic ash and sandy soil, starting at the bottom with four inch layers. At the 5’ level about 8” layers, gradually thickening as compression decreased to a 12” layer of ash and finally, 18” of soil at the top. There was no record of the date of the last erruption,[sic] probably some hundreds of years ago. We did experience several earth tremmors [sic] in Mbeya, but it was a nice life and we decided to stick it out!
Colin and Wendy were attending Mrs. Maugham-Brown’s infants school in the town and were making very good progress. Hilda was doing retouching of photographs for Arthur Firmin which were sent to and from his Nairobi office by air mail. It was in Mbeya that I built my first amateur transmitter with bits and pieces from the junk box, and was soon in daily contact with the outside world on the morse key.
On the sixth of Feb. 1952 I called my chum in Liverpool as usual and he told me that all U.K. stations were closed for the day in deference to King
[inserted] G6YQ George [/inserted]
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George VI who had died during the night. Later that day Hilda and I went to Mbeya School to see Colin, expecting the football match to have been cancelled. I expressed my surprise to the Provincial Commissioner (the King’s direct representative) that the Union Jacks were not at half mast and the game still on. He told me not to spread rumours and he would deal with me after the game. Just after half-time a Police askari despatch rider drove onto the field and gave the P.C., who was referee, a message. The P.C. stopped the game and announced that the King was dead. He was very annoyed indeed that I had received the message direct from U.K., many hours ahead of the official channels. Mbeya had a local telephone service which did not connect with any other. It was also at one end of a single-wire line of about 1000 miles which was used for passing telegraph messages. This linked about 30 places ‘up-country’ with Dar es Salaam, the Capital. There was no other way officially of telecommunicating with Mbeya. It so happened that I had a pair of ex-military amplified telephones, which were battery powered, press-to-talk operation and which gave an amplification each of 20 dB (100 times). I sent one of these to Jimmie Waldron in Dar es Salaam and by arrangement he called me one morning at 0545 on this line. We had a first-class conversation which was truly remarkable. This was possible only because the operators at the 30 or so other stations were still asleep, and not interfering. I have no doubt this particular exploit would compare very favourably with the record longest telephone conversation over a single wire and earth, if indeed a record has been established.
George Hanson and I got on very well with each other, both being from Yorkshire and both being ex-Service, but eventually his tour of 2 1/2 years was completed and he was succeeded by Doug. Clifton, who was ex-PTT and R.A.F. ground wireless operator. We moved into the cottage vacated by George and family, near to the transmitting station, and I ran a mains cable underground between the two. This gave us 230 ac. Power for 12 hours a day and at night whenever the radio beacon was required for overflying aircraft.
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One quiet morning the Provincial Commisioner [sic] asked me to his home to discuss a problem, and on arrival I was told that the Governor, Sir Edward Twining was convalescing in Mbeya, having just arrived, but could stay only if he could speak regularly with the Chief Secretary in Dar es Salaam. The Police and Posts & Telegraphs Departments had already been approached and could not assist. I was authorised to cut clean across any rules and regulations in order to set up a communications channel. Back at the D/F Station I sent an official message on the Aeronautical W/T channel to CHF ZHTD (Officer i/c Airport Dar-es-Salaam) asking him to pass a message to Jimmie Waldron, P.T.T. Chief Engineer’s office. I told Jimmie of the Governors request and the powers bestowed upon us, and that I would call him on 7151 KHz which was just above the upper limit of the amateur 40 meter band. I would install a receiver at the P.C.’s house. Would he advise me of his transmitting frequency. Meanwhile I got the local P.T.T. to connect my second aerodrome telephone line to the second line to the P.C.’s house. This automatically provided a microphone for the P.C. and enabled me to make a simple connection to my amateur transmitter at the airport. Half an hour later I received a message on the aeronautical channel “Loud and clear on 7175, Dar es salaam calling you on 8775. A check on my local receiver and indeed there was Jimmie. I then drove to the P.C.’s house and retuned the receiver to 8775, and we had first class duplex communication. A lady’s voice came on “Is that you George?” “No Love, this is Cliff”. “Oh dear, this is Lady Twining, is my husband George there please?” I handed him the telephone and restrained myself from saying “It’s for you George, I thought your name was Edward”. For the next two weeks the link was in constant use and another letter of thanks was sent from D.C.A. in Nairobi.
Why the fuss one might say, but in 1952 it was the very first time [inserted] H E [/inserted] H.H. the Governor had spoken by private radio telephone to his Chief Secretary from outside Dar es Salaam. This was another ‘first’, also on an amateur basis.
At Mbeya Post Office I was introduced to the Manager of New Saza Gold Mine, which was about 100 miles north of Mbeya. He said his radio link with Mbeya had not worked for four years although experts from all over East Africa had tried to fix it. It was a simple w/t link to Mbeya Post Office where there was an operating position and transmitter set up on 3900 KHz which seemed to be a reasonable frequency for the job. “Fix it and you can name your price”, and I agreed to have a go on a ‘no pass, no fee basis’. I first set up a spare DCA transmitter keyed from the D/F station, rather than rely upon co-operation from the Post office. My own DCA operator would monitor. I called the local Post office from the aerodrome but there was no reply. This was the rainy season and it would be a three hour drive through the bush to New Saza, so I lost no time over the Post Office and set off in my Ford Prefect complete with two amateur transmitters and two receivers, any combination of which could do the job if all else failed. On arrival, their station appeared to be working and with adequate output, but I soon found the output stage was doubling to 7.8 MHz. and not amplifying straight through 3.9. A higher tapping on the coil fixed that and I called Mbeya Post office. No reply. Then I called ZEQ3, my own office at the D/F Station and my operator came up trumps. We were in contact with
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Mbeya. I asked my operator to ring the Postmaster asking him to kick his wireless operator. He found the transmitter had the wrong crystal in it and the receiver was also detuned. Having corrected this, all three stations were in contact. The station receiver at New Saza was a pre-war ‘straight set’, that is, not a superhet, and was not ideal, so I added one of my own receivers. In addition, I fitted a second operating position, with my own equipment and separate aerial, as a standby. The manager was delighted and I was rewarded handsomely. Only once in the next 18 months did I need to visit New Saza for a minor fault. Electrical and mechanical power for the mine was derived from a very old wood-burning steam engine of pre-1914 vintage and German manufacture.
On the road about half way to the mine, was Chunya, a typical American-type western one-horse town, the main street being unpaved and 200 feet wide. The place was almost derelict, a few prospectors still panned for gold in the stream, but in years gone by it had supported a population of over 2000. There was a Police post which sported a telephone connected to Mbeya Post office. The overhead line ran at the side of the ‘road’ and I had this in mind for emergency use. A field telephone was part of my standard safari equipment in the car. Later on I carried a transmitter on the aeronautical H/F channels in addition. Communications was often the key to survival.
One very hot day, about noon, George Blodgett, an American tourist, took off from Mbeya in his Cessna 180 with his wife and another passenger, continuing their round-the-world holiday. The aircraft carried the same load as when it took off from Dar es salaam without problem a week or so previously. But Dar was at sea level, and Mbeya at 6500 feet. Dar had a proper concrete runway with a clear flight path. Mbeya had a grass ‘runway’, much shorter and with a small hill at one end and a mountain within 4 miles at the other end. It was the slight banking to avoid the small hill which caused the aircraft to stall and plough along the ground, writing itself off. It took me several minutes to reach the wreck, to find a bewildered trio shaken-up, but physically unhurt. There was a strong smell of petrol which came from a 5 gallon can INSIDE the aircraft. The can had a hand pump and hose which fitted on the drain cock of a fuel tank inside the port wing. Transferring the petrol was achieved by opening a window and leaning out to fix the pipe. This rather surprised me as George was a very experienced pilot and was in fact the first to cross the Andes in Peru, solo, where some years later he went missing without trace. His life-story was written up in Time & Life and referring to his accident in Mbeya, it said he had crashed in the bush and the Despatcher from Mbeya trecked [sic] all night to reach the aircraft, to find George and his passengers surrounded by lions and tigers. Lions were a possibility but the only tigers in Africa are [deleted] a few imported ones in captivity. [/deleted] [inserted] in West Africa and are not tigers as we know them. [/inserted]
Mbeya was a peaceful place, and to a large extent we were able to plan our lives. Occasionally we became involved with the local tribesmen, particularly after one of their frequent skirmishes. Generally a small group would appear at the house bearing the injured on bicycles with blood all over the place, and asking me to take the casualties to hospital. The first time this happened I took them by car to the African Hospital and not really knowing the system, gave them my name. Some weeks later I received the bill. Subsequent deliveries were made in the name of Ramsey Macdonald!
Soon after joining DCA I noticed on one of many flight plans received the name of Iliffe as Captain of an incoming Dakota. When the First Officer
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called me on VHF I requested him to ask the Captain if the number 1090111 meant anything to him. Back came the reply, affirmative. I gave him my first service number 1384956 and after he had landed, went over to the Terminal Building to see him. There wasn’t much time for reminiscing but he marvelled that I had remembered his first service number. It was on a pay parade in Bulawayo that Howard’s name was not called with the others in alphabetical order. It was called at the very end when he gave his ‘last three’, somewhat disgruntled, as “Sir, One one bloody one”.
We had seen a great deal of each other on the troopship going to Durban and until our ways parted at Belvedere where Howard got his wings and my records were stamped ‘Wastage’. After his training at Belvedere, he completed S.F.T.S. on Oxfords and in U.K. converted to Dakotas. His war was on Transport Command, flying Dakotas. We met several times in the next 15 years, the last time being in 1965 when Howard was the Captain of a Comet of East African Airways returning to the U.K.
After 2 1/2 years in Tanganyika our tour was finished and we were due for 6 months leave in U.K.. We opted to travel by air rather than sea but did not realise when making the decision that this referred to trunk travel to U.K. from the International Airport of the territory in which we finished our tour. It was unlikely that we would return to Mbeya after leave, my successor expecting to stay for the full 2 1/2 years. All our effects were crated up whilst we spent the last week in Mbeya Hotel. The car was left with the Postmaster and Paddy our Alsation [sic] boarded with Mrs. Maugham-Brown. And so with four children, Christopher a baby of 4 months, we said farewell to Mbeya at the railway station, not by train but by diesel-powered bus - referred to as a ‘taxi’ by the Africans. The first leg took us the 250 miles through Southern Highlands to Iringa, where accommodation was reserved at Iringa Hotel. The next day was very similar, by another ‘taxi’ to Dodoma. The drivers were Africans, probably ex-Kings African Rifles, and their driving was of a very high standard considering the state of the road. There was some tarmac in the towns, but otherwise the road surface was graded murram, a well-packed reddish sand. This was apt to become corrugated after rain and scarred with deep wheel ruts. Ruts made by lorries could be quite deep and dangerous to cars with little clearance below. The ‘taxi’ took us direct to the railway station at Dodoma where we had been advised to request compartments as near to the engine as possible, where the sway is minimum. The first job was to wash all the nappies and as we had two compartments it was easy to sling a couple of lines and hang up the nappies to dry. It was very hot in Dodoma, and the carriage windows were all open because of the heat. In the evening the engine got up steam and the train moved off amid clouds of thick black smoke, most of which seemed to come in at the windows. For 18 hours we chugged across the plains with its tens of thousands of many different types of wild animals, gradually descending to the coast and becoming progressively hotter. Arriving in Dar es Salaam at about 4 pm., the temperature in the shade was 120 deg.f. and it was a great relief to flop onto the beds in the air-conditioned hotel. The evening was spent in trying to clean up our clothing and indeed ourselves, with Christopher’s nappies hanging on lines in the hotel room. The nappies dried within an hour but were still filthy. After a browse around the big stores in Dar, we handed in our 480 lbs. of baggage and placed ourselves in the capable hands of B.O.A.C.
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Our flight home was by Arganaut, [sic] 16 hours flying, stopping at Nairobi, Entebbe, Khartoum, Benghazi and Rome. Plenty of seat room, excellent food and a very comfortable flight. One engine developed trouble approaching Italy and we were delayed for 24 hours in Rome. The Romans were hostile to the British at that time, I cannot remember why this was so, but we enjoyed a conducted tour of Rome and first-class hotel accommodation. At breakfast next morning I thought I recognised a fellow at the next table. He was under the same impression and when he spoke to us there was instant recognition. He was the B.O.A.C. Rep. in Rome and we had seen a great deal of each other on the squadron in North Africa. He was then W/O Woolston, a pilot on 150 Sqdn. We arrived in London 24 hours late, but there were no complaints. B.O.A.C. had made the trip very enjoyable.
The greater part of our leave was spent in London with Hilda’s parents, and I took the opportunity of spending 12 weeks at the School of Telegraphy in Brixton, for an Intermediate C. & G. in Telecomms and a P.M.G 1st. Class licence. I was also on a course of Dexedrine to reduce my weight, eating very little and actually losing it at the rate of 1lb. per day, for 44 days. Peter Gunns, another D.C.A., Radio Officer had been at the school for 6 months and was doing the complete 12 month course for a P.M.G. second class licence. I decided to give it three months and take the first class ticket. The Principal at the school advised against it, almost everyone first obtained a second-class ticket before trying for a first. For three months I swatted hard, long into the night and then went to Post Office H.Q. in St. Martin-le-Grand and applied to take the P.M.G.1 licence. The Chief examiner asked to see my second-class licence and when I said I didn’t have one, he said “look son, try for a second class and if you pass, come back in a few years time and try for a first”. I replied that I was not interested in anything second-class and he shrugged his shoulders and booked me to take the exam. three days hence. The exam. took from 9 am to 5 pm., written and practical and was quite intensive. The final part was the morse test at 25 w.p.m. and the examiner was wearing an R.S.G.B. tie. I took a chance at the end of the test and sent, on the key ‘QRA? De VQ4BM’ and after an exchange of greetings he asked me if I was returning to Kenya. I replied “yes, but only if I pass this exam”. He sent QRX3 and left the room, returning with a smile and said “strictly off the record, you could book your ticket”. The next three days were taken up with City & Guilds exams, and I was delighted when my P.M.G. licence arrived by post. The following day, feeling on top line, Hilda and I went to M.C.A. Headquarters at Berkeley Square and I applied to take the Flight Radio Officer’s exam. I found this was held only twice yearly and by sheer coincidence the next one was the following day. I was told to just fill in the form, pay £3 and come back at 0830 the next day. I saw the Chief examiner and told him I wasn’t quite prepared for the exam. at such short notice, it was many years since I had studied the S.B.A. and Navigational aids. He told me not to worry about them and to check through the last 5 exam. papers, copies of which he lent me. They could be bought openly from the “shop” downstairs, but this was already closed. He also said “bear in mind that everything has its own natural frequency”. I spent until 5 am next morning making sure I could answer all the questions on those papers, and doubly sure of the compulsory questions. I noticed that
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year 4 had the same compulsory questions as year 1, and year 5 the same as year 2. Year 6 was to be my lot and if this was to be the same as year 3, on cathode ray tubes, all would be well, and I had a couple of hours sleep. It had taken me a long time to realise what the Chief Examiner had meant by “it’s own natural frequency”.
The exams were spread over a period of two days and I failed two of them. The first was a three-minute test writing down the phonetic alphabet and I wrote “Alpha bravo coca delta foxtrot golf hotel etc.” The examiner looked over my shoulder and remarked “what on earth have we here, have you never heard of able baker Charlie?”. I thought this was a catch and I said “yes but that went out three years ago when I.C.A.O. introduced this one”. It seemed that Britain was three years behind the rest of the world on this simple issue. I had however quite rightly failed on R/T procedure. All went well on a simulated flight from Manchester to Jersey when I received a chitty that both engines had stopped and we were on fire. There was already a M’iadez in force from another aircraft and I broke radio silence and put out my own “M’aidez” without the Captain’s authority and that was the end of the exam. FAILED! on two counts. I had passed two three hour written papers, a two hour practical exam., an hour’s morse at 25 w.p.m. and failed on two ridiculous details. I said I was sufficiently experienced to anticipate the Captain’s instruction to send out an SOS but the book does say that only the Captain has the authority. However, I paid another £3 which I could by then ill-afford and resat the two parts the following morning. The licence came by post a few days later. The R/T Procedure test was the same as before, and when we reached the point where I had put out my M’aidez I just sat tight. I heard the other aircraft transmit his SOS again and it was acknowledged by Jersey Approach. Without authority to transmit an SOS I could not break radio silence according to the regulations and I continued to sit tight. One minute of real time was equivalent to 10 minutes of ‘flying’ and after 30 minutes of theoretical flying time I removed my headphones and placed them on the table. The examiner did likewise and asked me what I thought I was doing.
I just said “swimming to the surface”. He laughed and said O.K. at least you didn’t originate a M’aidez. In the practical M.C.A. exam the equipment in use was the T1154 and R1155 and the main object of the examiner seemed to me to be one of getting me confused, argumentative and thoroughly rattled. Thanks maybe to the dexedrine I realised what his game was and remained very calm indeed. He admitted afterwards that he was trying to get me rattled, remaining calm and composed was all important in the air!. I cast my mind back 10 years but said nothing.
Meanwhile Peter Gunns was still plodding on and becoming very discouraged. I urged him to take the PMG2 the following week, there was little point in further delay. I spent a week with him going through every paper set for 5 years, and he was successful in the exam. A few weeks later we returned to Nairobi together. About 10 years later Peter died of a heart attack whilst on night duty in the Nairobi Communications Centre. He was taking a short break and read in the newspaper that Pinnocks had folded up. He had £15,000 invested with them, and the loss was too much to bear. After a few weeks at Eastleigh I was posted to Mwanza on the southern shores of Lake Victoria, again in Tanganyika.
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Our car, a Ford Prefect KCC13 (new price £400) and Paddy our alsatian, were nearly 1000 miles away in Mbeya and I was able to scrounge a flight as supernumery [sic] crew with East African Airways. The return journey by road with Paddy took 30 hours non-stop except for refuelling and for half an hour at dawn when driving was dangerous. The work in Nairobi was operating air/ground channels on R/T and W/T and also at the D/F station giving H/F bearings to aircraft on the Khartoum and Johannesburg sectors where navigation aids were few and far between. It transpired later that the D/F station was adjacent to the Mau Mau graveyard. I recall one day looking out of the door and seeing the police askari guard fast asleep with his loaded rifle on the ground beside him. More for security reasons than mischief I took the rifle inside the building and it was still there when I closed the station at 1830. But there was no sign of the askari, so I put the rifle in the loft of the small building, intending to do something about it next day. Somehow I forgot all about it for two weeks and then handed in the rifle at the R.A.F. guardroom and questioned why the police had taken no action. The askari had just disappeared without trace.
Once again our household effects were packed into crates, and despatched by ‘rail’ to Mwanza. We had exchanged our Ford Prefect for an Austin A70 and motored via Kitale (my father’s farm) to Kisumu where we boarded the M.V. Rusinga. The Rusinga ploughed clockwise round the lake shore calling at Musoma, Mwanza, Bukoba, Entebbe, Jinja and complete circle to Kisumu. Her sister ship the M.V. Usoga called at the same ports, but went anti-clockwise round the lake. A third ship, the M.V. Sybil was smaller and more or less a reserve vessel. Lake Victoria was the second largest inland sea in the world, and became the largest when its level rose 8 feet with the building of the dam at Jinja a few years later. The voyage of about 200 miles took a very pleasant 30 hours with one halt at Musoma. We were met at Mwanza Port by Johnny King who I was relieving. He said he expected to return to Mwanza in 6 months as it was his station and his wife’s father was Government entomologist permanently stationed there. His wife’s family were German, very domineering and forceful. I didn’t mind the mother’s clay pipe but took an instant dislike to her Bavarian-type husband. I insisted upon a proper formal take-over at the airport which was just as well, and the proper storage of King’s personal effects at P.W.D and not in the transmitter room. For a couple of weeks we stayed at Mwanza Hotel and then moved to a delightful house at Bwiru, facing north with a wonderful view over Lake Victoria. Palm trees in the foreground, paw paw trees in the garden and - we discovered much later - leopard in the hills at the back of the house. The water supply came from a storage tank half a mile up the hill via a metal pipe on the surface of the ground, and was always hot enough for a bath without further heating. The water had to remain in our roof storage tank for some time before we could regard it as being a cold water supply. Water and electricity could not be taken for granted in East Africa, but the house was connected to the town electricity supply.
The airport was a fairly new one about 10 miles east of town, by the lake shore, the single runway 18/36 being of grass. It was a neat little place, the transmitters being in the room below the Control Tower with two diesel engines and fire station being in a custom-built building 50 yards away. The
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transmitters were two RCA ET4336s, a G54 Redifon M/F Beacon and an ex-R.A.F. T1154. In the Control Tower was a Pye PTC704 VHF set with a direction-finding antenna. There were only 6 scheduled aircraft per week and an average of about 10 charters. This was a ‘one man’ station and my working hours were long. Perhaps the highlight of the tour was the four-day visit of H.R.H. Princess Margaret. The ten mile road to town was ‘tarmaced’ [sic] a few days before her arrival. The original murrum (red sand) surface was first graded and then covered by a quarter inch layer of chippings and sprayed with tar. The cost was £11,000 which was charged to my aerodrome maintenance vote. For the few days of the visit the road looked really superb, and then just a few days later it rained and the remains of the “tarmac surface” were cleared away by grader, the surface reverting to murram once more.
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Every effort was being made by the Administration to make the Royal Visit a success and the costs were covered somehow. The M.V. Sybil was in dock for 6 months at Kisumu being completely refitted so the Princess could spend just a few hours on the lake. An R.A.F. Shackleton flew down from Aden to provide an escort for the Sybil. Four radio stations were established on the boat, each with an operator, to contact the Police on H/F W/T, Aircraft on VHF, Mwanza Airport on H/F R/T, and E. A. Railways & Harbours. Just about every vessel afloat on Lake Victoria seemed to be milling around outside the harbour waiting for the Sybil and the Princess. A Widgeon aircraft, the only amphibean [sic] in E. Africa, was detailed to position itself at the end of the runway at instant readiness for take-off. The Shackleton took-off to patrol an hour before the Sybil was due to leave harbour, Captain Chris Treen positioned his Widgeon and stayed put with engines idling. All the Sybil's radios were tested and people were getting excited. We were then advised that it was a case of not tonight Josephine, H.R.H. had a headache, the trip was cancelled. The Shackleton, looking remarkably like a real Lancaster landed on my murrum runway, and the Widgeon had to be towed in backwards, the engines having over-heated.
In company with all the other Colonial officials I had been given six pages of foolscap telling me how to address the Princess and how to conduct myself in the Royal presence. There was also an application form for a Permit to be at the airport for her arrival and another application form regarding my being presented to the Princess. It was the two application forms which bugged me. I refused to apply for a permit to enter the airport where every aspect was my responsibility, if anyone denied me access, be it on their own head. "Before applying to be presented", the write-up stated, "You must qualify under at least one of the following headings:-
1. Be a Government Servant on a salary exceeding '£x'
2. Be a serving officer of H. M. forces,
3. Be a retired officer having held a rank above 'Y'
4. Hold a Civil Decoration equivalent or senior to an M.B.E.
5. Hold a military decoration.
6. Have already been presented to another member of the Royal Family.
There was virtually an order to apply if one qualified and this decided me to ignore the whole issue. I was not in favour of the pomp and circumstance and the relatively vast expenditure involved, and I was never any good at playing charades and other party games.
Just before the Royal Visit a gang of workmen turned up at the airport and were starting to fit a toilet suite in the 'Crew Room'. This was a small room where aircrews could relax and enjoy a little privacy between flights. Toilet facilities were quite adequate without specially converting the crew room for the Princess. I vetoed the plan, and finally the toilet wing, already with four Asian type and four European type loos was enhanced with one new and rather superior loo. The superloo did come in useful however; whilst the Princess was inspecting the guard of honour, the bare-chested Engineer of the Widgeon aircraft appeared inside the Terminal building,
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looking quite incongruous in his filthy shorts and sandals. I told him to keep out of sight until Princes Margaret had left. He did, and hid in the superloo. After the visit, someone fixed a royal coat of arms an the door to which I had the only key. I was tempted to replace the heraldry with a replica of the board made for me by one of the German prisoners at Poynton. written in Gothic characters "Lager Kommandant, Eintritt Verbotten".
The Royal Visit was the highlight of the decade for Mwanza, the road to the aerodrome was closed for three hours and all the Police were concerned only with the visit. It was during that three hours the villains broke into many European houses. We lost all our shoes which were not actually being worn at the time, some clothing, and all our clocks including a time-switch I had just repaired for someone.
There was one charter aircraft based at Mwanza, the Widgeon piloted by Chris Treen. It was a very busy aircraft, being an amphibean [sic] , going relatively short flights mostly around the lake shore. Chris had a full-time engineer who was not very co-operative, and the operation proved to be uneconomical although Chris tried very hard. He was on Transport Command during the war and later flew in the Berlin Air Lift, then flew the Widgeon from U.K., 6000 miles to Mwanza. The airline had its moments, on one occasion the Provincial Commissioner was climbing out of the aircraft at Ukerewe Island into a dingy which collapsed and he was nearly drowned. Submerged rack. and crocodiles added to the excitement
One of the busiest aircraft at Mwanza was a Miles Magister which, was owned privately and which has also been flown out from England by its owner, an official of the Lint & Seed Marketing Board, who also had an Aircraft Maintenance Engineers' licence. It became the main asset of the Mwanza Aeroclub and was very active at weekends.
The tribe an Ukerewe Island had it's own language, and the story goes that the District Officer studied the language and wrote a dictionary and grammar for it. Having done so he applied for the £60 per year "language competency allowance", and to qualify had first to pass the Official Colonial Office exam. in the subject. The Colonial Office department which organised such matters was duly asked to prepare an exam. and find an invigilator for it, but was not given the identity of the candidate. There was no record of anyone being able to speak the language, and they approached the obvious source, the District Officer Ukerewe. As a part of his normal chores he was pleased to prepare the two papers as 2 hours of translation each way between English and the native language of Ukerewe. On arrival in U. K. on leave, he received a letter from another Colonial Office department, addressing him by name and asking him to invigilate at as examination, giving the venue and date. Shortly after, yet another office wrote to him advising him that an examination had been arranged and wishing him luck in the exam. He hardly needed it, reporting as directed in his official capacities as both invigilator and examinee. Not only that, but he had also prepared the examination papers. He was the only European who knew the language and he got his £60. per annum. The common language with the natives was of course an up-country impure Swahili, as in all parts of East Africa.
I had studied Kiswahili in the Prisons Service and from books, but the grammatical version was spoken only at the coast and on the radio. The
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Africans in the Prison Service and those I worked with spoke the up-country version, almost completely ungrammaticaI. The further one went from the coast the more it became a matter of joining words together. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and descriptive Ianguage. Beautiful words like 'maradadi' which in fact is an adjective meaning 'beautiful', and 'tafadahali', said to mean 'please' , but I never actually heard an African use it. ' Asanti' meaning thankyou was frequently used. Calling someone a "shenzi" hardly needs translation.
The Caspair Lake Service operated daily. Based at Entebbe, a DeHavilland Rapide flew to Kisumu, Musoma, Mzanza, Bukoba and back to Entebbe. It called at Mwanza three times weekly and remained on the ground for 4 hours. Paddy O'Reilly was the most colourful of the pilots and on one occasion was missing when the aircraft was due to take-off. He had borrowed a native canoe and paddled out into the lake for some peace and quiet. He was very soon asleep and when he awoke he found he was two miles off-shore without a paddle. He was soon rescued and took off two hours late.
I had a very good African Assistant at Mwanza, Zepherino Shija, and he was a tremendous help in making things run smoothly. In fact my African staff were all good types, far from home, politicians and the trouble-makers to be influenced by them.
It was at Mwanza that I really became involved with radio repairs, and once I had repaired a few, word quickly spread and I was inundated with them. Many of the 'dukes' -shops- in town sold radios but hadn't the vaguest idea how they worked or how to repair them. Most of the radio owned by the Africans were powered by dry batteries, using a 4-pin plug on the power lead which was very often forced the wrong way into the socket on the battery. This instantly blew all four valves for which the shops charged 25 shillings each. I bought valves for 3 shillings each in quantity and sold them in sets of 4 for forty shillings, throwing in a new and better type plug. I must have repaired over a thousand radios in two years, plus many bigger sets for Europeans. Before very long I met Mr. Manning, the American Head of the African Inland Mission in the Province, and he showed me a room full of equipment, domestic radios, car radios, record players, tape recorders, transmitters, P.A. ampIifiers etc. etc. Every item was faulty. I was invited to repair what I could, keep what I wanted and throw out anything that was past it. Three trans-receivers were very attractive and they needed only setting up. Independent transmitter and receiver units powered from 115v a.c. but with rather limited frequency coverage of 5 to 8 MHz. I used them on the air for a couple of weeks and they were then taken by road to African Inland Mission stations in the Belgium Congo where they had a network on 7150 KHz. These sets were to prove very useful within a few years during the Congo rebellion which came with "Independence". It took me 6 months to empty the room, and all except three or four units were returned to use within the Mission organisation. Those three or four units caused a misunderstanding with Mr. Manning. I said "These units are U/S, best place for them is in the lake", and I could see that I had upset him. He associated my expression 'U.S' . with Uncle Sam, or the United States, but when I explained it meant ‘unservicable’ in English Service jargon a crisis was avoided.
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I met a fellow called Nawotsey, supposed to be a Belgian, who was making a fortune killing crocodiles for their skins. He had just about wiped them out on Lake Rukwa. His technique was to use an infra-red lamp and sniperscope at very close range, typically six feet. His equipment gave a lot of trouble and I charged him well over the odds for repairs. In reality he was German, and ex-German army. There were many of them in ex-German Tanganyika but few had the guts to admit it, and there was not a nazi among them, in theory.
Eventually one of the dukas offered me £50 per month cash if would stop doing radio repairs. This was not far short of my salary and quite a compliment, but not accepted.
We became very friendly with one German, Dr. Schupler, who had been a wartime Medical Officer in the Luftwaffe. He was serving in Dresden the night of the 13th. of February 1945 when it was attacked by over 800 R.A.F. bombers, followed by over 300 American Fortresses the next day, causing between them 137,000 casualties including an estimated 50,000 killed. A doctor somehow seemed to be in a different and acceptable category, but our talks had reminded one of a period I had almost forgotten, and about which I had stopped thinking. One good point in East Africa's favour, there was very little to remind us of the war. A row of ribbons perhaps on a police uniform, or a retired senior type using his old rank, but there were few occasions when we compared, notes on our respective war efforts. The Germans were supposed to be super-efficient, a myth already exploded, but in the main they were still mostly distrusted.
Mwanza was a peaceful place, there was only one murder during our 2 years residence, and that was committed by a mad african from Dodoma, 400 miles away. I could not have visualised at the time that within twentyseven years this nice little airport would be bombed by the Uganda Air Force. I can picture now the little bakery where the murder was committed. It was in same road just before we left that a hyena was running down the road to meet us. We were in the Austin A70 which already had a damaged right. wing and I put on full speed. We met the hyena head-on, relative speed about 70 and he was thrown completely over the car. He lay on the road for about two minutes, then picked himself up and loped off into the bush. We had ringside seats watching an interesting battle between hyena and baboon one evening. Our bungalow was on the hillside and the bedroom windows on one side were 15 feet above ground, and level with the tops of the pawpaw trees, heavily laden with fruit. The baboon were taking the fruit and being attacked by about a dozen hyena which were being thrown around by the baboon. The fight finished suddenly for reasons best known to the combatants. They might have sensed the presence of a leopard, which was very likely, but we were not aware of the leopards ourselves until a few weeks later. In the middle of one night we were awakened by a scuffling outside the window and there was the most obnoxious stench. There was the so-called laugh of the hyena and a deep sawing sound which we were told was a leopard. It seemed that a hyena had been dragging an old carcass along when it was disturbed by a leopard. The carcass was dropped outside our bedroom window and later one of them returned to collect it. Apparently baboon are the favourite diet of the leopard and everything including baboon and leopard dislikes the hyena. One of them cornered a neighbour’s dog in our garage and
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chewed off it’s vital parts before help arrived too late. Snakes too were in abundance around Mwanza, and a European girl had been crushed, but not fatally by a python near the lake shore. One of the houseboys hacked a monitor lizard to death, thinking it was a snake. Hilda recalls the occasion when I encountered a leopard on the driveway to the house and I got out of the car to tell her!. There was the occasion too when Paddy, our Alsatian was aware of a leopard outside the front door and Paddy's hair literally bristled. The leopard was probably aware of Paddy's presence also. I was away in Nairobi at the time
Some months before the end of our tour, we received a telegram from Les with the sad news that Hilda's father had died. At about the same time the Kenya Education authorities informed us that as we were no longer resident in Kenya, Colin and Wendy would have to leave Kitale School. The alternative was Kongwa, a school established at the time of the groundnut scheme, a British Government fiasco then almost fully wound up after wasting eighteen million pounds. Kongwa was about 400 miles away and difficult to reach from Mwanza, and as it would be only a temporary measure in any case, we felt it better that Colin and Wendy should return to U.K. We saw them off on the Dakota on an hour's flight to Entebbe where they were met by Flossy and Pi Reed. The following day they flew to London and stayed with Mum at Korella Rd., in Wandsworth.
In early June `57 it was time for home leave again and once more we packed all our household effects into huge crates ready for shipping to our next station which had not yet been decided. I had been promoted to Radio Superintendant [sic] in Mbeya and later to Telecommunications Supt. having passed departmental exams for the two lots of promotion. I was finally relieved by Sailor Seaman who immediately objected to the long working hours. The way of life on the outstations had a great deal to commend it. There was no television but we always had a good radio set. There was not the pressure we were to experience in later life and we made our own entertainment. It would be nice to go round again.
