2
25
30
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/900/11140/PJarmyJFD1703.1.jpg
d79a334eec7e8edd1dfa7ded9dc46172
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/900/11140/AJarmyJFD170726.2.mp3
f54aa76abd3793861cf39e00fcebb13f
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
Jarmy, Jack
Jack Francis David Jarmy
J F D Jarmy
Description
An account of the resource
23 items. And oral history interview with Jack Francis David Jarmy DFC (b. 1922, 134695 Royal Air Force) his log books and photographs. He flew operations as a navigator with 75 and 218 Squadrons.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Jack Jarmy 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
2015-09-21
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
Jarmy, JFD
Transcribed audio recording
A resource consisting primarily of recorded human voice.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
GT: Ok. This is Glen Turner from 75 Squadron Association as Secretary and a certified IBCC interviewer interviewing Mr Jack Jarmy and this is for the Digital Archives to be based at Lincoln. And Jack is with me and good evening, Jack.
JJ: Good evening.
GT: Evening. So, I’m going to ask Jack some questions on the history of Jack’s life with Bomber Command in the middle and Jack can we start please by you describing your title and your service number please?
JJ: Say again, sorry?
GT: Your service number and your title.
JJ: Service number.
GT: And your trade.
JJ: Airman’s number 1337329 and officer’s number 134695.
GT: And your trade was RAF navigator.
JJ: My trade was, originally was pilot. U/T pilot.
GT: Great. Jack, can you begin with us please by stating your date of birth, where you were born and your, your years growing up?
JJ: I was, date of birth was 26th of April ’22 in Romford, Essex and I, from the age of twelve I lived with my grandparents. No. From the age of five I lived with my grandparents because my father had died when I was five. Do I go on then to joining the RAF?
GT: Yes.
JJ: I was very keen to join the RAF and I thought initially as a wireless operator but then at the age of eighteen, the very day I was eighteen I was living outside of Portsmouth, I got on my bicycle without telling my grandparents, cycled down to Portsmouth and volunteered for training as a pilot. And I was accepted on the spot actually but I wasn’t officially called up for about another eight months or so.
GT: In, in —
JJ: 1941 that would be.
GT: Jack, how well did you do at school then before that?
JJ: I did very well actually. My last examination at Ilfracombe Grammar School I was first in every subject except one and when we were having to leave my grandparents had to move away to make some money somewhere as their capital was running out the headmaster told me that I was an absolute cert. There were two university places at Cambridge in those days and he said, ‘If you could have stayed here you’d have, without a doubt you would have got one of them.’ But I didn’t know at the time until we got to Portsmouth that I was having to leave school and help in the family shop. So that was a bit of shock needless to say.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: And I did that for three years until I was eighteen and on the very day I was eighteen as I say I went down and joined the RAF and they accepted me when they saw my Grammar School report.
GT: So, all your subjects were fabulous except one.
JJ: I was first in every subject except one.
GT: And what was that?
JJ: I think that was Religious History [laughs]
GT: Fabulous. So, once you’d gone to sign up and they’d accepted you —
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Please continue that story on how long you waited and where you joined up from there.
JJ: Yeah. I waited about, I think seven or eight months before I was called up for attestation in London and then I was in the RAF. So we went to [pause] I’ve got it here. Sorry. I have it here and I can’t bloody well read it. [pause] Terrible this. I’m on the wrong page. Sorry. Oh. [pause] Here we are. 9 Initial Training Wing at Stratford on Avon, is it? Stratford on Avon. I can’t see the dates. If you want to have a look here.
GT: No. That’s alright Jack. So, you were then —
JJ: Initial Training Wing for pilot training. About six weeks and then we went, I went to EFTS at Swindon, Cliffe Pypard where I soloed fairly quickly. And I had done about twenty hours when we were informed that the system was training. They were introducing grading school for everybody but the training would be done overseas. Either in the states, Canada or, or was Africa —?
GT: Rhodesia?
JJ: Rhodesia. That’s right. So, I went across to Canada and we got on the train for three days down to Florida. And I, the first thing they told us that the scheme we were under twenty, a good twenty percent would be washed out at Primary School, another twenty percent at basic and a further twenty percent the final school because that was the way they got, the American way they got all their gunners, navigators etcetera. So I passed out fine in the Stearman at sixty hours. Lots of aerobatics. A lot more than we did in the UK. You could throw the Stearman all over the skies. It was a wonderful biplane. Then I moved on in Montgomery Alabama for basic training and of course I’d only done about seven or eight hours I think and the course ahead of us did a cross country, their final cross country and they ran into a tornado and about twenty nine out of thirty three aircraft crashed. So I think morale was a bit down that morning and when I landed I had a German instructor, Lieutenant [Kloppenstein] and he just said, ‘Mr, you’ve had it.’ Bad landing. And I was fourteen days leave and then back to Canada.
GT: So, he cancelled you from flying training.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Because of one bad landing.
JJ: An American. Virtually one sortie I think, yeah. Twenty percent were being knocked out anyway around about then you see and I’m sure I was shaking. A friend of mine was [unclear] before so we got fourteen days leave and we went down to New Orleans. Hitch hiked down to New Orleans. Then we went back and up to Trenton, Ontario where you were re-selected. Whilst at Trenton I met two pilots who had been washed out at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida for not being sufficiently doing well and they went back to Canada then and they put them on a pilot’s course and they got their wings whilst I was washing dishes in the officer’s mess [laughs] Met them. Three months and they’d got their wings. That was the system. Anyway, I opted for a navigation course and did well on it and then came back to the UK on the Queen Elizabeth with about fourteen thousand aircrew. Mostly Americans. And we stayed in Harrogate for a few weeks waiting for OTU. I then went to Operational Training Unit. That’s right. Where we all met in a room. About ten of each grade. Navigators, pilots, wireless operators and they just said, ‘Have a chat around and sort yourselves out into crews,’ which we did.
GT: So, so, Jack if we could just confirm the dates on here.
JJ: Ok.
GT: So, I’m, I’m just looking at your logbooks.
JJ: You’ve got the dates there, I think.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: So as a navigator January 1943 and you were then arrived at number 11 OTU at Oakley.
JJ: Oakley. That’s right.
GT: Yeah. April 25th 1943. So please tell us how you crewed up.
JJ: We just walked around with a cup of tea and chatted to people and mostly the pilots would say, ‘Would you like to fly with me?’ And this New Zealand sergeant came up to me and said, ‘Would you like to fly with me, sir.’ Because I was a pilot officer [laughs] And he seemed a nice fellow you know and I said, ‘Yeah, fine.’ And then we walked around and found a bomb aimer and a wireless operator. You didn’t get engineers then until you got to Dishforth training on to four engine aircraft. We picked up an engineer there. So we did the, the Wellington training cross countries and circuits and bumps etcetera. And then we went to Dishforth. 1335 or something HCU. Heavy Conversion Unit to convert on to the Stirling.
GT: Ok. Now, again looking —
JJ: Did I say Dishforth? Sorry no.
GT: From your logbook Jack can I just help you for a moment there? I’ve got there —
JJ: Near Cambridge.
GT: Yeah. Now, you, you completed with the Wellingtons forty seven hours day and twenty eight night and then you moved to 1651.
JJ: That’s right. 1665.
GT: 1651 Conversion Unit at Waterbeach.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: And there —
JJ: Waterbeach.
GT: That was July 1943 and you converted to what?
JJ: Converted on to the Stirling at Waterbeach and then we were posted to 75 New Zealand Squadron at Mepal.
GT: And your logbook says July 25th 1943.
JJ: Was it as late as that?
GT: Yeah.
JJ: I thought it was earlier.
GT: And then, then you became —
JJ: That was probably the first flight.
GT: You began your operations then did you not? So —
JJ: Immediately. Yeah.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: That’s right.
GT: And who was the —
JJ: You just —
GT: Commanding officer at the time, Jack.
JJ: Pardon?
GT: Who was the commanding officer at the time for you?
JJ: Roy Max I’m sure. A wonderful fellow. Absolutely wonderful. I met him later on. It was the first time an officer had called me by my first name. We just walked into his office and he says, ‘Hello Jack,’ you know, ‘Pleased to meet you.’ No officer of any rank [laughs] and I’d been in for about a year had called me by my first name before. He was wonderful. We loved him. Yeah.
GT: Fabulous. And is there —
JJ: A marvellous CO you know.
GT: And you, you completed your tour of how many operations on 75?
JJ: I think it was about twenty six because we went in to, we called it Prayer Meeting about 9 o’clock every morning which was just a meeting you know. It wasn’t no prayers or anything and the CO said, ‘Flight Sergeant Mayfield —’ and there was another crew, ‘You’ve finished your tours.’ And we sort of thought, ‘You’re joking.’ And he said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘3 Group has decided you, you know you’ve done a good tour and they’d like you to, well they want you to finish your tour now.’ So we couldn’t believe it you know. We thought we’re going to live after all [laughs] which you didn’t think you were before that you know. We lost so many crews. I think we lost twenty two out of, two out of twenty two every night.
GT: 75 New Zealand squadron at the time and they were based —
JJ: Yeah.
GT: At Newmarket for you or Mepal?
JJ: No. Mepal. They’d just moved to Mepal when I joined them. Yeah.
GT: That was a brand new airfield.
JJ: A new airfield. There was mud everywhere, you know and we were in Nissen huts but that was alright.
GT: And it had a rather terrible nickname at the time.
JJ: They were known as the Chop Squadron in 3 Group. Everybody knew 75 for some reason as the Chop Squadron because they lost so many crews. But there was nothing wrong with the crews. They were absolutely first class wonderful chaps. Never flown with anyone better and we were just, somebody had to be unlucky and it seemed that we were whether we were the start of a raid or the end of the raid, wave or something we just [pause] I’m sure one night we lost three crews. One had done twenty seven, it sticks in my memory and they were almost finished their tour. One at twenty three and I think the other one was fourteen and I think at the time we’d done thirteen. We were then the senior crew on the squadron. But three best crews like that just went. A fighter or something must have got into them you know. They were close together. But they were first class crews you know. But it wasn’t very good for morale. We lost our radio operator after one trip actually. He went LMF and we had another w/op and two more trips he went LMF. They disappeared over night, you know. You didn’t see them to say, ‘Goodbye mate.’ One was Wally [Gee] I remember. He was twenty seven. We called him grandad. He was older than we were at twenty, twenty one but a nice lad but he got the shakes and he couldn’t do anything when we got back in the circuit and he was gone in the morning and the other one the same. There was quite a lot of LMF at the time. People couldn’t cope, you know.
GT: What, what was the feeling about the aircraft? The Stirling itself. Was there a doubt?
JJ: We liked it you know. We came back several times on three engines and once on two you know and the only trouble was you rarely got about fourteen thousand six hundred feet because you know they’d had this trouble. They’d locked off, had to lop off the wingtips. They couldn’t get them in the hangar before they went in to service. And it couldn’t get the height with the bomb load. You couldn’t get, rarely got to fifteen thousand. I think we got to fifteen thousand on the trip to Turin in the cold air over the Alps. But the rest of the time it was about fourteen six for bombing. Halifaxes at eighteen and Lancs at twenty, twenty one.
GT: Were all your operations at night?
JJ: Yeah. In the first tour.
GT: And did you encounter night fighters at all?
JJ: Oh, a lot, yes. We were, we had some very close deals you know with night fighters coming in but luckily the rear gunners were good. They seemed to go somewhere else you know. Sprayed. We always came back with holes, flak holes in the wings and everywhere. Holes everywhere in fact. But, and I think about three times we had to corkscrew with a gunner coming in and you’d lose about a thousand feet like this, you know. And if you were coned the Germans, had some searchlights that were on radar and if you were coned you had a devil of a job and you were a sitting target for the night fighters then. So you did a terrific, lost a thousand feet or so over ninety degrees down and then up and my stuff on the navigation table would all hit the roof. I was hanging on to the table. I would have hit the roof. But pencils and paper and everything went up and down on the floor but you were lucky. You avoided being shot down.
GT: That was your tail gunner yelling, ‘Skipper corkscrew left or right.’
JJ: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He did it immediately.
GT: Could you hear him? Could you brace yourself?
JJ: Oh yes. ‘Corkscrew.’ So you grabbed the desk you know and you went over and down about a thousand feet and then up again and it seemed to work every time. You evaded the fighter or the searchlights. It happened I would think on the first tour at least six times because I remember blooming charts and everything going up to the roof. Trying to hang on.
GT: Was your skipper good at that?
JJ: Very very good. He was first class. Cool as a cucumber. No bother. He was. We had the utmost trust in him. He was a very good pilot. Very good. Yeah. Alan. Wonderful. I was so sorry I couldn’t get in touch with him at the end of the war, you know. I’d have liked to have done.
GT: Several, several other chaps have told me of a story of being on the toilet can in the back when a corkscrew happened and it wasn’t very pleasant so —
JJ: No [laughs] it wouldn’t be. No. Had to make your way down to the toilet you know in pitch darkness. Climb over the spar and feel your way down. They used to say take an oxygen bottle with you. I just took two deep breaths, you know and then had a whiff down there and then came back. Usually managed to wait until after the target area to go for a wee. I couldn’t do that nowadays.
GT: Yeah. Fabulous. So —
JJ: But they had a wonderful spirit in the crew despite all these losses. In all the crews you know. The only words you ever heard at breakfast someone would say, ‘Poor old Gerald Smith and Dick Tracey bought it last night.’ And that was what we always said. ‘Bought it last night.’ And that was it. You didn’t talk any more about it. I think you couldn’t. It would have upset you you know where they’d gone. You just hoped they’d baled out but you never knew. We never had the messages back. That was just, that’s all you ever said. So and so bought it last night. Oh God. Hard luck. Then you got on with your job. You had to.
GT: What was it like flying into Newmarket because I understand —
JJ: I didn’t fly from Newmarket. Mepal.
GT: I beg your pardon. Mepal.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: You were flying out of Mepal then and you had Witchford next door.
JJ: That’s right.
GT: So did the two airfields conflict at all?
JJ: Then when we came back we did a circuit around the two airfields. So there were about forty aircraft milling around and sometimes you had to put your lights out because there would be a Jerry around you know. A fighter. And, and often VHF was so bad then, the HF was the wireless operator would get the ok to go in and land, you know on the Morse. The voice communications were terrible then in ‘43. They improved later.
GT: Because Lincoln always had their cathedral to home by. What did Mepal have that you guys could home in on?
JJ: We had a light. A flashing light, you know. What do you call it? I can’t think of the light giving the two letters of the airfield.
GT: The aldis lamp.
JJ: You had, you had Gee. Gee was just starting up. The first Gee we had the Mark 1. It was terrible, of course. It wouldn’t, you would just set it up and ten minutes later it would go off frequency. But fairly quickly after in that first tour we got Mark 2 Gee and that was a great help and that was good for getting back to base. It was wonderful. You could just home down easily. It was really good if that was working and it usually was. It was a wonderful aid that was. We got that going out as far as the Dutch Coast and then you lost it so you could get good winds as far as the Dutch Coast and then you were on dead reckoning and guessing what the winds were from what they’d been wrong. The Met winds were always thirty degrees out and ten miles an hour but they were something to start with. But you usually got a wind, a good wind by the time you touched the Dutch coast from the Gee. We took pictures back I think about every four minutes or something like that while you’d still got it. Wonderful aid.
GT: And what about the the Ely church or the spire from the Ely side of things.
JJ: I don’t think we ever saw that.
GT: You couldn’t see it.
JJ: No.
GT: No.
JJ: No. We did training on it on our next tour with GH. I’ve got a lovely photograph with the tower right bang in the middle because I was the GH leader in the second tour on 218.
GT: Right. Well, I’ve got you completing your tour —
JJ: December.
GT: Well, November 26th was your last flight with 75 New Zealand squadron out of Mepal.
JJ: ’43.
GT: In 1943.
JJ: That’s right.
GT: Yeah. And, and from there where did you move to from there because your crew was —
JJ: I went direct. Myself and my bomb aimer both went to Lancaster Finishing School which was at Feltwell as instructors and my pilot went to another airfield not far away. I can’t remember where because later on one night we cycled over there and then got caught by a policeman coming back. Funny story. Do you want to hear that?
GT: Please. I’d love to.