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Before leaving Mwanza I had ordered a VW Beetle on the home leave scheme stipulating the date and time that I would collect it in London. This resulted in a considerable saving. The cost was £330 delivered London whilst the price in East Africa was £1250. Colin and Wendy were already in Britain, only John and Chris were with us on this trip. From Mwanza we should have returned via the capital, Dar es Salaam, as we did from Mbeya, but for some weeks I had been pointing out the futility of the extra 1600 miles via Dar, when the the [sic] aircraft would go via Entebbe in any case. Sanity prevailed and we flew by DC3 to Entebbe, a nice lunch at the Lake Vic. and a 10 hour flight to the U.K. with one stop at Benghazi. I think that was our first trip by Jet aircraft, a Comet. I have flown in many jets since then, but none as comfortable and roomy as the Comet. The following day we went to Lower Regent Street and collected our new VW Beetle, which came into the showroom one minute ahead of schedule. I was very impressed by the German organisation. I was taken into a workshop and given some useful tips about the car which was to serve us well for over 200,00 miles most of which was on murrum, our reddish East African sandy soil.
In the following six months we made good use of the car, visiting my mother in Barnoldswick, the Yorkshire Dales, and whilst up north had a rendezvous avec Ace (Ted) and Mary Foster, Ace having been our second tour Navigator. Ted recalled this many years later and remembered an incident in a Southport restaurant. We were sharing two tables with Ted and Mary and their three children, making a party of 4 adults and 7 children. Ted alleges the waitress exclaimed “By gum are these all yours?” and claims I replied “No, they are from the local orphanage, we are just taking them out for the day”. She said that was right champion and gave us a discount! I went to Liverpool also and en-route noticed that a Police car had been right behind me for several miles. I slowed down to 30 for the next five miles and eventually the blue light came on and I was stopped. “What speed were you doing Sir?” An instant reply, “29.5 m.p.h. “The officer agreed with that and said “Why, it’s a lovely road and there’s no speed limit. When you slowed down from 80 to 30 we thought you had a problem, enjoy your visit Sir”. I had a “Visitor to Britain” sticker on the back which was supposed to help a little. In Liverpool I met Stan Chadderton, our First tour Bomb Aimer. I called at Stan’s house and his wife Hilda directed me to the Gladstone Dock where Stan was working, I seem to remember being introduced to his boss and Stan was given the rest of the day off. We adjourned to the Lord Nelson Pub and reminisced well into the night about our efforts in North Africa.
We had made another acquisition whilst in Mwanza. Clearly a base was needed in Britain even if my work was to be in East Africa. Les told us of a house in Glyn Neath called Glaslyn going for £1850 on the balance of a 999 year lease. I offered to buy it if the freehold was available. It was very quickly ours at a total cost £1910 and £25 solicitor’s fees. Hilda’s Mum moved into Glaslyn and Colin and Wendy had already joined her. Glaslyn was a comfortable and handy sort of place, only a few hundred yards from Aunt Doll’s cottage.
In early December I was told to report direct to Entebbe Airport to relieve Henry Day in charge of Telecommunications. I wrote to P.W.D. in Mwanza and asked them to send on our boxes and car by Lake Steamer to
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Entebbe, and completed other arrangements. Just before Christmas I handed over the new car to the A.A. near Tower Bridge and paid £75 for shipping it to Mombassa [sic]. Then with our four children and a mass of baggage we once again booked-in at Victoria Air Terminal and shortly afterwards we realised we had just been home for six months and were then in Entebbe. The Comet aircraft was flown by Howard Iliffe, 109011! but I discovered this too late to meet him.
At Entebbe we were met by Henry Day who had been in charge for six months in an acting capacity and he made it clear that as he was now demoted – with loss of acting pay – I could not expect any co-operation from him. For 10 days we stayed in the Lake Victoria Hotel, luxurious but not at all homely and with it’s population of some hundreds of cats living on the roof. We then moved into a house with a red mbati (corrugated iron) roof. Between the ceiling and the roof was a foot of sand and if the builders had been designing an oven it would have taken some beating. The red iron absorbed the heat from a tropical sun and it was retained by the sand. Entebbe was a pretentious place, not the capital of Uganda, which was Kampala 20 miles north, but where most of the senior Gov’t officials lived. The airport was a minor one to U.K. standards but trying very had [sic] to appear important. I found the whole place docile and yet offensive, “toffee-nosed” is the phrase which comes to mind. The job itself was not at all demanding, I had a team of about 8 Engineers including Frank Unstead and Gibby. Also three Radio Officers including Henry Day and several Africans to operate the teleprinters and radio links to Nairobi. There was little for me to do personally. Airport Management was taken care of by Uganda Government officers. The East Africa High Commission, of which the Directorate of Civil Aviation was a part, was responsible for Air Traffic Control and telecommunications. About six airlines had their own Station Managers and there was a great deal of empire building which led to over-manning and inefficiency. An individual’s importance was determined by the number of his subordinates and the extent of his warrant to incur expenditure. There was a great deal of ill-feeling too, between the officers of Government and those of the High Commission, later more appropriately renamed the East Africa Common Services Organisation. The latter was responsible for all communications in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, except for the actual maintenance of roads. It included E.A. Posts & Telegraphs, Railways & Harbours, Fisheries, Meteorlogical [sic] Depts., Civil Aviation and several Medical Research establishments. Politically, the scene was complex, Kenya was a “Colony & Protectorate” – some of each – Tanganyika was a Protectorate with a United Nations mandate and Uganda a combination of twelve Kingdoms formed into a ‘State’ with 12 Kings, a Prime Minister and also a President. It had its political problems but they were not mine. Dickie Dixon was Senior Air Traffic Controller and therefore Officer i/c Navigational Services in which capacity I was his deputy. As I was not at that time a qualified Air Traffic Controller, this led to friction, and as I have already implied, Entebbe was not a happy place. The crunch came when I was told by Dickie to compile all the Annual Confidential reports, including those for Air Traffic Controllers. I told him that I did not think it proper that I should report on officers whose qualifications I did not hold myself. He should do them himself and I would write them for all the Telecommom [sic].
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staff. The previous year he had reported on the Telecomms staff and I disagreed strongly with his findings in one case, that of Gibby who, he wrote, “was slow in carrying out a job”. He was indeed slower than most, but was also the most thorough engineer in the Department. When repairing an equipment he not only repaired the current fault but also brought it right up to the manufacturer’s specification. My personal relationship with Dickie deteriorated rapidly, and rather than speak to me he would write me memos. In one of his many memos he “required” a technical explanation of a particular problem, and I replied to the effect that “as the conductivity between the two points was less than half a mho, this was inadequate for proper operation”. He wrote to my Chief in Nairobi complaining that I was taking the Mickey, and this brought him a rude reply. I could have referred to “a resistance greater than 2 ohms” instead of “a conductivity less than half a mho”, which would have been more helpful, but I made my point.
One major problem at Entebbe was the absence of schools for European children, and Colin and Wendy had to go to Nairobi and Kericho respectively, as boarders. This would have cost little had I been stationed in Kenya and paid the statutary [sic] Education Tax, but as I was stationed outside Kenya and had not paid the Kenya tax I had to pay the full boarding fees. I was not alone in this of course, it was a problem for all families of the E.A. High Commission living in Uganda.
However, I learned that in June 1958 Dinger Bell was finishing his four year tour at Kisumu in Kenya, and I managed a transfer for myself, handing-over Entebbe to an officer returning from a U.K. leave. At that time we had two cars, and I remember taking the Austin A70 to Kampala and selling it in a bar to a consortium of five Africans for £25, each chipping in with a hundred shillings. We travelled to Kisumu by road, our effects going by lake steamer. It was an easy day’s drive round the north-east shores of Lake Victoria, through Jinja, with its crocodiles at the source of the Nile. This was in the days before the level of the Owen Falls dam was raised by eight feet. It was refreshing to arrive at Kisumu, and we were pleased with everything we saw. We spent the first week in the hotel, then moved in to Dinger Bell’s house at 55 Mohammed Kassim Road, near the African Broadcasting Service transmitting Station.
Kisumu Airport had been established about 1932, and had, like Mbeya been a scheduled stop on the Empire Air Route of (the original) British Airways. The lake was ideal for the Empire Flying Boats and our staff pilot, Capt. Casperuthus had many stories of flying Hannibal biplanes into Kisumu. During the Second World War it was taken over by the R.A.F. and used extensively by Catalina amphibeans [sic] and Sunderland seaplanes. R.A.F. aircraft of most long and medium range types were regular visitors, together with the 3-motor Junkers 52 transports of the South African Air Force. With two excellent murrum runways and four hangars, it had seen some service one way and another.
The Control Tower was a small two storey building of 1932 vintage, the ground floor being taken up completely by the transmitting room. The first floor comprised the Control “tower”, a small office, and store. Originally there had been a second floor with a glass top for good all-round vision but this had been removed at the end of the war and replaced with a tiled roof. The second floor became the loft and housed the VDF antenna. I
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found the transmitters had been sadly neglected for many years. Two RCA 4336 types were used on R/T., a third on W/T., and a new Redifon GR49 NDB. There was also a dual transmitter which was not on the inventory and which had in fact been ‘liberated’ from a Catalina, before it joined the other two scuttled in the lake at the end of the war. This set was the best of the lot, and certainly my favourite. It was complete with a 110v ac supply of 600 Hz, not 60 and within a month I had modified an old T1190 power unit to drive it. The M/F section was put into use in place of the Redifon beacon, and the H/F section performed wonderfully on the amateur bands.
Being a ‘one-man station’ my working hours were long, 7 days a week and seldom a whole day off, but I had a workshop and bench and put my waiting-for-aircraft hours to very good use, mostly repairing domestic radios. The transmitters were giving a lot of trouble. As an example, whilst tuning a rotary inductance on a 4336, a two inch nail providing an electrical contact dropped out and had to be bodged up again. The GR49, although nearly new, was using modulator valves at the rate of a pair every two weeks due to a missing relay and associated wiring which had actually been left out at the factory during production. Fortunately there was a good old T1154 which acted as a standby for all transmitters except VHF, so I was able to take each transmitter in turn out of use for as long as was necessary whilst I overhauled them. As this progressed I was enjoying the practical work and decided to make use of a three-foot cabinet which was not on charge. (I inherited quite a lot of useful ‘junk’ at Kisumu!). At the Fisheries office on the lake shore, also on the airport, I found that a vehicle had demolished a rondaval (a 12 ft. diameter building constructed of aluminium). I volunteered the services of my crash-tender crew to clear up the mess and to take away the wreckage. A few days was spent by the crash crew in cutting the best of the aluminium into 19” panels of standard sizes, and suitable chassis. One of the ET4336 transmitters was going to be off the air for several weeks waiting for spares, and in order not to delay my overhaul programme I built a two-stage transmitter on one of the 3 1/2” panels. This was a 6V6 crystal oscillator driving an 807 to a dipole antenna. The operator at Nairobi reported our signals as very good and better than they had been for a long time. 20 Watts in place of 400, but it was the dipole antenna in place of a random length of wire which made all the difference. Within three weeks the 3’ cabinet contained 4 transmitters and was providing all services except VHF and M/F Beacon. The overhauling programme was completed, the official transmitters finally tested and then switched off. For the next 18 months we operated almost trouble-free. My monthly engineering reports to H.Q. in Nairobi were mainly negative and referred to “routine preventative maintenance only”. However, Sid Worthy, Chief Telecomms. Engineer was not fooled, and in due course he wrote and asked why my monthly electricity bill was only a quarter of what it had been for many years. Before I had plucked up enough courage to reply, Sid arrived unannounced and went direct to the Transmitter room, finding the four big transmitters switched off. In the Control Tower he saw my all-purpose cabinet, and to put it lightly, he was not amused. I suggested to Sid that we should make our own single-purpose transmitters and dispense with the old uneconomical general-purpose types. He agreed there was no good technical or financial argument against this but what would he do with his army of 50
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or so engineers? He compromised and allowed me to leave my own equipment in use provided I removed it a month before I left Kisumu.
One of our friends at Kisumu, Jimmie Sanson was a very keen constructor of model aircraft and several he had made were lost in the lake. His final model was a rather superior type with six-foot wingspan and single engine using alcohol as fuel. The rudder was radio-controlled on 27MHz. and the aircraft made some very impressive flights at the airport. On one occasion it went up to about 2000 feet before it ran out of fuel and for almost an hour Jimmie kept it turning over the airport. The aircraft was trimmed slightly nose-heavy but apart from turns, he had no other control. Eventually it was so far down-wind that it was lost to sight and last seen heading for the mountains. After a period of calm, the wind changed in the early evening and Jimmie and I were standing outside the Control Tower lamenting his sad loss when one of the crash Crew shouted “Bwana, Ndegi ndogo narudi”. His eyesight was far superior to ours, we saw nothing until the aircraft appeared over the end of the runway and actually landed, after a record flight of over three hours. Up-dating the radio control was the next stage and two months and about £200 later an eight function system was completed, giving control of the engine, elevators, ailerons and rudder. The machine could then be made to taxi out, take off and carry out aerobatics. The engine was used in short bursts and as there appeared to be a permanent thermal over the runways during the warm days, thirty minute flights were quite routine. Eventually the aircraft was lost over Lake Victoria and probably joined the three Catalinas on the bottom. Perhaps one day a Catalina will be recovered from their fresh-water grave, but the Sanson special was lost for ever..
My official work ran quite smoothly, with a little excitement occasionally. At 3 am one night, Nairobi Flight Information Centre phoned and asked me to open up the VHF and call Alitalia 541 which was three hours overdue in Nairobi, from Khartoum, and with no radio contact for four hours. I sped through town doing over 70 m.p.h. to my Control Tower, switched on and called the aircraft. There was a weak signal in reply and I managed to get a class C bearing of 270 degrees. A second transmission confirmed this and I told the operator he was probably over the Congo, but certainly well to the west of Kisumu. I told him QDM Kisumu 090, but the pilot would not agree and said he was east of Kisumu, not west, and approaching Mombassa [sic]! His signals faded right out and I telephoned F.I.C. asking them to log the QDM of 090C that I had passed to the aircraft. After half an hour, whilst F.I.C was sending frantic messages to all points west, I heard the aircraft calling Kisumu and was soon in good contact giving QDM’s, his signals gradually improving. It was just 0530, 20 minutes before first light when I heard the aircraft and sent out the boys to light-up the gooseneck flares. Then he was overhead and decided to carry on to Nairobi. This was rather disappointing, and in fact the wrong decision, his endurance being insufficient for any further diversion. I was told much later that the Captain and Navigator had a row before take-off and were not on speaking terms. The aircraft was a DC8 and the Italian crew and passengers had been very lucky indeed. The police followed me through town and I was charged with speeding, but the fine of 60 shillings was refunded later by the court when the urgency became known.
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Some weeks later Nairobi F.I.C. phoned again, about 4 am., an Air Liban DC6 from Cairo was lost and was not within the scope of Nairobi VDF. The aircraft had made a brief contact on the area cover VHF through Lodwa, and another aircraft north-east of Kisumu had heard the DC6, but of course had no idea of range or direction. This time I went through town at a more reasonable speed, opened up the radio, and called Air Liban. The crash crew was called out and the boys started dispensing paraffin and setting out the flares right away. I called Nairobi on 5680 H/F R/T to establish my station was on the ball, and every two minutes called the Lebanese Airlines aircraft. About 20 minutes later the aircraft replied to my call and I gave him a QDM of 225, and was satisfied there was no risk of it being the reciprocal. Three minutes later I measured 230 and then 235. He said his Giro compass was u/s and his magnetic compass erratic, and that he would use a standby giro, set to my figure. He turned 10 degrees to port and the QDM increased, 10 degrees to starboard and the figure decreased, so he was heading for Kisumu, and not going away from it. The bearings were given every two minutes and were reasonably steady, and after about 25 minutes the pilot said he thought he could see the coast, meaning the shores of Lake Victoria. It was still very dark but a clear night (not a contradiction of terms) and the boys hurtled out to light up the goosenecks. I told the pilot the wind was north-easterly at 15 knots, he was down wind, duty runway 06. I reminded him of the very high ground 2 miles to the north of the airport and he replied “O.K. Bud, Thanks a lot, I’ll come straight in on 24, hope youv’e [sic] got some gas, we shure [sic] ain’t [sic]”. A few minutes later he made a good landing and parked outside the 1932 wooden terminal building. The Captain of the Air Liban DC6 was an American pre-war Veteran. I had completely forgotten to tell the East African Airways agent but did so at 0545. There was no catering at the airport so he found some buses and the passengers were taken to the hotel. I was also late in phoning the police who dealt with immigration, but they hadn’t a clue how to deal with 60 international transit passengers. Similarly, it was a new experience for Customs, so both departments decided to pretend it hadn’t happened.
The Captain asked me to tell the non-English-speaking African Shell Assistant to put 3000 gallons of 100 octane into the tanks. I translated to the startled assistant “Bwana Mkubwa anataka gallon elfu tatu, pipa sabini na tano”. That was 75 drums of petrol to be pumped by hand. Finally he compromised with 400 gallons, but it was still quite a task, even with only 10 drums.
The Captain was concerned about the limited fuel and lack of a reliable compass and we double-checked that the met. conditions to Nairobi were near perfect. A scheduled DC3 of East African Airways came in at 10am. And was taking off for Nairobi at 11 am. The two pilots talked together at length and studied the map. The DC6 took-off three minutes after the Dakota and the two remained in visual contact until Nairobi was in sight. Surprisingly, the DC6 did not carry a radio compass for M/F but relied entirely on VHF, which, in East and Central Africa was quite inadequate.
I was criticised by DCA for not informing them in detail of progress, and was conscious of this at the time, but had I done so, they would have confused the issue with lots of advice. A civilian airliner without a reliable compass would be a major issue. I operated an “aerodrome
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advisory service”, not being an Air Traffic Controller. F.I.C. would have tried to control my detailed activity, but with a bit of common sense, things worked out well.
The visit of Her Majesty the Queen Mother to Kisumu went off smoothly except that two European Police Inspectors on the airport main gate refused permission for me to enter without a permit. One of my passengers, an R.A.F. Wing Commander leaned out and said he was the Queen’s Pilot, better open the gate old chap. Police had been drafted in for this event from hundreds of miles. I remember little else about the Royal Visit, or it’s main purpose. On these occasions most of the senior officials climbed in on the act, establishing their own importance.
I do remember in detail the visit of Billy Graham. My brief from the organising committee was to provide the Public Address systems. The main system had to cope with an audience of 30,000 people, with three microphones for which I borrowed a 300 watt amplifier from Twenche Overseas Trading Co. in Nairobi and used my four 100 watt loudspeakers. In addition there were six other systems for separate areas where the audience spoke only their tribal languages. Each of the six would hear Billie Graham plus one interpreter translating into the appropriate tribal language for that particular group. There were nine microphones on the platform for the evagelist [sic] and 8 interpretors [sic]. In addition the Post Office ran a special line about a mile at the end of which they connected a candlestick type of telephone with a carbon microphone and place it with my nine microphones. This relayed the proceedings to another mass meeting in Nairobi. The microphone was ineffective until I connected the P.O. line direct to the main amplifier output via a suitable transformer. Billie Graham had a very efficient team. Harley and Bonnie Richardson are two I remember, both very hard working and leaving nothing to chance. They were backed-up by representatives from most church denominations.
The following Christmas, the missionaries approached me again, could I use my loudspeakers at the Church to simulate bells on Christmas morning. An interesting proposition, and someone had written to Bradford Cathedral to scrounge a tape of the Cathedral bells. I had to edit the tape considerably, as every two a rich Yorkshire-accented voice was superimposed with “You are listening to the bells of Bradford Cathedral”. I set-up the amplifier and loudspeakers at the Church at about 7 pm. On Christmas-eve and tested the system with a record of carols. Within minutes, people began to gather and joined in. The Vicar asked if I could connect a microphone and in no time at all he was conducting an impromptu carol service with a bigger congregation than he had enjoyed for a long time, well over 1500. At 7 am next morning I relayed the bells of Bradford Cathedral, but could not resist pre-empting them with a verse of ‘Christians awake’. The loudspeakers were in constant demand and were in use every day for two weeks during H.H. the Aga Khan’s visit. Events included H.E. the Governor’s barazas, opening a ginnery and so on, all official requests from the Provincial Commissioner. I was spending so much time away from the airport that I fitted a TCS12 Transmitter and a good H/F receiver in the car to work aircraft and keep in touch with the airport. At the African hospital I fitted a receiver and 50 Watt Vortexion amplifier imported by my father, and installed 30 loudspeakers round the wards. This was followed by a similar
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job at an American mission hospital about 30 miles from Kisumu, but more ambitious with microphones, tape recorder and record player. At the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Kisumu I fitted an amplifier and loudspeakers with microphones on the Altar and pulpit. Another system was fitted at the African Community Centre in Kisumu and one way and another I was kept very busy indeed.
The transmitter in the car was used also on the 40 metre amateur band to keep in touch with my father and amateur chums in Nairobi and other parts of East Africa. On one occasion Tom Mboya took an interest in it and was quite impressed. Tom was a Luo by tribe and a party leader of the Kenya African Democratic Union, a very nice chap with an attractive wife Pamella [sic], daughter of Mr. Odede, a Kisumu lawyer. Tom wanted to buy the transmitter but for me to sell it to him would not have been wise. Later Tom was shot and killed in Nairobi.
Kisumu was fairly well populated and within 10 miles or so of town we saw very few wild animals. The two exceptions were the protected herd of impala in Kisumu township and the hippo which abounded on the lake shore. They came ashore at night to graze and I encountered them on the aerodrome several times. One rather amusing occurrence, the airport was wide in area and Africans frequently trekked across the runway and even drove their cattle over it at most inappropriate times. On several occasions I impounded the cattle after due warnings and charged the owners with trespass under section 69 of the Colonial Air Navigation Act. When I found the offenders were getting six month’s imprisonment and losing their cattle, I stopped charging them and the Police insisted upon taking over this task. Finally they agreed to drop the practice, when I told them that I doubted whether the Colonial Air Navigation Act really applied in Kenya and in any case I had invented the content of section 69. However, the runways had to be watched carefully and checked every time there was an aircraft movement.
One morning at Kisumu a uniformed Prisons Askari I had known at Nairobi Prison in 1950 came to my Control Tower and after a smart salute handed me a note saying it was from Bwana Mkubwa ya Ndegi. It was from Commander Stacey-Colles R.N. Ret’d., my former boss and previous Director of Civil Aviation. He had arrived at Kisumu Prison only two hours earlier, and was serving a three year sentence. He had been found guilty of receiving money, a refund of an airline ticket issued by the High Commission and which he did not use. At the time he was in Britain having travelled home on a complimentary ticket from Air France. The official ticket was handed in to East African Airways and a refund obtained which was paid into his bank instead of the High Commission’s account. He claimed no knowledge of this and most of us believed him. He would not prejudice his career and Navy pension in this way, someone had fixed him. The note was a list of things he wanted, which I soon assembled and took to him at Kisumu prison, where I found I knew the Prisons Officer from 1950. A very embarrassing situation. I met Stacey and gave him the radio, writing materials, money, cigarettes and cakes from Hilda, on the first of many visits. Three days later the Askari was back with a long message in code for Muriel Pardoe, his former secretary in Nairobi. I sent this off straight away on the aeronautical W/T channel, addressed to HKNCHQPA, the ICAO address which would reach Miss Pardoe from any airport in the western world. HK was Kenya, NC Nairobi City, HQ DCA
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Headquarters and PA Personal Ast. To the Director. The code was in five letter groups with a double substitution of letters, a similar system to that used during the war.
The message was decoded by Muriel who obtained whatever it was Stacey was asking for and gave it to Capt. Casperuthus who was DCA pilot of the Avro Anson. Casper gave it to the Controller at Wilson airport who passed it to a pilot about to depart for Kisumu. The pilot handed it to me at Kisumu and I delivered it – whatever it was – to Stacey in prison the same day. Three days later the radio set came back to me with the askari, not working. Two of the valves had been swapped over, and I noticed a piece of paxeline had been fitted neatly inside the bottom of the set, forming a false bottom. Under it was a note asking me if I could fit a B.F.O. into it. This was a beat frequency oscillator and Stacey could want it for only one reason, to monitor morse, probably on the Prisons channel, to see what was happening. There were two spare holes for valve holders on the chassis and plenty of space for fitting a mains power supply, vacant in this case because it was a dry-battery receiver. I fitted the B.F.O. as requested, and also another valve as a flea-power transmitter, using just a channel freq. crystal about 6.5 MHz and a tuned circuit on the anode. Maybe 50 mW output, I had no means of measuring it, but I tested the set at a range of 2 miles using 3 feet of wire for an aerial it was received at the control tower. The morse key was just a matter of touching a wire to the chassis. I returned the set to Stacey personally and explained the switching of the B.F.O. and transmitter keying. He was delighted and agreed to be very careful, taking absolutely no-one into his confidence. About six weeks later I met my former colleague the Prisons Officer in town and he told me there was some concern over the prisoners getting confidential information before he received it himself. He quoted that a week ago a prisoner asked if he could change cells and share with a particular prisoner who would be transferred to Kisumu with three others on a date a week hence. He said the four arrived that day, how could the prisoner have known a week ago? It should have been obvious, there were many ex-service personnel who were good W/T operators and the Prisons Radio on 7 MHz could be monitored by anyone, the signals being in plain language morse. I said nothing. Stacey’s frequency was monitored at my office where I had a similar tiny transmitter. It was used at a specific time of day on only two occasions for test purposes, but he found it satisfying and consoling to have a personal and totally clandestine link to the outside world. It gave him a great deal of satisfaction and from my point of view did no real harm. Stacey was a great organiser and motivator.
The African Inland Mission in Mwanza had colleagues in the Sudan [author indicates with X and page footnote that it is Kisumu not Mwanza] who visited Kisumu frequently in their Cessna aircraft. They desperately needed two transmitters in the Sudan but were not able to obtain import permits. They could however get a permit to re-import a transmitter if it had been sent out of the country for repair. I suggested to them that they should send me a piece of otherwise useless equipment which might look like a transmitter to the uninitiated and send it to me as a transmitter for repair, together with the appropriate paper work. This was done and in an antenna tuning unit they brought me, I built a 10 Watt transmitter without changing it’s outward appearance in any way. A few weeks later a second one was built and the two did a very useful job in the Sudan for about six
[KISUMU NOT MWANZA]
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months until the African Inland Mission stations there were closed, and the missionaries withdrawn. The missions’ aircraft were also licenced on that frequency and I contacted them occasionally. It is most reassuring to be able to communicate with someone in times of trouble, and plenty of folks in Africa were in that situation.
But trouble was also brewing in the Belgian Congo, just across the Lake. Six months earlier, the Belgian Government had advised the missionaries and other settlers to leave, but many were dedicated to their work and some felt they were quite indespensible [sic]. The Belgiauns [sic] had handed over the reins of Government and administration hurriedly to a totally ill-equipped and unprepared Congolese. The consequences of withdrawal by the Belgians were clearly predictable but they succumbed to political pressures from all directions. There was human slaughter on a big scale, and the only information coming out of the Congo was on the frequency of 7150 operated by Mission stations, and also shared with East African amateurs. It was in Kisumu that I received a message from a mission at an Agricultural Station which read:-
“We are being menaced by 100,000 hostile savages. We have their chief as hostage and expect annihilation within one hour. We have ammunition but no guns, please advise Kamina”.
The amateurs among the DCA staff in Nairobi, of whom Viv Slight was one, had set up a W/T link to the Belgian Coast Station at Ostend, using a communications booth in the D.C.A. Communications centre and a powerful DCA transmitter at R.A.F. Eastleigh.. I relayed the message direct to them on the aeronautical W/T channel, and Nairobi passed it straight to Ostend, with a steady flow of other messages. Ostend relayed it to Brussels who passed it to the Military where it was relayed on it’s final leg back to Africa, to the Belgian Paratroop Base at Kamina. Within 20 minutes of my receiving the message at Kisumu, the paratroopers were airborne and the Agricultural Station was liberated. Hardly had I cleared the message when I received a correction to it which advised:
“Not one hundred thousand savages, only ten thousand”
When I passed this to Nairobi, the reply was “What’s the bloody difference”
There were many such stories during the evacuation of Europeans from the Congo. Uganda was the main escape route and DCA Nairobi asked that any aircraft available and pilots who could make it, should get to Entebbe and help in the evacuation regardless of Certificates of Airworthiness and Pilot’s licences. One of my ex-pilot friends evacuated about thirty people in several trips in a Rapide aircraft. The last aircraft he had flown was a Beaufighter during the war. Some thousands were got out from the Congo, one way or another, mostly via Kampala and Kisumu. The Kenya Girls’ High School in Nairobi (known as the Boma) was turned into a Medical Reception Centre the records of which show the dreadful experiences and medical remedial action taken. Wendy reminded me that she and all the other girls who were not taking G.C.E..s were sent home a week before the term was due to end, to maked [sic] room for the refugees. At Kisumu I met many who came out by road. Two middle-aged ladies came to my Control Tower and one phoned her parents in
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the United States with a terrible story of pillage and rape. A third, more elderly, who had three American Doctorate degrees – Medicine, Divinity and a PhD. – had devoted her entire working life to helping and teaching Africans, but she said a lifetime had made only a superficial advance from their savagery.
Most of our memories of Kisumu were of happier days. There was an excellent social club but we were not members due only to the lack of time. The children made good use of the swimming pool, the lake being too dangerous, not only with its hippo and crocs. but with Bilharzia and hook worm. Hilda enjoyed her painting and drawing and we even managed to take a few photographs.
After nearly three years at Kisumu, Colin was still at the Prince of Wales School in Nairobi and with Wendy at the ‘Boma’ we were not seeing very much of either. And so a transfer was arranged and we packed up our household once again and moved to Nairobi, to a lovely house in Nairne Road, near Wendy’s school.
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[underlined] D.C.A. HEADQUARTERS [/underlined]
It was then June 1960, the Mau Mau emergency was still with us, but 84 Squadron had finished their bombing of the Aberdares which had raised the eyebrows of a few ‘hasbeens’ like myself. I had talked with the crews of the R.A.F. Lincolns some time earlier at R.A.F. Eastleigh and it all seemed very unreal to me. Perfect weather, ceiling and visibility generally unlimited and no enemy opposition from either the air or ground. Bombing over the bush was a matter of a timed run at a specific speed from a firmly identified point on the ground. Hardly a challenge for the Chaddertons and Fosters of this world and I don’t know what comprised a tour. It reminded me of O.T.U. where I saw the log book of a fellow-instructor with 40 ops. to his credit. His first tour ops were shown in the normal way, Benghazi 0340, Benghazi 0345, Benghazi 0342, Benghazi 0350, about 6 pages of Benghazi and no other target. But then, there are those among us who never bombed B.G., so the song goes. I could visualise the log books with several pages of ‘Aberdares 0125…”. Some of the Africans reckoned it was “mzuri sana” (very good) for the terrorists, the bombing just laid on a supply of fresh meat without their having to hunt for it, but there was probably more to it than that.
My place of work was the Communications Centre in the High Commission Building, on the top floor, above the Inland Revenue office. My duties were those of Telecomms. Supt. i/c a watch, responsible for the operation of the telecommunications system. We were not really concerned with aeroplanes, only messages about their movements. We had Radio Teleprinter circuits with Johannesburg, Khartoum, Der es Salaam, Entebbe, and Gan, and teleprinters on line to R.A.F. Eastleigh, Wilson Airport, Nairobi (Embakasi) and the Flight Information Centre next door. Our internal communications, that is within East Africa, were mainly by W/T links, to Iringa, Songea, Mbeya, Mwanza, Tanga, Dodoma, Arusha, Kisumu etc. Every teleprinter link had a standby W/T channel and most of these were resorted to in the early mornings, about 4 to 6 am. Brazaville [sic] and Leopoldville in the Congo were only on W/T but there was little traffic to the west and none to the east except Gan. With Gan, we operated an emergency channel with a test message every twenty minutes, to supplement the R.A.F. network if required, but they seemed to manage quite well without us. We handled about 20,000 incoming messages per day in the Tape Relay Centre, and apart from one or two all had to be relayed out again and logged. We also had three ground to Air operating booths, two of which were always manned, working aircraft, one on HF/RT and the other HF/WT. The European Radio Officers preferred the latter, where often three messages per minute were handled for long periods.
As soon as an aircraft left, say, Khartoum, a message would be sent on the Fixed Service by RTTY to the Tape Relay centre which should reach F.I.C. within a few minutes of being originated, requiring two relays, at Khartoum and Nairobi Tape Relay Centres. The system was that the pilot would not need to call Nairobi until he reached the Flight Information Region Boundry [inserted] Boundary [/inserted] at 4 degrees North, as Nairobi F.I.C. should have already received all the information by teleprinter. However, this being Africa and therefore supposedly not very efficient, the pilot would call Nairobi as soon as he could after take-off, on HF/RT. On the older propeller jobs, (the real aeroplanes), this would have been
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carried out by the Radio Officer on W/T., where just a few groups in code meant a great deal, for example:-.
ZGU de VPKKL Nairobi this is VPKKL
QTN STKM 0201Z I departed Khartoum at 0201 GMT
QAH 24 TTT QBH My height is 24,000 ft. below cloud
QRE HKNA 0718 I am estimating Nairobi Airport at 0718
QRX FIR I will call you again at the Flight Information Boundary
The Radio Officer would write those 14 groups onto a pad and his Clerk would put two copies through the hatch to the Air Traffic Controller.
The Clerk would spend most of his time putting carbon paper between the pages, it was fast going during the busy periods, but was even faster before HF/RT was introduced.
The aircraft would remain in constant contact with Khartoum on VHF until it reached 4 deg. N. when Nairobi would become responsible. Many aircraft were still using W/T at the time. There was no really conscious use of code, it was as commonplace as plain language and to a radio operator the two were synonimous, [sic] as were the many technical and other abbreviations. One example which comes to mind was at a Board of Enquiry into an accident where an aircraft had crashed into Mt. Kilimanjaro. An elderly judge asked the Ground Radio Officer if there had been any radio message, and the R/O replied “Yes, I last worked the aircraft on C.W. at 0247” “What is C.W.?” asked the Judge, and the reply “C.W. is Charlie Whisky your worship” and the Judge nearly gave up, maybe thinking whether Irish or Scotch.
Some Radio Officers preferred to transcribe the morse and speech messages straight onto a teleprinter which produced a simultaneous page copy in front of the controller, but this method was not very popular. With several aircraft calling at the same time it was easy to make a mistake but too slow to correct it on the teleprinter. The F.I.C. Controller operated the VHF himself. The whole set-up was very well thought out and we were very well equipped. Communications were our line of business and we were highly organised.
The tour of duty was rather longer in Nairobi, where one had to work for 4 years to earn 6 month’s leave, compared to only 2 1/2 years in Tanganyika. I believe there was some reduction for the Kenya coastal strip. These were the rules established when East Africa was supposed to be an unhealthy and hostile place, and most of the Europeans were Administration officials. I always felt the home leave terms were over-generous, as we also enjoyed three weeks of “local leave” each year with railway warrants provided to any part of east Africa. Where there was no railway to our particular ‘holiday resort’ or we chose to travel by car we could claim car mileage costs. Most people preferred to go on leave by sea, depending upon the time of year, possibly home on a 10 day voyage via suez, returning on a 3 week cruise via the Cape of Good Hope, on Union Castle liners. Some preferred the long way round both ways, spending as much time at sea as possible and thus economising
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on accommodation costs in the U.K. My only experience of sea travel had been the four troop-ships and Hilda claimed she couldn’t swim; we wanted to spend as much time as possible with the folks back home so we chose to travel by air every time.
Within a year of our return to Nairobi, June 1961, political unrest was well to the fore and getting worse. Alice, my step-mother, was a Senior Secretary to an African Minister in the Secretariat, and felt it was getting too dangerous to remain. Luigi and Mary had already retired to Italy and Alice was preparing to join them. Most of us were expecting the balloon to go up at any moment and people were getting jittery. We had been close to the hiatus in the Congo and the more recent mutinies of the armies of Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda, and Europeans were beginning to leave. The weight of evidence of impending disaster was overwhelming and towards the end of June Hilda returned with the four youngest children to U.K., Colin remaining at the Prince of Wales School as a boarder. Alice and Brian returned to Italy shortly after and my father moved in with me at Nairne Road. My father and I had become very involved with emergency communications for the settlers up-country, which dominated our lives for the next few years, but this is a story unto itself and is dealt with in the chapter “Laikipia Security Network”. The mutinies referred to occurred soon after the British Forces had left Kenya, and the emergency was declared officially over. Some European Service personnel remained as advisers to the Kenya army - there was no Kenya Navy and the Kenya Air Force existed mainly on paper but with a few light aircraft. We awoke one morning to the news that the three separate armies many hundreds of miles apart, had thrown out their European officers and declared themselves independent of any authority. Within 48 hours and before they could organise themselves and cause any damage, very small forces of British troops appeared simultaneously near Nairobi, Jinja and Dar es Salaam, subdued and disarmed the lot, without any loss of life or limb. I recall a cartoon in the East African Standard, showing Jomo Kenyatta with both arms raised to paratroopers dropping from aircraft and the caption “How good it is to welcome old friends” - His arch-enemies for 10 years or so. I saw several hundred African soldiers sitting on the grass at Wilson Airport with three European soldiers guarding them with machine guns. There was a large pile of rifles and other weapons nearby, also guarded.
Life was not all traumatic, however, we had the occasional laugh. One of our officers, MacDonald, was on official leave of absence quite frequently and we understood he was masterminding a very hush-hush communications link direct to U.K. from Government House and even satellites had been mentioned furtively. This was before the days of the Sputnik when satellites were a part of science fiction. He was one of the [underlined] firt [sic] [/underlined] to retire and as he was leaving he let us into the secret. Mac. had indeed spent a great deal of time at Government House. He was a master baker and was responsible literally for the icing of the cake. He told us also that when he joined the Dept. he stated that his qualifications included a final City & Guilds Certificate. They did, he confided, as a Master Baker, but not in telecommunications.
One Sunday morning in October on duty at the Comm. Centre I found my African Supervisor was monitoring Reuter on teleprinter, and looking over his shoulder I read on the page copy that thousands of Africans armed to the teeth were surrounding the High Commission building and holding hostage the
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Europeans working inside. The report gave more detail of riots and demonstrations and gave the impression that we were really in trouble. I went out through a window and onto the flat roof of the High Commission building and gingerly looked over the parapet entitled to expect a hail of bullets. On the road was a police car with two officers watching a group of about 20 Africans, some of them supporting two banners on which was written “Wazungu Rudi Uliya” (Europeans return to Europe). That was the extent of the demonstration reported to the entire world in Reuter’s message. Had it occured [sic] in Cambridge it would not even have received a mention in the free local papers.
My tour of duty ended in December and I relinquished the house, my father moving into Plums Hotel. A nine hour flight to London, and I was home for Christmas.
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[underlined] Dec. ’61 ON LEAVE [/underlined]
Hilda and Anne came to London and I met them at Paddington. We intend to spend a week with Joan and enjoy a holiday in London, but Hilda had a rather worrying cold so we limited our stay to two days.
The next six months or so were spent on leave. With the exception of Colin who was in the R.A.F., the whole family was together in Wales at Glaslyn. My father was in Nairobi, and his regular letters referred to increasing unrest. He was working flat-out in building the ‘Watson Wonders’ and he asked me to take back 500 B7G valve holders and 150 modulation chokes
In May ’62 I said goodbye to the family and returned to Kenya. As I was unaccompanied, Sid Worthy the Chief Engineer asked me if I would housewarm for him whilst he was on his 6 months leave. This meant that he paid the rent but could just walk out without packing up his household and walk back into the same apartment on his return. There was a tendency for senior officers who were permanently based in Nairobi to try and retain the same house or apartment once they had found the right one. Rent was in fact 10% of salary and it was well worth it. My father moved in with me and together we carried on with the transmitters, having rented a workshop next to Stephen Ellis in Victoria Street. After only 3 months in the apartment I received a letter from Sid telling me he was returning immediately, could he please have his flat only a few days hence!. The following morning we were going up-country and I could see my father was a more than little depressed. He was driving like a madman down the Nairobi escarpment and I insisted that he let me do the driving. He told me he had to go to Mombassa [sic] next day, having received a telegram from Alice that she and Brian were returning on the Union Castle. This was supposed to be a surprise to him and I did not doubt that it was so, but Alice admitted later that she had in fact booked return tickets on the homeward trip. She had been totally dishonest in her statements about her intentions which had resulted in Hilda and the children staying in Wales. Our safari was cut short and we returned to Nairobi the same day, a 500 mile round trip. Alice’s return meant a complete change in plan; clearly she and my father expected to share my accommodation but with Sid’s return they had no option but to move into an hotel again. They were lucky in obtaining a couple of rooms at Plums, after only two nights in the flat. I moved into Woodlands Hotel, but applied for a housing allocation as my family had decided to return to Kenya. Hilda and the children rejoined [sic] me and we moved into a house at Likoni Lane, resuming a normal life except that it was dominated by the Laikipia network and work at the Comm. Centre. Within a year of my return I was promoted to Asst. Signals Officer and took over from Mike Harding As [sic] Officer in charge of the Communications Centre. This I had tried to avoid for a long time, not the responsibility, but the working hours. The new post meant working office hours and for the first time in my life I was working a five-day-week. On watches it had been a four-day cycle of say monday afternoon, tuesday morning and all tuesday night, then off duty until friday afternoon. The 2 1/2 days off within every 4 days had suited me very well and was a very popular roster with everyone. Office hours curtailed my visits up-country except at week-ends, but I did have every evening free. Very soon, each European Radio Supt. In charge of a watch had an African trainee assistant. Shortly afterwards one joined me. They were all supposedly bright boys from Secondary School and we delegated the routine work to them as much as possible. Their presence was resented by the old-timers among the
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wireless operators, who knew what they were doing and were very good operators, but their educational background was inadequate for the senior posts. Africanisation was the policy dictated to us and we bowed to the inevitable. I trusted most of my Africans, and there were about 180 of them working on the 4-day Watch roster at the Communications centre. Although many of them had served with the British Army both during and after the war, I could not completely lose sight of the fact that some had taken part in the Lare massacre when an African village was set ablaze and almost everyone slaughtered as they tried to escape. The majority of my staff were from the three main problem tribes, the Kikuyu, Meru and Embu, and a few of the Luo tribe from Nyanza.
My father’s farm had been abandoned long ago. It was not possible to obtain reliable labour during the Emergency, and the whole of the European settled areas was to be handed over to the Africans. There were already very few farmers left in the Trans-Nzoia and the Eldoret areas, the latter being mainly from South Africa. The Laikipia farmers were the last to hold out, except perhaps for the bigger ranches near Athi River.
Our next home leave was in June 1964 and the story of my activity over the three years leading up to it is synonymous with that of the Laikipia Security Network. The network seemed to priority over everything, but lives were at stake. Occasionally Hilda and the Children would go up-country with me, and one memorable week-end was spent with Tony Dyer and Family at their lovely home facing Mount Kenya. One afternoon Tony asked the children if they would like to go to a polo match and they took off in Tony’s Cessna from their own front door, landing at the side of the pitch. One of Tony’s sons was killed some months later whilst taking a gun out of the back of his vehicle. It was never discovered how the gun came to be loaded and with the safety catch off. Hilda and the children stayed too at the farm of Dr. Anne Spoerry, at Ol Kalau. Anne’s loo was a traditional type in the bushes down the garden, very comfortable and lined with bookshelves, full of the Lancet and other medical journals. Anne was a wonderful character. Only once did we go to the coast for a holiday, and this was two weeks spent at Likoni, near Mombassa [sic]. Unfortunately we chose to go in the rainy season but it was a welcome break. We took Chippy, our cockerel, and it followed us around everywhere, afraid of absolutely nothing. Chippy returned home one day in Nairobi with a broken beak and was unable to peck for food. Fortunately Jean and Dick Chalcroft came to stay overnight with us and Dick fitted a new lower section to the beak with the plastic resin we used in making dipole aerials.. It took an hour to cure, or set, and Jean and Dick held Chippy during that period, and again whilst they filed down the surplus plastic and polished the result. Chippy was ravenous and began to feed straight away, but was very aggressive towards humans, except for Jean and Dick, who took him back to their farm at Molo. I saw Chippy several times after that at the farm, lording it over the hens, and not another cockerel in sight.
One day I bought a petrol/paraffin engine-driven alternator and a bank of batteries, a complete 32 volt lighting set in fact, too good to miss for £25 in Nairobi. The dealer said the engine wouldn’t start although it had just been thoroughly overhauled. I knew that Jean and Dick were without power on their farm although their house was wired for a 32 volt DC system such as this. I knew too of Jean’s prowess with anything mechanical and I took the whole lot straight up to the farm at Molo. At 10pm. on the Saturday Jean started stripping down the engine whilst I was linking together the 26 alkaline cells
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and checking the house wiring connected to my car battery. Jean, assisted by Dick slogged on until 5am. in the light of an Alladin lamp, but she had discovered the trouble long before that. The timing was exactly 180 degrees out of phase. At 5am, just before dawn, the batteries being flat, Jean cranked the engine which roared into life, literally, we were deficient of a silencer for the exhaust. The batteries were taking a charge and we changed from petrol to paraffin and switched on a few lights in the house. The following evening the Chalcrofts were very proud of their lighting system. That sort of effort and co-operation did give one a great deal of satisfaction.
My recollections of work in D.C.A. over that period are very few.
We seldom talked of the war, but in the middle of one night I somehow got chatting to the F.I.C. Controller, Sqdn Ldr. Anderson DFC & Bar, who had also been in 5 Group on Lancasters. Andy said we were sometimes like a lot of sheep, he recalled one night having reached his ETA, all was very quiet except that markers had been dropped 20 miles to the south. Within minutes bombs were crashing down so Andie turned south for five minutes and joined in. Next day it was found that the target was 20 miles north of where most of the bombing had taken place. My reply was just “Politz”, we had done exactly the same thing, followed the flock. We talked together of flying during the war, several times, but my memories of the actual events are more vivid now, after 45 years, than they were 25 years ago. Perhaps because there was not a great deal in East Africa to remind me of it, compared to today, living 4 miles from Wyton on the approach to Alconbury. To see the Lancaster of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly over gives me rather more than a lump in my throat at times. Pathfinder House is not what it was with Don Bennet, either, it is now the place where I pay my rates, but they at least have a picture of a Lancaster on the wall near the Cashier’s office. A couple of years ago I asked one of the cashiers why it was called Pathfinder House, she had no idea, I asked what the aeroplane was and the answer was the same. I let the matter drop.
I had taken over the comm. Centre from Mike Harding who had retired prematurely, and his immediate predecessor had been “Bing” Crosby, ex Royal Signals. Bing was in Headquarters just along the corridor and came into my office every day to inspect an object pickled in a sealed jar which he had left on the shelf when he was promoted. Although he urged us to take good care of it, he used to look at it and say to it “You useless ruddy thing”, or words to that effect. Finally, on retirement, he came and collected it and let us into the secret, with the parting words “Oh don’t worry, the other one’s fine, you only need one you know”.
Alice and my father had left in May for Italy, to stay with Mary and Luigi. My own feelings were that he should have stayed in Kenya, possibly up country with Jean or with one of his many other friends among the Settlers. He had worked unceasingly on the network for over 4 years, but Alice insisted upon their return to Europe. In June ’64 it was time for home leave again. We were reluctant this time because there was so much happening up country and we expected it to be our final tour in East Africa together, unless I returned and carried on with communications on a commercial basis. This was still an option, communications had kept me very busy and with lots of ‘job satisfaction’, but it was DCA who had paid my salary. I still had a family to support, and there was a great deal of uncertainty in Kenya. And so it was we flew to London yet again, and joined Hilda’s Mum at Glaslyn.
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[underlined] ON LEAVE June 1964 [/underlined]
Before leaving for Wales we bought a second-hand Vanguard from a dealer in Putney which was to prove very useful in the next few months. At the end of our leave it was sold to the local Policeman for the same price.
A month or two before we returned, the house next to Aunt Doll had become vacant and was put on the market for £500. It was small and in shocking state, but a real snip so we bought it. Five months was spent in refurbishing it, building a bathroom, kitchen, replastering, new fireplace, rewiring etc. I remember John mixing at least a ton of concrete manually, he was a tremendous help. Electricity at the house had not been used for many years, and what little wiring remained, mostly twin flex, we ripped out. Electrical contractors quoted £900 to rewire, which was totally ridiculous, and finally John and I did it in one day, having spent about £50 on materials through an advert in Exchange & Mart. We tried to buy the field - or even part of it - at the back - of the house, but our lawyer said it was quite impossible to find out who owned the land. Many years later it transpired that it had in fact been owned for at least a hundred years by members of his own family.
Visits were paid to my other in Barnoldswick and to Joan and Ken in London, but the greater part of my leave was spent on the ‘new house’.
At the end of April Hilda’s Mum moved into her new home and made comfortable. From the house there was a wonderful view of the mountain separating the Neath and Rhonda valleys, with the river within 25 yards in the foreground. Perhaps it is only fair to mention the road between the house and river, but when the bypass was built a few years later this road carried little traffic.
In November ’64 I returned to Kenya unaccompanied, and being so, moved into Woodlands Hotel. The following day I was in touch with Laikipia and also back at work. I relieved Mike Harding as Asst. Signals Officer in Headquarters, Deputy to ‘Spud’ Murphy who was Telecommunications Officer (Operations). The job was just a matter of dealing with the steady flow of paper-work. Every piece of paper coming in was registered in Central Registry and filed by the Clerk. If he couldn’t decide which file to put it, he would open a new one. The file was then delivered - and booked out - to the officer thought to be the one who should deal with it. The officer would either add his comments as a minute and pass on the file to someone he thought might not return it to him, or if he felt he was authorised to make a decision, draft a letter for his immediate superior. Very occasionally, on an external matter he might even sign the letter “for the Director of Civil Aviation”. I was expected to finalise all matters concerning the operational aspect of the Telecommunications side of DCA, including all staff problems, their examinations and promotions.
Europeans were leaving the Directorate almost every week and being replaced by Africans. Those with African proteges training to take over the senior posts were most vulnerable. The Africans thought it was easy to sit back and authorise someone to go on leave, or to promote or reprimand another. The newcomers could read the many returns and forms but whereas a European officer could do every job subordinate to his own, the assistant had neither the experience, qualifications nor ability to do those jobs. In some cases the African was promoted and his former boss remained as his assistant. It was
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obvious who did the actual work. I found the work uninteresting, mainly it seemed just a matter of going through the motions and staying out of trouble by being non-committal, which was completely out of character. My main thoughts were with the 5190 Network, something that really mattered.
Sqdn. Ldr. Anderson was still with us and when he went on two week’s leave to the coast he asked me to sleep at his house, which made a welcome change from staying at the hotel. At about 3am on the third night there was a hullabaloo outside and a pounding on the door. “Police, open up”. I opened up, 9mm. Mauser ready, to be greeted by an African Police Inspector and about 15 Askari with enough weaponry to start a rebellion. Andy had told the Police he would be away for two weeks and would they please keep an eye on the house? I told them he had asked me to sleep there but they were not convinced. All my documents were at the hotel and eventually the Inspector ‘phoned the Acting Director of Civil Aviation at his house - Dickie Dixon, my old antagonist from Entebbe. Dickie was not amused, he never was, with me, but the Inspector was satisfied. A few nights later, about 10pm. I was lying on the bed reading, the house in darkness except for a small reading lamp. I heard footsteps on the gravel outside and quickly extinguished the light. I heard a key turning in the lock of the pateo [sic] door. By this time I was off the bed and standing at the bedroom door, left hand on the hall light switch and my Mauser in the right, cocked and with the safety-catch off. When the outside door opened I switched on the light and was startled to identify the intruder as Jimmie Sanson, whom I had not seen since we were in Kisumu. If he had been carrying a gun I might have blown his head off before it became unrecognisable. Andy had done it again, asking Jimmie also to keep an eye on the house. That night my car had been in Andy’s garage. On the following nights I left the car in full view outside, and with the a few lights in the house switched on.
For several years I had held one of the very few Flight Radio Officer Licences in the Department and frequently flew as Radio Officer first on the Anson VPKKK and later on its replacement, the Heron. On my last trip on the Heron we did a “tour of inspection” with visiting officials from ICAO in Montreal. Whilst supposedly inspecting the runways here and the Met. Station there, a V.O.R., D.M.E. and other aids to Aviators, in reality we enjoyed a visit to Zanzibar, flew around inside the Ngoro-ngoro crater, an extinct volcano well stocked with wild life, witnessed a specially-staged lion kill in Tsavo West National Park, and entered into the spirit of a very expensive ‘Cook’s Tour’. A few weeks later I did another tour of airports, inspecting the Telecomm. aspect and also giving morse tests to operators who were otherwise already qualified for promotion. I knew most of the staff and the stations also. 16 years previously I had first visited Iringa, which was then run by ‘Blossom’, Mrs. Brown, the only lady Radio Officer in DCA. Blossom was an ex-WREN officer who had specialised during the war in Japanese morse. I think she told me there were about 120 characters in their morse alphabet, and she used to transcribe in Jap. characters for hours on end. It was someone else’s job to translate them into English. Blossom had left some years previously. The morse tests were interesting, first the candidate sent for 10 minutes at 25 w.p.m. of 5-letter and figure groups, which was recorded on tape. The second test was 10 minutes of plain language, and the third receiving for 10 minutes of automatic morse. The fourth test was for the candidate to receive the morse recorded in the first two tests, without telling them of it’s origin. Many complained that the
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fourth test was unfair, the morse being very poor and difficult to read. Some found it difficult to believe the poor morse was their own! In general, the morse was, in fact, very good, most of the old-timers having been British Army trained, during the war.
Soon after the invasion of Zanzibar I flew there in the DCA Anson piloted by Capt. Casperuthus. The two Air Traffic Controllers had been deported to Mombassa [sic] and almost all the Telecomms. equipment was faulty. The teleprinter on line to Dar es Salaam still worked, however, and this was taken over by an African from Tanganyika. Zanzibar and Tanganyika became known as Tanzania and for the very first time customs and immigration formalities were introduced between the two. I recall paying customs duty in Dar es Salaam on 200 cigarettes bought in Zanzibar, although the price was the same in both places, and duty had been paid already to the same authority, the new government of Tanzania. There was no rational explanation to some of the politics in East Africa. Rumours were rife that a huge Russian biplane bomber made secret trips at night without contacting DCA, the aviation authority, and the machine was said to be in a particular hangar. We were intrigued by this and taxied very close to the hangar, a ‘deliberate mistake’, and took photographs of the aircraft. It was a biplane about three times the wingspan of a Tiger Moth, but we were not able to find anyone who had actually seen it airborne.
By May 1965 I was recovering transmitters from Settlers who were leaving the country, and these sets were more than meeting the demand for new ones. I felt that by the end of the year there would be very few Europeans left, and in that atmosphere of intense anti-climax I gave 6 months notice of my retirement. The leave earned would take me to just over my 44th. birthday when compensation for loss of office would be at its peak. Looking at this in more detail, compensation would have been reduced by £2,000 per year of delay. There was really little choice but to go.
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[underlined] JOB HUNTING [/underlined]
I returned home finally on the 11th. of November 1965 and joined Hilda and the family at Glaslyn, except for Colin who was in the R.A.F. in Aden. My father and Alice were settled in Voghera in Northern Italy. There was plenty of time to look for a job, as I was on full pay for about six months and could not really afford to start work until April. Had I started before that, it would have meant paying income tax at the U.K. rate for the previous year on my world income, so I was advised, probably wrongly.
I wrote many letters, one offering my services to O’Dorian of Redeffusion [sic]. They were at that time considering establishing a Radio Relay system in the African areas of Nairobi. Other firms were also interested and the City Council was monitoring a pilot scheme which I.A.L. had fitted about a year previously. The pilot scheme had been put out to tender and my father had submitted a bid to provide for a four-program system. The contract went to I.A.L. on the grounds that they had shown confidence in Kenya by being established there for many years and were a reputable firm. My father was invited to comment and said I.A.L.’s presence was nothing to do with confidence, they were wholly-owned by B.O.A.C. and were there to do aircraft radio maintenance for E.A. Airways also owned by B.O.A.C. As for being a reputable company, so are Marks and Spencers but like I.A.L. they have no experience in Radio Relay. I had seen the pilot scheme at Kaloleni. Each house had a loudspeaker on the wall with volume control, and the system was wired in D8 cable and flex, with no protective devices. Reception was poor and quality was that of a typical bus station P.A. system. I gave O’dorian [sic] a detailed report of what I thought could be achieved in Nairobi and also the whole of Kenya, together with the engineering detail, resources required, budgets etc. The report was mainly the result of my father’s efforts of two years previously, updated. I included my report of I.A.L.’s one programme pilot scheme the performance of which could induce the Council to reach only one conclusion about Radio Relay. One of not to bother with it. Transistor radios were then on the market at 40 shillings giving good world-wide reception, Moscow being a necessity. I mentioned too the near to impossibility of collecting payment from individual subscribers. Payment would have to be made by the authorities. O’Dorian thanked me for my interest and appreciated the report and said he would be in touch. About a month later he wrote again and said they had decided not to pursue any interest in Kenya.
I also tried West London Telefusion who I knew at working level in 1947, and had an interview in Blackpool with their M.D., and Personnel Manager, for a new post as Development Manager in Taunton, Somerset. The job was to establish a cable T.V. system. I was offered the job after a prolonged interview and at a good salary. I accepted there and then and was advised to start looking for a house around Taunton. Only the starting date was uncertain, but they agreed to confirm the appointment in writing and provide a detailed Terms of Reference. I was very surprised indeed a few weeks later when a letter from Mr Wilkinson said he was very sorry but had decided not to proceed with the Taunton project and all development was under review. I realised that cable TV was popular in fringe areas but more and more repeaters were being provided and the need for cable was reducing all the time. I am writing this in 1993 and the concept of cable TV has developed from the 1966 “amplified aerial” to a single coaxial cable providing over 30 T.V. channels, radio and telephone, and
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most recently, scanned T.V. Security Systems. The technological advances in Relay since its inception in my father’s time, around 1928 have meant many fresh starts for the industry.
I had an interview with Aero Electronics at Crawley – to whom I had a letter of introduction, and was offered the job of Development Engineer & Manager! I felt this was aiming rather high. The interview took place in a large country house, alongside which was a fairly new factory with lots of activity, and a sketch of which appeared on Aero Electronics letter heading. I later found that the factory had no connection with Aero Electronics, which was in fact a one-man show. The job would have been responding to overseas enquiries received mainly via the Board of Trade, designing a system and providing equipment, winding up with a quotation. On the face of it a very interesting prospect, but with no back-up of any sort, and relying upon other firms’ equipment. I felt it to be somewhat dicey, particularly when I was asked if I could type! I had to say it was a job for a team, not one man.
From Crawley I went to see G.E.C. at Coventry for interview as a “Production Team Leader”. The job turned out to be the leader of a team of about 12 assemblers and wiremen constructing telephone exchanges – one at a time. I was shown one being assembled and spent an hour with the Team Leader on one particular exchange which comprised thirty 7’ racks of relay panels, counters uniselectors, jack fields etc. As far as I could see it was just a matter of ensuring each item was in the right place and wired-in correctly. Turning down the job was the right decission [sic] for the wrong reason. There seemed to be thousands of people around all moving at the same time, and the environment depressed me. Although I was only vaguely aware of it at the time, that type of system would be giving way to electronic exchanges within a year or two.
Next stop was Redifon in Wandsworth, who were advertising for Test and Installation engineers. The job was described accurately but was basically testing H/F and M/F equipment at the end of the production line, with very occasional trips into the field on installation and commissioning work. There was great competition for the field work. I was offered the job but the Personnel manager told me to think very carefully, Wandsworth was a terrible place to live in. I was given two weeks to think it over, and turned down the offer. I asked the Personnel Manager what happened to the job I was offered in 1957. The requirement was for an engineer who had a PMG1 licence to operate on ships and an MCA Flight Radio Officers Licence to operate on aircraft. He was to take equipment to sea and into the air to ensure there were no problems, and if there were, to resolve them. That job really appealed to me and could very well have become what I cared to make it. Maybe. He looked up my file and told me the vacancy was not filled and the post was withdrawn.
I saw a job advertised for a Telecommunications Engineer for Gambia, 18 month tour, £3500 per year + 25% gratuity, and applied for it. A week later I was called for interview. I didn’t think there was the slightest chance of this happening, having applied out of interest and an expences [sic] paid trip to London. The interview went well and soon after my return to Wales a letter arrived asking me to confirm my acceptance on a salary of £2500. I was in a quandry [sic], I didn’t really want to go to Zambia, but wrote to the Crown Agents and pointed out the discrepancy between the advert of £3500 and offer of £2500.
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They regretted their mistake in the advert, and on those grounds I was able to decline
I applied for an advertised post of Signals Officer at the Ministry of Aviation’s Communications Centre at Croydon for which my D.C.A. experience fitted me well. The interview went off very well and I found that in some respects E. Africa was more up to-date than was the practice at Croydon. At the end of the interview they said they would write to me. About a week later their letter arrived and advised that I had not been selected but only because a more senior post would shortly become available and I was already short-listed for it. Good news indeed, but having heard nothing further after four months by which time we had moved house to Cambridge, I wrote to them. In their reply I was told that the letter offering me the job had been returned to them marked “Gone away”. As Communications Officer in charge at Croydon life would have been rather different.
Becoming more and more disillusioned with U.K. I went to see the Overseas Services Resettlement Bureau at Eland House, Victoria. I saw a Mr. Williams who was ex-Malaysia P.& T and we chatted for a while about the prospects of settling down to a job in the U.K. I had to agree that after 18 years in East Africa I was not impressed with what I saw in Britain nor with the people who occupied it, it was a vastly different place to the one I had left in 1948. He was quite right in saying that I first had to decide whether I wanted to stay and if so to make the best of it. What job did I want? I told him I had hoped to join Pye Telecomm’s technical sales dept. I knew Pye aeronautical equipment and felt I could fit in there, but had written and been advised there were no vacancies. “Did I still want the job?”. Having replied yes please he picked up the phone, and said “get me Ernie Munns at Pye”. Moments later he greeted someone in what I assumed was Malay, then switched to English “look Ernie, I’ve another bloody Colonial here, thinks Pye’s the ultimate., When can you see him?” We agreed 2pm the following day at Pye Telecommunications, Newmarket Rd., Cambridge. More words in Malay between them and he wished me luck.
I liked the friendly environment at Pye and was interviewed by Ernie Munns, head of Systems Planning Dept. and his deputy, Cyril Foster. The interview was constantly interrupted by the telephone and people barging in for instant decisisons [sic]. I recall Ernie asking whether I would be prepared to write a paper for a semi-technical customer on the relative merits of conventional VHF links and Tropospheric scatter and I said “yes”! Fortunately the phone rang and both interviewers were involved, which gave me a few minutes to think about it. I had heard of Tropo-scatter, but that was about all. I awoke to the question of “how would you go about it?” I replied that I would read up the subject in the Pye library. It must have been written up many times, I would study it and probably be able to quote a learned authority. I agreed that I didn’t know all the answers, and Ernie said “Thank god for that, one or two around here think they do”. I was told that my application was opportune, if I joined them I would be in the Aeronautical team headed by Cyril, which was currently preparing a factory order for equipment to re-equip 22 airports and several other sites in Iran, plus a lot of other orders for aviation equipment. Basically the job was block-planning of systems to meet the customers’ operational requirement, prepare quotations, to engineer the job in detail and to project manage the order to its conclusion. This was the sort of job offered by
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Aero Electronics but at Pye there was full backing from experts in all fields. The second part of the interview was with Cyril and the Personnel manager who said he would write to me with the result. The letter arrived a few days later offering me the post at £1250 per year and to start preferably on the first of April. This was gladly accepted. Hilda and I went to Cambridge and after a week’s run around by Estate Agents we found a nice 4-bedroomed house at 14 Greystoke Rd. near Cherry Hinton which was to be ready by the end of March.
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[underlined] AT PYE TELECOMMUNICATIONS [/underlined]
The first two years at Pye were spent as a Project Engineer in Systems Planning Dept, not in the Aviation team as hoped, but in Duncan Kerr’s team doing general systems. Also in the team were Jim Bucknell, Ian Douglas, and Mike Bavistock who had also joined Pye on April first. Duncan was away most of the time drumming up contracts with the Scottish Police forces but on our first day Mike and I did meet him briefly and he gave us two pink files. ‘Take one each’ said Duncan. ‘Turkey 10th Slice is now an order and needs a flimsy, and the Libya quote needs revalidating’. Mike and I hadn’t a clue on Pye methods and we decided to work together, providing a mutual back-up. It quickly transpired that we had something in common, Mike had been in the Gambia for three tours whilst I was in East Africa. I told him of my experience with the Crown Agents for the Gambia job and he had seen the advert for what had in fact been his post. He was not amused when he saw his £2500 a year job advertised with a salary of £3500.
Of the 36 people in the department, no-one was particularly helpful, in retrospect mainly because they were themselves under great pressure and had problems of their own. I saw the Chief Clerk, - later known as the Admin Group Leader – and said ‘Duncan wants me to do a flimsy, what’s a flimsy?’ He was most unhelpful although he was responsible for the admin. aspect of many hundreds of them. His philosophy was that he wasn’t going to help anyone who was on a bigger salary than his own. I had to go to Export Sales to find out what a flimsy looked like. It turned out to be an all-singing and dancing instruction to every dept. detailing all the action required in designing, manufacturing inspecting packing shipping and invoicing and even installation of a customer’s order. All the information available was entered on the forms and circulated around the departments. The initial circulation was programmed to take six weeks. The system was designed in detail and all the engineering information added with ammendments. [sic] Eventually there were so many ammendments [sic] I had to completely rewrite the flimsy after six weeks, and finally there was an issue 4. The job was eventually engineered by Dickie Wainwright – ex East African P.& T., following a departmental re-organisation, and I picked it up again at the delivery stage having moved to the Systems Installation Dept.
My performance on my first task in Pye was not at all brilliant, and about 18 months later when the installation was finished I issued a memo entitled “Lessons Learned on Turkey 10th Slice”. I started with saying that a week of training in Pye methods would have saved a great deal of cost and misunderstanding and went on to discuss the contract itself. The contract stated that ‘The Turkish Version of the contract shall be deemed to be the official version’, and it seemed there were many anomalies all to the advantage of the Turks, in particular to our agent, a chap called Avidor, who in fact translated the Turkish contract into English!. The system originally quoted was for a microwave chain the length of Turkey with a dozen or so links carrying teleprinter and telephones. We were awarded only the links, the radio parts of which were main and standby. One rediculous [sic] requirement in the Turkish version was that they wanted the main link in one place and the standby in another. We were providing main and standby transmitters etc within a link, not a completely seperate [sic] standby link. The whole thing was quite rediculous, [sic] no
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wonder it was given to one of the new boys and everyone else steered clear. The title of the contract simply meant that it was the 10th slice – or part – of a multi-million dollar allocation of N.A.T.O. funds. I don’t know how many slices there were, but one was enough for us.