JJ: Right. Jock Somerville, the bomb aimer and myself got a call from Alan Mayfield one day to say he’d just been commissioned because he was just a flight sergeant when he went to, I can’t think of the name of the airfield. It was only about six miles away. And he said, ‘I’ve just been commissioned. Can you get a bicycle and come over for Sunday tea?’ So we got the out the old [Senda] bike you know and we went off on the Sunday afternoon for tea. We didn’t drink. No one was really drunk in those days you know. All the times on the first tour I never had a drink of spirits or beer or anything. I don’t think the majority of the rest of the crew did. Alan Mayfield didn’t. It was difficult. I was in the officer’s mess and the rest of the crew were in the sergeant’s you see so you couldn’t have much to do with one another other than crew room and what not. But we all got on so well together but so we went over to Chedburgh would it have been? No. Not Chedburgh. That’s where I did my second tour. I can’t think of the name. Six miles away roughly. So we went over and then he said, ‘Well, you know, stay for dinner, you know.’ So we stayed for dinner and I think we did have a couple of beers because he’d been commissioned. So we were on our way back to Feltwell and there was a light ahead of us waving so we slowed up and there was a blooming policeman in the middle of the road. So, I don’t know whether Jock or I said, ‘Go.’ And he went one side of the policeman pedalling like mad and I went the other and we went about thirty yards and there was a barrier across the road [laughs] I had to stop. So of course, the policeman came along and you know we said, ‘Well, we’ve been a year, or you know, months bombing over Germany. We’ve just had a rest now.’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry. I’ll have to take your names.’ And we thought that was the end of it. We cycled on and I was lecturing about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. There was a tap on the door and there was this blooming policeman and oh, Jock had said his name was Smith and I said it was Jones [laughs] So he said, ‘Are you Mr Jack Jones.’ And I said, ‘I’m afraid so.’ He said, ‘I’m sorry but you’re going to be summoned.’ And believe it or not we were summoned to the local court for riding a bicycle without lights at 11 o’clock at night on a country road with no, no traffic or anything at all. Well, I went into Ely Hospital to have my tonsils out then. I’d had some throat trouble. Jock went along to the court and he was fined ten shillings. And then they called my name and Jock explained that I was in hospital and the judge said, ‘Fifteen shillings.’ Well, Jock was a very fiery Scotsman and he jumped up and he said, ‘You can’t do that. We were both together and you fined me ten shillings and fifteen shillings for him.’ Well, the judge said, ‘Very well, you can find, you can pay fifteen shillings as well.’ [laughs] You can’t believe it can you? In the middle of the war.
GT: Astonishing. Jeez. So —
JJ: It was quite a joke.
GT: What a joke. Jack, I’m looking through your logbook and you joined Number 3 Lancaster Finishing School at Feltwell.
JJ: Yeah. Yeah.
GT: January 8, 1944 and, and pretty much you spent all year there. Is that correct?
JJ: Yeah. Ten, ten months before I was back on ops.
GT: So how many crews would you have trained or lectured or shown?
JJ: I think the crews came for a month because they did quite a bit of circuits and bumps and then they did a couple of cross countries and then went off. Crews coming mostly from the, from Cambridge you know. There.
GT: So, you’d done a full tour on Stirlings and then went to a Lancaster Finishing School.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Where did you get your Lancaster training from or didn’t it matter?
JJ: Oh, it just, well I mean the equipment was all the same. It was no bother. You just got in. We didn’t do much. Sometimes I flew on a cross country with a crew but that was just finishing. Most of it was circuits and bumps and lecturing in the, you know, ground school lecturing. The information you could give them. How to, you know, be sure and keep on track, not to stray off because they picked up the strays and other little tips you learned from navigating, you know. How important it was to keep in the main stream and not get out of it. Things like that we used to give them. Other odds and ends. There wasn’t a lot of Ground School but they did a couple of cross countries and we had to mark them of course and you know help them with any tips or anything on navigating. It was mainly after you crossed the coast you were on your own. You hardly got a fix on anything you see. You couldn’t get anything. You couldn’t anything in the Astro. I used to do a bit of Astro coming back but not on the way out to the target. Bomb aimer would look out and he would see probably fifteen miles away flak going up. Someone had gone off track and you knew that that was some town you know or other and you could get a bearing. He’d give me a bearing on that on the astrocompass. And that was a good ground speed check or something like that you see as you went out and you just used your Met knowledge mainly to think what the winds had changed to and then you always got a good fix over the target. That’s why I never got into the astrodome except once because you got a fix there and you got your, you could get a good wind for the last three or four hundred miles you see to use on the way back.
GT: So your bomb aimer helped you with a lot of the navigational help.
JJ: With the visual. If we, if it was clear he might be able to see crossing a river on the way just if the moonlight was out. He could say, ‘We’re crossing a river now.’ And that was a great help. You could look it up on the topographical map and that would be a hell of a good help and give an estimate, ‘Oh, there’s a town over — ’ And he’d take a bearing on it with the astrocompass coming up and say I would think it was about, you know just a guess ten or twelve miles away. Well, that was a great help. One of the greatest things was you knew if you got a lot of buffeting from time to time you knew you were in the main stream then, you know. There’s about six hundred other aircraft going that way. So you were delighted to get a bump, you know. You knew you weren’t far away from the from the main stream.
GT: When you were in the main stream did you have aircraft above you and therefore they were dropping their bombs? Did you have any near misses in that way?
JJ: We had a very near miss. I’m not sure if it was first tour or second on Peenemunde. The end of the tour I think. You know there was the rocket range there. It’s the first tour wasn’t it?
GT: So that was the V-1 flying Doodlebugs.
JJ: No. The V-2.
GT: It was the V-2s was it?
JJ: V-2s they were developing there. I think they’d done the V-1 already. Is Peenemunde? I think. I thought Peenemunde was on the first tour.
GT: Ok. So, so what happened there? The bombs went past you.
JJ: We flew up nearly to Sweden and then we were bombing from eight thousand feet coming in and the Stirlings were on the first wave. Have you found Peenemunde?
GT: That’s fine. You carry on telling the story and I’ll see.
JJ: It was the first time I’d managed to get into the astrodome because it was fairly quiet flying in. There wasn’t a lot of flak or anything and I looked up and saw a Lancaster just above us probably not more than sixty or seventy feet, maybe a hundred feet with bomb doors, bomb doors open and I screamed at the pilot, ‘Turn hard starboard now, now, now.’ And he immediately went up and as the wing went up the stick of bombs went down about twenty yards. Where we’d been. And they would all have gone through us. You see, the bomb aimer’s looking ahead. Doesn’t see something here. And that was a Lancaster actually. I reckon he was early on target. He shouldn’t have been above us. We were just eight thousand feet but that was the nearest we ever had of having bombs through the wing. I certainly wouldn’t have been here now if I hadn’t gone into that astrodome. You see the mid-upper gunner is busy looking around at his level for fighters and didn’t think to look up. But it was a very close shave.
GT: Great.
JJ: It didn’t miss us by more than twenty yards I reckon. You could see every five hundred pounder going down.
GT: Your bomb loads that you had was there anything special or everything was just cookies, five hundreds?
JJ: Usually had a cookie. Four thousand. Four thousand and made up of five hundreds and incendiaries depending on what the target was, you know. Occasionally a few thousand pounders but mainly five hundreds.
GT: Did you do any special ops or was it all just standard?
JJ: No, it was all, the first tour was all standard targets. Yeah.
GT: So, from your time with Lancaster Finishing School did the crews come to you brand new from joining up or —
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Were there a mixture of experienced —
JJ: Yeah. No. Virtually no experience. They were all new trainees. There might be the odd pilot or the odd navigator doing a second tour. The odd pilot doing a second tour. But nearly everybody coming through LFS when I was there were first tour people, you know. They’d come from overseas, done OTU, conversion on to the Stirling at Cambridge and then they came to us to fly the Lancs.
GT: So once you’d finished at LFS was that your choice and did you apply for another tour?
JJ: No. You didn’t apply. You just went where you were told. Yeah.
GT: So they put you on a second tour without you asking.
JJ: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, they just came through one day. December wasn’t it? Just before Christmas and said, ‘You’re posted to 218 Squadron.’ And I was off in about a week. Had a week’s leave and away we went. But I was delighted to get on the Lanc you know. Such a good aeroplane to fly. You know the Stirling soared up at this angle and you had a job to climb in. We had faith in the Stirling but we, I don’t know we knew that we’d have been better on Lancasters, you know. We just because the height you know. You got the light flak. You got all everything at fourteen thousand five hundred feet or so.
GT: What was your main height for the Lancaster bombing raids?
JJ: They were more about eighteen. Usually about eighteen or nineteen. You could get it up to twenty one but usually bombing height was eighteen or nineteen. We did quite a lot of daylight raids in ’45 on 218 and we, we qualified as a marker, GH marker so we had two aircraft formating on us. A daylight raid you had one either side. You know, a few yards off and then you had to watch us and push the bomb tit as our bombs went and even though the bomb aimer could see the aiming point he wasn’t allowed to push the tit until I said. On the GH was very accurate. You had two intersecting lines. You kept yourself on one and then said, ‘Bomb now.’ You know and you pushed the tit for the bombs. Lots on bridges and specialised targets. Mainly on bridge crossings it was in the book there, I think. Shorter trips. And of course, we had a bit of fighter cover as well so it was a lot safer. The losses weren’t anything like they were on Stirlings in ’44. ’43/44 was a bad time for everybody wasn’t it?
GT: So, the aircraft numbers for instance. Each, each squadron generally had twelve aircraft per flight.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: So 75 Squadron had three flights of twelve. Did 218 Squadron have that many and how many did you fly?
JJ: No. Two flights I’m sure. 218.
GT: Ok. You might have gone up with twenty four aircraft a night. Or a day trip perhaps.
JJ: Say again.
GT: Did you fly with twenty four aircraft all the time?
JJ: No. You know, there was always two U/S or something or you hadn’t the crews. If you lost two crews and two new crews would arrive that day. I think on average we put up twenty. Twenty aircraft. Sometimes twenty one and very occasionally twenty two but usually it was about twenty aircraft.
GT: Can you describe for me the purpose of a pilot from a new crew arriving and going as a second dickie? Can you describe that for me?
JJ: Well, all the pilot did when you arrived on the squadron your pilot went as a second dickie with an experienced crew just to get the feel of the thing. See what it was like, you know and learn a few tips on flying and corkscrewing and that sort of thing. And then you were on your own. And you always, I think you always did two mining trips. You did what do you call it? Probably got the name in there. You did a mining trip to just off Germany. The islands there.
GT: They did some gardening.
JJ: Gardening. It’s called gardening. That’s right. So you did that low. You dropped them from I think about a thousand feet. They were on parachutes you know and you got to the area, you got quite a lot of flak on that first area. There must have been a lot of ships around us. And we, I can’t remember if it was two or four and then we did a second gardening trip down to Bordeaux and we were coming back fairly low because we’d dropped the things low. And it was a nice moonlight night and bomb aimer was sitting in the nose then and he said, ‘There’s a train down below skipper. Let’s go down and shoot it up.’ So we did and we blew it up. When we got back to debriefing the intelligence officers said, ‘Don’t you ever do that again because they’re equipping most of the trains with, you know machine guns and whatnot because the fighters had been doing a lot of this and the train had got a chap with four Bofors guns or something and you hadn’t got a chance if you flew in at a hundred and twenty miles an hour. So we thought we’d done well, you know. We were thinking everybody was going to say, ‘Well done.’ [laughs] But they said, ‘Don’t ever do it again.’
GT: You got lucky.
JJ: It was quite fun to see this train blow up.
GT: Some crews have told me that they did a whole tour without using their nose guns. Did you in your tours did they use them at all?
JJ: That’s the only time we used it. On the train. Nose and the tail. Yeah. No. We never saw anything in front. Fighters came up behind you and underneath you see. So no bomb aimer never fired those guns. He used to test them and that was all.
GT: And that was going to be my next question. Do those that man those guns in the nose was generally going to be the bomb aimer if —
JJ: The bomb aimer in the front.
GT: If he needed to.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Yeah. So going into your second tour then Jack so you were posted off to 218 Gold Coast Squadron.
JJ: Yeah. Yeah.
GT: And Gold Coast is Australian or South African?
JJ: South Africa.
GT: South African side.
JJ: I think. I’m sure it was South African.
GT: And there was a South African connection like New Zealand had.
JJ: There must have been some connection in, you know a lot earlier. They had Gold Coast in brackets for some reason or other. We never met anybody from the Gold Coast or anything. It was probably the first war. They might have provided some people. Fighters or something and they kept the name going when they resurrected it anyway.
GT: So when you were posted on did you get a choice of a crew or did you just get given?
JJ: No. I was posted. Posted there and arrived and, ‘This is your crew.’ You know. The pilot was a first tour. I was second tour and the two air gunners were second tour. Great chaps. They were a bit older than me. They were thirty one and they’d both been gunnery leaders on different, you know, in between and they were first class they were. So —
GT: Your logbook shows that you, you did, you arrived there in February 1945.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: And you continued on from your first tour of twenty one ops and you did your twenty second op on February the 7th. So —
JJ: That’s right.
GT: So was there anything outstanding about 218? Anything that you remember that was of note.
JJ: Well, I don’t want it to go in the book. The CO. Are you recording?
GT: Yes.
JJ: No. I won’t say anything.
GT: Ok. Whatever.
JJ: I’ll tell you afterwards. Yeah.
GT: Yeah. So, so you got various. I can see day and night flights here.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: And —
JJ: We had a good, we had a good crew. We had two excellent gunners and we did get the odd other attack. I think I did a Berlin trip there didn’t we? Yeah.
GT: Right. So, I’ve got your second operational tour was completed on the 24th of April 1945 and your total operational hours by day sixty eight hours and total operational nights fifty hours. Total grand operational hours a hundred and nineteen and ten minutes.
JJ: That was a full tour anyway for me and a second tour was, was that.
GT: Now, for your work you were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: Can you tell me about that please?
JJ: There’s not much to say. I think I’d probably been a good navigator. Good results, you know from our bombing and everything. So for some reason or other I was awarded the DFC. Nobody else in either of the crews was actually so I think, I think I was a good navigator. We didn’t have any problems. We had one dicey coming back trip when we were on two engines coming across France and the engineer said we were losing fuel. We’d been shot up a bit. I can’t remember which, I think we landed right at the end. Bradwell Bay. And coming across France and I managed to pick out a diversion airfield and got us there and as we’d taxied around the, as we were going in to land the engineer said the tanks are just about empty. As we taxied around the runway all four engines cut. Another five minutes and we wouldn’t be here now anyway.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: We’d have stalled out but we’d had, we knew we were losing fuel you know and we’d had fighter attacks and whatnot but we couldn’t do anything about it. We just made it to the South Coast so that was Bradwell Bay. So we went, left the aircraft and went back on the train with parachutes and everything else [laughs] nav bags and sextant.
GT: Were your aircraft replaced pretty quickly if you lost any?
JJ: Yeah. We didn’t usually fly in the same aircraft. At 218 we did. We had Queenie that had done about fifty, sixty trips and we did quite a few trips in Queenie. And she features in some of the post-war picture books, you know. That one lasted, oh it was just about the end of the war when we finished anyway. But otherwise, you know we never had an aircraft last long enough you were different aircraft nearly every, pretty well every night.
GT: Your logbook shows Queenie to be LM577 and your total operational tally of sorties was forty one.
JJ: I don’t know.
GT: Now, for me that’s, the use of the word mission was —
JJ: No.
GT: Was not correct and you guys did operations.
JJ: Yeah. We didn’t call it missions. The Americans called it missions. We never used the word mission. No. So many ops was the term. Nobody ever used missions. No.
GT: Fabulous. Alright so and then once you had finished your last operation, your forty first one there and that was April 1945 what happened to you after that? Was it VE day to come?
JJ: I was posted. No. It was just before and I was first tour, second tour you see. The rest of the crew and the gunners were second tour. They told us we’d finished our tour. The pilot and the engineer and the wireless operator hadn’t finished. They were on their first tour so they were left and they, I went on leave for a fortnight and when I came back they started dropping the food to the Dutch. So I went along to see the CO and said, ‘I’m posted up to Catterick, you know to get me out of the way. I’d like to stay and fly with my crew.’ Well, I don’t want this to go on the — turn it off.
GT: Ok.