With Mike’s first job, revalidating a quotation might on the face of it seem more straight-forward. It is just a matter of extending the date on which the offer expires, or is it?! The engineers who did the quotation with many versions over a period of 10 years, and the half dozen salesmen involved over different periods had all either left or moved on somewhere. Now they were all out of picture, it was Mike’s job, and he was on his own. Revalidation implied that he must thoroughly understand the customer requirement. The quotation comprised 18 volumes of A4 size, each 2” thick, plus a mountain of minutes of meetings and correspondance [sic] over a period of 10 years. Undertakings made in good faith years ago could well be quite impossible to honour, requiring endless variations to the tender document. Every change required approval from others in Pye. Every aspect had to be checked. Equipment from other manufacturers was included and confirmation of availability and price had to be obtained, every move documented and absolutely every aspect of the tender was Mike’s direct responsibility. When I think back to those days, I remember how every letter and memo originated had to be written out in longhand for the team’s typist to action. I understand the office system did not change in the next 25 years although there is much less of it. Mike asked me to sit in at his very first meeting on this project, the main purpose of which was to put him in the picture and answer any queries he might have. One item in the quote was ‘2 years Bavister £2000’ What’s that asks Mike. The finance dept man said it’s an accountancy term, just leave it in but add 10%. Two others had totally different ideas and finally a fellow woke up and said “I’m Bavister, I’m supposed to go out there for two years to help the customer”. There followed a discussion on the price of whether it was 2 or should be 20 thousand and which department accepted the responsibility. Mike asked why we are using scramblers bought from Redifon at £1200 each when we can make them. It turned out they were actually ours, produced in Cambridge for T.M.C. who sold them to Redifon who in turn mounted them on a panel with their label, and sold them back to Pye at about 10 times the price.
The Libya communication system itself was very good, a policeman on a camel with a hand-held portable could talk through a local Base station and several UHF links and an HF SSB link to his HQ 3000 miles away if required. Mike Bavistock saw the project through two revalidations and the tender’s final acceptance, and the production stage, over a period of 4 years. He went on to do many other big projects before deciding to resign and return to Africa to try and regain his sanity.
When I joined the department, one half prepared quotations and everything else with the exception of the detailed engineering. The other half were responsible for engineering and nothing else. The system was sound, one person should not have to divert his thinking from conditions of sale to pricing to shipping to the specific connections on a 131 way socket. After a while the system was changed whereby one man did the lot, and with a dozen or more projects on hand at any one time constant re-orientation was getting me down and I asked for a transfer to Systems Installation Dept. Meanwhile I pressed on
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doing many quotations and made sure I did not get involved with detailed engineering design or anything else which could delay my transfer. In fact I feigned some excentricity [sic] and got away with it. The pressure however was high and there was a great deal of jeolousy [sic] and backbiting in the department.
At one stage I did a couple of Fireman’s callout schemes and these were done on the electric typewriter by a typist who normally did only the conditions of sale. The only difference was in the number of base stations and portables, and the finance. Together using the same basic tape we could rattle off a quotation in half an hour. We made about 20 spare copies and sent them to Home salesmen who were not already in the know, to help them secure orders from their local fire services. This was very rewarding to Pye.
One monday [sic] morning I was given the job of providing a quotation to meet a requirement for the Yugoslavian police, to be ready by 4 pm on friday [sic] . It was a big job and I would have three chaps to assist me but I was not to make a start until the go-ahead was received from International Marketing Dept. At 2.15 pm I was told to forget it, it would not be possible to complete it in time. On Wednesday at 10 am I was told the job was on and vital, top priority. Drop everything and get on wth [sic] it. I would not have any assistants and would have to complete it myself. So one man had two days and two nights to do a job which was too much for 4 men in 5 days and 4 nights. I worked almost non-stop, all day and all night, mostly at home, and on the thursday [sic] I asked for a typist to be available for friday [sic] night. By 5 pm on friday [sic] the document was ready for typing, a very long technical description and equipment schedules. The prices had not been agreed with the finance dept, so I used standard Export price with 15% mark-up for luck. No signatures of approval were obtained from Snr. Management although a quote for over £100,000 needed signatures from three Directors and finally the Company Secretary. I did ‘phone Bert Ship who was responsible for determining delivery time and I put 5 months instead of his 9. The typist did not materialise, and as a last resort I took an office typewriter to my daughter Wendy’s home and she typed it overnight.
At 7 am on the saturday [sic] I assembled a batch of relavant [sic] publicity material and technical leaflets, and made 10 copies of the whole document, four of which I signed and gave to the Salesman at 9 am. He translated the Technical Description and schedules into Italian on his way to London Airport by road and to Milan by air. It was retyped into Italian on the Sunday and presented to the client in Rome on the Monday [sic] , by Pye Italy. A month later the Salesman told me we had got the job and thanked me, but there was no other official recognition. I was amused to have signed it myself, having cut through all authorities and proceedures. [sic] One copy of the file was circulated around for approvals by Mike Loose and this was completed a few days before we got the contract. Not all jobs were like that.
One particular quotation was done for Frank Mills, a salesman responsible for dealing with government departments in Wales. I had first known Frank when he was Provincial Police Signals Officer at Mwanza in Tanganyika when I was in charge of the airport. Prior to that he had been a Radio Officer with D.C.A. in East Africa. Frank had told me of his lucky escape when he went to Musoma on a routine inspection. An african [sic] sold him a live snake in a sack for a shilling and Frank decided its skin would make a good present. An 8 foot python for a shilling. First the python had to be killed and whilst still in the sack was placed in an empty 40 gallon storage drum. A pipe was connected between his
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landrover [sic] exhaust and the drum, and the engine left running. After an hour the python was removed and made ready for skinning, but first let’s take a few photographs. Off came Frank’s bush jacket, and the python wound round his chest and neck, with Frank gripping the snake’s head and looking it square in the eyes. The photos were taken and the snake lowered to the ground. It was sweaty work and Frank sat on the back of the landrover [sic] drinking a cool beer. After a few minutes the python slid away into the bush. However, Frank had arranged to collect the quotation at 1.30 pm. and as the hour approached it was ready in triplicate except for the three front labels. All the typists and secretaries were enjoying their lunch break, most of them sitting at their desks knitting or reading. Not one of them would type the labels, so I used a spare manual machine and typed them myself. It was their right to stop work between 1 and 2 and they would excercise [sic] that right regardless of everything else. Most of them didn’t speak to me for weeks. This childish attitude was only too prevalant [sic] throughout the organisation and was completely foreign to me. However, Frank collected his quotation and we had a short chat about old times. Tragically he was killed in a road accident next day whilst on the way to see his customer with the quotation.
After my 2 years or so in Systems Planning, Bill Bainbridge one of the two Field Controllers in Systems resigned to start his own business, Cambridge Towers, and I was fortunate in succeeding him. At the same time Harry Langley Head of Systems Installation moved into Sales and D.A.D. Smith took over as Manager of Systems Installation Dept., (S.I.D.). I got on very well with Harry Langley, he had been with the Kenya Police as a Radio technician seconded from the Home Office. Howard (Jimmie) James was the other Field Controller and between us we managed all S.I.D. projects, mainly installing and commissioning systems in the field, about 60% being overseas. In theory we had a Project Engineer heading each Installation team but as each was involved in several jobs at any one time it was never possible just to sit back and let the P.E. get on with it. He was likely to be abroad when most required.
[underlined] IRAN [/underlined]
One of the first jobs allocated to me in S.I.D. was the Iranian Airports project, Pye being a member of a consortium with Marconi, C & S Antennas, Redifon, G.E.C. and S.T.C. All came together as the Irano-British Airports Consortium to re-equip the major airports and aviation facilities in Iran. This was the project mentioned to me at my interview when applying to join Pye and Cyril Foster and Allan Breeze had devoted their last two years entirely to it, and much of 5 years before that. Allan in fact eventually went to Iran to commission the F.I.C. console. I had a great respect for him when we went to Iran together and whilst I was struggling along in French he was talking in Farsi with the hotel staff. He had been quietly studying it in Cambridge and could even read it, which was a tremendous achievement.
I became suspicious when I received a memo from D.A.D. Smith the Departmental Manager enclosing a change-note and asking me to confirm that we could still carry out our installation committment [sic] in Iran for the £85,700 he had quoted. A change-note was a notification from a Lab. making a minor change in the design or manufacture of a piece of equipment. In this case it refered [sic] to a resistor which would make no difference to anything except the parts list.
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[photograph of the head and shoulders of a man]
[Arabic writing]
[stamp]
[Arabic writing] G. Watson [Arabic writing]
[signature]
[Arabic writing] JSB/100/14/6/T [Arabic writing]
154A
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Not “will the change-note make any difference?” His subtle phraseology was making me responsible for the whole installation amount, not just a possible minor differe [deleted r [/deleted] nce. His figure was derived by taking 5% of the factory transfer price of the equipment which had no real relationship to the cost of fitting it, and was totally unrealistic.
I studied the draft contract and drew up an installation plan, and after a few days replied to my manager that “if the work can be carried out in the 12 month time scale as in the contract my estimate of costs is not £87500 but £250,000. I believed the work would take at least 5 years, it would not be possible to co-ordinate the many scores of officials with their different loyalties and the organisations involved. The final cost could very well be double the £250K. The end customer was the Iranian Director General of Civil Aviation, represented by Aerodrome Development Consultants Ltd., (A.D.C.) apparently a private firm, but wholly-owned by the then British Board of Trade and staffed by their officials. They were more than loyal to their Iranian masters.
After a great deal of arguement [sic] with A.D.C. and other Consortium members about methods, division of responsibilies [sic] , consequential losses and costs etc., the quotation was accepted including my price of £250K, and the contract signed. I was to live with that contract for exactly 10 years and have been sorely tempted many times to record the frustrations, stupidities and almost impossible business of working with the Iranians whilst retaining any degree of sanity.
It was the custom in Pye at the time, and a very good one, that before work was started on a major quotation, the comments of people with recent similar experience were sought as to its desireability, [sic] and with the question “Do we want the job?”. The file, an informal one came to me and in answer to that question I wrote in a light-hearted moment, “pas avec un barge pole.” I didn’t know that our masters Philips in Holland were involved until a minute came from them asking ‘vos ist ein barge pole’? This surprised everyone as the Dutch generally have no sense of humour where money is concerned.
One year from the signing of the contract, bang on time, we airfreighted the 26 racks of equipment and a mass of other material for installation at Meherabad airport, a direct flight from Stansted to Teheran where it was to be fitted. The pilot spent 36 hours under armed guard first for not having a “Certificate of no objection” from Iranian Airlines and secondly for paying a parking fee for only a 12 hours stay. There were many problems with that first consignement [sic] which provided a good pointer to the difficulties to follow. It was 12 months before the equipment was released from Customs and then it was stored in the open air outside the Meherabad receiving station for 6 months. Soon after that first air shipment I returned to Iran and spent 6 weeks studying the first 12 airport installations, including Meherabad, and re-formulating detailed plans. Meherabad was the main International Airport and included the Flight Information Centre. One problem at the F.I.C. was how to fit a 24 ft control console manned by 6 people whilst maintaining a full service on the old console which occupied the same floor space. In addition the contract stated that 12 racks would be fitted in the old equipment room on the fourth floor and 14 in a new equipment room on the second floor. This really was quite impossible and I was keeping the problem to myself. When I was discussing with the Iranians the work involved in their own equiupment [sic] room,
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they became extremely worried because their wiring was an absolute shambles with hundreds of multipair cables actually threading their way in and out and through racks which we had to replace with no interuption [sic] in the service.
They finally startled me by laying down the law and insisting that we stay right out of their old equipment room, and they would knock down walls between six offices on the second floor to house all 26 racks. This area was very close to FIC and made our job not only possible, but easy. Also the change was their firm requirement and we charged them £17,500 extra for the priveledge [sic] .
On Kushi Nostrat mountain, Marconi were to fit a Radar scanner, which we were to link to Meherabad by a 7GHz link, but the only way to reach the site was by helicopter, unless one was a mountaineer. There were no civilian helicopters in Iran and it was only when I put the problem to A.D.C. that I found the Radar stn. was to be at Kushi Basm and not Kushi Nostrat, a totally different mountain. This had an access road and Meherabad was a line-of-sight path of 32 miles. At a critical distance was a salt pan and we were supposed to go round this desert on a dog leg using a microwave link repeater. There was no suitable location for the repeater because of the “change” in location of the Radar site. This resulted in another variation to contract for a frequency and space diversity single link, less equipment than in the original contract but we got away with charging £18,000 more. Some of the problems were pathetic, others amusing. When I checked the earthing and lightening arrestor system at Meherabad I found the one inch copper earth lead was terminated not with an earth mat in the ground but to a spike stuck in a concrete plantpot on the first floor verandah. That was and probably is still there and highly dangerous. Incredible but true.
At Bandar Abbas Airport I prepared a detailed installation plan which together with others was discussed later at a monthly progress meeting in London. It bore no resemblance to a plan prepared by Redifon two years previously and we realised that since Redifon’s visit a new airport had been built about 9 miles away. More variatons [sic] to contract. There were 260 of them finally. At Bandar Abbas, the port of which was the main base of the Iranian Navy, I was with the Provincial Governor, an Iranian Air Force General and the Airport Manager. All three agreed it was permissible for me to use my camera. Later when an army corporal confiscated the camera they all denied it and simultaneously lost their ability to speak fairly good english, resorting to french in discussion with me. I had already met the works manager in charge of the extensive building operations who spoke excellent english and was apparently all-powerful. He not only recovered my camera from the army but also gave me a fine selection of photographic prints together with detailed architect plans of all the buildings. I did not see the three senior chaps again but the works manager put a car and driver at my disposal. I think he must have been related to someone important, maybe the Shah-in-Shah, or maybe he was a member of the secret police, there is no knowing.
A consignment of Redifon transmitters was held up in Customs for over two years with a documentation problem, and even the fixer employed was quite ineffective. To clear through customs it was necessary to get 120 signatures and rubber stamp impressions on the release document and this had to be done in a single day. This was finally achieved after the Shah had decreed that the equipment must be released, but the chap on the gate seemed to resent this interferance [sic] and refused to release it. The document with the signatures was out
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of date the following day so the man’s boss supported him and the equipment remained a part of the scenery. A week or two later, another department came into the act and gave notice that if Redifon did not remove it within 7 days, it would be sold off by police auction. Redifon did not appreciate my suggestion that we should go to the auction. The problem had arisen because one small item of equipment was refered [sic] to as a “tone transmitter”, the word transmitter being anathma [sic] to Middle east types. It did not appear on the schedule [deleted] d [/deleted] of approved tranmitters [sic] and was regarded with grave suspicion.
It took four months to amend the contract to exclude the tone transmitter and substitute a tone oscillator, - the same thing -, but even then 36 copies of the invoice had to be changed and re-submitted.
The Consortium offices belonged to the G.E.C.O.S. agent who kindly trebbled [sic] the size of them at the Consortium’s expence [sic] . All the members’ staff in Iran moved in and made themselves comfortable. About three weeks later a gang of workmen with demolition equipment reduced the new buildings to rubble and said “sorry, no planning permission”. Two months later the lawyers proved that all the proper authority and permissions were completely in order. The gang returned and said “sorry, ok you build”.
Despite all the red tape in Iran it was generally possible to get results eventually, the main difficulty was often finding out just which palms had to be greased. Our man in Iran for three years was Mike Cherry and he was successful in getting an amateur radio licence, with the call-sign EP2MC. Mike fitted an SSB125 transceiver in the office in Teheran and I was in daily contact with him from both my house and the office in Cambridge. By using very carefull [sic] phraeseology [sic] I was kept right up to date with progress in the field.
I was talking with Mike from the office one evening on 14 MHz when Dr. Westhead the Chief Executive came in and asked who I was talking with. I replied “to Mike Cherry, our man in Teheran, Sir”. He grimaced and said “Ah well, ask a stupid question..” The public telephone system to Iran was diabolical most of the time. I used to book a call for 4.30 am the following day and take it from home, which saved a great deal of time in both places. Teheran time was 2 1/2 hours ahead of U.K. On most occasions the Post Office telephoned several times during the night to confirm the call or advise of delays, which was very tiresome.
Monthly progress meetings were held in London, and at one of them I was asked to quote for additional work at Esfahan during the 2500 year celebrations, which were to take place before the new equipment was fitted. They required to talk with aircraft and I suggested they should do so on a mobile set which would be quite adequate. Our team would already be on site with the mobiles so without any fuss I quoted £300 which was put forward. At a board meeting a week later this was confirmed and the Pye member of the Board, Pat Holden who was also our International Marketing Director promptly withdrew it as I had not gone through the proper channels. The next day he sent for me and instructed me to cancel my quotation, and with a great thumping of the table told me to increase it £3000. Then followed a lecture that “we are here to make money, add a nought”. I told him the job would take about an hour and £300 was more than adequate. £30,000 was utterly rediculous. [sic] I told him “I was doing no such thing, put it in writing through the head of my department and meanwhile you are clear to return to earth”. I then excused myself and left him
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to it. I returned to my own desk 20 minutes later to find a note asking me to go and see the boss, not surprisingly. I told him exactly what had happened and he laughed. I said I thought I had burned my boats with Pat Holden and David Smith my boss said “far from it, he admires you for standing up to him and asks you to forget it.” I took no further action in this and in the event there was no income at all, but the job took only 30 minutes for one engineer.
Another equally challenging job was the installation and commissio [deleted] m [/deleted] ning of a UHF system within the London Stock Exchange. This employed 520 adjascent [sic] channels. The Base Stations in the basement comprised a transmitter and receiver for each channel, all being combined into one “radiating feeder”. About 600 pocketphones on the Stock Exchange floor were used by dealers working into this system. An invitation to tender for this job had been received by Pye about two years previously and comments invited from all technical departments. It was unanimously agreed that the job was quite impossible and must not be attempted. Pye did not quote for it and the contract was awarded to S.T.C. Mobile division. Nearly two years later Pye or Philips aquired [sic] that organisation and half the installation had been fitted. About 60 channels were in use and very unsatisfactory. Dealers received messages intended for others and signals faded out at the crutial [sic] moment. Firms were receiving wrong messages and transfering [sic] and buying shares erroneously through these faults. The task of bringing the job to a conclusion was allocated to me and I chose my favourite team of Nick Fox, Aussie Peters and Jack Faulkener.
There was a local Service Dept. depot at the Stock Exchange of four engineers who were struggling to get the system working and we took over from them. On arrival there was a flap on, a dealer had acted on a false message and bought some tens of thousand shares for which he had no client and he was stuck with them. He said he was going to sue Pye for his loss. He dropped that idea next day when he sold them at a profit. The main problem was loss of signals into the pocketphones on the Stock Exchange floor but we were not allowed onto the floor during dealing times to make tests. Eventually we were given an ultimatum to either fix it or remove it and face an enormous claim for damages.
This was very serious indeed and I reported back to Cambridge. The Engineering Director, Frank Grimm showed me a copy of his comments of two years ago when he said the job was quite rediculous [sic] and impossible, and that was the end of it. No-one wanted to know, “It’s your problem Cliff, get on with it”. So it was back to the Stock Exchange, and I demanded permission to see for myself what was actually happening by being on the floor during dealing hours, otherwise there was nothing more we could do. The Chairman gave permission, quite unprecedented and we were then able to make a more scientific approach. We stayed on that evening and with Jack Faulkener in the basement at the transmitters we measured signal strengths which were astonishingly high and with no blind spots. Jack reduced the base station transmitter power at the input to the antenna system until even with the antenna completely isolated the signals were far more than adequate. This provide the mathematicians were all wrong and we were all barking up the wrong tree. We then carried out the most elementary test of all, whilst receiving properly on a pocketphone we transmitted on other pocketphones – on other channels – at a distance of ten feet. We had found the reason for the problem, simple R/F blocking which should have been checked in the Lab. at a very early stage. That evening we modified 6
[page break]
pocketfones [sic] , fitting a 2 pf. capacitor at the receiver input and completely bipassing [sic] the transmitter output stage. They worked perfectly, and with no blocking even at 2’ distance between portables. We had found the answer and the next day, friday, [sic] we recovered all the 160 pocketfones [sic] and over the weekend modified the lot. Everything worked as it should and the customers were delighted. We had received no co-operation from anyone in Cambridge but word soon reached Cambridge that all was well. We deliberately kept them in the dark until I issued a formal report. I had of course no authority to modify equipment but deliberately flouted this on the grounds that someone had to do something constructive or we would have been thrown out of the Stock Exchange. It did not improve my popularity with the people who could influence my career.
In 1979 after being responsible for some dozens of major projects three more Field Controllers were appointed, Dave Buller Mike Simpson and Clive Otley and I felt that a change was long overdue. Relationships with the Departmental Manager and his yes-man deputy Joe were deteriorating rapidly. I transfered [sic] back to Systems Planning Dept. and overnight became a specialist in Radio Frequency propagation. I was in a small team headed by Dave Warford, and including Lewis Wicker and John Ewbank, and a trainee. Our job was to plan Radio Links and area coverage systems, within the parameters laid down by D.T.I.
At the outset my knowledge of R/F propagation (or Electromagnetic Radiation) was limited to my practical experience of what had been achieved and what had failed to work. The theoretical aspect was highly mathematical but fortunatly [sic] the subject was well written up and the principles well established. Dave Warford and Lewis Wicker were a great help in getting me onto the right lines.
A typical job would be a request from a salesman asking whether a radio link on a particular frequency band would work between two specific sites and if so what aerial height would be required? The first step would be to study the Ordnance Survey maps of 1:50000 scale, and plotting all the contours on the direct line between the points. From this information a profile of the earth’s surface would be prepared including the earth’s curvature
[inserted] To be continued [/inserted]
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[underlined] Dresden 13 – 14 February 1945 [/underlined]
At the end of January 1945, the Royal Air Force and the USAF 8th Air Force were specifically requested by the Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out heavy raids on Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig. It was not a personal decision by Sir Arthur Harris. The campaign should have begun with an American daylight raid on Dresden on February 13th, but bad weather over Europe pre-vented [sic] any American operation. It thus fell to Bomber Command to carry out the first raid on the night of February 13th. 769 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes were dispatched in two separate attacks on Dresden and at the same time a further 368 R.A.F aircraft attacked the synthetic oil plant at Bohlen near Leipzig. A few hours after the RAF raids 311 bombers of the 8th US Air force attacked Dresden. The following day (15 February 1945) the USAF despatched 211 bombers to bomb Dresden and a further 406 bombers on the 2nd March.
As an economic centre, Dresden ranked sixth in importance in pre-war Germany. During the war several hundred industrial plants of various sizes worked full-time in Dresden for the German War machine, Among them were such industrial giants as the world famous Zeiss-Ikon AG (Optics and cameras). This plant alongside the plant in Jena was one of the principle centres of production of field glasses for the Armies, aiming sights for the Panzers and Artillery, periscopes for U-boats, bomb and gun sights f or the Luftwaffe. Dresden was also one of the key centres of the German postal and telegraphic system and a crucial East West transit point with its 7 bridges crossing the Elbe at its widest point.
In February 1945 the war was far from over. The Western Allies had not yet crossed the Rhine, Germany still controlled extensive territories, and Bomber Command lost more than 400 bombers after Dresden. The war was at its height, the Allies were preparing for the land battles which would follow their crossing the Rhine, the Russians were poised on the Oder. This destruction of Dresden meant a considerable reduction in the effectiveness of the German Armed forces.
The Germans followed Hitler even after the liberation of Auschwitz in January 1945 when its horrors were broadcast to the world. They continued to follow Hitler even after they watched the thousands of living skeletons from concentration camps being herded westward in early 1945.
A quote from former POW Col H E Cook (USAAF Rtd) "on 13/14 Feb 1945 we POWs were shunted into the Dresden marshalling yards where for nearly 12 hours German troops and equipment rolled in and out of Dresden. I saw with my own eyes that Dresden was an armed camp: thousands of German troops, tanks and artillery and miles of freight cars …. transporting German logistics towards the East to meet the Russians.”
[signed] Jim[?] Broom [/signed]
[page break]
[curriculum vitae page 1]
[page break]
[curriculum vitae page 2]
[page break]
[autographed photograph of Lancaster bomber]
[page break]
[history of Jack Railton and Emma Sharpe]
[page break]
[history of George Henry Watson]
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[history of Herbert Kilham]
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[history of Herbert Kilham continued]
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[photograph of male]
[page break]
[history of George Henry Watson]
[page break]
[history of Jack Railton and family]
[page break]
[history of Jack Railton and family continued]
[page break]
[history of Cliff Stark’s early years]
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[letter from LMS railway to C.W. Watson page 1]
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[letter from LMS Railway to C.W.Watson page 2]
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[letter from LMS Railway to C.W. Watson]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Just Another Tailend Charlie
Description
An account of the resource
A memoir written by Cliff Watson divided into 20 chapters.
The Earliest Years.
Born in Barnoldswick, then in Yorkshire, now in Lancashire in 1922. His father ran a wireless business until 1926. He describes his years at schools and a move to Norwich. The family then moved to London where he started an apprenticeship as an accountant.
Joining Up.
Cliff left the accountants to work in his father's radio business. Initially he was rejected by the RAF because he wore spectacles. He reapplied and passed various written, oral and medical examinations. Initial training was at Torquay then Newquay. Once training was complete he sailed from Greenock to South Africa.
Southern Rhodesia.
After acclimatisation in South Africa, Cliff and his colleagues were put on a sleeper train to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. Training commenced on Tiger Moths but he was 'scrubbed' or rejected. He was reselected as an air gunner and completed a course in Moffat, also in South Rhodesia. Hospitality in Rhodesia and South Africa was described as generous and excellent.
Postscript.
Cliff describes a run-in with a training corporal who took a dislike to him. Despite faked evidence he proved his points and emerged with a clean record and passed his exams.
Operational Training.
In August 1942 he sailed back to the UK. He was sent to Bournemouth for assessment, then on to RAF Finningley for training then RAF Bircotes for operations. Next was a move to RAF Hixon and its satellite airfield at Seighford. He married Hilda on 1st March 1943 during a week's leave.
Second Time to Africa.
He was then sent to West Kirby, Liverpool to join a ship sailing to Algiers, for further training. Their destination became Blida where they started operations on Tunis and Monserrato airfield. They then moved to a desert strip to the east by 250 kms. From there they continued operations into Italy. Later they moved to Kairouan and continued operations into Italy, mainly Sardinia and Sicily. Each operation is described in great detail.
He has included a letter in Arabic with instructions to take the bearer to British soldiers for a reward. At the end of his tour they sailed back to Greenock.
Screened.
After some leave Cliff's next posting was at Operational Training Unit Desborough where he helped train new gunners. Due to an argument with an officer he was sent to RAF Norton for correctional training. On his return his case was reviewed and the severe reprimand was removed from his record.
Scampton.
Scampton was Cliff's next operational base then Winthorpe for its Heavy Conversion Unit on Stirlings, followed by Syerston on Lancasters then Bardney.
227 Squadron.
Cliff joined 227 squadron at Bardney. Again he covers in detail each operation. His flight was later transferred to Balderton. During this period he was awarded the DFC.
Final Leg.
His squadron was transferred to Gravely at the end of the war. He did a photography course and was transferred to Handforth. There was little work, some unpleasantness and eventually a period of extended leave, a spell at Poynton looking after prisoners then demob.
Back to Civvy Street.
Cliff returned to Whitehaven to revitalise a radio company. He gives great detail about the improvements made. Later he set up a similar enterprise at Maryport. Wired radio services were set to become less popular and financially worthwhile so seeing the writing on the wall he decided to emigrate.
Kenya.
Cliff and family flew to Nairobi, then bus to Kitale where his father was.
Hoteli King George.
Dissatisfied with life on his father's farm, Cliff took a job as a prison officer. He and his family moved to Nairobi. He relates several stories about prisoners and their better qualities but in the end he gets restless and leaves.
Civil Aviation.
Cliff joined the East African Directorate of Civil Aviation in April 1951 as a radio officer. He and his family were relocated to Mbeya, 900 miles from Nairobi. His skills as a radio engineer were well used in this remote location. After 2.5 years the family returned to UK on leave. On his return he was posted to Mwanza, also in Tanganyika. He describes in great detail a royal visit. They left on leave in June 1957 and collected a VW Beetle for transport to Kenya. Their next move was to Entebbe. This was not a happy posting and led to a transfer to Kisumu in Kenya. After three years they transferred to Nairobi to spend more time with their children, who were at boarding school there.
D.C.A. Headquarters.
His role here was Telecomms superintendent. He describes in detail the operations of his section. This was an unsettled period in Kenya with many Europeans returning home.
Dec' 61 on Leave.
Leave was spent at their house in Wales then in May 1962 Cliff returned alone to Nairobi. His family did return later. By this time his father had abandoned his farm and was building radios.
On Leave June 1964.
He bought another house in Wales and spent his leave restoring it. His wife's mother moved in. In November 1964 Cliff returned alone to Nairobi. he left within a year due to the worsening situation.
Job Hunting.
Several electronics firms were approached offering Cliff's services. He attended an interview with Pye who quickly offered him employment.
At Pye Telecommunications.
He found his colleagues unhelpful. A great deal of time was spent on a Turkish quotation that had been in progress for 10 years. A quotation to the Iranian Directorate of Civil Aviation contained complications leading to Cliff revising the quotation. Later there was a complicated installation job at the London Stock Exchange. Eventually Pye pulled out from the bid but a rival company won it, only to be taken over by Pye. At first the system was troubled but after a simple modification it worked perfectly.
Dresden 13-14 February 1945.
A one page description of the bombing of Dresden.
Curriculum Vitae.
Cliff Watson's CV, dated 1976.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Cliff Watson DFC
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1989-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
192 typewritten sheets and photographs
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SWatsonC188489v1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Huntingdon
England--Yorkshire
England--Norwich
England--London
England--Torquay
England--Newquay
England--Birkenhead
Scotland--Greenock
Sierra Leone--Freetown
South Africa--Durban
Zimbabwe--Bulawayo
South Africa--Mahikeng
Zimbabwe--Harare
Singapore
South Africa--Cape Town
England--Bournemouth
France--Paris
Algeria--Algiers
Algeria--Blida
Tunisia--Tunis
Italy--Sardinia
Italy--Cagliari
Tunisia--Bizerte
Italy--Monserrato
Italy--Decimomannu
Italy--Trapani
Italy--Palermo
Italy--Naples
Italy--Rome
Italy--Lido di Roma
Italy--Tiber River
Italy--Alghero
Italy--Castelvetrano
Italy--Pantelleria Island
Tunisia--Sūsah
Italy--Syracuse
Italy--Messina
Italy--Salerno
Italy--Bari
Italy--Comiso
Italy--Crotone
Italy--Pomigliano d'Arco
Italy--Paola
Italy--Battipaglia
England--Desborough
Norway--Bergen
Netherlands--Walcheren
Germany--Hamburg
Norway--Oslo
Belgium--Houffalize
Germany--Karlsruhe
Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal
Germany--Leipzig
Germany--Dortmund
Germany--Berchtesgaden
England--Whitehaven
Kenya
England--Yeovil
Kenya--Nairobi
Kenya--Kitale
Tanzania--Mbeya
Tanzania--Mwanza
Uganda--Entebbe
Kenya--Kisumu
England--Cambridge
Germany--Dresden
Germany--Braunschweig
Germany--Düsseldorf
Zimbabwe--Gweru
Zimbabwe
South Africa
Sierra Leone
France
Algeria
Tunisia
Italy
Netherlands
Germany
Norway
Poland
Belgium
Tanzania
Uganda
Iran
North Africa
Germany--Nuremberg
Iran--Tehran
Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)
Netherlands--Vlissingen
Germany--Homburg (Saarland)
Tunisia--Munastīr
Tunisia--Qayrawān
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Cornwall (County)
England--Cumberland
England--Devon
England--Hampshire
England--Huntingdonshire
England--Norfolk
England--Northamptonshire
England--Somerset
England--Lancashire
Italy--Capri Island
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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Peter Bradbury
109 Squadron
142 Squadron
150 Squadron
1661 HCU
227 Squadron
25 OTU
30 OTU
5 Group
617 Squadron
84 OTU
9 Squadron
air gunner
Air Gunnery School
aircrew
Albemarle
Anson
anti-aircraft fire
B-17
B-24
Beaufighter
bomb aimer
bombing
bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945)
C-47
Defiant
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Medal
ditching
FIDO
flight engineer
Flying Training School
Gee
ground personnel
Halifax
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Hudson
Hurricane
Initial Training Wing
Ju 87
Ju 88
lack of moral fibre
Lancaster
mess
military discipline
Morse-keyed wireless telegraphy
Mosquito
navigator
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
Pathfinders
prisoner of war
RAF Balderton
RAF Bardney
RAF Bawtry
RAF Catfoss
RAF Desborough
RAF Eastleigh
RAF Farnborough
RAF Finningley
RAF Graveley
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hixon
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor
RAF Milltown
RAF Norton
RAF Scampton
RAF Seighford
RAF Strubby
RAF Syerston
RAF Waddington
RAF Wick
RAF Winthorpe
RAF Wyton
searchlight
Spitfire
sport
Stirling
Sunderland
Tiger force
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
wireless operator / air gunner
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
-
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Title
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Campbell, Keith William
Keith William Campbell
Keith W Campbell
Keith Campbell
K W Campbell
K Campbell
Description
An account of the resource
Two oral history interviews with Keith William Campbell (1923 - 2019, 423220 Royal Australian Air Force) and a diary he kept as a prisoner of war.<br /><br /> A further collection about Keith Campbell <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2083">here.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Keith William Campbell and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2016-06-04
2016-05-18
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Campbell, KW
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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Original diary kept as a P.O.W. in Germany. Very illegal, but managed to keep it.
24/7/44 – May 45.