[recording paused]
JJ: Ok. I think the flight commander or the station commander must have put up for the DFC because I got it just, just before I finished my tour and I was the only member of that crew to get one and my other crew hadn’t either. First tour. So I had to be off to Catterick to Selection Board trying to find someone to take the place of all the bank managers and people who had been doing admin jobs. So I was sent off to be adjutant at [pause] it was near Lincoln. Fighter Sector Headquarters. Wonderful. I thought my God some people have had an easy job. It was a Fighter Sector with about sixty, seventy girls and about ten airmen and a group captain, a wing commander and a squadron leader in charge of it. And they had Group Captain Arthur Donaldson as head of them. A fighter man. Wonderful chap and he insisted on having a beer every lunchtime actually [laughs] And it only lasted about three months I think and they closed the station down, you know. They didn’t need Fighter Sector Headquarters any more. And I went from there to Molesworth which was 1335 Conversion Unit for Meteors. Jets.
GT: Now we’re talking February 1946.
JJ: That’s right. And I was the first navigator to fly in a, in a jet because they converted one on the station. The engineering officer went for the first trip and I went up for the second. That was before they had dual seats in the, in the Meteors. Wonderful. Zoom. I loved it.
GT: I’m looking at your logbook and that flight was October the 16th 1946 in EE229 Meteor 1 and your pilot was Flight Lieutenant Williams. That’s pretty fair for twenty minutes. Yeah.
JJ: Yeah. I was —
GT: So with your DFC, Jack did you get handed it or did you have to go and get —
JJ: No. I got the letter from the, signed by George, you know saying I’m sorry I can’t give it to you.
GT: In person.
JJ: But well done. That sort of thing.
GT: You didn’t have to go down to the —
JJ: Didn’t have to go down to the Palace. No. No.
GT: So, did your CO just pin it on you or —
JJ: No. Just got it in the post I think. I can’t remember the CO giving it to me.
GT: God.
JJ: He might have done but he wasn’t on the squadron, you see. I’d moved on.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Admin jobs and whatnot there.
GT: So after the war had finished were you given an option to carry on? And you were what rank by then?
JJ: I was flight lieutenant then.
GT: Ok.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: So did you get given an option to stay on in the peacetime?
JJ: No. Just with your age they just said, you know, ‘You won’t be demobbed for another year or so.’ So then I went from [pause] I went down to Chivenor as adjutant. I went to I think Molesworth first. That’s right. Molesworth and Bentwaters. That’s where we had the Jet Training Unit. Yeah. And from Bentwaters, oh I had a chat on the phone to the [unclear] people at Command one day. They were very friendly you know and they said, ‘Is there anything you wanted to do?’ And I said, ‘Well, I want to get back on flying.’ They said, ‘We can’t do that but there’s a job going as adjutant down at Chivenor.’ So that was the Spitfire OTU sort of thing you know. They were still converting people then flying Spits. So I went down to Chivenor and I seemed to get on well with the CO there who hadn’t been a flying man during the war. He was a very nice man but we had several Spit accidents you know and I had to arrange funerals and things. Totally new. Never had any experience of all these jobs and one day he said, ‘Would you like to apply for a permanent commission?’ I think I’d been there about six months. He said, ‘I’ll recommend you if you like.’ So I was delighted. Didn’t really know what I was going to do when I went there. I wanted some different job than the one I’d been doing before you know and I hadn’t had any training. And I got a permanent commission while I was there you know. Group Captain Whitfield or something. Something like that. I can’t remember his name. But I don’t think I did any, I don’t think they had, they had an Oxford or something there I flew around in but not very much. I think I did about eighteen months there and I was constantly court martials and things. Talking to the [unclear] people at Command and I always said, ‘When am I going back on flying?’ And they came up one day and said, ‘We can’t get you back into Bomber Command. We don’t move people there.’ From where I was it was fighter I think or something or training but he said, ‘Would you like to go on to Hastings?’ I had to do all refresher courses because I’d been off flying for about three years. So I went to Swinderby on Wellingtons and then Hastings up at [pause] oh dear. By the Great North Road. You’ve got it there. Dishforth. And another refresher course at somewhere. Somewhere near there. Anyway, Dishforth was the Hastings course and I went to a squadron. 511 Squadron at Lyneham on the Hastings and I loved it and I’ve still got a, you know you had a grading system. You had to pass exams. I was sort of a fully fledged passenger and everything else. We did trips to Singapore. The Middle East mainly. Usually did about one trip a month or two months to Singapore. Did lots of trips to the Middle East freight and passengers. A lot of passengers.
GT: Jack, I’ve got you 241 OCU. You were there from December 31, 1949. And you —
JJ: About three months.
GT: You flew right there to the end of March 1950 and then you joined 511 Squadron.
JJ: 511 Squadron.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: That’s right.
GT: April 1950.
JJ: Yeah. Yeah.
GT: And you flew with them right through to [pause] well your logbook goes on up until 1952. So you were flying all over the world with the Hastings.
JJ: Yeah. Mainly the Far East. Not the world but I think we did one trip to America. I can’t remember now. Maybe not. I think we went to the Azores but I can’t remember. But mainly it was to the Middle East and the Far East. I went to Japan. The war was on then and we took winter vests out for the British who had been sent out in the middle of winter without any winter clothing. And we actually arrived there the day before Christmas and we said, they said, ‘Oh, you needn’t fly over on Christmas day.’ It was an American base you see. And we said, ‘Well these chaps need these vests. We’ll go.’ So on Christmas Day we flew over to Tokyo and we had to orbit for fifty minutes before we landed. The jets, American fighter jets were just around and around you know. The Korean War. We landed. They all came over because they hadn’t seen an aeroplane sitting up like this before [laughs] They were quite surprised. Wondered what it was and then we went back and went into the mess and they said, ‘Sorry they had lunch at lunchtime. There’s no food.’ [laughs] At that time funnily enough I had an American pilot on an exchange scheme, a Polish co-pilot and an Irish wireless operator and we had a bottle of whisky between us and went to bed. That was our Christmas. Christmas dinner. We hadn’t had any food over in Tokyo. You know. Too busy. But that was something to remember.
GT: So then you moved over to, I see Valettas. What squadron were you with there?
JJ: Valettas. Oh, what did I do in between?
GT: In Libya.
JJ: Libya. Yeah. I went out to, I was posted out to Castel Benito in Libya as adjutant and I was promoted there after about six months to squadron leader. So I was posted down to the Canal Zone and I was in charge of the, mainly with the Army dropping paratroops and doing the routes down to Livingstone and all over the place there for a bit. And then for some reason or other, oh that was it the senior admin officer at Shallufa down in the Canal Zone was repatriated for inefficiency or something like that and I was sent down as senior admin officer. There was a wing commander there and we had the Lincolns used to come out and do their bombing on the bombing range there. So I was there until probably about eighteen months. The station closed down and I actually handed over to the Egyptians and they’d all been trained at Cranwell. There was about six majors came along. Everybody on the station had gone except myself then and the Egyptians arrived and our lads, a few left to guard the place were flown home and I handed over to these Egyptians. So I’d laid on a lunch for them and it was a good lunch and the first thing they said was, ‘Have you got any whisky?’ And we brought out, luckily we’d got a crate of whisky left and they all had whisky. Lots of whisky with their lunch. Then we brought the flag down and put theirs up and I was off to Fayid. And I’d left my car. I’d bought a car at Castel Benito and I had to leave it there for eighteen months but the young MT officer used to look after it for me and I arrived back and the family were actually out there then. They did come out to Shallufa. The wife and the two boys about five and six. So we all flew back to Shallufa and I said, ‘I’m not putting my car on a boat and taking it home. I’m driving home.’ And I got the ok to drive all the way. Five thousand miles. North African coast, back through France and I arrived back about two days before Christmas Day. It took us six weeks and lo couldn’t get any film to take any pictures on the way but it all went fine, you know. We’d find a little hotel every night and booked into it. Oh, the young, we had a great help. The young MT officer was going out of the Service and he said, ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘You couldn’t find room for me?’ I had the Ford Zephyr. A big car. I had big cases on the top you know and I said, ‘Oh, we can squeeze you in, Norman.’ So he came with us. Well, before we got to Algiers he said, ‘You know, the engine’s making a nasty noise. I think you’d better stop.’ So I stopped and he dipped the, I didn’t know there was a dipstick for the engine oil. The oil. Gear oil. It was dry. So he said if we’d gone on another ten miles it would have seized up. So he went, he hitchhiked about twenty miles into one of the towns. I can’t think of which one. He said, ‘I couldn’t get the proper oil. I got some oil. That’ll get us to the next town.’ And it did and we got, there was a Ford dealer there you know and Northern Algiers. It wasn’t as far as that. No. I can’t remember where it was. Anyway, we got the car checked over and it was ok and filled up with the proper oil and we carried on. Crossed over from Tangier to Gib. My eldest son, it was misty, it was just before Christmas and suddenly Gibraltar appeared. I knew the skipper of the ship because I’d met him when he was on Hastings. He used to come in the mess you see. And two days later we were in what’s the [pause] Malaga. That’s right. David who was about six and a half then. He said, ‘You know dad. I’m going to join the Navy.’ It was this strip across, you know just the thing from, so I said, ‘You’re not joining the Navy until you go to university.’ But he applied to Dartmouth and was accepted. He served a year. He loved it but he said, he came home one day and he said, ‘Dad, I’m not going to be a normal Naval officer.’ It was a bit snotty you know and he liked to do what he liked and when he liked and he said, ‘I think I want to come out.’ So I saw his CO who said, he was doing engineering he said, ‘If he doesn’t come out within three months they won’t let him out because he was doing all the, getting all this training.’ He’d just done the service training. So anyway, we didn’t have to pay much but we got him out and he applied for university and all three accepted him. He went to Swansea and got a good degree in engineering and he’s the one who’s in America now. Seventy years old. Still working. Loving it.
GT: Well —
JJ: Teaching you know modern electronics and whatnot to everybody.
GT: Well, military is obviously in your family Jack and I’m looking at your logbook from 1954 in Shallufa and I can see the aircraft types range from the Hastings to the Valetta, Beaufighter and Pembroke.
JJ: Oh, we had the Beaufighter at Shallufa.
So the, well where was that from?
JJ: Used to go down and the CO flew in and I went with him and we used to go down and get fruit and veg from Akaba because the Egyptians wouldn’t let us buy any local fruit and veg. The NAAFI. So we used to go and fill it up there. Probably got a bit of whisky as well I think.
GT: So, by, by March 1955 you were back in England and it says here you were based in [Khormaksar?]. What aircraft types did you work on from there and where did you move to?
JJ: I went to 18 Group when I came back from first of all from the Middle East. I can’t remember which station. 18 Group were the headquarters at near Rosyth. Pitreavie Castle. That was it. It was the headquarters and it controlled all the aircraft in the Atlantic you know. All the Shackletons and everybody else in the Atlantic. Anti-submarine warfare. And there again I said, ‘Can I get back flying on Transport Command?’ And again the [unclear] people said, ‘We can’t. The Air Ministry do that. But if you like we can get you on to Shackletons.’ So I jumped at it and I went up to Kinloss and did the Shackleton course and I went to Ballykelly as a flight commander then for about two years.
GT: Two years on Shackletons.
JJ: Yeah. Great. We used to do, well fifteen hour trips mainly. One a month fifteen hours which was pretty wearying and you worked all the time. You didn’t just fly around. You had a rendezvous out with a submarine somewhere in the Atlantic you know and probably a ship and you got sonar buoys tracking the submarine. You did exercises with them out, two or three hundred miles out or more in the Atlantic and you used to get the odd ship, trip to Gibraltar as a bonus occasionally. But it was all anti-submarine work all the time you know tracking Russian submarines. Very interesting work photographing them if there were warships out. Fly alongside and wave [laughs]
GT: So, your logbook reads that you were on 204 Squadron for most of that time.
JJ: That’s right. I was flight commander.
GT: And then your last entry in your logbook is from MOTU, St Mawgan.
JJ: That’s right. I was posted down at OC Ground Training at St Mawgan. Again the Shackleton.
GT: And your last flight —
JJ: Operational Conversion Unit. Yeah.
GT: And your last flight showing 29 June 1966.
JJ: What was that in?
GT: Shackletons.
JJ: Shackleton. Yeah.
GT: And your final hours total two thousand two hundred and fifty two hours fifty minutes by day, and night six hundred and ninety three twenty five minutes. That’s, that’s a huge sum of hours there Jack.
JJ: Quite a lot isn’t it. Yeah.
GT: Total.
JJ: Yeah. It was a lovely aeroplane to fly in, the Shackleton you know. It was reliable and and the crew we had five radio, five radio operators and two that rotated the jobs. One on radar, one on tracking the sonar buoys, another one looking out and observing. One probably in the galleys [laughs] And I forget what the other one did but it was enjoyable flying you know. Good crew flying.
GT: So when did you retire from the RAF?
JJ: I went out from St Mawgan to Cyprus as OC of the ops room there. Most of our aircraft we had to control the Vulcans at [pause] what’s the place?
GT: Akrotiri?
JJ: Akrotiri. That’s right. Actually, I had all the Vulcan. I had top secret. It was more than top secret. It was something else. I had the safe with all the plans for a war with Russia. Even the air commodore wasn’t allowed to look at it, believe it or not. The air commodore. And I used to give him, he wanted, he only lived across the road like that in a big thing, you know and he used to come across to the Ops Room every morning for briefing. And then he found out in the UK they had television so they sent me back to Bomber Command to do a quick course on television presenting and we got television in and so I briefed him just across the road. Pointed to the targets every morning on the television. I can’t believe it. Absolute waste of money and we used to like to see him as well because he’d have a chat. He sat in his office with his briefing on the screen. Oh dear.
GT: So the ultimate for you was —
JJ: And from there I was OC. I went out with short notice from St Mawgan. The previous squadron leader was someone I knew. He had been CO of ASWDU, Air Sea Warfare Development Unit at Londonderry. Yeah, where, I did a tour there as well. He was a very efficient chap and he fell out with the group captain and he packed him up one weekend and sent him home. Said he wanted another officer. So I was, went out because they wanted a maritime man out there. I went out at about a week’s notice to, to Headquarters and took over the ops room there. And then I was coming out. I was due out at forty nine. So I put in an application to stay in you know to normal retiring age sixty years and they came back and said they couldn’t give me a flying job, you know. You know, flying. But they offered me to transfer to the supply branch so I went as OC. I did the course, and it was funny there were two of us. Two. A pole and myself had been wartime and the other, I think eighteen students were all university. Fellas and girls and we came top of the course. We didn’t know a thing about it but you see they were out at dances every night and enjoying themselves in the pubs and we were sitting, we sat together and swatted. Anyway, we came top of the course which was very satisfying and I went to the Helicopter Conversion Unit which was good because I never put that in my logbook, you know. I had the odd flight there and worked with them and I found it was the easiest job I’d had in the Air Force. Being OC Supply for a big unit, you know. I thought my golly some people have had an easy time. And from there I was very keen to settle in Scotland and I applied for any chance of a job at Kinloss. About the only place and they said no. But they offered me a job at Carlisle. OC packaging. So I went on another course and learned about packaging and I packed everything from a split pin to an aircraft wing you know at Carlisle. And again it was good. They were all civilian. They just had one squadron leader and then they were all civilians. The rest were people in the hangars you know. But we got on well again and I found it a piece of cake you know from flying days with all the troubles and things that happened when you were flying. It was, it was easy going. Yeah. Quite fun. So that was my career.
GT: And this, you retired from Carlisle.
JJ: I retired from Carlisle.
GT: And what year was that, Jack?
JJ: I tried to get a job, fifty five and thirty two. Seventy seven. I tried to get a job and I thought I’m in packaging you know. Equipment. I went to a big furniture place in Carlisle and I told him what I’d been doing and I said, ‘You know, we’ve got the computer and we put in automatic supply when something is sold and whatever.’ Well, they hadn’t got any and he said, ‘I’m afraid you’re too experienced.’ He was afraid I was going to take over his job. I said, ‘I’m quite happy to do a menial job. I just want a job to do something.’ So he said, ‘I’m sorry. No.’ He thought I was after his. And then I decided well I’d met Joyce. My wife and I hadn’t been getting on for a long time. You’re not putting this on tape are you?
GT: No. So ok, you met Joyce and —
JJ: I met Joyce and we got married after about three years. But the reason I haven’t been, you’ve got nothing on there I would have loved to have gone to New Zealand, you know. All the New Zealand people I knew I loved them. I got on so well with them and I loved fishing and I would have loved to have gone to South Island with a caravan but because I married after I left the Air Force Joyce wouldn’t get any pension from the RAF. They changed it now but not retrospective. So if I passed out you know as I very well could have done at any time on I didn’t tell them why. I just said no. I don’t want to go. She would have got about a hundred and ten pounds a week to live on you know. No pension from the RAF and no pension from her husband who had died. He was a bank manager. So she would have had about a hundred pounds, you know. I threw away thoughts about going to New Zealand.
GT: Did you keep in contact with any, one of the people from earlier crews like 75 or 218?
JJ: No. I tried to but they said their wartime crews you see. I wrote to the New Zealand government to ask for flight, well he’d been a pilot officer then and gave his name and they said they were sorry they couldn’t disclose. Perhaps they thought there might have been something funny. I don’t know. Then I wrote to the MOD about my bomb aimer, Jock earlier than that and they said they couldn’t give me any information and I presumed he’d been killed because he went back. He went back to 75, Jock Somerville for his second tour and I never knew that until I met his son Simon all these years afterwards and he’d survived and we could have seen. We were such good pals you know flying together. So that put paid really to any keeping in touch with people.
GT: Any, any other stories you can think of from your wartime Bomber Command?
JJ: I don’t think so really. Nothing at the moment. No.
GT: So you joined up for Bomber Command —
JJ: There was plenty of, you know, excitement. We invariably I should think every three trips you were attacked by a fighter or you had searchlights on you or something like that you know and you were corkscrewing and pretty worried and short of fuel. Fuel troubles you know from flak in the tanks and whatnot. Losing fuel flying back short. Diverted. Bad weather when you got back. You were always a bit worried. Quite a lot of aircraft they put oil drums out on the, I forget the diversion airfield now. Flare path you know and you could get in there if you pushed the fog out a few yards. But, well, I would think you know one flight in three you were a bit worried when you got back you know getting down and getting short of fuel and that sort of thing. One thing I’ll never understand that our squadron, 75 we only had a tot of brandy on two occasions after a long trip to Berlin. I think both occasions I think it was and yet you hear people from other squadrons used to get it regularly you know. A nip of brandy when you finished debriefing, yeah and went off to bed. But you see we were in Nissen huts on 75. I think there were five either side officers. Well invariably you know you probably got back 3 o’clock in the morning or something like that. You’d just get to sleep and the lights would go on and the adj would come in with the station warrant officer collecting up somebody’s kit. You know. It happened almost every trip you know. You could guarantee it. It was terrible really. So many people. You see there weren’t a lot of, there weren’t many commissioned navigators. The pilots, a lot of them there were still a lot of sergeant pilots you see. I had a sergeant pilot as well. But so there weren’t many commissioned people in Nissen huts you know but most of the pilots, most of them were pilots and they’d come in and just collect. The only good thing was that the New Zealanders used to get food parcels. They used to get oysters and I was afraid I didn’t fancy oysters then. Joyce loves them. I still don’t really like them. I tried one. And fruit cake. And we used to have these lovely fruit cakes around the little fire in the middle of the room you know. Had a job to get the fuel for it in the cold weather but the lads used to dish out this fruit cake all around and, which was lovely. Always remember that fruit cake from New Zealand. But everybody got on so well you know. You were, they were great people. I just loved them all I would have loved to have emigrated to New Zealand. If I’d had, if I hadn’t got the, you know the job, the permanent commission I would have definitely gone I think.
GT: You’ll be pleased to know that Roy Max’s medals have been loaned to us in New Zealand by his wife.
JJ: Oh good.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Good. Marvellous. Wonderful. Now, Dickie Broadbent was my flight commander. Did you ever know him?
GT: I met Dickie Broadbent quite a bit.
JJ: I say I, I only spoke to him on the phone. I’d have loved to have gone down and met him somehow but the following year I think he died. I can’t remember the other flight commander’s name or, the bombing leader was a great fellow. We used to have long chats. He and another fellow before he joined the Air Force they used to go off into the mountains shooting deer. They’d go for about four months and they’d live on deer meat and porridge stuff that they made up for four months. And they said for the other month remaining they made enough money they kept some of the tails or something and others they took photos or what. Anyway, they were able to prove how many deer they’d shot and he said, ‘In that four months we both made enough money —' he wasn’t married, ‘To live it up in a good hotel for the other eight months of the year.’ Wonderful, wasn’t it?
GT: Yeah.
JJ: I saw a programme a couple of years ago. They don’t do that now. They go in helicopters and shoot them because there are far too many aren’t there?
GT: Yeah.
JJ: South Island. Yeah.
GT: Well, the farmer —
JJ: He was a great lad. I can’t remember his name now. He was the bombing leader and gunnery leader you know. I can’t think of his name. I used to have long chats with him about New Zealand you know. Particularly the island fishing. They’d take their fishing rod as well of course up there and they’d sleep on this for four months he said and then live it up in a hotel for the other eight months.
GT: So your aircraft preference? The Lancaster or the Stirling or the Shackleton?
JJ: Say again? The —
GT: Your preference.
JJ: Preference? I think the Lancaster you know. We had the utmost faith in it. I think it was mainly because the losses were so heavy on the Stirling. We still liked it, you know. We were, we were quite heavy on it and it got us back as I say a lot of times. Very often on three engines. More often than not on three engines all the way back. One would seize up or something or get shot up with a night fighter but we always got back alright. And we, we came back on two on one occasion whereas the Lanc would fly on two grand you know. You could almost fly on one once you got rid of the bombs. And of course, two years later or a year and a half later the equipment was more reliable. We had Air Position Indicators, and we had [pause] What did we have on the Shack? The API, the Air Position Indicator was a great help when they brought that out so you didn’t have to give a manual plot all the time you see what you were steering to get your winds. You wanted your manual plot and in a fix that would give you wind. But the API would give you an air position where you’d be if there was no wind you see. Work from the air pressure and whatnot of the pitot head. That was the great thing and we did and the last few trips on the Lancaster we had the oh, the radar. What did you call it?
GT: H2S?
JJ: H2S as well. And that was a great help navigation. You know you could pick up rivers and things like that. Made it so much easier at night. You’d see when you were crossing the river and it was wonderful check on ground speed and everything and small towns as well. You could work out where you were with that. So that was, that was that was the great thing about the Lanc. Having that. Once we got the H2S, we didn’t get it until about halfway through the tour I think but when we got it it was great. But the thing I remember the most was the good comradeship always, you know. No matter rank. NCOs didn’t mean any different you know when you were together. It didn’t matter if you were a sergeant or you were a squadron leader you were all doing your job and fine, you know. In the Shack we used first names for all the sergeant AO operator. You know, air signallers etcetera in the airplane. We used, we’d use the first names and then they brought in you must say, ‘Pilot to nav.’ You mustn’t use your name. That was getting on after the war you see on the Shackletons you’d got the people in Cranwell trained in MOD who said we’d got to get back to the old systems ,you know. Keep people apart.
GT: So Jack you’ve had a marvellous career in the RAF.
JJ: I enjoyed everything too. That’s the great thing you know. I was never unhappy. I wasn’t very happy on the flying you know. When you’re on ops you think God am I going to get back or not, you know. If I’m always thought if I’m lucky I’ll bale out. Try and get back or in a POW camp but I never expected. I wouldn’t have put any money on finishing a tour you know because chaps were disappearing every night really. First class chaps you know. Just couldn’t believe it. It was upward firing young guns cannon that the Jerries had were fatal you know. Particularly in the last year of the war. God. Remember was it Nuremberg we lost about ninety bombers I think, one night. Terrible. They got something wrong. Met winds or something and it was a clear night and they just shot them down. I went to Nuremberg and we did a, Joyce and I last year did a trip on the Rhine and we went to Nuremberg and I must say they showed all the pictures you know and I thought my God I can’t believe how they’d built it all up. Skyscrapers are going, you know. Wonderful.
GT: Did you think about the damage that was happening underneath you? Was it just a job or —
JJ: I didn’t think about the damage. I used to feel for the folks and families down there, you know. You’d think, God, what are we doing this to them for? You know. Because you know although you had, although you had an aiming point and hundreds of people were getting killed and injured as well and you used to think about that. I think night time when you’re in bed you thought oh poor blighters you know. What a crazy world this is. Sort of getting nowhere by pulverising the place to death and families you know getting blown apart. I used to think about that a lot actually. I think probably everybody did but you just had your job to do. Oh, I’ll show you those two pictures.
GT: Now, Jack, what, what did you have? Bomber Harris, he was your leader.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: What was thought of him?
JJ: We thought he was a good man. He was doing a good job.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: And and who did you have visit? Did you have anybody visit you on the squadron like the King or —
JJ: No. I always seem to be falling over nowadays. I lose my balance. No. We didn’t. We had, oh no that was after the war. I was on a fighter station and was it [ ] we got sort of five minutest notice. But annual inspections you know you get a fortnight to prepare and everything was on the top line but this fighter man you’d suddenly get a message to say he’s on his way down in a Spitfire. He just came down and he said, ‘I’d like to go and see the airmen’s mess.’ That was just after the war. He came down to Bentwaters I think. A very cheery nice fellow. But he, you know they couldn’t, you couldn’t fool him what was happening on the station. He did that all over the place apparently. They got the message on the VHF about a quarter of an hour before he arrived. He just walked down and invariably went along to the airmen’s mess and sergeant’s mess and wandered around for a bit and then cheerio and back again. It was good leadership wasn’t it?
GT: Yeah. Did they mention anything about Tiger Force to you?
JJ: No. This was for the Far East wasn’t it?
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Yeah. No. I finished my second tour you see so I, but the rest of the squadron thought they were probably going out. Yeah.
GT: Well, Jack I think we’ve covered a huge part of your —
JJ: I hope its been a help.
GT: Your career.
JJ: But a very good memory now you know for names etcetera but I enjoyed chatting to you anyway.
GT: Well, thank you Jack because this this will go into the archives at in Lincoln.
JJ: I think. And polish it up and —
GT: Yeah and it’s been it’s been an honour to sit and chat with you.
JJ: Yeah.
GT: For the time that you served.
JJ: Thank you.
GT: And it’s been marvellous so —
JJ: Thank you.
GT: I’m going to sign off now. This is Glen Turner who has been interviewing Mr Jack Jarmy and Jack whereabouts do you live?
JJ: Now?
GT: Gatehouse of Fleet.
JJ: Gatehouse of Fleet near Dumfries.
GT: Near Castle Douglas, Dumfriesshire.
JJ: In Scotland. So this is the 25th of July 2017 and my interview with Jack Jarmy is now concluded and this is Glen Turner saying thank you Jack very much for your service.
GT: Ok.
JJ: And your, your time tonight.
GT: Thank you. I hope it’s been useful.
JJ: Very much so.
GT: Ok. This is now the end of our interview.
JJ: Yeah. Yeah. Ok.
GT: Please show me your photographs, Jack.
JJ: My photographs as well.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: I’ve got no photographs of 75 but I’ve got two you weren’t supposed to pinch your bombing —
GT: Oh photographs.
JJ: The flash.
GT: The photoflash.
JJ: I’ve got one there.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: You can see where it is and that was the target. You can see it was.
GT: Obliterated. Yeah.
JJ: Just about.
GT: Flashed out.
JJ: Yeah. And I’ve got one picture of the old that I got somewhere or other. The Stirling. Only one. You know, you just couldn’t get photographs or anything. This is Canada. And there’s one more. That’s right. Is it Castel or something.
GT: Yes. It is. It’s got Castel there. Yeah.
JJ: Yeah. And this was Ely when I was doing afterwards on the Shackletons for the [pause] No. Sorry, 218 Squadron that must have been. Yeah. GH bombing. Yeah.
GT: Yeah. Well that’s March ’45 you’ve got.
JJ: That was the target. That’s right. Yeah. That was the target and we qualified on that. On that picture and I managed to get that. There was something about 75 I cut out. I can’t read it now. My eyes aren’t very good.
GT: Ok. I’ll take a photograph of that tomorrow because it’s quite, quite small. So where you see that’s wrong too because it’s got the wrong crown on it.
JJ: Yeah. I see.
GT: Yeah. So where was this one? In Belgium.
JJ: They must have given us that in Belgium. Yeah. Yeah.
GT: That’s a shame.
JJ: That’s the —
GT: That’s a window with —
JJ: Yes. That’s right. When we went to this Belgian sergeant had resurrected and dug a swamp with a crowd of people obviously and got the Stirling out and they invited us over then, you know. Civic function. And they gave us a lovely time for about four days or so.
GT: What year was that Jack?
JJ: Now, it was the first year we were here so it’s, or the second year. Thirty years ago. Thirty years ago. Yeah. And that was a Stirling but I don’t know from which squadron it was but it was Mepal that arranged the trip.
GT: Ah. Ok.
JJ: You see. We went with a bunch of people from Mepal. That was in the Canal Zone and a Daily Mail reporter. That was when I was OC admin.
GT: Wow. [pause] Great photos.
JJ: Don’t know what those cuttings are. Must be something from the paper. I don’t know what there was.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: Cuttings from the paper. [pause] I don’t know what that was.
GT: It’s great It’s great that you’ve got some photographs. That you ended up on a four engine jobby again. Very good, Jack. And let’s just confirm the time for us. It is quarter past eleven at night
JJ: Ten past yeah
GT: Oh gosh. Well obviously, you’ve got a day tomorrow so we’d better —
JJ: Well just, we’ve got to get this freezer you know.
GT: Yeah.
JJ: No rush. We never go to bed before about 11 o’clock. Joyce is a night bird. She’ll stay up longer that I do.
GT: Well, those are probably —
JJ: Oh, I think that bit fell out.
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
Interview with Jack Jarmy
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Glen Turner
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
2017-07-26
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.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
AJarmyJFD170726, PJarmyJFD1703
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
01:38:26 audio recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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 New Zealand Air Force
Description
An account of the resource
Jack Jarmey was born in Romford Essex. At the age of five. following the death of his father, Jack moved to live with his grandparents in Illfracolme. Despite excellent results in all his subjects at Grammar School Jack left school at 15 to work in the family business. On his eighteenth birthday Jack signed up to join the Royal Air Force as a pilot and commenced training at No 9 Initial Training Wing at Stratford-upon-Avon followed by elementary flying training school at Swindon. Flying training continued in Florida and Montgomery Alabama flying Stearmans. Following a bad landing Jack was cancelled from flying training and transferred to Trenton Ontario for navigator training. On completion of training he returned to the UK onboard the Queen Elizabeth with 14,000 other aircrew. Jack joined No 11 operational training unit at RAF Oakley in April 1943 flying Wellingtons and completed his training at No 1651 heavy conversion unit at RAF Waterbeach flying Stirlings. Posted to 75 Squadron at RAF Mepal in July 1943, Jack completed 26 operations. He commented on the much-improved Gee Mk2 navigation system which he said was very accurate up to the Dutch coast. He also recalled being in the astrodome during the operation on Peenemünde and called on his pilot to corkscrew as he could see a Lancaster above them with their bomb doors open, the Stirling he explained had a much lower flying ceiling than the Lancaster. On completion of his first tour Jack trained crews at No 3 Lancaster finishing school at RAF Feltwell for ten months before joining 218 Squadron in early 1945 for a second tour of operations flying Lancasters. Jack commented on the increased accuracy of Gee-H navigation with multiple aircraft in formation with the Gee-H equipped aircraft during daylight operations. Jack had completed a total of 41 operations and remained in the RAF following a permanent commission. He served in a number of administrative and flying roles in the Far East and the UK including Shackeltons at RAF Ballykelly on anti-submarine maritime patrols, finally retiring in 1977.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
United States
Alabama
Alabama--Montgomery
Canada
Ontario
Ontario--Trenton
England--Buckinghamshire
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Norfolk
Atlantic Ocean--Baltic Sea
Germany
Germany--Peenemünde
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Jim Sheach
Julie Williams
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-04-25
1943-07-25
1944-01-08
1945-02
1945-04-24
1977
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending revision of OH transcription
11 OTU
1651 HCU
218 Squadron
75 Squadron
aircrew
Bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943)
Gee
Heavy Conversion Unit
Initial Training Wing
lack of moral fibre
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
navigator
Operational Training Unit
RAF Feltwell
RAF Mepal
RAF Oakley
RAF Shallufa
RAF Waterbeach
Shackleton
Stearman
Stirling
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/762/10759/PCulpinBW1801.2.jpg
18b286b5059a4120880f8dec1f127797
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/762/10759/ACulpinBW180530.1.mp3
c2786922775bf14f781b46f36ac8ada9
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
Culpin, Bernard Walter
B W Culpin
Bob Culpin
Description
An account of the resource
An oral history interview with Squadron Leader Bernard Walter Culpin DSO, DFC (1921 - 2019, 155922 Royal Air Force). He flew operations as a navigator with 405 Squadron.