KW Campbell A423220
K.W. Campbell
[Censored]
[POW ID tag]
[page break]
Mr. K.W. CAMPBELL
[Censored]
[page break]
Set out from our drome on the night of 24th July 44 – the target being Stuttgart. Kept to height and speed on the way in and had a good trip to the [symbol] . Saw P.F.F. drop their markers and bombed successfully – still seeing no fighters. On the run up the flak at the [symbol] looked rather warm & could some of it burst & rattle on the bomb bay, so instead of just having my parachute I clipped one side of it to my harness - a thing I have only done once before, and don’t really know why I did it then except perhaps for the [deleted word] additional
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feeling of security it seems to give. Turned off after having bombed & Bob, the engineer said he was going back to check ‘bombs gone’ & was just turning around to get back to the H2S set again & taking chute off – just then there was what seemed like a heavy, dull explosion behind me and the next thing I remember was floating down on my chute and only one strap of the harness. The explosion, a flak shell in the forward part of the kite or a fighter coming in unnoticed from underneath firing cannon shells. I didn’t know what, blew
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me right out of the perspex of the nose of the kite and only for the fact I had my chute on I would have fallen to the deck without a chute – not a pleasant experience especially from 19,000ft. I don’t remember pulling the chute, it must have been automatic. The last thing I remember, is just before I was blown out, someone said bloody hell-“ over the intercom & then my plug must have been pulled out & luckily it didn’t get tangled up or the cord may have strangled me as I had my helmet on.
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We were at 19,00ft and it took some time to get down. It was a fantastic experience coming down – I could see the flak and S/L at the [symbol] & the bombs bursting & tracer in the sky & several kites fly past & the thin cloud coming up to me, while I was just gently swaying in the air on a strap – it seemed unreal - . On the way down I thought I saw our kite hit the deck, there were several patches of fire where it probably broke up. Finally saw the ground looming up and it came with amazing suddenness and practically
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before I knew what had happened I was on the ground in the middle of a wheat field, realizing I was still alive and O.K. Took off my harness and bundled it up with my chute & mae west, after having taken the torch from the latter. I then got as far as possible from where I had landed, travelling until dawn in a S.W. direction. Landed at about 0215hrs on 25th July, south of Stuttgart, and left the wheat paddock after about 1/4hour and continued until I found a road going in the right direction – south. Eventually found one, after walking thro’ many fields, and
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started to walk along it – came to a village & decided to pass thro it, which I did and was very glad to have a drink and wash at the village pump, as I was very thirsty & covered in blood & dirt. Kept on walking until dawn & then found a wood with fairly thick undergrowth & made myself as inconspicuous as possible, and as I was tired out, and went straight to sleep. Woke up at 1030 and the sun was well out. I thought of the rest of the kites – did they all get back and the chaps would be in bed by now. And where was the rest of the
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crew? Still I couldn’t afford to worry about that so had a cigarette and took stock of what I had. This included my usual escape kit – maps, 2 compasses, money, rations, water bag, saw, pencil etc & besides that the torch from my mae west, first aid kit, handkerchief, knife, 24/-, horlicks tablets, chocolate, gum & sweets etc. After that I took stock of my injuries, which I was very pleased to find, consisted of only a few scratches & bumps. My right ear was cut & covered with blood & the right side of my face had 3
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scratches, my left jaw was swollen & on my left hand, two deep cuts & several others. When washed they were O.K. and presented little difficulty, and looking into my steel mirror, found I was quite presentable. I then cut off the tops of my flying boots and my stripes, brevet etc. from my battledress. Then consulted my maps & found I was somewhere south of Stuttgart, but couldn’t pinpoint myself accurately. Spent the rest of the day making rough plans and smoked a few cigarettes. Set out on the road again
[page break]
at about 2200 hrs – passed several people but they took no notice of me. Walked for about 2 hours and then watched the boys raid Stuttgart again. It was a very inspiring sight, seeing the flares go down & flak & bombs bursting, tracer etc. Went on again, by this time I was very thirsty but couldn’t find any water, even though I passed through several villages. About 0400 I [deleted] passed [/deleted] found a stream & had a long drink & filled my water bag, had a square of chocolate & a few horlicks tablets. Carried on until dawn without further incident
[page break]
and hid up at dawn again, in a wood and had a cigarette, piece of chocolate & some horlick tablets & went to sleep. Fortunately the weather was good and not too cold, but the ground was damp – still I had plenty of clothes on. Woke up at about 1000 hrs & had breakfast – a square of chocolate, tablets & water and a few cigarettes. Luckily I had plenty of matches & cigs & my lighter. The torch was very handy for map reading at night. Reviewed the position again and found approx where I was. Sat for about 1/2 hr. & got thoroughly sick of doing nothing
[page break]
so got up & had a look around – found the surrounding country deserted so decided to push on thro the wood which I did. Came to the end of the [indecipherable word] wood & pushed on from there along the bed of a stream as it went in the right direction, south, as I was making for the Swiss border about 80 mile away. Continued on and saw no one. Came to another big wood and passed through it & at the end was a big village so had to stop. Went back [indecipherable word] some distance & had a wash in the stream & drink & chocolate, tablets. On this very meagre diet for the last few days I was
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very hungry so went into a field & picked a cabbage & ate it. Decided to go back further and skirt the village which I did but had to cross about 1/2 mile of open country to get to the next wood. Had a drink & chewed some wheat stalks. The ground was all under heavy cultivation & nothing wasted. As it was very hot & I was heavily clothed & dumped my flying boot tops which I had. Continued on for a few mile & came to a main road which I crossed There was another village 1/2 mile on my left and I walked along the back of a wide river
[page break]
Was very tired so stopped by the stream for a while & located the [deleted] stream [/deleted] river on my maps. Took off my flying sweater as it was very hot & had a lie down & dozed off. Was wakened by the shouts of a bunch of children swimming in the river. Unluckily one of them saw me & began to shout to the others & point to me & climb up to where I was, so I just grabbed my waterbag & cleared out, leaving my sweater behind. Went across several fields & along farm tracks, passing quite a lot of men & women working in the fields, who gave me suspicious glances but
[page break]
said nothing, so I kept on. Passed another lot of swimmers who waved & shouted – was about 100 yds off, so I waved & shouted back. Kept on the road & finally came to a village & as there was little cover about I decided to go thro’ it which I did successfully – the people just looked at me & said nothing. One chap said something to me so I grunted & passed on. Passed thro’ O.K. & decided to have a short rest in a wood beside the road. Had a little to eat & drink & went to sleep for a while. Workers coming home thro’ the wood awakened me so I pushed along the road. Walked that night, thro’ several villages, along the road, but nothing eventful happened – was very hungry & tired & there was nothing to eat in the fields. Slept in a wood next day awoke
[page break]
at about 10.30. Was very hot so cut down my flying sox. The wood was near a [indecipherable word] so decided to push on. Continued along the road for about 2 mile, quite a lot of military cars, lorries, & civvie [sic] cars, buses, cycles etc. passed me uneventfully. Went thro’ a wood & came to the end of it & saw a thick one about 400yds ahead so walked along the road, making for it. When I was about half way there a lorry passed me & then pulled up & three men got out of it & walked towards me & something to which I replied in French, making out I was a French worker but they asked me for my papers which I didn’t have so after some discussion they took me in the lorry to the local Gestapo at Tubigen [sic] . I ate what was left of my chocolate & gave some to the little kid they had
[page break]
with them, who was very pleased with it. The chaps brought me a drink& treated me quite well & said in very broken English “you Englander? – prisoner, yes?” By then I was very hungry & dirty & tired so was quite happy about being taken. I had covered about 40 mile altogether but had no definite clue where I was except I was going in the right direction by my compass. Threw my knife away and was finally taken over by an army S/Sgt who took me to where he was billeted. He spoke a little French & so did I so had a small modicum of conversation & sign language did the rest. He made out his report & searched me & took all my belongings except my handkerchiefs, made a list of my stuff. Ate my chocolate pack and most of my rations & smoked a lot of my cigarettes before he got them. After he had finished with me he took
[page break]
me to the local Gestapo jail where I spent the night in the morning was taken out – the centre of interest to the people – and marched to the next town by a guard, walking in front of him at pistol point. The walk was about 4 mile & most of the 4 mile it poured with rain. Finally arrived at the Army H.Q. & was put in a cell at about 1000 hrs. At 1230 was taken out again to another army place where they tried to ask me questions but no one could speak enough English so they didn’t get too far. Waited around for an hour and then was put in a truck with a guard, driven to the railway, where after a long wait, a train came. After many short & uncomfortable train trips & long waits I finally arrived at the Guard House of a Luftwaffe fighter drome, where I met the crew of a Lanc. As I had
[page break]
eaten nothing for 36 hours I was very hungry so asked for something to eat. Stood against the wall & after an hour they brought in some macaroni & “coffee” – filling but not very tasty but we all had as much as we could [indecipherable word] . After that we were allowed to talk so [indecipherable word] stories with the Lanc boys. Went to sleep on the floor & was woken at 0200 hrs & taken to the air raid shelter – the boys were raiding. Stuttgart again & we were fairly close. Back again & woke up & had to spend our time until 1200 hrs standing & sitting. They then took us to the H.Q. where they interrogated us. Didn’t get anything out of us except name, rank & no. so took us back to the guardroom. At about 1630 were put on a truck with guards & taken to the railway. Passed thro’ Stuttgart – I’ve never see a place so devastated, all the buildings were a shambles, rubble
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was covered the roads & footpaths, burnt out buildings, bomb craters, fires still raging with fireman trying to put them out. The whole city was the same & it took a long time to get thro’ it – traffic was very restricted, no trams as the rails were wrecked. Finally got to a suburb a long way out where we pulled up at the station. Waited in the truck for 1/2hr., the centre of interest to all & then went into the station where we waited 3 1/2hrs for a train, again the centre of interest to all the civilians many of whom passed very hostile remarks about us, but we had a strong escort who kept them moving. Finally caught a train & after some hours arrived at Frankfurt where we had a slice of bread & waited in an air raid shelter for some hours. Got on another train & arrived at the interrogation centre, Oberwest. Marched to the prison camp where they
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searched us, photographed & fingerprinted us etc. & then was put in a room 9’x4’6” with a bed & stool in solitary. Stayed there in solitary for 3 1/2 days, the only break being 2 pieces of bread – German brown, sawdust variety with this bread for breakfast & [4 deleted words] coffee, a bowl of soup for dinner & 2 pieces of bread & marjorine [sic] for tea & equally rotten warm tea. There was nothing to do all day and I was getting really sick of it when finally the guard came in & too me to interrogation. The chappie there was really good, offered me a cigarette & asked me my name, rank, & no. which I gave him. Talked for a while – he spoke good English - & then he asked me some more questions which I told him I couldn’t answer. He just laughed & said it was useless not giving it as he had it already & then
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proceeded to tell me the names of our Flight Commanders, C.O. and many other officers o [deleted word] my sqn, the equipment we had, and losses and the crews. he only made one slip, that about where we were stationed as we had moved recently, so I didn’t enlighten him. He then told me all the training stations in England & Canada & gen about them. It amazed me [indecipherable word] the extent of what he knew. He then gave me a list of the names of chaps out of 3 kites, shot down when we were, who were dead – two of the kites were from our sqn, one the old ‘P’, our kite [indecipherable word] . Among the names were 4 of the crew & all the other crew from the sqn, & 4 names from the other kite. There were also 6 bodies unidentified which must have been 3 from our kite & 3
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from the other, as we carried a second dicky, which would make up the number of the crews. I realized how lucky I was, as out of 8 of us in the kite, I was the only one to get out alive, and then only by a lucky chance. I had hoped to see some of the chaps, but it was a long chance now. I gave the names of the crew so they could get a decent burial & asked for [deleted word] photos of their graves which were promised. (Write to this address after war to get phots of Keith and Pat’s grave & perhaps rest of crew. Fleigerhorst Kommandantur Eghterdingen Bonlanden near Stuttgart, Germany) The interrogation chap was very decent, gave me plenty of cigarettes & had a chat with him about the war, V1’s over London, Russia & general topics – very interesting. He also gave me permission to shave & wash & have a book. After
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that I felt much better. Saw him again next morning & he asked me some more questions, many of which I couldn’t answer, but he nearly always had the answer himself. He got my belongings back & gave the to me – my pencil, watch, comb, cig case (-cigs) & my personal stuff – all the rest, brevet, etc was confiscated, but I thought myself lucky to get what I did. He said I would be out that afternoon & at about 1600 hrs. was taken out of my room and taken to the other barracks with a lot of other chaps. I was very glad to have company again. Met 2 chaps from my sqn. so we stuck together. Saw on the walls, the names of other crews from the sqn. & other chaps names I knew. Slept the night there & in the morning boarded a train for the transit camp.
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Dulag – Luft. One good thing, we were all P.O.W’s now & the Red Cross would notify our people as soon as possible. Arrived at Wetzlor where the camp is at about 1230, hot, hungry & dirty. The Jerry trains are pretty busy, usually 4 or 6 wheel carriages with wooden seats & very crowded & slow & a few good main line trains. In my travels I saw many evidences of bombing – cities & rail centres, factories etc. Walked from Wetzlor to the camp, about 6 mile, away – were searched again, checked in & [deleted word] then given what clothing we needed & a Red Cross case containing, clothes, cigs, pie, tobacco, razor, brushes, blades, soap, towels, sweater, sox and everything like that – it was marvellous coming at a time like that as we only had what we wore & that was very dirty.
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We explored the cases like kids at Xmas time with their toys. Next we were given a hot shower & put on clean clothes. I’ve never felt better than I did then, after being dirty for so long & then to get thoroughly clean again. Were given huts then & got settled in. Supper was at 1700 hrs & as we were practically starving went in first. They have a big central mess & pool all the Red Cross parcels – that meal was really wonderful, salmon, potatoes, bread, butter & jam & plenty of wizard milk coffee. After the Jerry rations it was a wonderful change. The [deleted word] other chaps knew we were hungry so let us have all we could eat – very decent of them. Had a good sleep that night, wrote a postcard home. Breakfast in the morning –
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porridge, bread & butter & coffee – really good. Washed out dirty clothes after that & made a good job of them. Dinner time came & we had a meat & veg. soup, 1/2 packet of raisins plenty of milk & cig ration. Were told in the afternoon we were moving to out permanent camp so got packed & had tea, similar to last night, & marched to the station at Wetzlor again & got into our carriage. Were given a Red Cross parcel between two of us for the trip + Jerry rations, so apart from overcrowding had a good trip – our carriage was put onto various trains, goods & passenger until we got to Bankau. Wetzlor camp was our first
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introduction to the Red Cross & everyone was very grateful to them – their clothes case & parcels make life much more endurable, in fact I do not know what we would do without them. Walked from Bankau to the camp – Stalag 7, about 5 mile. The camp is comparatively new & at present are living in small huts, 6 of us together. The chaps have the place fairly well organised, plenty of sport, entertainment, library, studies, music – various “shops”, barber, sports, exchange etc. The basis of all exchange is cigarettes and used in the same way as money. We get 1 Red Cross parcel per man per week & they are really wizard – sometimes American & other times English. They really keep us alive as
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Jerry rations are rather meagre & we can have the parcel contents to supplement them & as small luxuries. The 6 of us pool our parcels & find they go quite along way and live quite well. Two cards and one letter every 14 days are allowed which isn’t bad – very little to write about. Have had several good games of cricket & heard some good music, concerts etc. sports etc. The time passes fairly quickly – talking, reading, studies, sport, entertainment etc. & I know quite a few chaps here, several from the old squadron. Each new arrival of prisoners is eagerly awaited as they bring fresh news & there may be someone you know. If I could only let
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my people & friends know that I am O.K. it would be a big help but everything takes time.
Have been here several weeks now and have settled down to the routine of camp life. If you look at it the right way it is just like spending a holiday roughing it. A typical day is, get up say 0700 hrs & the two chaps on “duty crew” for the day get breakfast, porridge if it is on of if not we have something else, fruit & cream or meat & bread & butter & jam & coffee. Wash up & clean the hut out & parade at 0900 hrs. After that our time is our own until lunch. May do some washing, read, play cards etc.
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Lunch time Jerry gives us potatoes and peas or cabbage and sometimes meat, but very little, still the potato ration isn’t too bad & we often get seconds [deleted word] Follow up by sometimes having a sweet or bread & butter & tea. Often save some potatoes for tea. Wash up again & spend the afternoon as you like. As the weather is perfect we get around in a pair of shorts only and in the afternoon around 1400 hrs usually get under the pump – its ice cold but very fresh. Parade at 1630 hrs & then we get tea ready & collect rations, a loaf of bread and perhaps sugar or marg or jam. Have made a lot
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of cooking utensils [deleted word] out of tins & use it to fry our stuff, bacon & egg powder & stuff out of the parcels. We make some very tasty meals & its worth the trouble it takes. Amuse ourselves until 2000 hrs when we have supper, biscuits, bread & butter & jam & cocoa. On Sundays we usually go to church. We have made several cakes – very good too, from grated bread & biscuits & pudding powder, raisins, dried fruit, milk, sugar, prune kernels butter etc. & mixed it up & put it in our tine & cooked it. Tried it with chocolate icing – grated choc. milk powder, sugar, butter etc. It is really tasty and
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we make one or two a week. Some of the ideas for cooking seen around the camp are very ingenious, tins, bits of wood put together to make a blower, & we have made a stove & oven & several tins on top of each other to make a small stove. Nothing is wasted as all paper scraps etc. does for fuel. Food boxes [two indecipherable words] shelves, cupboards etc. & large supply tins come in handy for making various things. We get our news from Jerry communiques which are put up daily. [deleted] Everyone looks forward [/deleted] The weather is perfect to date – hot sunny days & cool nights & the
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light holds out well – it’s a pity there isn’t a river to swim in. They are building us new barracks & supposed to go into them shortly. I hope so as they have light, heat, stoves etc. Parcels twice a week & are eagerly awaited by all. After supper we wash & do a few circuits of the camp & be in the huts by 2100 hrs. – usually talk or play cards by candlelight until 2230 hrs. & then go to bed.
[underlined] Three weeks [/underlined] . More sport & still perfect weather. Played in several whist drives & bridge tournaments. Some new chaps came in & there was a crew from my sqn. so they gave me the latest news of the place. All the crews we were with have finished their tour so we would have too only for getting
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shot down. Still its O.K. here – I’m fit & well, conditions are fair enough & at least we keep early hour & save money. Plenty of time for thought & I have often wondered about friends & wish I could let them know I’m O.K. – still everything takes time – x 4 [underlined] weeks [/underlined] . The news is still good Jerries communiques admit allied advances on all fronts & the new chaps give us confirmation of this. Had a very good day Sept 2. – all day sports. Went is a few events, very interesting side shows too – dice, coconut [deleted word] shies etc. & boxing at night. Also had news from Geneva, the parcels are to be cut in half – still we can manage. The nights are getting longer but still sunny days – bit cooler
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Jerry transport still very bad – I’ve only see one lorry & 1 horse drawn cart all the time – we get our rations in a cart pulled by about a dozen chaps. There are comps as to when the war will end – the sooner the better – a lot of new books in the library too.
6 [underlined] weeks [/underlined] . weather still sunny but getting cold, especially at night. We have got a lot of new band instruments for the band & a ciné projector. A Red Cross man came around & [deleted word] put a few things OK. We should be moving shortly so had quite a good time on my birthday, more books in the library.
7 weeks – another lot of new chaps in
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but none I knew, would like to get news of the sqn. Now have a good stock of parcels in the camp – weather getting very cold now, especially at night.
[underlined] 12 October [/underlined] . At last we have moved to the new camp and its really very good. Each division has a barrack block and that is divided up into rooms each holding 14+ and 2 small rooms. We were lucky in getting a small room – 8 of us together & it works very well packing food etc.
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The lights are on until 2200 hrs which makes things very agreeable – able to play cards or read at night now. Weather still good & food coming in regularly, still living well. The rooms are very cosy & when we get the fires in things will be very good. Rec’d more comforts [deleted word] razor blades, soap, etc. My W/O due the 1st of this month – good thing. More new chaps in but I don’t know anyone. Some mail for the division, but don’t know anyone. Life will be much more pleasant in these new barracks.
17 [underlined] th October [/underlined] Red [inserted] [indecipherable word] [/inserted] letter day! Playing in a
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bridge tournament & called and got a grand slam, rec’d winter underwear and best of all 2 letters one from Lillian & one from Gladys. Felt really on top of the world especially as I did not expect them. Evidently they knew I was O.K. about 3 weeks after I was shot down – good show! as I know how many people would worry & the news coming thro’ that quickly would be a big relief to them. I’ve never had letters that churned me up so much as these two, so am looking forward to some more.
Nov 2. We had a “dance” in the mess hall. Some of the chaps
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dressed up for the occasion – it was really good and a very pleasant change. Rec’d two more letters, one from Kedock House & Gladys.
Nov. 8. First fall of snow & very cold – slush & mud everywhere. Very glad of the fires. Food situation OK stuff.
Armistice Day – we held a parade at 1000 & short service & last post & silence for 2 mins. Very good show & went off well. Still snowing. Temperamental weather. Parcels messed up again. We now have a lot of “Weigee” boards which are supposed to answer questions. Went to a session with the boys & got some joy – don’t know what it is but the tapping must come from somewhere
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& it wasn’t us. Its interesting and we’re “Weigeites” now. [underlined] Dec. 3. [/underlined] Lovely today & at 1330 hrs. air raid sounded & later we saw about 500 Forts & Libs. overhead. What a sight – their vapour trails in the sky – could see the kites as they flew by in formation – lasted about 1/2 hr. they bombed quite close & could hear the bombs bursting. [underlined] Dec 10 [/underlined] . Saw [indecipherable word] Bros.” at theatre also several good plays & musicals. [indecipherable word] went pretty good. New M.O. & padre. More letters, Gladys & Maureen. Lives very hard – 1 parcel every fortnight & short Jerry rations so we go hungry again. Played in bridge tournament & a letter from Gladys & 1 readdressed. Come Xmas. – wizard day & early parade, breakfast plenty of [indecipherable word] & cream & [indecipherable word]
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coffee. Played bridge in the morning coffee & biscuits. Dinner – pork loaf, spam spuds, veg, - quite a lot, followed by a big helping of the puddings we made. my [indecipherable word] pud, pudding full of fruit & plenty of choc. sauce followed by coffee & bis. cheese. I felt really full for the first time. Good football game in the afternoon & went to see the boys. [underlined] Tea [/underlined] . [inserted] soup. [/inserted] bacon & eggs & spuds, toast, Xmas cake. Tea – excellent cake – light & rich [underlined] Supper [/underlined] 4 toast & jam etc. & cake & 1 bar choc. We saved a lot of food but was worth it had a wizard day. Dance at night. A very enjoyable Xmas under circs. 2 new chaps in the room – one chap from Tamworth – Johnny [indecipherable word] also good war news. The “do” at night was swell dance with band & singing. [underlined] Boxing day [/underlined] – ordinary day – finished Xmas stuff.
[page break]
The Crew
Arrived at O.T.U. at – with the rest of the chaps I had done N.F.U. with and after being there a short while the business of crewing up started. All [indecipherable word] aircrew categories were represented and the pilots had to pick out their crews. That’s where I met Jim – he was looking for a B/A & asked me if I would crew up with him. He looked a good type so I said OK. Next we got a navigator & W/Op. As the nav. knew a rear gunner we got him in the crew – making a full Aussie crew. For the first few weeks we were on ground course so didn’t see much
[page break]
of each other, although we had one crew night in town which brought us together more. After the ground course we moved to – for our flying and as we were all in the same hut we got to know each other better & found out we got on well together and as we were all N.C.O.s we were in the same mess.
Jim Walsh, the skipper was from Canberra, in the timber business before the war, a small very fair chap. The Nav Keith Smith was from Hurlstone Park and was in a bank, pre war. Pat Conway, the W/OP
[page break]
was from Queensland, and was a reporter on a Brisbane paper & Matt Whitely the rear gunner was from Perth and was in an insurance office before he joined up & finally my self, the B/A. Jim was the oldest, being 27, Pat was 23 & the rest of us under 21. We had a very good time at - , and got plenty of time off, when we nearly always went to - . It was a grand life – while it lasted and we got on exceptionally well as a crew & usually went out together. After a while we acquired girl friends at - , and
[page break]
then we would get together & have a theatre party, dance etc. Had some really wizard times at “Jimmys” & the Palais de Dance. We knew that town really well, used to stay the night at the Y.M.C.A. & come home in the bus in the morning. We also had some good leaves in London together. We all had bikes & after landing late we would cycle into the local village & spend an [deleted] night [/deleted] evening there. The mess was good too & we spent some good “in” evenings and also at the
[page break]
WAAF dances that were held.
Our flying was good – had a few spots of excitement – once over the Irish sea when something in the bomb bay of the Wimpy caught fire, but got it out OK & once on landing the [indecipherable word] was very bad & the flaps went for a row at about 000ft so we just hit the deck & bounced twice – then the stbd. undercart leg snapped & the kite swung & scraped its underside – we all got out unhurt except Matt who hit his head on his turret, but nothing serious.
[page break]
Finished up at O.I.U. all passing out A1 & sent on leave & reported at Con unit at & - . Here we picked up the rest of the crew, the mid upper gunner & the engineer. The M.U.G. was an English chap, Huward [sic] Lloyd, a salesman in civil life in Birmingham. He was married & had been years in the R.A.F. He was 33. Bob Palmer was the engineer, from Doncaster, married & a coal miner in civil life, also 4 years service. Got on well with the English chaps and were a A1 crew in the air and on the
[page break]
ground. We had some very good times at Con. Unit, at the local villages and at S- and L-. Were flying Halifaxes & getting on fine – finally passed out. Jim, Keith & myself being recommended for commissions. Came to [indecipherable word] sqn where we got settled in & used [deleted] th [/deleted] to the new kites. Theres no doubt about it, life on the sqn is really wizard & with leave every six weeks & Nuffield scheme it makes things very good, as there are only ops to do & most of the rest of the time is your
[page break]
own. The drome was one of the best, a peace time place, so wasn’t dispersed so living conditions, the mess etc. were A1 & the food good & several good towns nearby. Had a good time & got around [deleted] q [/deleted] quite a bit. During the whole 7 months we were on the sqn we got an A1 as a crew & [deleted word] as pals were all N.C.O.s & Jim’s WO came through & then his DFC & then his commission closely followed by his F/O. & 3 of us up for our commissions. Those were the days – we moved to another
[page break]
drome quite close by also peace time. Had a great time there & gradually got 30 trips in & others got to 32 & had only about 5 to finish when we caught our packet & I was the only one to get out. We were in a very good position from 25 trips on as we were a senior crew we were off most of the ops & had a lot of time to ourselves so we got out a lot. I was very friendly with a WAAF at the sqn so saw a lot of her lately but I guess our number was up &
[page break]
we went for a [indecipherable word] on Stuttgart & now I can just remember & think of the good times I had, & wait for the war to end.
[page break]
Our Kite “P” Peter.
When we first came to the sqn we shared “S” Sugar with another crew. Soon however we were given “X”. Did several trips in it but it wasn’t much of a kite – no height or speed. Went on leave & when we came back found it had gone missing. After that we were given “P” Peter. She was a fairly new kite then & one of the best on the sqn. The radar & equipment was good, subject to the usual faults etc, of course, but nothing serious. Everything seemed O.K. &
[page break]
we did all our trips in “P”. Bob the engineer had a little yellow rabbit given to him at the start of our tour, as a mascot, & we called him Peter & used to put a bomb on him for every trip. He used to ride in the nose of the kite every trip, never missed. While we were around 20 trips a few faults began to develop in the old kite, - she had been used a lot for local stuff & she was slowly losing its speed & height. We were in the invasion on D day & did a few French targets. On
[page break]
one trip we got down as far as Bristol & the port inner stopped – feathered it O.K. & as the target was just inland from the Cherbourg coast we carried on & bombed on 3 engines & 12000 ft. & landed on a south coast drome under very bad weather conditions. Found the engine had just seized & was now useless. She was fitted with a new motor & back on ops. again. When she was in the hanger on inspection we flew other kites but usually off ops. altogether. Did a few
[page break]
more trips and then were briefed for a Happy Valley job. Everything went O.K. & we were at height & about 10 miles over the enemy coast going in, when the port outer went. Tried to start it but it wouldn’t, so feathered it after a bit of trouble, once nearly catching fire. Somehow there was no question of turning back – we all expected to go on. Had a heavy load on & lost about 8000 ft when we got to the target she was going very well on 3 engines. Bombed O.K. & turned off for home, luckily
[page break]
weren’t attacked although we saw some fighters. On the way home all the equipment worked perfectly so kept on track. Came across the North sea as dawn was breaking, a bit behind but it didn’t matter then as we were going slow to save gas. Arrived over our base & landed – a perfect landing. Everyone from the G/C down was very pleased with the show – later Jim was awarded the D.F.C. for this effort, and on our sqn. a D.F.C. really means something as very few
[page break]
are awarded. Several times we had engine problems & couldn’t get off & once hit a stand & took off minus a wing tip. Found the engine had seized after Happy Valley do so got a new motor. The ground crew painted a big rabbit on the kite & we had a little one for every trip instead of the usual bombs, the kite looked quite good. We had quite a few flack holes & fighter attacks & all our guns had been fired in combat. When Jim got his P/O we tied a P/O ribbon on Peter & also a DFC. ribbon on him. Continued on until we got up to 32 trips and then were briefed for Stuttgart –
[page break]
got there O.K., the old kite was going extra well after we bombed & turned off we got a flak or a fighter hit in the Kite, & the old kite just blew up & I was blown out thro’ the nose Well she was a good old kite, one of the few original ones on the sqn. & had the reputation of always getting back – but theres always a last time. She finished a long and honourable career by [deleted word] falling in a field in Germany, unfortunately taking the crew except myself with her.
[page break]
[underlined] Camp Songs [/underlined]
Any Day (Tune Bless ‘em All)
They say that this war cannot last very long
It’s only a matter of years
All of our optimists cannot be wrong
In spite of the pessimists fears
So lets get together & have a good time
Pretend that were drinking our beers
We ought to be home while were still in our prime
As its only a matter of years
[underlined] CHORUS [/underlined]
Any day, any day, we shall be flying away
Back to old Blighty & breakfast in bed
Milk from a bottle & loads of white bread
For were going away any day
Tell Churchill we don’t want to stay
Just land us over the White Cliffs of Dover
And well walk the rest of the way
[page break]
Tune – You Are My Sunshine
The other night boys while we were flying
The night was dark & black as pitch
Up came the flak bursts & then the fighters
And out poor kite we had to ditch.
[line]
The came the Jerries & we were captured
And taken to the jail
We had a feed there & I assure you
The bread was coarse & black & stale
[line]
Early next morning when we awoke boys
The [sic] took us to the Gestapo
We got no food nor cigarettes boys
And to their questions we said no.
[page break]
After this course of human kindness
We went to Dulag Luft Hotel
The rooms were single, the food was lousy
And there was a nasty smell.
[line]
Interrogation was unsuccessful
They only kept us for a week
Name, rank & number was all we gave them
After that we would not speak
[line]
And then the clouds turned into sunshine
The Red Cross parcels came our way
So in this camp we live in comfort
Waiting for the freedom day
[page break]
The other night dear as I was dreaming
I dreamt of you so far away
But when the day comes & we are free dear
I’ll be back with you to stay.
[line]
Freedom is sunshine, the only sunshine
It makes us happy, it makes us gay
Despite the hardships theres consolation
That our mates will win the day.
[double line]
[page break]
Tune Bless em All
Theres a 4-engined bomber just leaving its base
Bound for an alien shore
Heavily laden with cookies & such
Presents to even the score
[line]
Theres many a flak battery throwing up hell
Theres many a bomber can fall
The unlucky bod, that gets caught, the poor sod
Shouts, reach for your parachutes all
[line]
Bless em all, Bless em all, flak batts & fighters & all
Bless all the AGs & Bomb Aimers too
Bless all the pilots & rest of the crew
For were saying goodbye to them all
As to the escape hatch they crawl
We havent a notion, if were over the ocean
So cheer up my lads, let us fall
[line]
[page break]
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That Pleats on high in straggling bits
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of yellow Messerschmitts
And now interned for the duration
I wish I had not broke formation
Rothman Pall Mall
medium strong
Balkan Sob
[line]
The taste of summer in a ripened pear,
Tell them how they are missed, say not to fear
Its going to be alright with us down here.
[page break]
Let them in Peter, they are very tired,
Give them the couches where the angels sleep.
Let them wake whole again to new dawns
Fired with sun, not war, and may their peace be deep [line] .
Remember where the broken bodies lie
And give them things they like. Let them make noise
God knows how young they were to have to die.
Give them swing bands, not gold harps, to these our boys
Give them love Peter, they have had no time [line]
Girls sweet as meadow winds, with flowing hair
They should have trees, bird songs, hills to climb [symbol]
[page break]
[The remainder of the transcription continue from the last page of the document as the author commenced the story of the Long March from the reverse of the notebook]
[blank page]
The March across Germany
Jan – March 1945
[page break]
[underlined] Boxing [/underlined] Day. – very heavy raid – still snow about but good day. Recovering from Xmas feast.
27th Air raid – chap shot for going outside by a Jerry whose family had just been bombed.
31st Dec. Jerry left the lights on until 1am so saw the New Year in. “Dance” & concert in the hall.