The collection was catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
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
2018-05-30
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
Culpin, BW
Transcribed audio recording
A resource consisting primarily of recorded human voice.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
RP: This interview is being conducted on behalf of the International Bomber Command Centre. The interviewer is Rod Pickles, the interviewee is Bob Culpin. The interview is taking place at the home of Mr Culpin’s daughter in Devon, on the 30th of May 2018, also present is Heather Culpin. Well good afternoon Bob, and many thanks for inviting me for this interview, I’m delighted to be here. If we could start by giving me a little bit of your background, when and where you were born and what lead you to join the RAF?
BC: Right, I was at school in Yorkshire, a mining village called Swanton, (not many people know it) I took scholarship exam, passed that, went to secondary school. I was very young, only just under ten when I went so, I was one of the youngest in the form, about a year younger than the others. I never did have any writing lessons which was why my writings so awful these days, and went to the secondary school. My father was a railway driver, locomotive driver, he passed away when I was four years old. He was coming back from a shift on the railway, walking at night, on a Saturday evening. He was a very religious man, he used to preach in the local parish, not the parish church, the chapel, and we think he was mentally composing his sermon as he’s walking back, didn’t realise there was a train coming up behind and he hit him and broke his arm and various other injuries, he didn’t seem to badly hurt I gather, but he developed pneumonia and passed away in hospital a couple of weeks later. So, my mum had then had three children, myself, my brother was three years older, my sister was three years older than him. My sister was at secondary school at that time, or nearly there, my brother and I were at the local council school. He passed the scholarship, went to the secondary school, I followed and did the same, so three of us went to the same school. It had been a grammar school, they downgraded to secondary school, luckily, we had a headmaster who was grammar school inclined so he kept that sort of atmosphere going. So, we all enjoyed the school. Then the war loomed up later, when I was just about the leave the school, I was going to join a bank, but I’d taken a civil service exam and passed that so I switched to going to join the civil service. My sister meanwhile was teaching [unclear] and had married, my brother, being three years older was nineteen, he’d been called up before the war started and was one of the Z reserves, I think they called them, and I was still at school. No, sorry I’d left school, I was back in the civil service, in the civil service there. So, it came to the stage where gradually the men left the office where I was in and they were all- Nearly all the girls and me and a couple of old First World War veterans [unclear] and somebody else. [Unclear] was the sort of chap who used the say to the girls, ‘It was too big to throw itself on the parish,’ and he used to love frightening them talking about First World War and, ‘They don’t like it up ‘em,’ that sort of thing, you know, [chuckles], typical [unclear]. Anyway, it came to the stage where I was the only bloke and- No there was myself and one other, a youngster, and I decided to join the service, what did I want to do? I want to fly, everybody wanted to fly in those days. My brother meantime, was- Had finished his training and he went over to France for the first batch of people who went to France. So, I decided- I joined the air force, went down to the station to catch the train to Cardington because I’d had- On my medical I'd been train sick oddly enough, and the doc who was doing the medical interview said, ‘I’ll have to do an air test, is that alright?’, I said, ‘Yes, I don’t mind, I think I’ll enjoy it’. Anyway, I went down to Cardington, they gave a little ride in it- A little light aircraft and did loops and all sorts of things and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and when I went back, they said, ‘Right, you’re fit to fly.’
RP: So, what year was this then Bob, what year was?
BC: That would be 1942.
RP: Ok.
BC: No earlier than that. 1941, let me just have a look.
RP: 1941.
BC: So-
HC: Yep, January 1941.
RP: That would be 1941, ok. So, you’ve gone- You’re at Cardington, what happens next then?
BC: I was cleared to fly so I went back and eventually got my calling up papers. Went down to the station and met another young bloke who’d been in the same form with me before we joined the civil service, and he was going off to the same thing, so we travelled by train to ACRC in London, where we got fed in the Lords Cricket Ground and in the zoo [chuckles] all over the place in London, and eventually did IT (initial training) which was just marching and drill, getting uniforms and stuff. Finished that, and went to (that was initial training) OTU, where we learnt a little bit more about flying and aircraft recognition and that sort of stuff, and eventually went to a unit to select a crew, all turned up in a hanger and that’s where I met Ron. Must tell you, before the OTU, I did my training in America, I’d been selected to be a pilot. So, we went on the Arnold draft on the good ship Highland Princess. Mainly aircrew going across in a convoy to start with, we all had a job as lookouts or U-Boat searchers or looking for anything unusual. We had a nice calm day to start with and we got- About the second day out when we saw- Somebody identified as a Condor overhead a German ship. So, all the U-Boats in the [unclear] there sorting us out. So, whoever was in charge of the convoy took the decision that the Highland Princess, with one destroyer would leave the convoy and shoot off for America or Canada. So, we left the convoy and then we had rough weather the next day, the destroyer kept going out of sight, under the waves sort of thing. The Captain didn’t come and do his parade in the morning, he was too sick they said [laughs]. Anyway, that went on for a couple of days and then we got mid-Atlantic, got better and then we hit Fogo[?] off Newfoundland, and- So it took us about ten days altogether to cross the Atlantic. Anyway, we got off at Brunswick[?], New- Nova Scotia up there, took a train down to Toronto and there we were reselected sort of thing to various measured training units, they were just starting this, it was the Arnold draft, it was just that they were American teaching English pilots I think, and my destination was Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
RP: Gosh [both laugh]
BC: And I had a wonderful time there, the Americans didn’t quite know how to take it at first, and at Christmas we were annoyed because the- They’d had another little base alert [unclear], the Japs were coming sort of thing.
RP: Oh yes, yeah.
BC: And we were confined to barracks, we’d all got Christmas destination in Birmingham, Alabama, with families and they kept us in. So, after a few hours we thought, ‘No,’ and we quietly dispersed and went to our Christmas place. When we came back, some of them came back a bit early and they got American civil service[?] guarding us then, guarding the camp, and when they got back there was a [unclear] fight immediately, the Americans rushed in with guns [unclear], and eventually [unclear], and left us alone but one chap has been fired upon the boundary, or fired towards we never knew what- I don’t think they fired at him but he always said, ‘Yeah, they tried to shoot me’ [laughs].
RP: Well, it’s a good story isn’t it.
BC: Yeah. Anyway, when we’d- Christmas over, we started our flying on Stearmans, a heavy version of the Tiger Moth but much heavier, and we started with American civil instructors. We had all our air flight [unclear] with us, and the American instructors each had about three students on average, some two, some three. Mine had three and he wasn’t bloke I liked at all which was a pity, and he didn’t like me very much. He was shocked that people could be learning to fly when they couldn’t even drive a car, never mind, he couldn’t even ride a bike and never driven a car and they tried to teach him to fly fighters, and instead of taking the view that we’re just teaching them to fly, so he decided I was landing too near the fence, a bit too low, I was always skimming the fence by the hut you see, but he didn’t- He wanted more than this, on a [unclear] and eventually he put me up for suspension and I was sculpt[?] by the senior instructor. Oh no, before I was sculpt[?], I was passed to another instructor, he’d already sculpted[?] his three, so I was his fourth and he didn’t keep me long before he put me up for suspension, so they got rid of me, and- I went on the train back to Moncton, to Canada, lovely East Coast train, I think [unclear] stopping off at little towns and getting out, having a meal, getting back on the train, it was a lovely outing. Up to Moncton, and in the order room, three of us had got together and we learnt there’s a navigation course in Miami, and we thought that’s better than going home having done nothing, having been to America. So, we nipped down to the order room and said, ‘Is there a navigation course in Miami?’ said, ‘Yeah, they’re going to start one up, it’s not started yet, they’ll be going down soon’. I said, ‘Anymore vacancies?’ and, ‘Oh no, no I don’t think so’. Anyway, the other two piped up and said, ‘Oh yeah, you can fit us in in time, just pop the names on the train,’ and so he said, ‘Yes, alright’. So, he put the tree of us on it and we all went down to Miami, and we were training in the university there, which was a wonderful atmosphere, not like a British university in those days. The lecturers were very informal, one of them took us [unclear] through the grounds one morning, and the girls were saying ‘Hi Reg, hi [unclear]’ to the senior supervisor, which wouldn’t in a British university in those days, it might now. Anyway, flying training was on Commodore, which was the prototype Catalina
RP: Oh yeah.
BC: So, we had to get on a little boat to go out to the things and when we came back, we landed on the water with a splash, and it was lovely, we enjoyed it, and we got to know a very good family there, who entertained us, they had a house on the beach. She called herself Lady Merrio[?] and she got a title from somewhere, Spanish I think, but she also had marvellous soirée’s, and the three of us used to go along. One bloke who- Paddy who could play the piano and she used to get people down from New York to sing. Lovely stuff and weekends we’d spend there, there was a queue of cars always outside university on a Friday evening to take kids around all over the place. Anyway, finally finished the course [unclear] you weren’t commissioned or anything, [unclear] can have flying badges, they hadn’t. But went back from there, eventually Moncton and back to the UK and that’s when we went to Bobbington, which was a- Well a familiarisation place ‘cause we’d been flying in blue sky all the time. So, we had some flying at night in bad weather just to get used to, then we went OTU, to sort the crews out and as I say we joined- I mated up with Ron Mill, Ron, the New Zealander, he’d seen Harry Young the only engineering pilot on this [unclear] OTU, so we joined him. Then I’d had a chat with one of the wireless ops, he was a Welshman, Danny Langley, so we found him and he joined us. We went to see Harry Gowan and- Who else was there? Anyway, we went to see Harry Gowan and he was quite happy, he liked this mixed bunch he’d got in front of him, so we joined up with him and so we just went off and registered and they put us as a crew together. So, it was a New Zealander, a Canadian pilot, a Yorkshire navigator- Oh the rear gunner, they joined us later, the gunners. Anyway, this was at OTU and we were- While we were there, about a couple of weeks, they lost a lot of the instructors because we had one the thousand-bomber raids, quite a few of their instructors were lost on these. We were meantime, going to the local pub and we found out there that Ron- Freddie Mace[?] was the other, the rear gunner, he was a cockney, and we found out that he was a News of the World darts champion and Danny Langley was also a good darts player, and we found that they locals were taking the Americans who were billeted there for a ride by saying, ‘Oh let's play for a barrel of beer,’ or ‘Let’s play for a round’, and so Danny and Freddie Mace, his name was [unclear] though we always called him Freddie. Danny and Freddie decided they’d get a bit of revenge for the Americans, so they went and played a board very badly, well not too badly, and then did another one and managed to lose that between them, and one of the locals suggested they play- We play for pints and Danny Langley said, ‘No let’s play for a round for the whole pub,’ and, ‘Oh sure,’ and they then just played for, sixty, hundred-and-twenty, oh it was marvellous to watch and the faces of the locals fell [chuckles] and they bought the round for the whole lot, but we’d done our little bit for the Americans there [chuckles].
RP: Did they ever find out he was a darts champion?
BC: I don’t think so ‘cause we weren’t there very long, but it was only the local News of The World champion and- But it was quite a fair feet.
RP: Well yes.
BC: Anyway- OTU we left there, were posted to a heavy con unit, yes to a- Oh, went to Wellingtons first, we’d been flying Wellingtons at the OTU and then we went to Halifaxes and- At the con unit which we converted to four engine bombers. That’s where we picked up our engineer who was a Canadian, who’d been everything, a [unclear], garage attendant-
RP: Gosh.
BC: But he knew all about engines.
RP: Which is the main thing [chuckles]
BC: Great thing, yeah, and that’s where we picked up a-
RP: So, from the OTU, what was your first actual RAF station that you- When you flew your first sortie?
BC: Yes, after we [unclear] done the conversion unit, we were posted 405 Squadron.
RP: Right
BC: And that was [unclear] from 6 Group. So, we went up there and we learnt almost straight away that instead of being in bomber command, the squadron was going to detach to coastal command to cover the Bay of Biscay patrols and the Atlantic patrols, while coastal command was looking after the North Africa landings.
RP: Right [chuckles].
BC: So, we had a change of scenery and we went and joined- We were posted out of Beaulieu in the-
RP: Oh right, was that in the Halifax?
BC: In the Halifax, yes, yeah.
RP: Ok.
BC: And we did these sorties, they were quite long sorties, eight hours and ten hours some of them, at low level because you couldn’t do a sub patrol without being low. I suppose hundred feet, something like that. Navigating was difficult because we’d got no navigation aids, they [unclear] just flew in lanes, good old-fashioned minus method of flying in the wind, the wind drift and the direction of the white chaps[?]. I forget the system but if you worked out what the local wind was at low level, and it was always great when after eight or ten hours we came back and hit Bishop Rock[?] lighthouse right on the nose, you think, ‘Oh it wasn’t bad’ [chuckles].
RP: That’s very good.
BC: And we never had any excitement. Oh, just one occasion when Ron Mill would say, ‘Oh, hi, bomb doors open,’ and opened bomb doors, I say, ‘Well there’s a convoy just ahead.’ But luckily this- The convoy started firing the colours of the day, on our colours of the day, not the Germans. So, Ron said, ‘Oh, close bomb doors’ [chuckles] and meantime the destroyers on the convoy were coming nearer to get a better shot at us. So, we head off as fast as we could. We later did a wee check, and the convoy shouldn’t of been where it was, it wasn’t our fault that we didn’t know about this convoy, it was only a small convoy but, several destroyers with some ships. Anyway, all the time we were there, I think the crews- We only had submarine attack that wasn’t very successful it [unclear] and then we were back in 6 Group again. So, we went up to Topcliffe and Leeming. They couldn’t decide which one we wanted to be at so some aircraft at Topcliffe, some at Leeming and some down at Beaulieu. My twenty-first birthday was down at Beaulieu in a mud hut with- When we first went down, an empty landscape, mud and a little sergeant’s mess, we went and got a little thing of beer, carried it through the hut and that was my-
RP: That was your twenty-first birthday.
BC: Twenty-first birthday.
RP: Oh dear [both laugh].
BC: Anyway, when we were back at Topcliffe, they finally decided that this was going to be the 6 Group squadron that was going to join the pathfinders. So, before we did any flying, we knew we were going to move again, and eventually we did move to Gransden Lodge, near Cambridge and we started flying from there.
RP: So, your first op from Gransden Lodge was what date then, Bob?
BC: Well on the 27th of April 1943, and its ops on Duisburg, and it was a good one for us to train in because we got coned by searchlights on the first run, and we didn’t- We never saw or got near searchlights before, never been cordoned by them. My little office was all lit up bright, and Harry Gowan, we called him Harry Ousley[?] but, Harry said, ‘What the hell do I do?’ and luckily the flight engineer said, ‘Kick the ruddy nose down Harry,’ [chuckles] which Harry duly did, and we eventually emerged from this searchlight cone, but of course taking a nosedive, everything on my table got airborne, I got airborne, pencils and things, catalogue on the floor, I thought, ‘Christ.’ [chuckles]
RP: Making it a steep dive, was he?
BC: And, everything, I hit the roof in the head.
RP: Really?
BC: Yep, anyway that was good training we thought-
RP: Didn’t know what to do next?
BC: Get out of it quickly before the get you-
RP: I think that was the secret wasn’t it? To get out of it quickly?
BC: Yep, and then we did- Oh we, in that process we got several holes, fifty-three holes, our ground crew always loved counting how many flak holes we got, or [unclear].
RP: Dear, fifty-three?
BC: Fifty-three on that-
RP: And this was on Halifax, yes?
BC: Yeah, the bomb that- Fourteen-thousand, or eight-thousand instead of eighteen-thousand, once we got down, we couldn’t get back up again.
RP: Oh right [chuckles].
BC: Then we did a series of Essen ones, Dortmund and Bochum, lots of searchlights, only one hole at Dortmund. Duisburg that was only our third op, so we were still beginners really. We had at tragedy, our bomb aimer Ron, couldn’t for some reason be with us, we got another bomb aimer who was new on the squadron, and soon after we left the British coast, he started saying he didn’t feel well. Anyway eventually, we couldn’t get a reply from him, then I went down to have a look at him, I thought his oxygen mask must be loose, but he was out cold, unconscious and I tried to get him to come round. So, I told Harry, I said, ‘Look, this chap,’ (I didn’t even know his name then) ‘is unconscious, I think it’s probably a sort of fear thing that he’s got but I can’t get him round, what to do?’ Well, we’d only just left the English coast, long way to go to the target, long way back again, he’ll be dead by the time we get back if we don’t do anything. So, I said, ‘I think, and the CO won’t like it, but I think we take him back’. So, we turned round and brought him back, and we did get a [unclear] but, said, ‘Yeah, it was the right thing to do really,’ because you couldn’t take him there and back again, and we hadn’t-
RP: Did he survive?
BC: We were only a straight-forward bomber, weren’t doing pathfinder stuff then.
RP: Did the chap survive?
BC: Oh yes, well he was sent straight back to 6 Group and back to Canada.
RP: Oh right.
BC: So, we never did know any more about him. Then bottom searchlights, Dortmund, little opposition, started being PFF backers-up then. Backers-up went in with the early markers so they weren’t alone and we went-
RP: So, being part of the pathfinders group, you weren’t actually- You were behind the people doing the marking? You did the bombing?
BC: No, yeah, at this stage we were- Somewhere in this is a period where we didn’t do any ops for a week or two, and we did pathfinder training, marking and that sort of thing, and we quickly became- Initially you became backers-up, you went in early with the first markers.
RP: Oh right.
BC: Then later on you’d be backing up any other new markers if they want a visual resetting. So that went on, and we quickly became professional as the- Oh visual markers, Harry Gowan- Ron who was an excellent bomb aimer said to him on one occasion, it was on a Berlin flight, bit later than this, when we were doing the running to the target, and Ron was doing his normal, ‘Left, left, left two degrees, steady, bomb doors open, left, steady, oh, gee Harry I'm sorry we’ve overshot’ [laughs].
RP: So, you have to go all the way around again?
BC: We had to go-
RP: Oh dear
BC: And it was twenty minutes later we, we bombed the second time.
RP: Was it cloudy or something or did he just miss it?
BC: It just- Well it was smoky down below and he just missed it, misty and smoky.
RP: Oh dear.
BC: And somehow, he just missed it.
RP: Yeah [chuckles].
BC: Anyway, we went on to do, [unclear], Cologne, Aachen, then Hamburg, this was in July ‘43, we did the four ops on Hamburg, it was on the 24th of July, 22nd of August-
RP: And this was still in the Halifax then, yeah, you’re still flying the Halifax?
BC: I’ve turned over two pages, yeah, still flying the Halifax on the 24th of July, on the 27th of July, on the 29th of July. But on the first of these, the night- A couple of nights before we’d done Aachen, we got holes in the main plane and the bomb bay. That was a scary one, because the piece of flak- I was sort of sitting doing my charts here, Ron was sitting there with the radar- I’m just thinking of that, I’ll tell you what Ron’s habit used to be. As we took off, Ron and I would be at my table and Ron, New Zealander, would always turn round to me and say, with his mic off say, ‘Hello [emphasis] death,’ and eventually I joined him. We both did this ritual, habit it were, until one day [laughing] when Ron left his mic on and the rest of the crew heard ‘Hello death’ which didn’t please them at all [chuckles]. Anyway, we stopped it when- On the first Hamburg trip, Mac the mid-upper gunner, the French-Canadian got a piece of flak in his stomach, and Danny had to look after him. He wouldn’t have any morphine, he was taken to hospital as soon as we landed, but he died eight days later. So, we stopped that ritual then, it hadn’t worked sort of thing.
RP: So you got another crew member coming in then?
BC: Yeah, and it was a pity because Mac was a lovely, contrast to Ron, Ron who was a quiet New Zealander, whereas Mac was a noisy French-Canadian, and Mac was very loyal, he was always very loyal, he was a royalist, royal family couldn’t do wrong. Mac used to, being French, used to take the micky out of Ron and his royalty, ‘Who elected them then?’ [laughs]. They used to fight, but they always went on leave together and I used to join them, so we used to go down to London for the weekend very often, and once we had a stand there, and where’d I got to with- Yeah, the first of those Hamburg trips we were badly holed. The second Hamburg trip the port outer engine caught fire, it was feathered over the target. The third trip we were coned on the first run in and had a couple of wee holes in the aircraft from flak, and on the last Hamburg trip, which was only a few days later, a thunderstorm iced up, was losing height, couldn’t make the height, and eventually had to jettison before the target, otherwise we wouldn’t of stayed above ground. So, that was the fourth Hamburg, Hamburg wasn’t a good place for us. Then we went on a longer distance, [unclear] and then eventually Peenemünde where we had an interesting role, the way they shifted the aiming point from the first group aircraft, first few-hundred aircraft, the second few-hundred and the third few-hundred, up the side of this- Well then, where the sea started, on the coast, and all the buildings were that way, and the earliest ones should’ve got the west attack from the first lot, then we came in as recentres and by using a false setting on the bomb site, they’d worked out that it was above aiming point just enough to get the next lot of serious buildings, and then after that there was another five, ten minutes, whatever, and another set of recentres would come in and they’d do the same and have a third aiming point. As it worked out, we could tell from the photograph it worked out not badly, but unfortunately the very first flock on the first target before any recentrering or anything came in was- Had taken the data of wrong H2S point, so that was out and the other west wing [unclear] saw the bombs going in the sea.
RP: Oh dear, they missed.
BC: So, as we had to take the centre of the next lot, whatever we did was tenfold a bit, wouldn’t saw it wasn’t too fierce but it did mean we killed a lot of civilian workers instead of German technicians and we missed some of the main development plants. But on the whole it was quite a-
RP: So, were you still flying the Halifax then?
BC: Yes, I think so, yes Halifax
RP: How soon before you took on the Lancaster then? Did you change to Lancasters that year?
BC: Halifax on the 17th August Peenemünde 27th of August, 22nd of August, Lancaster.
RP: Oh, so did you not go for any further training on the Lancaster then?
BC: We had a couple of days.
RP: Just a couple of days [chuckles]
BC: We went out as a crew, and Harry got his handbook out, read all about it, we did, I think it was-
RP: So, didn’t go away to an OCU for Lancasters then?
BC: No.
RP: Goodness me.
BC: No, we just straight into them.
RP: Gosh.
BC: It was a Halifax on the 22nd of August, on the same day we flew a Lancaster, and then the next day we did Lancaster to Berlin, and it was Lancasters from then on. So, we only had a couple of days to get used to the Lancaster, but it was so much better. Just reverting, if I may?
RP: Yes certainly.
BC: What I was talking about being air sick on the thing at the beginning of my training. When I first- We first started flying ops, the instruction was to barrel roll all the way to the target, doing that. That made me as sick as a pig, and the ground force left a little bunch of sick bags on my nav table-
RP: You had a reputation then [chuckles]?
BC: Yeah, and I couldn’t help it, but it made it messy, you tried to be sick and tried to work out-
RP: I can imagine.
BC: But anyway once we were pathfinders, qualified medic said, ‘Don’t muck around with this [unclear] straight to the target.’
RP: Straight there, yeah.
BC: ‘Or straight to the training point, straight back, fast as you can,’ and I was not air sick seriously after that at all.
RP: So, if you’re flying straight and level, no problem.
BC: I was alright, it was when we were barrel rolling that my stomach didn’t have a hold of its own, but luckily that didn’t last too long, and as we were pathfinders most of the time, it was alright.
RP: So were you with the pathfinders from then till the end of the war, was that your last-
BC: I was with the same squadron, yeah.
RP: Same squadron, ok.
BC: Anyway, we went on [unclear]. There was only one- I did quite a few, sixteen Berlin trips-
RP: Gosh.
BC: - and they were long ones.
RP: Was that the longest trip was it? Berlin?
BC: Yeah, seven and eight hours forty, eight hours forty, seven fifteen, eight forty, six fifteen, quite long trips.
RP: That’s a long trip
BC: There was only once in the whole time I flew with Harry Gowan that we came- Nearly came to blows or, cross purposes. We were coming back from bombing Berlin, having always thought it was, and the H2S wasn’t working, Ron couldn’t get anything out of it, and I was coming back on after [unclear] gave me latitude line and [unclear] from the probable air speed, I can work out a probable position, and I just had this feeling we’re getting a bit north of that[?] although the flight shots[?] were putting us more that, but it was only minus, I wasn’t too worried about it then. Suddenly, out of the blue Harry piped up the, ‘Look there’s a searchlight ahead, I’m going to alter course,’ I said, ‘Which way?’ he said, ‘Left,’ I said, ‘No, I think we’re all right here, the searchlight will be heading straight forward if we keep going.’ And then Ron gave me a nudge and said, ‘Look,’ and he’d got a picture and it showed that there was a big built-up area right ahead, a city. So, I said, ‘Harry, you can’t alter course that way, stay as you are and you’ll be all right,’ said, ‘No, no I’m not going into that searchlight,’ I said, ‘Well it’s only one, there’ll be a lot more if we turn and go into.’ He said, ‘No, I'm going to miss this one,’ I said, ‘Right Harry,’ I didn’t know what to say, I said, ‘Look there’s, just had a picture this big city, you’ll be a lot more safe coming up soon,’ and he said, ‘Well, there’s another one I can see now as well,’ I said, ‘Yeah there will be, they’ll be a lot more soon.’ ‘Well, no it’s clear down to the left,’ so I said, ‘Ok Harry, you take over the navigation, I'm just nipping back to get my parachute’ [chuckles] and that made him think I was a bit serious, and Ron then piped out ‘I’ve got it again look, Harry you’re heading for another great city.’ ‘Oh,’ and he was quite for a bit and said, ‘Which way do you want me to go?’. [Unclear] I had a heading that took us clear, this- Quite a drastic one, you know a right angle, and luckily at that time the city started opening up in searchlights, so Harry could see on his right searchlights opening up and we were heading away from them now. That was awfully poor, and we took a day or two to get over that one because it’s the first time he’d queried our advice from the office
RP: So, what, do you know what the city was? What city it was, did you know?
BC: I don’t remember, I often wonder, I must get my log book out and work it out.
RP: Ok, so, one thing while you were obviously being posted around, what rank were you by the time you got to Lancs? What rank was-
BC: At this stage- Harry’s was amazing, I’ll just tell you his. Yeah, the squadron lost most of its senior staff on one of the raids, and as a result Harry Gowan became a flight commander, he was a sergeant in December ‘42. Still sergeant in December, yep, this is where it gets interesting. A sergeant in March ‘43, a pilot officer in May ‘43. Pilot officer continued all through that time, and that’s where the squadron lost a lot of crews, in October ‘43 Harry was a pilot officer, 7th of October flight lieutenant.
RP: Oh right.
BC: By November he was a squadron leader.
RP: Gosh, what about yourself?
BC: Myself, I- I was commissioned sometime after Harry, and then the Canadians had a policy that all their crew should be commissioned, so gradually- I was next after Harry and I became- It’s a long story, I’d been nav leader when I first- When we first lost this group of senior men, including the nav officer, and I'd been nav leader as an Englishman, but the Canadians in 6 Group, the [unclear] at 6 Group decided that it’s time the Canadian’s had Canadian squadron commanders, Canadian flight commanders and Canadian section leaders, because until then all the wheels had been English, and this edict came down, so I had to hand over as nav leader to Glen Ode[?] who was the CO’s navigator. But we, between ourselves sorted out that we don’t need to be on ops the same night, let’s take it in turns reasonably, you be the main one, but I can take over some of the nights and do some of the briefings, and some of the [unclear]. ‘Cause the navigators job was busy and then you have an op, you got the- According to the op, you eventually found out where the target was, what the route was, what the timing was, so then I had to sit down and work out a flight plan on the best available wind, which would give a time of start, we allowed about five ten minutes to make up time in case the wind was adverse, and work out a flight plan, from that the squadron commander could work out start up time, taxi time, take off time, that sort of thing, and all of this of course flying meals, the time of those. So it meant I was busy straight away, as soon as we knew what the target was and what the timing was, oh and the route, that came from Group as well. So, it took you a bit and if you’d- Yourself, you had your own log to do, flight plan as well as this one for the whole squadron, and then at the end of it you might have interrogation to do, find out how things had gone and that sort of thing. So, it was quite a busy time as nav leader, so Glen Ode[?] and myself decided that we’d split this a bit between us. I stayed on the squadron, by then my pilot had gone, by then Millwood[?] was nearly going, he was the wing commander who’d come down from 6 Group to take my pilot’s, Harry Gowan’s place. He had one of the most exciting moments there, you were always getting fighter types, we had I think three that were all in Milwoods[?] time, I’ve got the paperwork on them here somewhere, and on one night we came back and he was groaning about being in pain, stomach pain, and I said, ‘Not been hit by anything?’, ‘No, no, no it’s just indigestion sort of pain.’ And when we got back to base, we started landed, he was saying to the engineer, I don’t know what the engineer history was, ‘Come and help me push this stick down, I can’t get it down.’ So, this engineer was helping him push the stick forward, we landed, bit of a bump, landed, and only then the engineer said, ‘You’ve still got the George in,’ the artificial automatic pilot, and he’d still got the automatic pilot on, that was trying to keep everything level, he was trying to push it down. So, lucky we got away with that because usually that leads to trouble. Anyway, he’d got appendicitis and he was at hospital for a week after that.
RP: Yeah, so we’ll go back to- What rank were you at this time then?
BC: I was, no idea here-
HC: You could say that story about how you got promoted when you were in the pub?
BC: What?
HC: That story about when he got promoted from being in the pub, when you were having whisky?
BC: Oh yeah, I've mentioned that slightly, shall we do that in full?
HC: Yeah
BC: Oh, yeah, when I’d said that they’d lost a lot on one of the wheels, we’d been- We’d had our thing, we were having our six weeks leave and it was due to start on the Saturday. On the Friday, quite late in the morning, we had a squadron stand down, so as always happened we decided that’s it, leave starts. It was normal practice if you were stood down for the day. So, we went off, usually, Ron, Mill (New Zealander), Mac the mid-upper who died, and myself would got to London. Danny Langley had a wife in London, he would either go there or he and his very understanding wife, had an arrangement that he had a girlfriend up near Gransden, yet she didn’t mind if he went to see because this girlfriend's husband was in hospital with, used to be a dangerous disease but it’s gone now, anyway he was dying, and so Danny Langley’s wife didn’t mind him going and comforting her if they were stood down. Just on one occasion, Danny had gone, not on this occasion, on the one occasion he’d go before time and he’d been sent to the- It was like a prison almost, detention centre for a week, just to get his- Stop him leaving early and that sort of thing. Anyway, on this occasion we decided we’d all go on leave, so Danny went off to see his girlfriend, Harry Gowan who was very religious, had a girlfriend in Wales, and he [unclear] girlfriend, a very nice girl, so he went off to see her, and the three of us would head to Cambridge, have a drink and go and get a train to London. So, we went to Cambridge, a little pub, the landlady came out, it was nearly closing time then, landlady came out and said, ‘Oh boys I've got a lovely scotch liqueur, scotch, beautiful, come look in the back room and have a drink.’ So, we went back with her, she had this little tub of a liqueur, it was a scotch [unclear], I think that’s what it was, it was beautiful, smooth, lovely. So, we had several of these, and then we thought, well we better get the train, and we went and got the train to London, had our leave, came back, ‘CO wants to see you first thing in the morning.’ I thought, ‘What have we done? Was it because we went away early?’ We found out there that they’d lost- They had to make up a crew to make up our crew. The stand down had been cancelled which was very rare, and they’d got our squadron on again, and it was [unclear] a little French-Canadian man who was our CO, and he had it all in standing at attention in front of him and he said, ‘You went away on your leave early, didn’t you?’ and we said, ‘Well, it was a stand down,’ ‘Aha but you’re not on leave until the day of your leave, which was Saturday,’ and he argued the point a bit. Anyway, he said, ‘That’s beside the point, we’ve lost our nav leader, our [unclear] leader, our flight commander, we had to make a crew and they all went. So unfortunately, Gowan, you have to be a squadron, you’ll be flight commander, Culpin you be nav leader, Mill bombing leader’ - And I don’t think it matters as Langley [unclear], I don’t remember whether he was leader or not. Anyway, we all got new responsibility, promotion in rank because we’d gone on leave early. I thought it was ironic but unfortunate for the chaps who’d had to make up a scratch crew, because we didn’t like strangers in the crew. I think I was the only one on the squadron that nobody minded having in the crew as a stand-by ‘cause I always got away with it, I was always lucky. So that was how that came about, the thing that Heather was mentioning, and- Oh and then this order came down, we took it in turns to.
RP: So, as nav leader then, what happened after that then? You mentioned that you had to swap?