1/1/45. Another good day – porridge & toast for breakfast coffee & bisc for break. Dinner soup & spuds & pudding & sauce & cheese bisc. really wizard pudding. Tea, sausages & cheesed potatoes & cold pudd, supper toast & bisc. good day. (Got some “NOEL” MILL JAM Argentine caramel cond. milk)
[page break]
Finished with the dentist – he is a wizard dentist & made a good job. Rec’d a letter from home & 5 others. Feel better now I have heard from home. 4th More parcels in. Bags of rumours going about. Saw a good show at theatre. Pantomania – good costumes & settings. An Aussie came in & told us of the chaps in England they’re on a good racket, wish I was there, getting very browned off. Gratuities when we get home 1/3 year pay for every year? 17th. Big flap – Joes on his way 35 miles away – given 1 hr notice to move so we ate all we could & made toffee
[page break]
& divided the rations & am now waiting to move – one hell of a flap everywhere – stores & cookhouse ratted [sic] & “free for all”. Tension is high 1200 hrs & still “at ready” bags of rumours – Joes very close – road congested with Jerry transport – 1600 hrs – more rumours & food 1700 hrs given 4 days rations – do we march? all prepared. 1730 – told we stop until tomorrow – OK 1815 stand by to march – another feed & more rations. [deleted word] [underlined] 2000 [/underlined] still standing by – wild rumours
[page break]
Joe’s each side of us. Concert on now for an hour, still very indefinite but think we’ll be here tonight. The room looks bare – everything has been taken down – band instruments & stores, library etc ratted [sic] . Parade 0900 – formed into marching order, then went back to stand by. Still a lot of Jerry stuff going back by road – 1130 – air raid 1310 – news that we stay here 3 days then go by train – who knows? 1345 parade again. 1415 out in marching order. We all get out ready [inserted] 1 coy [sic] first – back to room [/inserted] & after a bit of messing ready to go them came air raid. Bombs landed very close – we all got under bed – ready to move 0330 then 0500 then cancelled. We stay – 0530 out again & we moved off
[page break]
(Started 19 Jan)
Counted no all & started marching – very heavy going – bags of trucks going back – very few rests 1130 stop for rest 1/2 hr. so discard most of kit – there was kit everywhere. Move again 1400 everyone dog tired rest 1/4 hr 1530 arrived at village for night after 1 hr we finally get billeted – 100 to a small barn [inserted] went 34 KM [/inserted] very crowded & no lights – fitful sleep & awake 0400 & out again on march. Bags of gunfire 0900 – stop for eats – more kit diced [sic] . 1130 arrived at a town & put in factory – everyone buggered & had a rest – hot brew. Stayed in factory afternoon brew 1800 air raid alarm 1900. Left at 2000 – very cold. Marched all night with 4 short breaks -38 degrees below – chaps dropping out everywhere. Arrived at a village (across Oder) at 0700 – no billet so had to go
[page break]
7 Kilos more to a place after a night of hell. Had hot coffee & went to bed in the dark. Wake at 1600 & more coffee & bread – got few biscuits and lots of the chaps very bad. Went to sleep 1900. Supposed to stay 2 days but woken at 0100 & had to get moving as Joe was supposed to be very near. Got going and marched until 1100 hrs arrived at a farm & stayed coffee. Eats very short. Got a break & saw M.O. about my leg – just strained. Soup at teatime & biscuits – supposed to stay till morning? [inserted] 22 Km [/inserted] – perhaps. bags of explosions. We stayed & moved out at 0830. Managed to get some cocoa & bread before leaving. Snowing & very cold. We went 26Km hard marching with
[page break]
a few stops. Bags of refugees & Jerry army on the roads. More chaps sick. Finally arrived at destination at 1700 another farm. Settled in & made brew & cats [sic] still bloody cold & no food left. Soup at 1930, back to bed – froze during night. Woke up [deleted word] & made coffee & few biscuits. During morning we roasted spuds we scrounged. 1/2 cup soup for dinner. 1/2 loaf bread. Bags wild rumours. Shifted to a loft & had a good sleep. & woken 0230 & by 0400 were on the road marching again. [inserted] Lost knife in loft. [/inserted] Marched all the morning with 2 halts & passed bags of refugees & army staff roads cluttered up. Finally arrived at destination at 1400 & saw a column of Lansdorf army chaps also on the march.
[page break]
Billeted in another farm – not very comfortable got org. stew - 1 cup for tea & 1/5 loaf bread had [indecipherable word] & went to sleep – rather cold. Woke up 0730, made cocoa had piece bread. Lots rumours, supposed to move midday. Didn’t move off so got some spuds & cooked them & ate them.1/2 cup soup for tea 2/5 loaf of bread & marj. Coffee at night. Cold again – woke up at 0800 - & moved off 1100 – marched all day – 2 halts ate raw spuds & little bread. Arrived at a barn at 1730 – very cold & crowded & dark – 1/2 cup at 1900 & went sleep. Woken up 0330 & on the road again – 0430 – snowing & exceptionally cold. Did 22 Kilos – 2 halts. Hands frozen & little food.
[page break]
Got to a farm 1230 – same style. Snow stopped. [indecipherable word] better to scrounge. Friday Sun. 28th. Stayed the night – 1/2 cup soup & 1/10 loaf, meat & marj & bisc. Next day bitterly cold, 1/2 soup, no bread. Left at 1730 – snowing & cold wind. Started marching 1830- were promised soup, bread at 6 Km but didn’t get it. Wind very biting. First 6 Km O.K. then we started on open country wind terrible – 1/2 blizzard – snow drifts 18” deep on the road, very heavy going. Bags of convoys. We were always halting for tracks & the wind blowing ice & snow. Passed a body frozen from exposure on the road in the deep snow. The only relief from wind when we went thro’ towns. The march seemed endless – kept on plodding along, no
[page break]
good stopping. After 11 hours we arrived – 22 Km. Everyone buggered still no soup or cots [sic] so went to bed in a barn & slept [deleted word] from 0530 to 1200. Promised transport for rest of journey. The worst night I have ever spent in my life. Stayed the night fairly warm 1/5 loaf bread up next day & marj. Food very scarce. No transport. Not going to Sagan now – to near Munich. Joe rapidly advancing. Rumours & gunfire. Supposed to move tomorrow. Stayed the day – no bread or food, just the 1/2 cof. Slept the night moved at 0700hrs. Roads very wet [inserted] [indecipherable word] can muck [/inserted] rain. Arrived at a lousy farm – exceptionally crowded & dirty. Stay here until transport arrives 1 spud 2/5 bread & 1/24 marj each. Fairly warm at night. 1/2 cup barley in the morning – 2 more 1/2 cups barley & 1 spud. Another rotten night – hellish crowded – cattle
[page break]
etc. in with us. Very hungry – Next day – Feb 3 I think – Lost all count of time etc. Managed to trade [indecipherable word] for 1/4 loaf bread. Chaps trading watches, cig cases for 2 loaves bread. Another 1/6 loaf bread today & 1/7 black marj. 2 spuds 2 loaves from Cookhouse. Everyone looks a wreck now. Another crowded night. Next day Sunday, Church. 1/5 bread 2 cookhouse brews. 1700 – we are supposed to leave by train tomorrow for Stalag 3A near Berlin Hope so. Big flap at 1800 – rations for trip in. Dishing out bread, marj & pâte in the dark – then stew at 2200. Got to sleep & woken at 0400 – walked to Goldberg – 8Km & on the train. 66 to a cattle truck. (Pinched a can of milk on the road & had a few cupfuls [sic] each). Got aboard 0945 & got 1/12 bread. Finally moved off 1330 – went for hour then stopped. The whole trip
[page break]
is short runs & long stops bloody crowded night – can’t lie down. Woke up still the same all day stops & starts. Food very short. Another lousy night. Stopped all night & until 1230 (Fday) 1/2 slice breakfast. 1/4 slice dinner. Moved 3 Km. No sign of getting anywhere. No food at all or water. Some working P.O.W.s at siding – rumour of advances. Supposed to be a traffic jam. Moved during the night & stopped at a town. Supposed to be the place – hope so, as everyone is starving – It is the place got off & marched 2 Km. A civvie gave me a bit of bread – nearly saved my life! Behind wire again good Slowly got showered – clothes offirst [sic] time for 21 days weak as a chicken – get food about 6, no parcels but possibility of some soon. At last the Retreat from Bankau finishes. Given a hot shower & messed around, into billets on floor. Hot soup & spuds at 6.30. Later more soup. Felt [sic] OK saw
[page break]
some of the boys from Sagan – few cigs. Good sleep, felt [sic] a lot better. Shave in the morning & rations organised. Red + organising things. Lots of army bods here. OK when we get organised. So ends our nightmare march from Bankau. We wont forget! Good food midday – soup spuds. Took us 3 days to do 160 miles in the train. Marched about 260 Km. More or less normal life from now I hope on Jerry rations – which are [deleted word] poor. Went to see a show here - rather good. Changed razor blades at “canteen” for marks & bought “soup powder” (sawdust & pepper) & tea first time I’ve had money for 6 months. We just exist on these rations (4 spuds 1/4 litre soup stuff & 1/5 loaf & spread). Been here a week just existing & dreaming of food & home & civilisation. Still lots of rumors [sic] .
[page break]
The war was over [inserted] armistice signed [/inserted] - but what now? The dead were still dead; no miracle of human signature could restore limbs & sight & sanity; the grinding hardships of [deleted words] those 5 years could not be wiped out by a headline.
[line]
[line]
[line]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Keith Campbell's prisoner of war diary
Description
An account of the resource
Diary kept by Keith Campbell 24 July 1944 to February 1945 describing being shot down, evading and capture and life as a prisoner of war. Some entries talk about operations. Ends with the forced march away from the Russians. Note on front - 'original diary kept as P.O.W. in Germany. Vey illegal, but managed to keep it. 24/7/44 - May 45, K W Campbell A423220'.
This item is available only at the University of Lincoln.
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Diary
Identifier
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YCampbellKW423220v1
Conforms To
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Pending review
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
Creator
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Keith Campbell
Format
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One booklet
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
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Germany
Poland
Germany--Oberursel
Germany--Stuttgart
Poland--Tychowo
Temporal Coverage
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1944-07-24
1945
bale out
crewing up
Dulag Luft
faith
military living conditions
military service conditions
prisoner of war
Red Cross
shot down
Stalag Luft 7
superstition
the long march
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1895/35556/SGillK1438901v10013.2.pdf
560ed9f1d59ba4257564f21bcc9c2824
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Gill, Kenneth
K Gill
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-07-09
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Gill, K
Description
An account of the resource
One hundred and sixty-four items plus another one hundred and fifteen in two sub-ciollections. The collection concerns Flying Officer Kenneth Gill DFC (1922 - 1945, 1438901, 155097 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and family and other correspondence. <br />He flew operations as a navigator with 9 Squadron before starting a second tour with 617 Squadron. He was killed 21 March 1945 having completed 45 operations.<br /><br />The collection also contains two albums. <br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2114">Kenneth Gill. Album One</a><br /><a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/2117">Kenneth Gill. Album Two</a><br /><br />Additional information on Kenneth Gill is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/108654/">IBCC Losses Database.</a><br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Derek Gill and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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Charles Letts’s
DIARY
[page break]
Telephone Numbers
Name Number
[page break]
Memoranda from 1941
Left home July 7th for London
Left London July 26th for Leuchars.
Left Leuchars Oct. 3rd for 9 days leave.
Left home Oct. 12th for Leuchars.
Left Leuchars Oct. 17th for London
Left London Nov. 22nd. for Clyffe Pypard
Left Clyffe Pypard Dec. 13th for 14 days leave.
Became engaged Dec. 16th to my darling.
Left home Dec. 27th for Heaton Park.
[page break]
Memoranda from 1941
[printed information]
[page break]
January 1 Thursday 1942
Were issued with extra kit, vests, gym. kit, overalls, new towel & a new kitbag.
Had to mark bags with code letters etc.
Wrote letters to Vera & home.
Had bath & went to bed.
[page break]
2 Friday 1942
Had two teeth out at 12.25pm. at Bowlec Station. What a job it hurt quite a bit & bled a lot.
Hugh McCoy went with me.
Had rest of day off.
Code words altered.
[page break]
3 Saturday 1942
Gums still sore but a lot better, had mouth-wash after breakfast & had nothing to do till 1.30pm.
Pay parade at 2.15pm received £2 what for beats me.
Finished at 4pm.
Wrote letter to Betty Hughes & one to Vera.
Rang up, [indecipherable words] out & rang again & Vera was out. Spoke to Mrs. Longden.
4 Sunday
Took in kitbags not wanted on voyage.
Went with Pete to tea at Alcocks’. Good night Wish Vera could have some.
Tried to get through but couldn’t.
[page break]
5 Monday 1942
Went to pack & messed about & got embarkation cards. Seems we’re going at last. Tried to ring but couldn’t get through. Wrote V & home.
Left Byron’s at 10.30pm for Park. Had supper & stayed there till 2.30am. Marched to station & got on train at 3.00am.
Woke up at Glasgow.
[page break]
6 Tuesday 1942
Arrived at 12.0a.m. on docks at Gourock. Went aboard steamer & was taken out to troopship, not bad accomodation [sic]. Sleep in hammocks & on mess-tables.
The lads are all here.
Wrote to V & home.
Had a bit of fun getting hammocks set up right. Slept in our clothes.
[page break]
7 Wednesday 1942
Got up at 6.30a.m. not bad night.
Was given guard duty for 24hrs, 1 on & 2 off. My post on bow of ship.
Left Gourock at 2.0p.m. & had a Yank destroyer to acompany [sic] us.
Quiet night. Running down the Irish Sea.
[page break]
8 Thursday 1942
Bacon & egg for breakfast. Finished guard at 9a.m.
Ran in to Milford Haven at 2- pm.
Left at 4 pm. With 2 Yank destroyers & 1 troopship with soldiers aboard.
Heading back up Irish Sea. Ship rolling a bit.
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9 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Good night
Just out of Irish Sea. P.T. on deck after lifeboat drill.
Was given job of sweeping up decks every day.
Went up on boat-deck.
Heavy seas coming up
Was sick seven times in afternoon & evening.
Decided to sleep on mess-table.
Clocks put back an hour.
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10 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Fairly good night. Was sick again before breakfast. Had a kipper & kept it down. Just has pudding at dinner-time & a [indecipherable word] Powder. Heavy seas & gale-warning. Cleared out scuppers & lashed everything down.
Sea came over lower decks & Boat rocked awful.
11 Sunday
Everything in a mess on the floor. Heavy seas still running. Chicken for dinner. Read 2 books in afternoon. Don’t feel too good. Another gale coming up.
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12 Monday 1942
Clocks back another hour.
Nearly slid off table last night. Decks had all been awash. Heavy seas again. Was sick before breakfast. Ship rolling very badly.
One destroyer gone back owing to engine trouble.
Feel O.K. just now.
Nothing interesting.
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13 Tuesday 1942
Fairly good night, but sea still rough.
Ships pitching so much that propellors [sic] come out of water.
Feel fairly well.
Nothing interesting.
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14 Wednesday 1942
Good night, although sea was very rough.
Porpoises seen on port side after dinner.
Had a talk by a Yank officer.
Ropes put on deck for holding on to.
Battened down after tea. Lower decks perpetually awash. Sea came in twice at portholes.
A few lads were knocked over by waves & soaked.
Other destroyer packed up & gone away. Troopships on our own now.
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15 Thursday 1942
Decent night, storm calmed a little, sea still very rough. Should be in on Saturday now.
Some chaps had their money changed or rather given in today.
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16 Friday 1942
Good night. Heavy sea again. Spray coming over like rain.
Seems we just missed U-boats during night.
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17 Saturday 1942
Good night. Sea a bit calmer. Much colder, it snowed in afternoon. Picked up Yank destroyer so must be getting nearer.
Nothing unusual.
18 Sunday
Fine morning, rather cold. Chicken for dinner again. Should see land tomorrow. Wrote home & Vera.
Nothing unusual.
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19 Monday 1942
Up at 6-0a.m. On deck at 7-0a.m. Very cold. No land in sight yet. Sighted land at 9.30a.m. At last the journeys ended.
Stayed on board till 9.15 p.m. then boarded train for Monkton.
Seems very strange seeing so many lights.
Sent cable to Mum, cost 3/6 but it was worth it.
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20 Tuesday 1942
Arrived at Moncton [sic] at 5-0 A.M. & trudged through snow & rain to camp. Were given billets & then had egg & tomatoes for breakfast. Had a rest on bunk till dinner.
Pay parade at 2-0p.m. received 3 dollars. Cabled to Vera.
Went round Moncton & had a banana split & then to pictures. Plenty of fruit here, everything seems very strange & lights seem unreal.
Very cold here but it’s a dry cold & not so bad really.
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21 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30 a.m. Breakfast & then parade for flighting.
Pay parade at 2.0p.m. & received 10 dollars (American).
Received our other kitbags then sent both kitbags by lorry to the train.
Our 1250’s came back at 9-0p.m. and then to billets & bed.
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22 Thursday 1942
Up at 4-0a.m. Breakfast at 5a
Paraded at 6-15a.m. & went down to station. Roads very slippery. Entrained at 8-0 a.m.
Grand scenery, rivers & lakes frozen over. Dinner lovely, negro waiters. Crossed to U.S.A. at 2-30p.m. Clocks put back an hour. Dinner at 6p.m. grand food. Changed trains at 8-0p.m.
Still in snow area.
No beds have to sleep on seats.
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23 Friday 1942
Woke up at New York at 5-30a.m. Ham & eggs for Breakfast Changed trains at Washington at 10-30 a.m. Very hot sun.
Grand dinner, chicken.
Country very dry & parched looking. Passed tobacco plantations & cotton fields & orange orchards.
Should be in tomorrow morning.
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24 Saturday 1942
Woke up at 4-0 a.m. at Atlanta dining cars taken off. Passed some fruit farms & tobacco fields
Population nearly all negro.
Arrived at Turner Field, Georgia about 9-0 a.m. Billets are fine. Breakfast grand food & waiters. Gave in blankets. Dinner fine. Collected kitbags, filled in forms etc. & had grand tea. Lecture on discipline etc. Went back to rooms at 7-45p.m. Lights out at 10-0p.m. Fine place here, very big & plenty of room.
25 Sunday
Up at 6-0a.m. Bacon & eggs etc for breakfast.
Were shown how to lay out our rooms. Haircut in morning. Scrumptious dinner.
P.T. at 1-30pm. to 3-30p.m. Played basket-ball.
Lecture again. Tea. At 5-0p.m. “Open Post” after tea while 21-00hrs. Went into Albany not much there. Bed at 10-30. p.m.
Very hot here, better than our summers.
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26 Monday 1942
Up at 5.45a.m. Breakfast then P.T. for an hour. Shower then lecture on system of guards. Break. Wrote to Vera & sent it by Letter Mail 5c. Drill period for an hour & a half. Very funny trying to learn American drill. It seems rather babyish to us & not half as smart.
Wash & Brush up then dinner.
Parcelled up laundry ready for collecting. Started writing home. Very warm. Lecture on “customs & courtesies”. Clothing inspection. Athletics, played touch rugby. Tea [deleted] h [/deleted] at 4.30p.m., very nice. Drill after tea. Went to see Bert in evening. Made out a list of all the Leuchars lads & got their signatures, put on it preference for Lakeland, Florida.
Bed at 10-0pm.
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27 Tuesday 1942
Up at 5-0a.m. Washed & dressed than had 40 winks while assembly sounded. P.T. after breakfast very stiff.
Lecture on Guard Systems of Air Corps then drill. We combine our own & their drill now, makes it a bit better. Shower then dressed for dinner. Took in list to Orderly Room & was O.K. Dinner fine, served potatoes & tea today. Customs & Curtesies [sic] again after dinner.
Issued with text books and manuals.
Thunderstorm & very heavy rain. Took in laundry to stores then to tea. No “open post” tonight. Read a bit, then wrote home.
Had a shower & then to bed after cleaning up.
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28 Wednesday 1942
Up at 5.45a.m. Washed & dressed then breakfast. Much colder today Americans wearing greatcoats. P.T. after breakfast then lecture on “guards” Seems we’ll have to do it soon. Drill followed & had to take a squad. Dinner at 11.30 a.m. Took in boots to be repaired to stores. Had lecture on Military Law, then athletics till tea time. No Open Post again tonight. Had a shower, then read old letters etc. . then retired to bed at 9-0p.m.
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29 Thursday 1942
Up at 5.45 a.m. washed & dressed, then breakfast. Warmer today than yesterday. Calisthenics after breakfast.
Drill followed, then had to line up in formation & sign a form, what it’s for I don’t know. Saw officers that came over with us on boat.
Dinner at 11-30pm [sic] . Lecture on Civics; then on Terminology used at Training Schools.
Athletics till tea-time, played touch rugby. , Very warm.
No “Open Post” again, lads getting discontented & “browned off”.
Cleared up, washed and so to bed at 9-30p.m.
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30 Friday 1942
Up at 5-45a.m. Breakfast. Raining hard, ground soaked. No P.T. Lecture on Terminology. Gave in size of collars & trousers. Dinner at 11-30a.m. Lecture on Civics, very tiring, bad speaker. Marched down to stores & drew rifles & bayonents [sic]. No athletics. Tea at 4-30p.m.
“Retreat” formation; did it very well indeed. “Open Post” till midnight.
Went to town with basket-ball players. Went to see “Manpower” at “Clair”. Not bad. Wandered round & got back at 10p.m. & so to bed.
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31 Saturday 1942
Up at 5-40a.m. Raining very hard.
No P.T. Soon cleared up. Inspection by Commanding Officer. Nothing to do till dinner. Finished at 12 o’clock. Washed & changed & went out at 1-30p.m. Called at Y.M.C.A. & Services Club. Tea at “Georges” very nice. Saw “Across the Sierras”, bought shirt & towel & cleaning rod for rifle. Back in camp at 10p.m. Cleaned gun. Bed at 11-0p.m.
February 1 Sunday
Up at 5-50a.m. Breakfast. Laid on bed & read till dinner time.
Wrote to Vera. Went to see Bert after dinner. Tea at 4-30p.m. read paper then went to see “Corsican Brothers” very good
Bed at 11-0p.m.
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2 Monday 1942
Up at 6-0a.m. Calisthenics before Breakfast. Lecture on Terminology then drill for an hour. A little warmer now than first thing this morning.
Break for an hour then dinner.
Took up positions for possible air-raids on hillsides.
Film on Military Hygeine [sic] after that. Collected boots at stores then ‘Retreat’ formation with rifles.
Tea at 5.45p.m. Cleaned rifle & bayonet & boots. Finished letter to Vera. Bed at 9.30pm.
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3 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-0 a.m. P.T. before breakfast. Lecture on Terminology then rifle drill for an hour. Lecture on Civvies then break while dinner.
Athletics, played touch-rugby. Brought back laundry, not too good. Film on Personal Hygiene.
Retreat formation with rifles & bayonets. Tea at 5.45p.m.
No open Post. Cleaned up, packed up laundry etc. Had a shower & so to bed at 9.30p.m.
Am playing t. rugby tomorrow for Platoon.
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4 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-10a.m. P.T., wore our overalls over gym-kit.
Breakfast. Took in laundry, then lecture on History.
Drill with rifles & bayonets. Practice formal guard mounting. Break for an hour, then lecture on Geography. Dinner at 1.0pm.
Athletics, played T. rugby, no score. Film on Courtesy & Customs.
Retreat formation. Open Post. Went to Y.M.C.A. & watched basketball.
Had supper & arrived back at 11.0p.m. then bed.
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5 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.10a.m. P.T. a little warmer today. Breakfast, then lecture on History. Drill and Rifle Inspection. Mounted guard at 12.0 o’clock. Am on 3rd. relief Went on at 4.0p.m. at water tower. Off at 6.0pm. then tea. Wrote home. On again at 10p.m. till 12.0p.m.
Not bad doing guards here.
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6 Friday 1942
Off at 6.0 a.m. Calisthenics for others Breakfast then relieved guard for 1/2hr. On again at 10a.m. & off at 12.0a.m. Dinner. then parade for pay. Received 20 dollars. Bought two singlets from store. Read in afternoon after check-up. Weigh 158 stripped. Said I’d been payed in dimes & nickels.
Open Post. Didn’t go out.
Went to canteen, then library. Read a bit & then to bed at 10p.m. Rather tired.
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7 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.0a.m. Breakfast. No P.T. Cleaned up, then inspection. Nothing to do till dinner. Read in afternoon. No “Open Post”. Went to Camp Cinema to hear violinist. Very good show. Saw “Marry the Bosses’ Daughter”, not so good, bad acting. Bed at 10-30p.m. Bert came “home” today from hospital.
8 Sunday
Up at 6.0a.m. Breakfast. Ready for 8.30a.m. Left camp for Sylvester. 75 of us. Church first then split up for dinner. Bert & I went to Cooks. Grand time. Had to come back for retreat. No “Open Post”. Went to see Mac. Read & then to bed. Clocks on an hour.
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9 Monday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Drill then break. Lecture on history Before dinner. Bought two pairs of underpants at store. Dinner at 12-30pm.
Talk on Aircraft Rec after dinner. Went to sleep again as usual.
Athletics, played touch-rugby.
Big parade for Wing Commander Hogan. Says we’ll be moving in 12 days time. Tea after that, then Retreat. Went to see Mac, with the boys. Read a bit and then to bed.
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10 Tuesday 1942
Up at 7-0am. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Rifle drill after for an hour. History lecture before dinner at 12-30pm. Film on Aircraft Recognition after dinner, not so good. Lecture by Mr. De Lom on Army & Customs etc. very good.
Athletics played touch-rugby again & won. Tea at 5-30p.m. then Retreat. Started raining. “Open Post”. Got a lift to “Adam’s Inn”. Still raining so Bert & others went back. Arrived at Sylvester at 8-30pm. Had a grand supper. Very nice people indeed. Left at 11-10p.m. Mr. Cork ill so couldn’t drive me back. Got a lift on a petrol waggon & arrived back just in time, only just too. Still raining, but I had a grand time.
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11 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Breakfast. Johnie stayed in bed. No Calisthenics, ground too wet. No drill either. Saw “Target for Tonight” at camp cinema. Break then dinner after History Lecture. Aircraft Recognition lecture sleep as usual for half an hour. Bert took my trousers to be pressed at camp tailors.
Athletics & more touch-rugby, won again.
Tea at 5.30pm. then Retreat. John & Ted went to a dance in Albany for R.A.F. boys only.
Bert & I went to P.X. read a bit & then to bed.
The lads came in at 2.0a.m. had a good time.
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12 Thursday 1942
Up at 6-45am. Breakfast then Calisthenics. Supply Formation, drew extra Cassack bag.
Lecture on History, went to sleep.
Dinner at 12.30pm. Film at 2-0pm. on Aircraft Recognition.
Lecture on Customs & Courtesies. Athletics till tea-time, played touch rugby, & won; champions of squadron. Tea then retreat formation. Won colours for being smartest squadron. “Open Post”. Bert & I left at 7-30pm. with staff sergeant. Went to pictures to see “North of the Yukon” Drove out of town & passed all the “Barbeques, Joints, & night-clubs etc.
Stopped at “The Esquire” for a 7 up drink. Left at 11-25pm Called for a “hamburger with” in town & got back at 11-55p.m.
Very good evening out.
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13 Friday 1942
Up at 7-00a.m. Breakfast. Calisthenics, rather cold wind.
Drill for an hour with rifles.
Lecture on Organisation; went to sleep as usual. Dinner at 12-30 a.m.
Lecture on Aircraft Recognition, slept.
Athletics till tea time. Played touch-rugby, drew with “B” squadron champions. Replay needed. Lost at football.
Tea at 5.30p.m. then Retreat formation. Won colours again for smartest squadron. No “Open Post”. Wrote home. Shower, cleaned up and then to bed.
Bought pipe from P.X. not bad.
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14 Saturday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Breakfast. No P.T. Took in bed-sheets. Cleaned up, cleaned windows. Inspection at 10-30a.m. Everything O.K. Dinner at 12.30p.m. Got changed and left camp. Caught bus to Sylvester & arrived at 1-45p.m. Drove around town & picked up two girls Betty & Margery. Went to a dance & tried jitter-bugging, easy enough. Back to Cook’s for tea, scrumptious. Drove round country, & called back at dance for 10 minutes. Left at 10.30p.m. & back in billets at 11-45p.m.
Grand day.
15 Sunday
Up at 7.0a.m. Breakfast. Back to bed till dinner time. Dinner. Filled in diary wrote home. Frank got blood-poisoning. Rain all day. Tea at 5.30p.m. Went to P.X. Boys went to pictures. Bed at 10p.m.
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16 Monday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Still raining. No Calisthenics. Back to bed for 1/2hr. Breakfast at 8.45am. Air Corps Lecture at 10-0a.m. Not much good.
Drill at 11.0a.m. Rained again. Lecture on discipline at 1-00pm by a Lt. Colonel.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. No Athletics
Collected clean laundry from stores. Tea at 6-45pm.
Went to Albany with Eric, very close & sweaty. Went to see “It Happened in Bombay” at “Clair”. Caught bus back to camp. Bed at 12.00pm.
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17 Tuesday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Ground too [missing letter]et no Calisthenics. Start guard [missing letter]t 1-0p.m. Lecture on Bombardment Aviation. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Went on guard at Water Tower [missing letter]gain. American guard there too. Off at 5-0pm. Tea at 6-45p.m. read a bit, had a coffee & on at 9p.m. Coffee at 11-10p.m. then bed till 2-45a.m. [Off at 5-0am & bed again while 8-30a.m. Breakfast & on again at 9-30a.m. Finished at 11.0a.m. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Gave in rifles and bayonets. Tea at 6-45p.m.] see over.
[page break]
18 Wednesday 1942
Finished guards at 11-am. Dinner at 2-0p.m. Gave in rifles & bayonets at stores. Slept till tea-time.
Read a bit, had a coffee & then to bed. No Open Post as we were late for parade yesterday.
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19 Thursday 1942
Up at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics, rather cold. Breakfast at 8-45a.m.
Lecture on Observation & Reconnaisance [sic] by Lt. Honeycut, very good.
Drill for an hour.
Gave in books before dinner.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. Athletics in afternoon. Played touch rugby & won again, finals tomorrow some time.
Read a bit, then retreat formation, did very well.
Tea at 6-45p.m. Boys went to see McCoy. Went to P.X. for an hour, then wrote to Vera.
Bed at 10p.m.
[page break]
20 Friday 1942
Up at 7.0a.m. Calisthenics as usual. Breakfast at 8.45a.m.
Lecture by Lt. Lamb, had a good time, sang a few songs.
Drill for half an hour. Break till dinner. Bought new ‘Parker’ pen at P.X. $8.75 down to $5.25. Dinner at 2.0p.m. Pay parade, received our money handed in on boat & $11 pay.
“Open Post” after Retreat. Went to Albany, had steak & chips. Went to Services Club, party on, had a good time, College graduation dance. Called in at Clubroom then caught a wagon back to camp. In at 11-45p.m.
Bed at 12-15a.m. Tired.
[page break]
21 Saturday 1942
Up at 7.0a.m. Didn’t go to Calisthenics slept under Johnies bed. Breakfast. Cleaned up, then to P.X. bought new tie. Had photo taken. Finished Vera’s letter.
Dinner at 2-0p.m. Went to town with the lads. Saw “They Died with their Boots on”. very good.
Had tea at Georges’. Walked round and caught bus at 9.10p.m. In bed at 10.30p.m.
Leave at 8-0pm. tomorrow.
22 Sunday
Up at 7.0a.m. Breakfast at 9-0a.m. Received kit at stores. 3 shirts, 2pr. pants, 4 sets underwear, 6prs of socks. Packed kit & cleaned room out. Dinner at 2p.m. Tea at 6p.m.
Put kit on waggons. Entrained at 7.30pm.
Left at 8-0p.m. for Arcadia.
[page break]
23 Monday 1942
Woke up at 7.0am Not a very good night. Arrived at 7.30a.m. Taken by truck to camp. Grand place, rooms for four, lockers, shower and washplace to each room. Kit arrived at 10.a.m. Cleaned up & put kit away in lockers.
Dinner at 1-30pm. Grand food & mess hall. Went to stores and drew leather jacket, goggles, helmet & books. Room inspection. Tea at 6.0pm. Talk at 8.0p.m. by officers. Raining hard.
Bed at 10-30p.m.
Very nice place here, tennis courts, swimming pool, basketball court etc. Large rooms, good lighting, table & chairs.
[page break]
24 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Cleaned up & breakfast at 7.0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. & went down to Flight Line. Given some instructors & shown kites. Had controls etc. explained. Seems we’ve a lot to learn.
Dinner at 1.10p.m. Medical check after dinner. Went to lecture block and drew text books. Nothing to do till tea-time except retreat formation.
Tea very good. Cleaned bathroom, took all evening but looks good now. Had a shower & then to Bed at 10.30p.m.
[page break]
25 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Went down to hangers and flight line at 7.30a.m. No flying, left at 9.0a.m. Had a coffee & came back to billets. Calisthenics at 11.45 to 12.45. very good. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes at 2.0p.m. till 5.30p.m. Didn’t do so much 45 mins. on & off.
Retreat formation then tea. Cleaned up, had a shower & to bed at 10.30pm
[page break]
26 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.25a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Went down to hanger.
Had lecture on take-offs, circuits, wind directions, drift, S bends etc.
Very warm now, still in blues. Did Calisthenics for an hour, Sun very warm & turning red a bit. Shower & then dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m.
Retreat Formation at 6.15p.m. then tea. Had a chat with American Cadets.
Had a shower, wrote up notes on Navigation & so to bed at 10.30p.m.
Sent dad cablegram for his birthday, cost $2.85. about 14/3 approx.
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27 Friday 1942
Dad’s Birthday, hope his Cablegram arrives in time.
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Went down to Flight Line. Mr. Jones was absent. No flying, heavy squalls & Nor-west wind. Read Manual for an hour. Left at 10.0a.m. Had a coffee then looked up Theory of Flight.
Went to P.X. & Bert bought a camera. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Classes 2. to 4-30p.m. Left early to watch tennis exhibition.
Took some snaps. Retreat Formation at 6.15p.m. Tea after retreat. Wrote up notes on Navigation. Bed at 10-30p.m. after a shower.