BC: Yeah, well we shared the duty, and I used to hate being in the ops room the way it turned out sometimes because there was the morning room and they put the times of arrival on the board, and then one of the ops girls, I got to know very well, but she had an Australian boyfriend who was a pilot on the squadron, and I was in the ops room with her who was in the cabinet looking at the board, watching the aircraft come in, and Bill Chase this, Australian’s aircraft number didn’t appear, and didn’t appear, and it became clear that he wasn’t going to return, and she was very upset. But one of the quietest, happiest moments I'd known on the squadron, a few weeks later she- We were in the ops room (she was sergeant by the way) I said, ‘Why don’t we cycle out to Eltisley and have an egg on toast?’ There was a little private house in Eltisley, little village near us, where the lady had access to eggs, and for aircrew she would always produce poached egg on toast.
RP: Oh right.
BC: So, I said, ‘Oh yes,’ so we [phone rings].
RP: So, in August 1944, obviously things were starting to change, when did that sort of feeling that the war was being won come to you? Did people start to realise that you were winning?
BC: I think to us it was when we saw the shipping in the channel, we’re off on a- Attacking a target in the [unclear] or whatever it is there, [unclear] bomb site, something like that, and everywhere we saw lots of shipping sightings, along the radar we could see the shipping. So we knew that at last the moving forward is on, and the next night we had the target of a gun battery on the coast, a German gun battery. I was flying then with an American chap [unclear] and he was the only Canad- Only American on the Canadian squadron, he joined the Canadian air force initially but now reverted back to the American air force, and that was when we realised that it was definitely on, and from there on it was-
HC: That was D-Day?
BC: What?
HC: That was D-Day?
BC: D-Day, yes.
RP: So, from D-Day onwards, you were still flying a fair number of sorties though, yeah?
BC: No, I was- I forget the exact date, but towards the end of the war, I’d been flying with most anybody who needed a few sorties to get their forty-five, you see, and several flight commanders say who just needed another half-dozen sorties so I flew with them, another one came and said, ‘Would I,’ oh yeah- I- Let me explain, I had a garage that had lots of petrol coupons for lorry drivers. We had a WAAF section that ran the MT, and in the MT we had the big tank of [unclear] stuff, and then a smaller tank of low [unclear] fuel for light aircraft that never came to see us. So, if you left your can in a certain place near the MT section, went back the next day, you would find it was full of petrol by a chance, only- Nearly caught out once, when as I got my can in my green- Had green [unclear] bags in those days, and it just fitted a nice can of petrol. We got it on the handle bars driving up to, up to the mess, and the barrier was down, and the policeman on the barrier was a bit slow moving himself, so I had to break hard and there was a clang [emphasis].
RP: Oh no [chuckles]
BC: Can of petrol hit the ground, and I thought, ‘Oh this is it,’ but this SP came up and said, ‘Oh you have to be careful sir, you might damage it,’ lifted it up, put it on the handle bars and opened the gate and let me through. Thank goodness for that sensible policeman [chuckles].
RP: So, what was your- Can you remember then, what was your last sortie then, before the war ended? Where were you going on your last sortie?
BC: It was- I’ll soon see, into Yorkshire, post-war, Lancs, [unclear] U-Boat pens at La Pallice, he was the master bomber, it was small, only thirty aircraft and we were dropping bombs on the U-Boat pens in La Pallice, he was the master bomber.
RP: And what date was that then?
BC: That was on the 11th of August- I’ve not got my glasses here. I think it’s the 11th of August 1944.
RP: So after-
BC: Yeah,12th of August 1944.
RP: So, after that date what did you do between then and the end of the war then?
BC: I’ll just catch up before then.
RP: Yeah.
BC: Sometime before that, that was August ‘44, in early ‘44, in July ‘44 [pause] Yeah I left, 405 then in August ‘44, and I was sent to 11 ferry unit in transport command. The nice idea was that a few of us were going to form this ferry unit and fly all the Canadian built Lancs back the Canada.
RP: Oh right.
BC: They were nice steady job for long time, and before then I’d had- Oh yes, this was where my flight career came to an end in bomber command. One morning- One night we went to Cambridge, a group of us, in my car, a little four-eight, we had our drinks in the usual pubs, went back to the car, got in, didn’t notice anything unusual, driving along a few miles out of Cambridge where there’s a big, and one of the wheels went past us, and the apparently it was fairly common in Cambridge those days, before we got back somebody must’ve been putting a car on bricks, lifting it, and undoing the screws to take the wheel off and that must have been when we got back and so they disappeared and hadn’t screwed back the wheel anything like that, they just left them, and the wheel had just came off and went past us. It had done quite a- I think a mile or two before then. So, anyway, next morning the flight engineer I was flying with in those days, said, ‘Do you want a lift up to the flights Bob,’ I said, ‘Yes please’. So, we’re off in the car and we’re going up to the flights and on- It was winter and on the way there we went down a steep hill, then up a steep hill and that was covered in ice and the sun was shining just at the top. But, down at the bottom there was a driveway that came out of a big house which King Peter of Yugoslavia was living in with his wife, when he didn’t want it, he let the station commander have it as his residence, and apparently (I learnt this later) the station commander was coming out of his drive and we were coming down this first hill, and the driver, he was Dutch, it wasn’t [unclear], the driver didn’t see that coming down the hill was a lorry. So, although this car stopped, he pulled out a bit and we hit the lorry straight on. Now at the time I was bending forward, lighting a cigarette so my neck was placed like that, I went up and hit the ceiling. So, they came to the car, various people, and apparently, I was telling them, ‘Look, be careful of my knees, I think I've got them wedged under the dashboard, and I think they’re damaged, so be careful,’ and about then I suddenly just flaked out, and crushed the top of the vertebrae in the spinal cord, hadn’t fortunately hit the spinal cord itself, and went into- Was taken to hospital, and the doc left a message with the orderly saying, ‘If he comes round, don’t let him move it, [unclear].’ But that message got changed when I did come round, the first thing an airman sitting at the bed said to me, ‘Can you move your head sir?’
RP: Oh no.
BC: And, I said, (something told me not to try) I said, ‘No, I don’t know, I can’t,’ ‘What, not up and down?’ ‘No, no I can’t.’ This is when the doctor came in, the message got [unclear] and they finally got me to hospital, and I was in a plaster from there to there for a good six months.
RP: So that saw you the rest of the war?
BC: That was the end of- They were still operating, but I wasn’t anymore, and at the end of the thing, when I'd recovered, been to convalescence and everything else, what had been arranged that I would be transferring to British airways as a navigator there. I went for a severe medical exam for British airways.
HC: BOAC.
BC: BOAC.
RP: BOAC, yeah.
BC: Yeah, and they said you’re not fit to fly for another three years.
RP: Oh my goodness.
BC: So, I said, ‘Oh dear’. So, I went back and my doc says, ‘Let me get you an RAF medical.’ Took me to a medical and, ‘Yeah, be careful but you’re alright to fly’-
RP: Were you still in the RAF at this time then?
BC: Still in the RAF yeah.
RP: Ok, so where were you when the war ended then? Where were you when-
BC: I was in- Well-
RP: In May ‘45, where would you have been then?
BC: Convalescing.
RP: Still convalescing, are you? Convalescing.
BC: Convalescing because we hired a car, three of us, one had a bad leg, I had this thing on and we put the car in a ditch between us.
RP: Oh no [chuckles]
BC: But not seriously, no need- Just one of the roadsides [unclear] things.
RP: Oh dear, so did you fly again with the RAF then?
BC: Well, at that point I thought- Oh we were on for various things that the RAF phased down, I was going to be on a yacht[?] conversion flight, flying to the far east, I thought I'd bring back some carpets. But that didn’t materialise, and what happened? Yes, I got to this stage.
HC: You were still
BC: Oh yes, I decided then there was no future in the RAF, back to civil service. So, I was released from the RAF.
RP: What was that, ‘45?
BC: ‘45, yes.
HC: You were still in the RAF when you met mum in-
BC: Yes.
HC: In late ‘45.
BC: Yeah, I'd recovered from- I’d got rid of my thing, and the squadron had flown back to Canada, except for one squadron and Macdonald and myself had been left in charge of getting the- Handing Gransden Lodge over to the RAF, from the RCAF. The RCAF by the way, they went round setting fire to all the hay stacks which didn’t make them very popular with village [unclear]. The RAF paid the bill, I think. But, anyway, I was going back to the- RAF- Oh yes, and the squadron had flown back and Mac and I decided we’d have one last night in London together, go to our regulars, The Sussex, the [unclear], and the [unclear], the three pubs off Charring Cross Road. One during the war had been a Canadian mainly pub, another had been a New Zealand mainly pub, and another one was a general British, I think. Anyway, we’d go back and have a look at these pubs, last look at them, and we’d been in some pubs, we were walking back to The Cumberland where I had a room booked, and we heard dance music and Mac said, ‘Oh there’s some dancing, let’s go and find it.’ So, we- It was in Mount Street, so we went- Diverted, went down Mount Street and we found a doorway with lady sitting behind a table with a book, and we- Mac said, ‘Is there dancing? Can we join in?’ and she said, ‘I’m very sorry sir, an American officers Red Cross club, it’s for American officers only,’ and then came Mac with great presence of mind said, ‘Oh, we’re promised to meet Captain Copenhaver here,’ (he’s the last one I flew with by the way), ‘Captain Copenhaver here, would you mind paging him?’. She said, ‘Oh, no’, so she comes up to the stairs to page him and we tottled up behind her, and as she went toward the [unclear] thing, we went in, looked around and there’s a counter of there, there’s a girl with lovely sparkly eyes, serving ice cream. I thought she looks happy, so I went over and said, ‘Would you like a dance?’ and she was wearing Red Cross uniform- American Red Cross uniform, said, ‘I don’t think we’re aloud to, it’s only the American Red Cross officers who can dance,’ said, ‘Oh come on they won’t mind’. So, she says, ‘All right,’ so she took the uniform off and we had a dance and we stayed together all night. At the end of the night I said, ‘Are you hungry, let’s go and have a meal somewhere?’. So, we did go out for a meal but we couldn’t find a place that was open, it was quite late at night then, and she said, ‘Anywhere’ [unclear] she says, ‘If you’d like to come home with me, I can give you egg and bacon?’, I said, ‘Oh is it far?’ She said, ‘No, it’s only Peckham,’ I said, ‘Oh, fine’. So, I went back with her, we got a fifty-four tram to Peckham, along the embankment, and had egg and bacon and- I found out she worked in the local health centre sort of place, wasn’t a health centre in those days, whatever they called it, and I got her telephone number and I rang her the next day and she didn’t expect me to, and we lived happily ever after-
RP: I thought that was the end that was coming [laughs].
HC: And result [chuckles].
BC: She passed away about seven, years ago? Seven or eight.
HC: Yeah, twenty-
RP: Oh, that was lovely, what a lovely story.
BC: Yeah
RP: So, from that point then, you left the RAF?
BC: I left the RAF.
RP: And went back to-
BC: Went back to the civil service, they’d sent us on a PLUA course at Leeds. There was myself, an army officer and a navy officer, we started going out for lunch together, started going out for lunch and a beer together, then went for a few meals together, all decided this wasn’t right for us. I was having a lot of pain from my neck sitting at a desk in the office, it was getting- I thought i’d be better doing something active, so I'd gone back in the RAF, and stayed in for another twenty years, thirty years until 1976 when I retired.
RP: So, what were you- Still aircrew?
BC: Still aircrew, and I was flying cambers[?] for a while. They were, to me, pretty painful flying- Used to go low level flying over Scotland, over the rocks and things, and I was tall for a camber[?] and my [unclear] dome would hit the roof, and I'd have a [unclear] on my head when I got back.
RP: Yeah, there’s not a lot of space in those.
BC: Three-hour flight in that, I used to go home and lie down, ‘Oh lovely’. But [unclear] I was the flight commander on the squadron and we had some very good crews, I was with another Dutch Holland this time, pilot and he- When it came to retiring from there, been posted two and a half years, he wanted to go to the [unclear] force and said, ‘Don’t fancy another two and a half years of alerting and that sort of thing.’ So, he went [unclear] and unfortunately on one occasion in a Victor, was late getting back to a demonstration and was rushing it and broke the aircraft up and killed himself and- So I- After that I was posted various places, went to Ruislip where I was running a thing, [unclear] all the hours, documents, flight plans and low flight signals and NATO and things, sent stuff to Jeffersons[?] who did the American stuff ‘cause they liked our technique better than theirs. I had about eight teleprinters churning stuff out and the post office used to send two bags up every morning to take stuff away, and then finally, various others, the last one was Upper Heyford, which was an American base with about ten-thousand Americans and their- With wives and families. Else and I were the only British people living on the base, I was commander, it was my base technically, but there were dozen American full colonels, and half colonels and one major general, so- They were very good, I had working relationship quite good. The one I was with most was the air base commander, [unclear] whose bit like [unclear], had been a New York policeman and if I was upset about anything and I went down the corridor, his secretary would call out for him, ‘Sir, the squadron leaders coming down, I don’t think he’s very happy’ [laughs], we got on very well.
RP: On leaving the RAF then, where did you settle down? Where was your- Where did you come to rest?
BC: When I left the RAF, that was at Upper Heyford, the RAF. When I retired in 1976, we came to Bridport just down the road here.
RP: Not too far away.
BC: Heather sent us a brochure, she was at Southampton University, sent us brochure by the people there, it had some buildings in Bridport. We went down to see it on a Friday afternoon, saw the site manager, saw the plan for the [unclear], I said, ‘We’ll have it,’ and that- We bought the first thing we looked at, it was only a hole in the ground.
RP: Well, I’ll bring it to the end there, and I ask everybody the same question Bob, if you lived your life again would you join the RAF?
BC: Oh, well it would depend on the RAF, it’s changed so much-
RP: I mean going back, would you go through all that again?
BC: Going back I would, yes.
RP: You would
BC: Yes, I- It seems wrong to enjoy the war, but we made what we could of it and we were such a good mix, friendly group together. A little routine if Ron brought a parcel from New Zealand, and it had some oysters in it, one of us would go down the village and get a loaf of bread, another one would go down to our famous egg shop and get some eggs and we’d have a fry up
RP: Sounds good.
BC: And at night time when we were on ops, there were usually two crews in a hut, sometimes three, we all left money under the pillow so that if we didn’t return the rest of them could have some money and have a little party.
RP: Anyway, it’s been a privilege talking to you, and thank you very much indeed, it’s been great, thank you.
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
Interview with Bernard Walter Culpin
Interview with Bob Culpin
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Rod Pickles
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
2018-05-30
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.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ACulpinBW180530, PCulpinBW1801
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Pending revision of OH transcription
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
01:22:35 audio recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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
Description
An account of the resource
Bob Culpin worked for the civil service before joining the RAF in 1941. He was posted to Alabama for pilot training but was remustered and instead, completed a navigation course in Miami. When he returned to Great Britain, Culpin formed a mixed-nationality crew and trained on Wellingtons and Halifaxes. After joining 405 Squadron, they undertook coastal command patrols from RAF Beaulieu, before moving to RAF Gransden Lodge in 1943. He describes their role as ‘backers-up’ and ‘recentres’ during Pathfinder operations, the circumstances surrounding his promotion to navigation leader, and difficult trips to Hamburg and Peenemünde. Culpin's operational flying ended after he was injured in a car accident. After the war, he briefly returned to the civil service before re-joining the RAF until his retirement in 1976.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tilly Foster
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Germany
Great Britain
United States
Alabama--Tuscaloosa
England--Cambridgeshire
England--London
Florida--Miami
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Peenemünde
Florida
Alabama
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940
1941
1943-04-17
1944-08
405 Squadron
6 Group
aircrew
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
Bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943)
Commodore
Halifax
Lancaster
navigator
Operational Training Unit
Pathfinders
promotion
RAF Gransden Lodge
searchlight
Stearman
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/769/9367/YDexterKI127249v1.2.pdf
eaf09649af90b3a0b45e75742d497557
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
Dexter, Keith Inger
Dexter, Dec
K I Dexter
Description
An account of the resource
33 items. The collection concerns Flying Officer Keith Dexter (1911 - 1943, 127249, 1387607 Royal Air Force ), a policeman before the war, he flew as a pilot with 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds. He was shot down and killed with all his crew on 16/17 June 1943 on operations against Cologne. Collection contains a dozen letters from 'Dec' Dexter to Phyllis Dexter,There is an extract from the 103 Squadron Operational Record Book on the loss of his aircraft and crew, maps of where his aircraft crashed, official Royal Air Force personnel records, Netherlands official documents, document about his aircraft as well as a photograph of a Lancaster over Lincoln and a crew. There are photographs of his grave as well as a group of people, including Keith Dexter being interviewed as a pilot trainee by the BBC at RAF Hatfield. There are two detailed daily diaries covering his time in the Royal Air Force from from 3 April 1941 to June 1943 which relate activities while training and on operations. There are some memorabilia, a photograph of a Lancaster over Lincoln, a painting, and an <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/770">album</a>. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Lieutenant Colonel Monty Dexter-Banks and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.<br /><br />Additional information on Keith Inger Dexter is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/106139/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
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
2017-08-30
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
Dexter, KI
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[book front cover]
[inserted] Engagements [/inserted]
[page break]
DEXTER.