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28 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down at “Ready Room” at 7-50a.m. No Mr. Jones again. Read Handbook again. Calisthenics at 11.45a.m. for an hour. Played football. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-15p.m. Left early, went to canteen for orange soda & ice. Retreat, then tea. Wrote home, then did notes on Meteorology. Bed at 10-30p.m.
March 1 Sunday
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Calisthenics at 8.0a.m. for an hour Very cold. Down at Ready Room at 9-30a.m. Mr Tanquay our instructor.
Up at 10.20a.m. for 40 mins. Grand plane. Dinner then Ground school till 5.30p.m. Retreat then tea. Wrote notes on Flying.
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2 Monday 1942
Didn’t get up while 7.0a.m. Missed breakfast parade. Went to canteen and had coffee & ham sandwiches. Rained very heavy. No Calisthenics. Down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. No Flying, ground too wet. Stayed in hanger with Mr. Tanquay, explained Army Forms 1 & 1a. stalls, & forced landings.
Had a coffee, then dinner at 1.10p.m. Ground School 2pm to 5.30p.m. Changed into blues for Retreat. Tea after. Inspection at 8.30p.m. Demerits for speck of dirt on toilet. (Hope his rabbit dies)
Wrote letter to Vera. Bed at 10-30p.m. Received [deleted] lett [/deleted] cable from mum.
[page break]
3 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Down on Line at 9-30a.m. Up at 10-20a.m.
Did. climbing turns, stalls, medium turns & landed after 50 mins. Received 1 demerit for leaving mop & broom in room.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Ground school at 2.0p.m. Had exams in engines & Theory of Flight. Retreat formation at 6.20p.m then tea.
Wrote to Vera, then wrote up notes on Flying.
Bed after a shower.
[page break]
4 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Down at Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Went up at 10-0a.m. Took off on my own. Did turns, stalls, and spins. Down after 45 mins.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Changed into blues. Ground School for 3 1/2 hrs. Has sandwiches in canteen then waited for bus. Arrived in Sarasota at 8.30p.m. Went down to U.S.O. on pier and were invited to stay at the “Gulf View” Inn. Car took us & manager showed us round & introduced us to his guests. Band in dancehall, had a grand time. Pedro & I sang “Yours” and others joined in singing popillar [sic] songs, negro waiter sang [inserted] poor [/inserted] blues. Marvellous place, very welcome. Rooms for two with single beds. Bed at 1-0a.m. Very Tired.
[page break]
5 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Washed & dressed and went down for a walk on the beach. Waited in the lounge for the boys & then to breakfast. Read in lounge while girls came in then went down to the beach.
Went in for a dip but found it rather cold.
Dinner at 12-30p.m. Left at 1.30p.m. by bus to Sarasota. Bought a camera and a swimsuit.
Had a look round then went to a picture show as it rained. Caught bus at 5-30p.m. and arrived in Arcadia at 7-0p.m. Had tea in a restaurant then got bus back to camp at 8.30p.m. Bed at 9-45p.m.
[page break]
6 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. rather tired. Breakfast at 7-0a.m.
Calisthenics for an hour.
Went down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Rain had soaked field, no flying, no instructors. Back to billets and wrote up notes on Flying.
Dinner at 1.10p.m. Ground school 2 to 5-30p.m. Pay parade after, received $16.
Retreat formation at 6.20p.m.
Tea at 7.0p.m.
Cleaned up room for inspection. Played basketball. Shower and then to bed at 10-30pm
[page break]
7 Saturday 1942
Up at 6-50a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then changed for flight line. Flew at 9.50a.m. Took off did climbing turns, stalls, spins. Did spins on my own, not too bad. Dinner at 1-10p.m. then groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Warmer today than yesterday. Played basket ball again. Shower & bed at 10-30p.m.
8 Sunday
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Down on “Dawn Patrol” this week. No flying, ground too wet. Calisthenics for an hour. Dinner then groundschool, didn’t do much. Tea then wrote home.
[page break]
9 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Dawn Patrol. No flying, ground too wet. Gave in note-books for checking. Mr. Tanquay seemed pleased.
Didn’t do Calisthenics, wrote home instead. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Groundschool 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Had exams in Navigation & Meteorology, did them O.K. Retreat formation then tea. Open Post. Managed to get on bus for Sarasota at 7-0p.m. Arrived at 8.30p.m. Booked a room at Hotel Watsons. Went with boys round towns to night-clubs etc. Had a good time & bed at 3-0a.m.
[page break]
10 Tuesday 1942
Up at 9-0a.m. Had breakfast at a restaurant then wandered round town. Bought a watch $4 quite good too. Saw Mr. Whipple at U.S.O and were invited out to dinner. Seven other chaps out there too.
Had a fine time on beach, sea very nice. Plenty of people there too. Saw Priscilla and Annette. Left at 4-30p.m by taxi. Got on bus at 5-3p.m. & arrived in Arcadia at 7-0p.m. Had ham & eggs at cafe then got bus back to camp. Booked in at 8-0p.m. Cleaned up, had a shower & then to bed at 9-30p.m. Very tired.
The lads are very red with the sun.
[page break]
11 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Dawn Patrol. Bert up first, Johnie, then me. Took off, climbed to 2,500ft. did stalls power on, then power-off. Did a spin, not too bad. Landed at auxiliary field & took off again O.K. Landed again at field & taxied up to line, & parked ship. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner. Groundschool 2-0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Had exam in Theory for Flight. Retreat formation then tea. Played basketball, had a shower then wrote up notes on flying. Bed at 10.p.m.
Six of our lads solo’d today.
[page break]
12 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Heavy ground mist no flying till 9-0a.m. No 1 ‘T’ pos changed to No 2 ‘T’ Pos at 10.0a.m. Up for 15 mins. Taxied to line, took off, climbed to 1500ft. did gliding turns, entered traffic, & landed again. Not too bad.
Calisthenics for an hour, played football, very warm. Took some snaps on Flight Line. Dinner at 1.00p.m. then Ground School 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m.
Retreat formation at 6.20p.m. then tea. Wrote up notes on flying then started letter home.
Entered log-book up.
Bed at 10-30p.m.
[page break]
13 Friday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. breakfast at 7.10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Johnie up first. Heavy ground fog came up & flying was suspended. “T” pos. changed from No. 2 to No. 4 & flying resumed at 11-0a.m. Didn’t go up. Calisthenics for an hour.
Took film in for developing. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Plot to do in navigation easy enough. Retreat then tea-parade.
Played basketball till 8.0p.m. Had a shower, then read notes for exams tomorrow.
Bed at 10-0p.m.
[page break]
14 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Dawn Patrol again. Johnie & Bert up. Cloud came in low, flying stopped. No flight again for me. Left line at 10.35 a.m. Calisthenics for an hour. Dinner at 1.10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5-30p.m. Exams in engines & theory for flight. Retreat at 6-15p.m. then tea. Finished letter home. Bed at 10.15p.m.
15 Sunday
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line. Flew for an hour, nothing right. Dont fly regular enough. Dinner at 1-10p.m. then Groundschool. Retreat then tea.
[page break]
16 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30am. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line at 9.30a.m. Flew for 33 mins, a lot better today. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Retreat formation then tea at 6-30p.m.
Played basket-ball for an hour, cleaned up for inspection, which didn’t come off. Wrote up notes on flying. Read a little then to bed at 10.0p.m.
[page break]
17 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Down on line at 9.30a.m. Flew at 10.15a.m. for 47 mins. Did stalls, spins, landings & take-offs. Not so good today. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool at 2.0p.m. Exams in Meteorology & Engines. Retreat formation then tea at 6.30p.m. Wrote to Vera, then to bed at 10-15p.m.
[page break]
18 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Calisthenics for an hour.
Down on line at 9-30a.m. Heavy low clouds, thunderstorm broke at 11.30a.m. Heavy rain. Had a talk with Tanquay on flying generally.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. Groundschool 2.0 to 5-30p.m. “Open Post” till 12.p.m.
Went to Arcadia with the lads, walked round a bit then went to skating rink & had a good time.
Caught last bus and got in to camp at 11-45pm.
Bed at 12p.m. very tired.
[page break]
19 Thursday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.0a.m. Cleaned room, then Calisthenics for an hour.
Down on line at 9.30a.m. Flew at 10.5a.m. for 45 mins. Did stalls, spins, S. turns, & rect. courses. Had a good day today.
Dinner at 1-10p.m. then groundschool, test in Theory of Flight. Retreat at 6-20p.m. and tea at 7-0p.m. Wrote up notes on flying then to bed at 10-30p.m.
[page break]
20 Friday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Calisthenics for an hour then down on Flight Line.
Flew for 45 mins. Take-offs & landings O.K. Stalls not so good. Dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool at 2.0p.m. to 5.30p.m. Pay Parade after. Received $21 dollars. Arranged to go with boys by car to Sarasota.
Retreat then tea. Played basketball, then wrote up notes on flying. Bed at 10.0p.m.
[page break]
21 Saturday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast then down on Flight Line. Flying not so bad today. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner. Changed into blues I then went with boys to Sarasota in private car. Touched 97m.p.h. & arrived in 45 mins. 54 mls.
Had a good time at the Lido & went in sea for a while. Drove round & had tea in town. Left at 8-15p.m. and arrived in Arcadia at 9-20p.m. Drove round & then back to camp for 10p.m. Tired.
22 Sunday
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast then down on Flight Line. Flying not so good. Check tomorrow. Calisthenics then dinner. Groundschool after, exam. in Meteorology not so bad.
Tea at 6.30p.m. Wrote up notes on Flying.
[page break]
23 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down at Flight Line at 7-45am. Check ride, progress, with Flight Commander Eckart. Flying not so good, passed on to Army for another opinion. Calisthenics for an hour then dinner at 1-10p.m.
Groundschool in afternoon, test in Navigation, fairly easy. O.K.
Retreat then tea at 6-30p.m. Cleaned up for inspection which didn’t take place. Had a coffee, then cleaned buttons, boots etc. Read a little then to bed at 10p.m.
[page break]
24 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Down on Flight Line at 7-45a.m. Up for Army Check. Took it at 12-15p.m. Got through it, flying not so good though. Calisthenics for an hour, then dinner.
Flying again this afternoon. Went for another Check Ride with Lt. Flophenstein & was eliminated for mechanical & dangerous flying. Back to Moncton next Tuesday.
Tea after Retreat. Received February’s News Letter from Dick Thomas.
Wrote to Dick after a coffee at canteen. Read a book & then to bed at 10-30p.m.
20 lads went back to Moncton today after being eliminated.
[page break]
25 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-10a.m. Cleaned buttons & boots etc. then cleaned room a bit.
Hung around all morning waiting for board meeting. Dinner at 1-10p.m. Went round camp and took some snaps of swimming pool & flight line etc. Retreat formation then tea. Had a coffee at canteen then read a while. Bed at 10.3p.m.
Seniors had Graduation Dance tonight, good band. Listened to band while 12p.m. then dropped off to sleep.
[page break]
26 Thursday 1942
Up at 7.30a.m. Didn’t go to breakfast. Had sandwiches in Canteen. Wrote letters home, to Vera & Betty Hughes. Went to try & get leave but have to wait for board. Dinner at 1.10p.m. Read book all afternoon. Retreat then tea.
Read a while, cleaned up, then to bed at 10-p.m.
[page break]
27 Friday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7.10a.m. Cleaned room up, then went to see if boys had heard when board was to be. Filled in diary.
Board meeting at 11-0a.m.
Nothing much in it. Said I’d do for Observer, dangerous flying, & mechanical flying too. George & I managed to get leave while Monday noon. Had dinner then cleaned up. Tea at 6.30pm. then got bus for Sarasota. Arrived at 9-0p.m. Went to U.S.O. then on to Casa Madrid & saw film.
Called in at Manhattan & met Mr & Mrs Harris, & Mrs Bauer. Invited us out to hotel.
[page break]
28 Saturday 1942
29 Sunday
[page break]
30 Monday 1942
[page break]
31 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7.15a.m. Gave in blankets & sheets etc. Took kitbag to Administration block at 9-0a.m. Signed papers at 9.30a.m. & gave in Clearance Form.
Got kit ready, then went to the boys. Had dinner at 11-30a.m. Saw Maxine & Flossie, then the lads & then departed with kit for train. Saw Kathryn in Arcadia. Left at 1-15p.m. for Moncton.
[page break]
April 1 Wednesday 1942
Bad night, didn’t sleep very well.
[page break]
2 Thursday 1942
Crossed border at Vanceboro’ at 7-0a.m. Had passport checked & baggage. Dinner at 12-0a.m. very good. Arrived at Moncton at 3-45p.m. Walked up to camp & messed about giving in particulars for an hour. Billeted in same block as Jack Kellet & boys. Went into town & had tea. Walked round then went to pictures to see “Shanghai Gesture” very good too. Arrived in camp at 11-30 p.m. and so to bed.
[page break]
3 Friday 1942
Stayed in bed till 11-0a.m. Cleaned up & then had dinner
Went to town & met Mr Grant & had a ride round in his car. Had tea at his house & then late dinner at 7-0p.m. Stayed until 11-30p.m. then Mr Grant brought us back to camp.
Had a grand evening very nice evening & can go there when we want to.
[page break]
4 Saturday 1942
Up at 6.45a.m. Cleaned up, then breakfast. Paraded at 9.0a.m.
Went up to pay accounts & drew $5 as a casual payment. Went into town for dinner. Walked round then had tea. Went to pictures at night to see “Ride Em Cowboy” with Abbott & Costello. Back in camp at 10-p.m. Had a shower & then to bed.
5 Sunday
Up at 6.45a.m. Cleaned up then breakfast. Church parade 9.0a.m. Went into town for dinner. Walked round then back to camp for tea. Pressed trousers & jacket, filled in diary. Bed at 10-30p.m.
[page break]
May 11 Monday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. Drill for an hour, went to Medical Quarters for a check-over. Filled out forms etc., then dinner. Saw minister of United Church. Met our officer & had a chat with him.
Tea at 4.0p.m. Parade at 5.0p.m. for retreat. Wrote letters.
[page break]
12 Tuesday 1942
Up at 6-30a.m. Breakfast at 7-0a.m.
Paraded at 8.0a.m. Went to lecture block at 9-0a.m.
Went to hangar and had flying kit issued. Not so good.
Dinner at 12.0a.m. Went & had signals test, not so bad. Was shown round plane & had things explained. Were fitted with parachute harness. Drew issue of books, & instruments etc., Tea at 4.0p.m. Paraded at 5p.m. received passes & left camp at 7.0p.m. Had a coffee then went up to the social at St. Lukes. Had a grand time & left at 11.30p.m. Arrived back in camp at 12-10a.m. & so to bed.
[page break]
13 Wednesday 1942
Up at 6.30a.m. breakfast by 7-0a.m. Paraded at 8.0a.m. drilled for a while then Signals course. Navigation till dinner time.
Dinner at 12.0a.m.
Signals at 1-30p.m. for an hour then Bombing for two hours. Tea at 4-30p.m. Retreat 5-15p.m. Signals 6.30p.m. for an hour.
Filled in diary.
Paraded at 9.0p.m. made bed & did a bit more of diary.
[page break]
14 Thursday 1942
[page break]
Notes for 1943
[page break]
Cash Account – January
Date Particulars Received Dollars. Paid
3. English £2-0-0
20. Canadian. 3 - -
21. American. 10 - -
[page break]
Cash Account – February
Date Particulars Received Paid
6TH. Feb. American. $20-00
20TH. Feb. American. $11-00
[page break]
Cash Account – March
Date Particulars Received Paid
6TH. MAR. American. $.16 - -
20TH. MAR. American. $21 - -
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Kenneth Gill 1942 Diary
Description
An account of the resource
Starts with account of movements in RAF for 1941. Continues lwith entries for daily activities. Embarks Greenock, Leaves Milford Haven on 8 January for voyage across Atlantic and describes voyage to Canada. Arrives Moncton 20 January describes daily routine. Left for United States on 22 January. Describes train journey via New York, Washington, Atlanta and arrived at Turner Field, Albany Georgia 24 January. Goes on with daily entries describing activities mentioning food, lessons, sport, weather, rifle training, social activities and physical training. Mentions visit to Sylvester. Transfers to Arcadia, Florida 22 February. Starts flying training at end of February. Continues with description of ground school, flying and other daily activities. Mentions visit to Sarasota. Failed pilot flight check on 24 March 1942 an was sent back to Moncton, Canada. Entries for a few days activities and entries then peter out for April and May and then cease.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
K Gill
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-01
1942-02
1942-03
1942-04
1942-05
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-01
1942-02
1942-03
1942-03-24
1942-04
1942-05
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Scotland--Glasgow
Wales--Pembrokeshire
Wales--Milford Haven
Canada
New Brunswick--Moncton
United States
New York (State)--New York
Washington (D.C.)
Georgia
Georgia--Atlanta
Georgia--Albany
Florida
Florida--Arcadia
Florida--Sarasota
Florida
Georgia
New York (State)
New Brunswick
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
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Text
Text. Diary
Format
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Multi-page printed booklet with handwritten entries
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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SGillK1438901v10013
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
aircrew
entertainment
military living conditions
military service conditions
pilot
sport
training
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Sparkes, Ned
William Sparkes
W Sparkes
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Sparkes, W
Description
An account of the resource
56 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant William "Ned" Sparkes (1601722 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and an album with photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents including descriptions of his operations. He flew operations as a flight engineer with 431 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Clive Sparkes and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[photograph]
The RAF’s last flying Lancaster, Hurricane and the oldest Spitfire still flying with the Service will take part in the vintage aircraft flying display at Abingdon.
The backbone of the RAF during World War II, the three historic aircraft are seen in flight over the RAF College, Cranwell. THE Lancaster id from Waddington and the Spitfire and Hurricane from Coltishall.
[photograph]
A VULCAN overflys Waddington’s Lancaster during a visit of historical aircraft at Scampton.
[photograph]
LANCASTER FLEW OVER JET AGE MOTORISTS
A Spitfire fighter, owned by Rolls Royce, flying in formation with the Lancaster bomber based at R.A.F. Waddington over the Lincolnshire airbase today.
MOTORISTS on the Lincoln to Sleaford road, who patiently waited today at the Waddington traffic lights for a plane to land, must have been surprised when, instead of the usual Vulcan, the majestic span of a Lancaster glided over.
But within two minutes of the mighty Lanc’s propellers stopping, there was the thunderous roar of a jet engine as one of the station’s Vulcans used the same runway to take off.
A Spitfire fighter of World War II was also scheduled to land, but after a couple of flyovers, it left, as cross winds prevented it landing.
The Lancaster is, of course, Waddington’s and is the only aircraft of that type still flying. It was crewed by the station commander, Group Capt. A. Griffiths, Sqdr. Ldr. Ken Hayward, Chief Tech. Ken Terry and Warrant Officer Bill Sparkes.
The Spitfire and Lancaster had been the subject of some air filming by a Meteor at Swinderby, and the pilot of the fighter was expected for lunch at the bomber base.
[photograph]
Vulcans in salute at Scampton.
By BILL LOCKE at SCAMPTON
SCAMPTON, the scene of many epic wartime events, was the setting on April 29 for the closing chapter in the glittering 32 years history of Bomber Command.
A few short hours before the Command and Fighter Command were merged to form Strike Command, a distinguished gathering headed by Mr. Denis Healey, Secretary of State for Defence, watched a farewell parade and flying display in which the pride of place went to the Lancaster, the command’s most celebrated aircraft of World War II.
As the Bomber Command pennant was lowered, the RAF’s last flying Lancaster – piloted by Gp Capt A. Griffiths, CO of Waddington – flew low overhead.
The famous
Sharing in this nostalgic moment were such legendary wartime figures as Marshals of the RAF Viscount Portal and Sir Arthur Harris, both former AOC-in-C; Victoria Cross holders Gp Capt Leonard Cheshire, Wg Cdr R.A.B. Learoyd and WO Norman Jackson; and Dr. Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb used in the raid on the Mohne and Eder dams.
Earlier, in a speech of welcome to guests, Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Kyle, AOC in C Bomber Command and the first AOC in C of Strike Command, said he wanted reassure everyone that in the new command provision had been made for the all important functional organisation in the form of No. 1 Group on the bomber
[photograph]
ABOVE: The sole remaining flying Lancaster bomber, based at R.A.F. Waddington, during its low run over the passing-out parade at R.A.F. Swinderby, yesterday. BELOW: Air Vice Marshal M.H. LeBas, Air Officer Commanding No. 1 (Bomber) Group, presenting a plaque to A.C. J.E Davis, who is the 20,000th recruit to pass through the No. 7 School of Recruit Training at R.A.F. Swinderby. Looking on is Grp. Capt. J. Bush, left, station commander.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lancaster newspaper cuttings
Description
An account of the resource
Top left - newspaper cutting with photograph of a Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire flying over the RAF College Cranwell. Text explains where aircraft based. <br />Top centre - newspaper cutting with photograph of a parked Lancaster with a Vulcan flying over. <br />Top right news paper cutting with photograph of two Vulcans in line astern. Text explains day was a nostalgic gathering with notable attendees after the recent merger of Bomber and Fighter Command into Strike Command. <br />Bottom left - newspaper cutting headline Lancaster flew over Jet age motorist. Photograph from below of an airborne Lancaster and a Spitfire. Text explains they were seen by motorist in Lincoln. <br />Bottom right newspaper cutting - photograph of a Lancaster airborne flying over a parade formation of airmen. Text explain it was the sole remaining flying Lancaster over a passing out parade at RAF Swinderby.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
England--Norfolk
England--Lincoln
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Royal Air Force. Fighter Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Five newspaper cuttings mounted on an album page
Identifier
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PSparkesW17010041
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Is Part Of
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Sparkes, Ned. Album
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription. Under review
Cheshire, Geoffrey Leonard (1917-1992)
Harris, Arthur Travers (1892-1984)
Hurricane
Lancaster
RAF Coltishall
RAF Cranwell
RAF Scampton
RAF Swinderby
RAF Waddington
Spitfire
Victoria Cross
Wallis, Barnes Neville (1887-1979)
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
King, Edward James
E J King
Description
An account of the resource
46 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Edward James King (b. 1920, 1377691, 182986 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs and an album of charts and newspaper cuttings. He flew operations as a navigator with 96 and 15 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Patricia Joan Potter and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-11-22
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
King, EJ
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] Laon. [/underlined]
10/4/44
[underlined] EASTER MONDAY. [/underlined]
Airborne 0050
[underlined] Landed 0530 [/underlined]
Full Moon with cloud below to English coast but clearance across Channell [sic] . French Coast & Le Havre seen plainly with Moon shining on bends of the River Seine.
Fighter seen at 01 0 30’ E crossing from port to starboard with navigation lights on – it then dived away and left us.
Target with little flak – T.Is [sic] seen burning on the rails.
Troubled by searchlights from aerodrome at 02 0 E on way back. Flak seen Dieppe Bomb Aimer saw train and wanted to fire at it.
MARSHALLING YARDS
[page break]
[map of route to Laon & return]
[page break]
[aerial photograph of Laon marshalling yard]
[page break]
[aerial photograph]
[page break]
[map of Laon marshalling yard]
[page break]
GREATEST SOFTENING-UP INVASION BLITZ
Air Battles Over Germany To-day: 900-Plane Blow in Night
RAIL TARGETS SMASHED
"Evening News " Air Correspondent
WITH an all-night 900-plane blitz on French and Belgian rail targets, backed up to-day by another mighty offensive against Germany itself, the Allied air forces have stepped up the invasion "softening", to a new level of intensity.
Announcing the 900 plane attack on the rail targets in the night, the Air Ministry say that yards and depots at Ghent, Tours, Tergnier, Aulnoye and [underlined] Leon [/underlined] were all heavily attacked.
Squadrons of Mosquitoes attacked Hanover and objectives in the Ruhr were also bombed. Mines were laid in enemy waters. Twenty-two of our aircraft are missing.
Closely co-related with the attacks by British and American planes on the German aircraft industry and the "military objectives" in Northern France, these railway busting operations seem part of a general plan for softening-up Hitler's transportation system over the whole length of the so-called “invasion coast”.
Working Under Invasion Orders?
Sunday night's attacks on Villeneuve St. Georges and Lille; the series of 16 day and night raids on railway yards and junctions in France and Belgium carried out in March, together with yesterday's and last night's raids, evidently fall within the scope of the plan.
Roughly speaking the attacks have covered a rectangular area 150 miles deep by 250 long extending along the Channel coast from the mouth of the Scheldt to Havre, and running inland as far as the Luxembourg border to Tours, in France.
The region includes Paris, Amiens, Lille, and Le Mans. Use of the R.A.F.’s strategic night bombing force on these almost tactical attacks indicates either:
(1) That the assistance of R.A.F. Bomber Command has been called for by the “Invasion High Command.” under General Eisenhower, or
(2) That weather and moon conditions over Europe are preventing the employment of night bombers in a strategic role, releasing their services for primary targets (not necessarily “high priority” targets nearer home).
Eisenhower Can Call on R.A.F.
It has been assumed that the long range strategic operations of the U.S. “heavies” and R.A.F. Bomber Command are co-ordinated into the Allied war effort from Britain from outside the “Invasion H.Q.” – that is, by the War Cabinet and Combined Chiefs of Staff.
But the services of both day and night heavy bomber squadrons may be asked for at any time by General Eisenhower’s Command when targets of tactical importance are to be liquidated, or when assistance which only heavy bombers can provide, is required.
Here is the location of the R.A.F.’s latest targets: Tergnier, 50 miles inland from the mouth of the Somme; Tours, 150 miles south of Harvre and a similar distance south-west of Paris; Aulnoye, on the Franco-Belgium border; [underlined] Laon [/underlined] , 160 miles from the mouth of the Somme; Ghent, 10 miles from the coast behind Ostend and Zeebrugge.
Paris radio said to-day that, for the second night in succession, the Paris area was raided.
The radio also said that the number of casualties caused by the Allied raids on France on Easter Sunday is now 300 dead, 540 injured, and several hundred homeless.
The number of air-raid casualties since October 1941, totals over 12,000 dead, some 18,000 injured, and over a million homeless, the radio added.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
Six items, Edwards description of the operation to the Laon marshalling yards, comments that it was Easter Monday, there was a full moon, little anti-aircraft fire. Edwards navigation plot, two press photographs showing the damage to the yards on this and a later operation. The expected H2S return over the target, a newspaper clipping from the Evening News April 11th 1944, speculating that the Bomber Command four engined aircraft had been diverted onto a campaign to destroy communications in support of the forthcoming invasion.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Edward King
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-04-10
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Great Britain
England--Suffolk
France--Laon
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Map. Navigation chart and navigation log
Photograph
Text
Map
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One handwritten document, a navigation plot, H2S plot, two b/w photographs, newspaper clipping
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SKingEJ182986v10028, SKingEJ182986v10029, SKingEJ182986v10030, SKingEJ182986v10031, SKingEJ182986v10032, SKingEJ182986v10033
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending text-based transcription. Under review
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1944-04-10
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Title
A name given to the resource
Laon, Edward King's 5th operation of his tour
15 Squadron
aerial photograph
aircrew
bombing
H2S
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 1
navigator
RAF Mildenhall
reconnaissance photograph
-
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c2276afb4879d8c02c1b6fe56c53560e
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824c26097e3e6725e54ed327ddaeb664
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Newton, Jack Lamport
J L Newton
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-07-15
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Newton, JL
Description
An account of the resource
83 items. Collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Jack Newton (742570 Royal Air Force) who was a Sergeant air gunner on Wellington of 12 Squadron. His aircraft was landed on fire at a German occupied airfield in Antwerp in August 1941. He was the first airman to escape back to England via the Comète escape line. The rest of his crew were captured and made prisoners of war. The collection contains accounts of his escape, letters of research from Belgium helper, other official correspondence from the Red Cross and the Royal Air Force, photographs of places and people, newspaper cuttings propaganda leaflets and maps of airfield and escape route. In addition there is an interview with Jack Newton about his experiences in the wartime RAF.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Jackie Bradford and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[ French Newspaper]
LE COURRIER DE L’AIR
[Four pages written in French with black and white photographs]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Le Courrier de l'air
Description
An account of the resource
Capitulation near Stalingrad of Field Marshall Von Paulus on 30 January 1943 and General Streicher on 2 February 1943. Defeated Sixth Army comprised 330,000 men. General Giraud, High Commissioner in North Africa, working closely with General De Gaulle, Great Britain and United States. Descriptions of progress in North Africa. Churchill meets President Inönü of Turkey, agreeing how Britain and United States could help provide material support.
René Massigli, French Ambassador, arrives in London and meets General De Gaulle and Anthony Eden. Admiral Doenitz replaces Admiral Raeder as Commander in Chief of Germany navy. Formerly Commander in Chief of the submarine fleet. Air operations on number of sites involved with submarines or their production (Copenhagen, Wilhelmshaven, Dusseldorf, Lorient and Hamburg). Huge cost to the Romanians of collaboration rather than resistance.
Goering’s speech in Berlin, marking Hitler’s 10th anniversary, delayed by over an hour due to Mosquito air strike. Russian advancement against armies south of Rostov and Donetz’s armies. RAF’s operations listed for January 1943.
Diary of merchant navy officer: 35 days spent with 14 of his men in lifeboat after torpedo attack. Defence of shipping routes by RAF and Royal Navy. American, British and French actions following Casablanca conference.
Delivered by the Royal Air Force
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-02-04
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page newspaper with b/w photographs
Language
A language of the resource
fra
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SNewtonJL742570v10011
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Wehrmacht. Kriegsmarine
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-01
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
Russia (Federation)
North Africa
Romania
Denmark--Copenhagen
France--Lorient
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Wilhelmshaven
Russia (Federation)--Volgograd
Denmark
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Sally Coulter
bombing
Goering, Hermann (1893-1946)
Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945)
Mosquito
propaganda
submarine
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
King, Edward James
E J King
Description
An account of the resource
46 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Edward James King (b. 1920, 1377691, 182986 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs and an album of charts and newspaper cuttings. He flew operations as a navigator with 96 and 15 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Patricia Joan Potter and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020-11-22
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
King, EJ
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] Le Mans. [/underlined]
[underlined] Marshalling Yards. [/underlined]
[underlined] 19/5/44 [/underlined]
Airborne 2225
[underlined] Landed 0330. [/underlined]
Flak seen from Le Havre on way in, also Le Havre lighthouse.
Target – very concentrated trace. Air Bomber saw sheds and bombed them.
Searchlight tried to get us when crossing the coast coming out but did stall turn through it.
Four small ships seen S.E. of Guernsey in port echelon on course of 120° – probably M.T.B.s or E-boats.
[page break]
[map]
[inserted] LE MANS [/inserted]
[page break]
[map]
LE MANS
Marshalling Yard
[page break]
[photograph]
LE MANS MARSHALLING YARD HEAVILY DAMAGED
Severe damage to all parts of the Yard can be seen after the attack by aircraft of Bomber Command on the night of 13/14th March, 1944. Many wagons in the Marshalling Sidings (A) have been destroyed, derailed and damaged by fire. The Transhipment Sheds (B) have received several direct hits and are heavily damaged. The Engine Sheds (C) have a number of bays destroyed and the Repair Shops are heavily damaged by blast.
[photograph]
B
[photograph]
C
43
[page break]
[underlined] R.A.F. Smash Four Key Rail Towns [/underlined]
THOUSANDS OF TONS RAINED ON FRANCE
Paris and Germany To-day
[italics] Officially announced this afternoon that Flying Fortresses attacked airfields at Orby, Villacoublay, and Campaign, near Rheims, to-dark. They had a very strong fighter escort. [/italics]
[italics] "Evening News" [/italics] Air Correspondent
THE night and day air war on Europe is on again with full fury.
Hundreds of R.A.F. heavies in the night struck at four key rail towns in France, bomber fleets swept out again across the Straits to-day – and Achtungs warned Germany of bomber and fighter formations ranging across the Reich.
The R.A.F. night bombers in great strength struck four simultaneous blows at the French invasion railway system – Boulogne, Orleans, Tours and Le Mans – for the loss of seven planes, one of the smallest losses on record.
All the attacks were made by four-engined Lancasters and Halifaxes, and it is reckoned that the bomb-loads totalled thousands of tons, as the bombers would carry maximum weights on their comparatively short journeys.
Paris Hit To-day
After this night attack Paris radio reported that U.S. planes attacked the outskirts of Paris, south-west of the capital, this morning, doing great damage.
Thousands were left homeless by the R.A.F.'s violent night attacks, said the radio.
The R.A.F.s four main targets – marshalling yards, goods depots and railway junctions at Boulogne, Orleans, Tours, and Le Mans – are all vital points on the "spider's web" of railway communications covering Northern France generally
The targets were clearly identified and the bombing was well concentrated, says an R.A.F. communique. Military objectives on the coast of France were also bombed.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
Five items, the first is Edward's description of the operation to the marshalling yards at Le Mans. He describes the anti-aircraft fire, and conditions over the target. Edward's navigation plot, the H2S plot of Le Mans, a press cutting with three photographs of the damage done by Bomber Command in an attack in March, a newspaper cutting describing allied air attacks on rail centres including Le Mans.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Edward King
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-05-19
1944-05-20
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
France
Germany
England--Suffolk
France--Le Mans
Great Britain
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Map. Navigation chart and navigation log
Photograph
Text
Map
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
A handwritten note, a navigation log, H2S plot, a press cutting with two photographs, a newspaper cutting
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SKingEJ182986v10053, SKingEJ182986v10054, SKingEJ182986v10055, SKingEJ182986v10056, SKingEJ182986v10058
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1944-05-19
1944-05-20
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Title
A name given to the resource
Le Mans, Edward King's 12th operation on his tour
15 Squadron
aerial photograph
aircrew
anti-aircraft fire
bombing
H2S
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 1
navigator
RAF Mildenhall
reconnaissance photograph
-
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6b13bb5560a2a5fc59443d0a90697bf2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Read, Aubrey William
Read, A W
Description
An account of the resource
34 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer Aubrey Read (1920 - 1943, 627232, 50611 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, photographs and documents. He flew operations as a a wireless operator with 106 Squadron and was killed 26 November 1943. <br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by David Leitch and catalogued by Trevor Hardcastle. <br /><br />Additional information on Aubrey read is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/119409/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Read, AW
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-01-07
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Patron: BRITISH LEGION President:
Her Majesty the Queen. Sir Ian Fraser, C.H., C.B.E., M.P.
HAIG’S FUND
[Haig’s Fund logo]
Director of Appeals : Capt. R. W. Smith-Stewart, M.B.E. When telephoning please ask for Extension 116
Telegrams: Britegion
Telephone: WHItehall 8131 Phone, London
All correspondence should be addressed to
THE DIRECTOR OF APPEALS, BRITISH LEGION,
PALL MALL. LONDON, S.W. 1.
WG/P/116.
Mrs. M. Read,
30, Newland Street West,
Lincoln 30th August, 1955
[line] [line]
Dear mrs Read,
I am in receipt of your letter and forward herewith our Overseas Catalogue. Should you desire to avail yourself of this service, would you kindly complete the enclosed form.
I very much regret that we are unable to arrange for fresh flowered Wreaths.
Yours sincerely,
[signature]
R.W. Smith-Stewart, Captain.
Director of Appeals.
GAWG/AS
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from British Legion
Description
An account of the resource
Letter from British Legion to Aubrey's mother, sent with their Overseas Catalogue.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
RW Smith-Stewart, director of Appeals
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955-08-30
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Typewritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ESmithStewartRWReadCW550830
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1955-08-30
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Lincolnshire
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
-
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Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J.D.Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet
Alger. Algérie
9-8-42. Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
Yesterday I was very pleased to receive your letter No. 59. This came nine days after No. 60. Nos. 57 & 58 have not yet arrived. I was very pleased to learn that you had despatched on July 28th another parcel via the Red Cross. Thank you for all the trouble you are taking in this respect, & perhaps you would also extend my appreciation to relatives for this kind cooperation. Yes, dear Mother & Dad, when I read the remarks in your letter No 59 about their kindness & consideration, & learned of the hardships they were undergoing through shortage of luxuries , my wrath was truly invoked. Never mind we can pull together. We have succeeded in the past. I have a strong feeling that before much longer we are going to reap a very fine harvest, the results of seeds of faith & courage sown by you both in the days are hardship & worry. Wait and see! It is sometimes the waiting game that is the successful one. Don’t you think that applies in general today? I cannot quite understand the outlook of the girl at Smiths who suggested sending a small selection of cheap edition “thrillers & wild west stories” to prisoners. I suppose one can hardly expect her to appreciate the prisoners’ outlook, but believe you me thrillers & wild west stories are not our diet. The days of that type of fiction are over.
[page break]
I could write a better book myself of true experiences, than the average story that come under that category. You can see, you must, that people like ourselves have experienced so much that has been conflicting, so much reality not wrapped up in cellophane that we are bound to be changed, & having skimmed the superficialities the truth revealed is presented undiluted. It is that truth which breeds the cynics of W. when it comes to people proposing sending Wild West Stories & Thrillers to Ps of W. Forgive my outburst, but sometimes the safety valve blows. You might misunderstand me in my letters, but you won’t when I get home. Yes I shall write to Mr. Allen – thank you for the tip & for giving me the style of my own from. You must think my memory is weak forgetting that. I am running a little French class – my pupils include an ex bank cashier, a Metalurgical [sic] Research Chemist, & two Accountants. I think I learn more by trying to teach [inserted] than my pupils, [/inserted] & when we get into difficulties we pool our brains & try to thrash the problem out together. It’s good fun and passes the time. On my own I am studying Commercial French. I cannot get any practice speaking so I am devoting energy to try & write it for business use. The more I try the less I realise I know & become aware that there is such a lot more to learn. A funny little story which is not to my credit but maybe you will forbear to criticise. We had a party the night before last. Got a bit mixed up afterwards & I woke fully dressed in Jimmy’s bed outside, he was in my bed inside. This is but a phase, and will pass. My heart is still in England & with you both at home, all my love & thoughts. Douglas.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Lists recent letters arrived and pleased that they had dispatch another parcel to him via the Red Cross. Discusses content of their letters praising their faith and courage. Provides considerable discussion about books in general. Mentions running a small French class and describes pupils. Says he is learning commercial French but cannot get any practice speaking. Mentions funny story about himself involving party.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
J D Hudson
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08-09
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420809
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Algeria--Algiers
Algeria--Laghouat (Province)
North Africa
Algeria
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-08-09
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
prisoner of war
Red Cross
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22827/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420811-0001.1.jpg
dc9b32655bb8ccce2e9b6703cc51df7a
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22827/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420811-0002.1.jpg
4a7ba5d569203a888ba66182f191f566
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J.D.Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des Etats Unis.
Rue Michelet
Alger. Algérie
11-8-42. Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
Today, I was very pleased to receive five letters, three from you Nos. 58, 61 & 62, and one each from Marjorie & Auntie Dorothy dated May 18th & 21st respectively. These [inserted] two [/inserted] came via ordinary P. of W. post & took their time. I was delighted to get the details of the letters you received from me. Some stupid fellow has lost the negatives of the “Camp Echo” photos and the only way we can obtain prints is to write to Tony’s mother who has received about twelve photos of different pages of several “Camp Echos”. I, like you, hope most sincerely that good news will be received of Ted Hole. I send all my sympathies to his Mother & Father at this tragic time. It was surprising to learn that Horace was in Libya I did not even know he was in the army. So John has become Mr. Claylin again. His promotion appears to be very slow. I remember he has been waiting since October 1940. This is the second time I have begun this page of my letter. The first time I struggled valiantly with a new fountain pen I bought in Laghaval, but it was no use and I am once again reduced to pencil. I still use the Waterman’s that E.W.T. sent to me for my birthday at B – in 1940. I know just how much you appreciate your garden, & I realise exactly how you feel about the little things that grow. I hope you will be able to save my cactus. Do not worry about my stamps. I never stamp my own envelopes, & how it is that some arrived stamped and others without is beyond my ken. In my next cable I shall advise you to cancel
[page break]
The “received to pay” system & revert to the pre-paid policy. It is cheaper by far, & I see no reason for adopting an idea which means paying at the rate of 4 1/2d per word. If I wish to send a long cable from this end and it comes to more than the pre-paid reply stipulates it merely results in my own account being debited with the extra few francs. As there is so little I can buy at this end there is no suggestion of financial embarrassment. At any rate I have paid for my last three cables & I hope you have not been called upon to foot any bill at your end. The cable of mine acknowledging receipt of thirty seven letters from you, received by you on July 4th or thereabouts, left me on May 28th. It therefore took 5 1/2 weeks, so you will understand that your letters are not taking longer, but if anything, are arriving quicker. I have received 60 of the first 62, and expect No 57 any day. No 11 I despair of, but nevertheless consider the delivery of the English mail excellent. I hope you will excuse the steam I let off in my last letter about the girl at Smith’s suggesting to send “thrillers & wild west stories”. But you will understand we don’t want that stuff out here. We have all day to read & that class of stuff is not very suitable. I am still teaching my small class French, and probably learn more than my pupils. It is a very small class including two ex Accountants, a Bank Clerk, & a Metalurgical Research Chemist. On my own I am studying Commercial French. I am getting the grammar mastred [sic] but do lack the opportunity of speaking which is so essential. I must leave you now until next letter. My thoughts are with you both always & I send all my love & wishes. Douglas.
P.S. We still have our Red Cross tea.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
List latest mail and was pleased to get details of the letters they had received from him. Writes that someone has lost the negatives of the photographs in the camp newspaper and the only way they can be recovered is from an internees mother who had received some photographs of pages of the paper. Catches up with news of missing and other friends. Discusses writing implements and other news from home. Mentions telegram systems and costs as well as discussing letters that have arrived. Discusses the type of book they do not want. Mentions still teaching his small French class.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
J D Hudson
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08-11
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420811
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Algeria
Algeria--Laghouat (Province)
Algeria--Algiers
North Africa
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-08-11
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
prisoner of war
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22669/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420417-0001.1.jpg
41c216c192914b9aec3f0b53a31da014
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22669/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420417-0002.1.jpg
34defba2213b5e9f3fcc09401e8bb138
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J.D. Hudson,
c/o. Consul Général des États Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algérie.
17th April 1942. Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
On the 14th I was very pleased to receive four letters from you dated March 4th, 8th, 13th & 16th, numbered 21, 23, 25 & 26. The only letters I have not received of the first twenty-six written are Nos. 11 & 22, so I think you will agree with me that delivery has been really good. Ten minutes ago I was delighted to receive your cable of the 15th April acknowledging mine of the 8th (actually sent by me on the 2nd – there is always that annoying few days delay for some unaccountable reason, at this end). Your cable read as follows:- “Delighted cable eighth latest letter dated January 9th did parcel arrive. Grandad staying two weeks all well love” to which I am replying to-day:- “Delighted cable fifteenth latest letter dated March sixteenth no parcel received can you send soap towels socks via Red Cross well all love” It is too early to expect the arrival of the cigarettes they take months to get here via the ordinary route, but I assure you I am eagerly awaiting them and thank you for arranging to have them sent. The reason I am asking you in my cable to-day to send soap, socks and towels is because these are most difficult to obtain, and most essential. Tony & a few others here received parcels containing such items two days ago. Sent from home via the Red Cross & leaving London on December 22nd. I should be very pleased if you could arrange a parcel accordingly.
[page break]
There is no need for me to say how sorry I was to learn about Louis in your letter of March 4th and I am glad you sent my sympathies to Mrs. Murray. There is just nothing I can say, but I feel it nevertheless. I am sorry to learn that Uncle Jim has been ill with asthma and hope he will be better now. What a winter you appear to have experienced! We had a spell a few days ago of ridiculously hot weather, as close as late June last year. We are now experiencing a reverse in temperature – it is colder than it has been for about six or eight weeks, a pleasant interlude, and it is rather like English April weather, windy & clear but no rain. Yes the Red Cross continue to send food. At present most of it is coming from the Argentine. We had tinned sausages last night – the first I have tasted since coming to this country. The Argentine send these, & butter, steak, cornbeef [sic] , prunes, stews, & jam of excellent quality. They have a large community to cater for now as our numbers trebled a week ago. What a crowd now! We are working & living in our Orderly Room & “Camp Erks” Office (four of us) thank God. You say that “the days pass quickly away and age relentlessly takes it’s toll”. I suppose we must be prepared for inevitable changes, but as you add “our deep love will ever remain” This is true and cannot be altered. Nobody can destroy that. So you do not like the broad Lancashire accent? Wait until I get home and I will take you away from all that. I am away from that down here myself & doubtless it will sound strange when I get back. Enclose small photo of the “Echo” front page, earlier edition. Sorry space is ended & I must finish so abruptly. Good-bye until next letter. All my love & thoughts as ever, to you both. Douglas
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Catches up with letters and cable received. Says no parcel received yet but eagerly expecting the cigarettes they sent. Says he is asking in his reply cable for soap, socks and towels and gives reason for request. Notes other have received parcels with similar content from home via the Red Cross and asks them to try the same method. Catches up with news from home and mentions the latest weather. Writes that Red Cross ate still sending food parcels mostly from the Argentine at present and mentions contents. Comments on their latest living accommodation situation.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-04-17
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420417
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force. Coastal Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Algeria
Algeria--Laghouat (Province)
Algeria--Algiers
North Africa
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-04-17
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
James Douglas Hudson
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
prisoner of war
Red Cross
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22670/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420422-0001.2.jpg
50a503fdff894ccff2b42f7fef77029d
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22670/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420422-0002.2.jpg
c1239d7565e58f646e75eeb293b6b9fd
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J.D.Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des États Unis.
Rue Michelet
Alger. Algérie
22-4-42. Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
It is a year ago today (by the day) [deleted] that [/deleted] [inserted] since [/inserted] we left Kef. for the brief respite of Médéa, and it is rather strange but after a spell of hot weather the temperature had dropped to the same as Médéa’s temperature at this time last year. It is very welcome and puts the summer off temperorily [sic], whilst at the same time it does not encourage the flies which were beginning to make their presence felt. In my last letter I acknowledged your telegram of April 15th which I was so pleased to receive and I sent a reply the same day. I also acknowledged four letters received on April 14th, nos. 21, 23, 25 & 26. So far I have received twenty-four of the first twenty-six you have written this year, the two missing ones being nos. 11 & 22. I also enclosed a photo of the front cover of an early edition of the ‘Camp Echo’ I hope it arrived. I have ordered several copies of other photos of this journal and when I receive them I hope to be able forward them to you. With this letter I am sending a photo of Raj, our little dog and the [indecipherable word] little fellow in the camp. Since this photo. was taken several of the dogs have been destroyed – a good move because there were too many and they were fast multiplying. The other photo I am sending is of me at work on the “Camp Echo” It was taken about 2 months ago, indoors in electric light. Taking this into consideration the result is not bad. This shows our old rooms but does not
[page break]
give much detail. I have been inoculated again today, being the third time in 2 weeks. The first dose was 10% fourteen days ago, followed by 30% last Wed. & 60% to complete, today. (Anti-typhus) The after effects of the 10% were the most unpleasant but I appeared to be more fortunate than the majority. I anticipate other inoculations at a later date for typhoid. As mentioned previously we all had two inoculations over 12 months ago at Kef, and as these followed up the four I had in England in June 1940 I imagine I shall be pretty well stocked up with serum. It is fairly essential to be done out here – nobody refuses. If you suffer any cut out in this climate it does not heal as in England, but goes dry & crusty and takes a very long time. A rather interesting point but true [deleted] e [/deleted] , the chaps who have been out here a long time compare more than favourably with the new arrivals for fitness and in the majority of cases they appear to be in far better condition. It does not pay me to say these things really, but if it is comforting to you to know I feel it is my duty to tell you. Of course a sunburned body appears far more healthy and pleasing to the eye than the white English nakedness and maybe this has something to do with it. I cabled a few days ago asking you to send via the Red X. soap, towels [symbol] and socks. Soap is ridiculously scarce and I changed [indecipherable word] cigarettes (also scarce again) for a bar yesterday. Being a Yorkshireman I have a small reserve; [deleted] but [/deleted] it does pay to have a little on one side. As soon as your cigarettes arrive I will cable if possible. I will bid you au revoir for the present and end as usual by sending you both all my love, thoughts and best wishes. Douglas.
[symbol] Tony recd. these last week from his mother.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Writes that it was a year since they left El Kef. Comments on a welcome drop in temperature but that flies were making themselves felt. Catches up on mail received. Writes that he is enclosing photographs including one of the cover of the camp newspaper and others of them working on its production. Mentions being inoculated again with more to come and comments that this is essential and no one refuses due to climate and conditions. Writes that those who have been there a long time look sunburned and fitter than new arrivals. He asks again for them to send soap, socks and towels via Red Cross as these are ridiculously difficult to get.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-04-22
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420422
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Algeria
Algeria--Laghouat (Province)
Algeria--Algiers
North Africa
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-04-22
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
James Douglas Hudson
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
prisoner of war
Red Cross
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22467/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE400803-0001.1.jpg
30e5b968433e03aaa36cdc38840ecdac
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22467/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE400803-0002.1.jpg
de66c284afca7334988bff308307c761
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
There is nothing doing for tomorrow, Sunday.
Sgts Mess.
West Raynham.
3-8-40
Dearest Mother & Dad,
I have not received any letter from you to-day, and as nothing particularly interesting has happened to-day there is not much I can write about.
We were under the impression that we had this day off entirely. Accordingly I stayed in bed and was rudely disturbed before 11 oclock to be told that I was flying at half past. These sort of things do happen. The actual trip was only an hour and a waste of time. We were supposed to get in some air firing practice but we lost our target so it was a wash out. The weather has been very good of late and there is a plague of very small insects. They are all over the place & they do itch. They are so small it is almost impossible to squash them.
[page break]
I have not paid my mess bill since I arrived here so when next I get paid, normally on Friday, I shall have a large account to tip up.
I have to send Jack’s wireless set on to his brother I didn’t know how I was going to pack it.
Yesterday I received a p.c. from Don Chadwick who was posted to Watton on Tues. He arrived here with me (he is one of the original A2) & was granted 4 days leave on compassionate grounds, because his mother was ill. After that he got 7 days leave because he was not on an operational squadron. On arrival at Watton he immediately got another 7 days & is still not on a squadron. Isn’t it a damned shame that things are done so unevenly. It is a bad show.
I have got a new pair of trousers so have a complete duplicate outfit now. I shall look smart when I get leave on Sept. 2nd.
And so cheerio for now. Hoping you are both keeping well Love Douglas.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Recounts his day and that his trip was a waste of time. They were supposed to get in air firing but they lost their target. Mentions recent weather and plague of small insects. Continues with gossip and catches up with friends news and his recent activities.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940-08-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE400803
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Norfolk
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940-08-03
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
James Douglas Hudson
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter bradbury
RAF West Raynham
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/886/22468/EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE400901.1.pdf
b950705aa53415e9b3d82bded480e2c6
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Hudson, Douglas
James Douglas Hudson
J D Hudson
Description
An account of the resource
529 items. Collection concerns Pilot Officer James Douglas Hudson, DFC (755052 Royal Air Force) who joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1939 and trained as an observer. While on route to Malta in August 1940 his Blenheim crashed in Tunisia and he was subsequently interned for two and a half years by Vichy French in Tunisia and Algeria. After being freed he returned to Great Britain and after navigator retraining completed a tour of 30 operations on 100 Squadron. The collection contains letters to and from his parents and from French penfriends while interned in Tunisia and Algeria, newspaper cuttings of various events, logbooks and lists of operations, official documents and photographs. A further 23 items are in two sub-collections with details of navigator examinations and postcards of Laghouat Algeria.<br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Elizabeth Smith and Yvonne Puncher and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br />
<p>This collection also contains items concerning Louis Murray and Harry Bowers. Additional information on <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/202827/">Harry Bowers</a> and <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/220410/">Louis Murray</a> is available via the IBCC Losses Database.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-06-16
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Hudson, JD
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[postmark] [ink stamp]
[underlined] PRISONERS OF WAR POST [/underlined]
Sept. 1st 1940
MR. H.E. HUDSON
10. MOORSIDE ROAD.
KERSAL.
SALFORD. 7.
LANCASHIRE.
ANGLETERRE.
[censor label] J.M.E
[page break]
[censor label] P.C. 66
OPENED BY
[page break]
[Red Cross rubber stamp]
J.D.HUDSON. (SGT. CHEF)
CAMP DE SEJOUR SUIRVEILLÉ
S/COUVERT COMMANDANT D’ARMES
LE KEF
TUNISIE
NORD AFRIQUE.
Sunday. 1st Sept. 1940.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I am writing this letter to you on Sunday afternoon with the very sincere hope that it will reach you all right.
I am perfectly well and so are the other two, and although we had to arrive in this part of Africa we were in no way hurt. I am trying to make this letter as simple as possible because they only speak French and Arabic here and I do not wish to write anything
[page break]
2.
which might prevent this letter being delivered.
I do hope that you are both keeping well and I do trust that you will have been informed previously where we were and that we were safe.
The climate here is about the same as our hot summer weather, so far no hotter. Grapes, figs, olives & peaches grow all over the place but there is no green grass, plenty of rough mountains.
We managed to swim in the sea at first, which was terrifically salty & quite warm, but more inland there is no swimming. I think that
[page break]
3.
the least [deleted] is [/deleted] I say, the better.
We do some of our own cooking now & by that means can prepare English food. There is plenty of bread, and eggs & tomatoes seem to be plentiful. Fortunately we can now make tea – how we missed that at first.
The officials here are very kind, they cannot speak French, & accordingly we have to make every effort to improve ours. We fully appreciate their position & I am sure they appreciate ours.
I am not going to write a lot because I do want this letter to get through to you. This is the most important because it lets you
[page break]
4.
know that we are safe.
There is no need to say how glad I shall be when the time does arrive to come home again. At the moment I feel to be just an idle onlooker, quite helpless & I do hope you are both safe. I get a French newspaper each day & therefore learn some things.
I expect if you wish to write back it will be best to enquire from the Red Cross. It may take a long time.
I must say cheerio now. Remember me to everybody concerned & explain that I am interned here but quite well. I am O.K. for cigarettes & clothes etc so
[page break]
Do not worry about sending anything. Whether I shall be moved from here I do not know.
Hoping that this letter will arrive safely, and that you are both keeping well and cheery.
Good-bye for the present. and all the best of luck.
Love
Douglas.
[page break]
[card game score card]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
An account of the resource
Writing from Tunisia that he is perfectly well as are the others. He is keeping letter simple in order not to write anything that may prevent the letter being delivered. Mentions the current climate and availability of grapes, figs, olives and peaches but no green grass. Continues to write about food and local officials. Mentions he will be glad when the time comes to go home. Suggest they contact the Red Cross to enquire how to write to him. Says he is OK for cigarettes and clothes. Enclosed is score-sheet
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940-08-01
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Five page handwritten letter, envelope and handwritten document
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE400901
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Tunisia
Tunisia--El Kef
Great Britain
England--Salford (Greater Manchester)
North Africa
England--Lancashire
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940-08-01
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
James Douglas Hudson
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
prisoner of war
Red Cross
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1281/19280/EValentineJRMValentineUM430318-0001.2.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Valentine, John
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
J R M Valentine
Description
An account of the resource
674 Items. Collection concerns navigator Warrant Officer J R McKenzie Valentine (1251404 Royal Air Force). The collection contains over 600 letters between JRM Valentine and his wife Ursula. It also contains his log book, family/official documents, a book of violin music studies and other correspondence. Sub-collections contain family photographs, prisoner of war photographs and a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings of events from 1942 to 1945.
He joined 49 Squadron in April 1942 and flew 10 operations on Hampdens. The squadron converted to Manchester in May when he completed two further operations. His aircraft was shot down on the Thousand Bomber raid of 30/31 May 1942. Five crew, including him bailed out successfully and became prisoners of war. The pilot and one air gunner were killed when the aircraft rolled over and crashed.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Frances Zagni and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-09-06
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Valentine, JRM
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Start of transcription
NUMBER 8. 18-3-42
Darling Ursula: Still no mail from you – nor anyone else as a matter of fact. Once again I have little fresh news for you. I am fit, my foot has definitely healed after breaking out once again. [Indecipherable word] are absent – I get at least 1 game of Soccer or Rugger per week & am still very busy. Otherwise I put in upwards of 2 hours per day on the fiddle but as yet have no instructor, & am carrying on with my modest study of musical theory & harmony. I dabble in agriculture when I have time but my Dutch seems to be slipping. I literally don’t have time for it & my Dutch friends seem strangely unwilling to lend a helping hand. I’ll never be a linguist of that I’m certain & I admire you for your aptitude in that direction. Sometimes I long for a change of roomates. Living in such very close contact with 3 Dutchmen I often get heartily sick of their uncouth lingo & their ideas with regard to food – in the matter of which they are very stubborn. Having observed the bitter squabbles than [sic] can break out over food, I resolved to leave the cooking problems entirely to them. Although I disagree with many of the things they do. They are very fastidious & extravagant & were I to have any say in the disposal of our food I’d change a lot of the habits we have developed. Of course I do my share of the cooking (such as it is) but keep the peace by pandering to their whims. One of them, Mike Loos, I dislike more & more every day. He is terribly [inserted] lazy [/inserted] [symbol] unreasonable & bad tempered. The other two, with whom I get on excellently, feel just the same about Mike. A fellow in the barrack discovered lice on his person yesterday & as the Germans are terrified of the things (so are we too) we are to be deloused tomorrow. Any news of the following – Frank Routledge (Eileen Johnson’s BF), Oliver Hazards husband – Moore Coulson? What about getting in touch with the latters wife & asking her over for a week end? I have been reading [two indecipherable words] for about a month & am not halfway through yet. I only manage a few minutes daily. I’m enjoying the book though. We are to have a show next week – a revue with a chorus of “girls”. I’m not looking forward to it & in any case I think male legs [underlined] etc [/underlined] are ugly. Bunty Irene & Ann have birthdays soon. Give them appropriate wishes from me. Thinking of you always John
[page break]
67 - 8
[ink stamp]
MRS U.M. VALENTINE
LIDO
TENTERDEN GROVE
HENDON
LONDON, N.W.4
ENGLAND
Sgt John Valentine
450
[censors label]
End of transcription
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Description
An account of the resource
Number 8. Has received no mail. Mentions health, playing soccer and two hours a day on violin. He is dabbling in agriculture but Dutch is slipping. Writes he is getting fed up with his Dutch room mates. Mentions discover of lice and upcoming delousing. Asks of news of acquaintances and mentions progress with book he is reading.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-03-18
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EValentineJRMValentineUM430318
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Poland
Poland--Żagań
Great Britain
England--London
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-18
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
prisoner of war
sport
Stalag Luft 3
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1281/19281/EValentineJRMValentineUM430320-0001.1.jpg
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Valentine, John
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
J R M Valentine
Description
An account of the resource
674 Items. Collection concerns navigator Warrant Officer J R McKenzie Valentine (1251404 Royal Air Force). The collection contains over 600 letters between JRM Valentine and his wife Ursula. It also contains his log book, family/official documents, a book of violin music studies and other correspondence. Sub-collections contain family photographs, prisoner of war photographs and a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings of events from 1942 to 1945.
He joined 49 Squadron in April 1942 and flew 10 operations on Hampdens. The squadron converted to Manchester in May when he completed two further operations. His aircraft was shot down on the Thousand Bomber raid of 30/31 May 1942. Five crew, including him bailed out successfully and became prisoners of war. The pilot and one air gunner were killed when the aircraft rolled over and crashed.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Frances Zagni and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-09-06
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Valentine, JRM
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Start of transcription
[underlined] NUMBER [/underlined] 20-3-42
My Dearest Wife: There are no letters from you to acknowledge but there are one or two other matters. When we arrived here, one of the crew sent our names & home addresses to the Caterpillar club, a body formed by the makers of Irvin parachutes & open to all those who save their lives with their “chutes” by bailing out from a plane which subsequently crashed. We have heard from the club that we have been admitted & that badges are being sent [inserted] to our [/inserted] [symbol] homes. A food parcel from Lisbon arrived yesterday from A> CABOVERDIANA, sent 29th Sept! It was larger than those I used to get from Mr Clark & contained large quantities of some mysterious powder for making hot drinks, we think. Owing to my tastelessness we haven’t tried them yet. There were also 5 fairly large gingerbread cakes which were amazingly fresh considering their 5 1/2 months journey. A curious thing [inserted] has [/inserted] [symbol] happened to my gold ring which I treasure more than any other of my possessions here. At one point it has completely split (horizontally) How it happened, I haven’t the slightest idea & my only theory is that it took place on a bitterly cold day (10th Feb) when I was doing some washing the sudden extreme change of temperature from washing clothes in hot water to rinsing in ice cold caused violent expansion & contraction in the metal with the subsequent split. It is of course still wearable – in fact my hand is so much plumper than it used to be that it is impossible to get it off. I played Soccer this morning & felt so weary after it that I spent the afternoon sleeping. That is a common habit here but I rarely do it myself for I can use the time usefully in other ways. I think it is more than likely that we shall be shifted to another camp but the date is not known. June has been suggested but we haven’t definite information on that point. It is a year this week end since we left Bicester. Do you remember travelling home on the Sunday? Frances will be a lot different from the babe she was then. The lice which were suspected in our hut this week seem to have disappeared – for which we are all truly grateful. I hope you are getting all my letters. The first series of numbers went up to 59. Don’t be surprised if the number I send [inserted] to you [/inserted] [symbol] drops off at anytime (since I might have to use my [underlined] very limited ration [/underlined] by writing to others!!??) Sorry I can’t be more explicit. We are still enjoying glorious weather here although the wind is cool. I long for you & Frances more as the days go by. I’m always thinking of you darling. Ever yours John
[page break]
68 – 9
[ink stamp]
M[underlined] RS [/underlined] . U. M. VALENTINE
LIDO
TENTERDEN GROVE
HENDON
LONDON, N.W.4
ENGLAND
Sgt. John Valentine
450
[censors label]
End of transcription
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Description
An account of the resource
Number 9. Has heard from Caterpillar Club that badges are being sent. Reports food parcel from Lisbon and list contents. Writes of damage to his gold ring. Writes of activities and rumour of move. Mentions lice have disappeared and provides cryptic comments on new letter numbering. Mentions good weather.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-03-20
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Peter Bradbury
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EValentineJRMValentineUM430320
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Poland
Poland--Żagań
Great Britain
England--London
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942-03-20
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
Caterpillar Club
prisoner of war
Stalag Luft 3
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1281/19177/EValentineJRMValentineUM410121-0001.2.jpg
ae53b25e01499edcc983dff088491503
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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1281/19177/EValentineJRMValentineUM410121-0003.2.jpg
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e3e6570542f534dada07d7286dba2cec
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Valentine, John
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
J R M Valentine
Description
An account of the resource
674 Items. Collection concerns navigator Warrant Officer J R McKenzie Valentine (1251404 Royal Air Force). The collection contains over 600 letters between JRM Valentine and his wife Ursula. It also contains his log book, family/official documents, a book of violin music studies and other correspondence. Sub-collections contain family photographs, prisoner of war photographs and a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings of events from 1942 to 1945.
He joined 49 Squadron in April 1942 and flew 10 operations on Hampdens. The squadron converted to Manchester in May when he completed two further operations. His aircraft was shot down on the Thousand Bomber raid of 30/31 May 1942. Five crew, including him bailed out successfully and became prisoners of war. The pilot and one air gunner were killed when the aircraft rolled over and crashed.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Frances Zagni and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-09-06
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Valentine, JRM
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
Start of transcription
[underlined] Tuesday 21/1/41. [/underlined]
Dearest Darling,
I wrote the first part of this letter last night, put it in a stamped addressed envelope meaning to collect your voucher this morning, slip it in and post it off to you without delay.
The form however, was not completed until the afternoon & of course I was not off duty until 6pm by which time the orderly Room staff had packed up for the day & left after locking the [deleted] room [/deleted] door. When I called and found it thus I had to make a tour of the hotel in an effort to find a member of the staff still on the premises [inserted] who [/inserted] both had the keys to the room and knew where to find the necessary document. Eventually I was successful & enclose the form for you – my darling.
I see that they have put the wrong date on it viz 20th Jan but of course when I collected it, it was too late to have it altered. That gave me
[page break]
a lever to work upon should the Railway Company tell you that you can use it only on the specified date, so when you get this – ring up Paddington straight away & tell them that you have the voucher for 24th Jan but you don’t want to travel until a later date (specify this) If they say “No can do” return it to me at once & at the same time tell them that they gave me the wrong date in the first place & I want it altered.
I called at your digs tonight (in torrential rain this time) to find out [circled 1] If Mrs Jones been able to arrange anything for Jane &
[circled 2] If she had any objection to your bringing the bowl fire & if not what the local voltage is.
Unfortunately the dame was out & I got no satisfaction from her skivvy, but will let you know in due course. If you want to come before I can tell you bring Jane & the fire with you.
Your MS & N & Sundays letter arrived today. I gather that you won’t
[page break]
be able to come down at the end of this week as you had hoped. I am very disappointed but I fully appreciate the amount of work to be done before your leave. But please dearest don’t be later than Feb 1st or I’ll commit suicide. You have positively no idea how much I long for your arrival.
Your parcel hasn’t arrived yet. As you say 2/6 is a bit niggardly although I fondly hoped that it would be enough. I wrote four letters over the week end which upset my calculations & tonight I have only 1/2d left. I have had to borrow 2/6 pending the arrival of yours but even that wont [sic] last me until payday.
Would you let me know if I should send you my usual consignment of socks at the end of the week or keep them until you arrive.
When you come, would you bring me the tube of toothpaste that you gave me at Christmas
[page break]
Would you tell Barbara that I have been smoking the Churchman No1 cigarettes which she gave me at Xmas & I have enjoyed them so much that I have given away only two of them Very shortly I shall be forced to buy my own cigarettes, but when you are here I hope to save the odd pence that I spend in the canteen at break times and in the evenings.
Our studies are [deleted] [indecipherable word] [/deleted] getting along quite smoothly but I am still woefully weak on Aircraft Recognition. Have you been able to get anything for me on the subject. I have started getting a weekly publication [deleted] for me [/deleted] called the Aeroplane Spotter which promises to be very useful.
For the first time since our arrival mild weather is prevailing. The frost ceased suddenly this morning & it has been raining steadily all day. The streets are in a shocking mess of slushy sodden snow, through which we have to march irrespective of depth.
Time again compels me to slow. I am anxiously awaiting a promise from you of the date of your journey.
All my love
John.
P.S. Charlie Chaplin in the Great Dictator is on here this week. Come down on Sat. & see it with me
End of transcription
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Letter from John Valentine to his wife Ursula
Description
An account of the resource
Updates her on progress of travel voucher which he now encloses despite it having wrong date. Explains what to do if railway will not let her travel on later date. Reports unsuccessful attempt to visit landlady. Regarding news from her latest letter, disappointed that she cannot travel that week and entreats her to arrive by 1 February. Continues about his smoking preference, current studies, difficulties with aircraft recognition and the weather.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1941-01-21
Contributor
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Peter Bradbury
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Four page handwritten letter
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
EValentineJRMValentineUM410121
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Wales--Dyfed
Wales--Aberystwyth
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-01-21
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
John Ross Mckenzie Valentine
military living conditions
military service conditions
training