DIARY FROM JOINING R.A.F.
[indecipherable]
[inserted] Engagements [/inserted]
[page break]
Memoranda
Th. 3 4/41. Attested Euston House.
S. 1 6/41. Holiday. Bolton Abbey with Con.
M. 16 6/41. Con to Stradishall.
M. 28 7/41 joined R.A.F. A.C.R.C. ST. [indecipherable]
28 7/41 – 9 8/41 A.C.R.C.
9 8/41 – To No.1 I.T.W. Babbacombe. Got [underlined] fit [/underlined]. Fairly hard work – interesting.
30 8/41 M.K. Gibbon’s –
12 9/41 Party K.
22 9/41 – 26 9/41 Final exams.
26 9/41 – 29 9/41 leave [deleted] A [/deleted] Party – Stradishall
30 9/41. Travel overnight to No1 E.F.T.S. Hatfield.
1 10/41 Arrive Hatfield. Good grub. Neat [indecipherable]. First sight Tiger on nose in middle of aerodrome.
3 10/41. 1st. trip with instructor. Rather strange at first. Planes seem to go crab fashion below you Ground very hard to read. No ill effects except for bumps. Glad to get back to ground though. Think I’ll like it. Off to Cons. Hitch to Cambs.
4 10/41. Leave - Stradishall.
11 10/41 [indecipherable].
12 10/41 Cons by car with Phyl. Pick up Mary. Chicken lunch – lovely.
[page break]
For Week of Monday [deleted] 12th Oct. 1941 [/deleted]
[deleted] MONDAY [/deleted][underlined] F. 17 10/41. [/underlined] wonderful hitch to Cambs. 3/4 hour. Got soaked from Haverhill.
[underlined] Th. 23 10/41. [/underlined] Went solo.
[deleted] TUESDAY [/deleted] [underlined] F. 24 10/41. [/underlined] could’nt do anything right. Reaction after solo? [deleted] A [/deleted] Party – S. Palace.
[underlined] S. 25 10/41. [/underlined] up & doing.
[underlined] Sun. 26 10/41. [/underlined] B.B.C. broadcast from
[deleted] WEDNESDAY [/deleted] Hatfield. After to see Phyl [indecipherable] & Dora.
[underlined] M. 27 10/41. [/underlined] 1 hour’s solo. Everything O.K. must have been re-action.
[deleted] THURSDAY [/deleted]
[underlined] T. 28 10/41. [/underlined] Rumour we’re leaving. F.F.I.
[underlined] Th. 30 10/41. [/underlined] Regret left Hatfield. C.O.
[deleted] FRIDAY [/deleted] very interested and decent. Very sorry to go. On leave to 5 11/41 repeat A.C.D.C. [indecipherable]. [deleted] A [/deleted] Party.
F. 31 10/41. To Cons.
[deleted] SATURDAY [/deleted]
Sun. 2 11/41 Party W.A.A.F officers mess and Off. Mess Stradishall.
[underlined] Mon. 3 11/41. [/underlined] Flip Wellington. ‘F’ Freddie.
[deleted] SUNDAY [/deleted]
[underlined] Tues. 4 11/41. [/underlined] Left Cons en route A.C.D.C. Saw Phyl & [indecipherable]. Party [deleted] A [/deleted]
[page break]
Memoranda
W. 5 11/41. Arrive A.C.D.C. Manchester. Good homely digs at Wyatts. Fail [indecipherable] Manchester.
F. 14 11/41. Spur of moment party – good.
S. 15 11/41. 7pm. Air. “Fantasia”
Sun. 16 11/41. [indecipherable] lunch (white sauce). [indecipherable] supper.
Th. 20 11/41 – 21 11/41 Overnight to Greenock. Embark H.M.T. [indecipherable] at [indecipherable] bound for Halifax Nova Scotia en route for U.S.A. Grounded rather. Sleep hammocks comfortable. Good grub. Harbour interesting.
Sat. 22 11/41. Weigh anchor. Depart harbour to Sea. 10.30/am through [indecipherable] to off Scottish Coast. Howard Marshall & Julian Huxley aboard. Also [indecipherable] with Fleet Air Arm [indecipherable].
Sun. 23 11/41. 0830. joined by two freight ships and one destroyer. Set sail in earnest 0930. [indecipherable] Pork lunch. Heaps of people sick. Bit queasy – eat good tea then O.K. Grand on deck - [indecipherable] forward. Green faces. Felt rather homesick. Cautious beer flat – queue for dry [indecipherable] Cigs etc. Very cheap.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 24th. Nov 1941
[deleted] MONDAY [/deleted] [underlined] MONDAY [/underlined] 24 11/41.
Green faces – sick everywhere Sea getting rough. Continue O.K. Good grub – now plenty of it.
TUESDAY 25 11/41. O.K. Eating well. Gale terrific pitching and huge seas. Grand fun. Man overboard destroyer – poor devil’s had it. Hove to during night.
WEDNESDAY 26 11/41. 3 days out. Sea still high and boat pitching. Took over Mess orderly to dodge guards etc! Green faces. Freighters left us. Grand fun.
THURSDAY 27 11/41. 4 days out. Lectures in Officer’s lounge – interesting. People recovering – not so much grub – still good. Big seas. Getting colder.
FRIDAY 28 11/41. 5 days out. Snow & sleet. Rumour not far off land – false. Ploughing steadily on. Most people recovered. Food still good. Fully lit ship passes in evening. Destroyer investigates.
SATURDAY 29 11/41. Rumours rife – but all false. Still going ahead. No sign of Jerry yet. Saw “Convey” – good. Played Bridge. Man-o-War crosses bows well ahead – exchanges signals with destroyer.
SUNDAY 30 11/41. Rumours but no Landor Jerry. V.Cold & uninviting. Handed in £10. Enjoyed trip so far. Moving well now.
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] Tuesday 2 11/41 [/underlined]
Docked Halifax 8 am. Ashore 1.15pm. Cables sent. Entrained for Moncton for A.C.D.C. 6 hour journey. Arr. 7pm. marched up to barracks. Brand new. Very warm. Most comfortable bed after hammock in tiers of two. Fleet Air Arm still with us. On way here passed through wonderful country. Pines and lakes with shacks seen through trees. Small towns & villages composed of a church always – and houses al in wood. No brick or stone to be seen. Halifax harbour inland a wonderful sight. Good meal served on train and another on arrival. Kitchens on train and A.C.D.C. very open. Strange to see lights again. track single for the most part with passing points. Block of one engine-in-section at a time prevails. [indecipherable] from [indecipherable] to Moncton. [indecipherable] at [indecipherable] dished out apples to troops. Several troop trains going towards Halifax. The [indecipherable] return cargo? Sleep – oh marvellous.
[underlined] N.B. RAILWAYS. [/underlined] Not so safe as in England. Queer system of single line working no tables. Track have double line [underlined] holts [/underlined] used either way. Track circuitry no apparent signalling. Centralised control. Points had worked on [underlined] MAIN [/underlined] line. No tank
[page break]
For Week of Monday 1st. Dec. 1941
MONDAY 1 12/41. Rumour – no land. Not far away now. Cold. Saw shoal of porpoises in afternoon – wonderful. D.R.O says docking tomorrow. Land sighted 10.30pm.
TUESDAY 2 12/41. Can sight land & lights distinctly – marvellous sight. Going well ahead now. Destroyer now left us. Docked 8am. Ashore 1.15pm. see opp. Saw Wallace.
WEDNESDAY 3 12/41. No work as yet. Posted mail & had look round town. People very decent. Good for shops & repair as you wait [indecipherable]. English tobacco – stacks. Disturbing rumours about U.S.A.
THURSDAY 4 12/41. Excellent hygiene here. Drink through straws – paper tissues. Excellent and varied grub at reasonable prices. Restaurants or Grills like “Quality Inns”. People grand though seemingly slow. Evening dinner Town.
FRIDAY 5 12/41. Man found to have hanged himself in drill hall. Bridge. 1250 Photos then down Town. Wonderful mixed grill. Had a look at Railway. We’re in the heart of moose country. Told excellent shooting & fishing. Bridge then bed.
SATURDAY 6 12/41. Paraded us work. Bridge. Thought we’d hitch to St. John – but decided against. Dave & I 5 mile walk. Scenery very same everywhere. Supper at Bennetts – bed. Wet.
SUNDAY 7 12/41. Up late nearly missed breakfast. Nothing to do. Wrote home & cards. Mind everywhere. Snow afternoon. Thick in evening. Drier snow than England. Bridge – bed. JAPAN DECLARES WAR – BOMBS HONOLULU, SINGAPORE ETC.
[page break]
Memoranda
engines. Shunters called “Switchers” and shunting “Switching”. All [indecipherable] carry huge head lights and wonderful drive whistles. Crossings usually not protected by gates. Train uses its whistle continuously to give warning of approach. At crossing a load single gong bell is started when train is 300 feet away and an arm with red lamp swings from a post across the road. All worked by track circuit. All main line engines appear to be 4-8-4 and switchers 0.6.0 or 2.6.0 tender engines. All engines kick up large amount of smoke. All vehicles whether goods or not are bogie. The [indecipherable] have 6 wheeled bogies.
[underlined] R.C.M.P. [/underlined]
A state controlled body – can operate anywhere. Each province I/C of [indecipherable] & sub-divided into Sub-Divisions I/C of [indecipherable]. Organisation very similar to M.P. Better system of forms. Those required in [indecipherable] already stacked up in the required No. with carbon in between – only require to be put in typewriter. Accident reports are completed by ticking off items which apply on a special form – no long winded typing. Far less forms than in the M.P. to cover a larger field of work.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 8th. Dec. 1941
MONDAY Heavy fall of snow overnight. More pleasant than wind. Snow seems more powdery & does not wet so much an English variety. Plenty of snowballing. U.S.A at war.
TUESDAY 9 12/41 no more snow but plenty about. Paid a visit to R.C.M.P. pleasant welcome invitation to go and drink there. See opposite page.
WEDNESDAY 10 12/41 Dodged fatigue’s in morning and in afternoon set out for majestic Hill – found snow too deep. Wonderful scenery. Reports that P of Wales and Repulse sunk by Japs.
THURSDAY 11 12/41. Had a hot shower & grub with Solomon’s [indecipherable]. Met Dennis Moyar on way here from U.S.A. passes O.K. being hit [indecipherable] at 200 mph at 5000’ in cloud! After to town & supper at “Windsor Grill”.
FRIDAY 12 12/41. After pay parade to town to get silk stockings for everyone and no lipstick. Sent home via [indecipherable] in time for Christmas I hope. After exchanged shoes for 3$ in town. Bridge then bed. Saw G. Wilkinson this morning.
SATURDAY 13 12/41. Short parade. Bridge before and after lunch. Too lazy to go out but eventually met Solomon, Charles & Wilkinson. Grub - [indecipherable] – dance – bed. George has failed on landings.
SUNDAY 14 12/41. Told we’re supposed to be moving South on Tuesday. Dodged fatigues – Snow turned to rain and a spot of thaw. Bridge all day.
[page break]
Memoranda
no crime Book – just loose leaf binder to hold one copy of crime Report prepared in quadruplicate. Finger prints taken on similar form to ours. System of working – local towns have their own Police and local bye-laws are practically left to them as a matter of courtesy. Mounties deal with State offences – liquor, game, big crime involving districts, travelling criminals etc. Start work 9 am. Patrol according to what is happening – usually 9 am to 6 pm. but are “on tap” for 24 hours. Uniforms – Scarlet full dress worn at Police Court, special & ceremonial parades, otherwise the un-dress of a bluish khaki is worn with the blue breeches (yellow stripe) and brown knee boots – very smart cut & fit. All recruits receive 6 – 9 months training at Regina which appears to be a 1st. class Training School & well appointed. Certainly the saying seems true that “There are only two Police Forces, the M.P & R.C.M.P.”
[underlined] SNOW [/underlined] Finer & more powdery than in England. Does’nt wet your clothing. Sun shines quite warmly during
[page break]
For Week of Monday 15th. Dec 1941
MONDAY 15 12/41. Moving at 6am tomorrow. Changed all [indecipherable] to American currency. Bath and then down Town for an evening meal. Packing. Frost during night – everything frozen hard – dangerous walking.
TUESDAY 16 12/41. Up 4.30am. parade 6am march station move 7.55am. Grand trip glorious scenery. ST. John, McAdam, Brownsville (Maine U.S.A.) Montreal 2.30am. Stopped [indecipherable] – beer 1st for 3 weeks!
WEDNESDAY 17 12/41. Slept indifferently on seats let back on a slide. Toronto, Ayr 10.30 am, 1/2 hour route march to stretch. Winded through tunnel to Detroit – dirty – Toledo, Cincinnati new [indecipherable] march [indecipherable]. C.P.R. right thro’.
THURSDAY 18 12/41. We are to keep the C.P.R. Coaches right thro’. Awoke at Chattanooga Tennessee. Atlanta – Montgomery then Maxwell Field. Scenery all day like the New Forest only more of it.
FRIDAY 19 12/41. Reveille 5.45 am. Parade 6 am. Heaps of B/S. We are to be drilled U.S. fashion – also U.S. arms drill. Address by R.A.F. senior officer in hanger in the evening. Very tired.
SATURDAY 20 12/41. Up at 6am. more arms drill and U.S.A. foot drill. Told we are to do a ceremonial Sunday parade in public – hence the drill etc. Quite enjoying all this. Grub excellent for climate.
SUNDAY 21 12/41. Up 6am. short church parade after breakfast. Early lunch then a complete rehearsal. 3.30pm. parade proper with band spectators etc. We put up a good show. Union Jack carried.
[page break]
Memoranda
the day and slight top thaw occurred. At night as soon as sun goes down it freezes hard & possibly snows also. Makes everything look marvellous. All the local people are at once prepared for it. Cars have chains and the bodies of hand carts etc. are taken off the chassis and put on a chassis equipped with runners – all [indecipherable] a land of snow. In spite of warm days local people wrap up well – they know. During day often an icy wind which makes your ears literally freeze – and ache. When sun is out the snow looks a wonderful colour of blue – reflecting the blue of the sky. Real need to wear tinted glasses if out for any length of time – Snow falls a lot End of November to December and lasts until end of March to April. Never seems to get slushy like good old England. No hills round here for winter Sports – pity.
All sleighs or for that matter horse drawn carts have small bells attached to the traces. Snow ploughs used on roads & footpaths as well as railways. Whether it is reflection or what I don’t know but when the sun is shining the sky is a glorious greeny-blue
[page break]
For Week of Monday 22nd. Dec. 1941
MONDAY 22 12/41. Up 6am. as usual! P.T & drill in the morning. Lecture after lunch – fell asleep. Treated myself to a new pen! Spot of bridge. Wrote K.
TUESDAY 23 12/41. A heavy tropical type of thunder storm overnight. Sheets of rain. No outside parades. Re-shuffle of quarters. Still with Dave & Thomas. An evening Christmas sing-song in hanger – R.A.F excelled. Good fun.
WEDNESDAY 24 12/41. Open post cancelled – rumour Japs A/C Carrier in Mexican Gulf. Troops fed up. someone sent telegram to Churchill in Washington! Later allowed open post of camp. Bored. Had walk round. [indecipherable]
THURSDAY 25 12/41. Allowed open post from 9am to 4.30pm. on guard at 4.30pm. To Town beer, turkey at Morrisons – more beer then guard. Fraternised with U.S. Cadets good fellars. Few drinks.
FRIDAY 26 12/41. Guard to 4.30pm – tiring job glad when over. Last tour of duty very hot and heavy on the feet. According to U.S. Regs not allowed to stand – must keep moving! Obviously not complied with.
SATURDAY 27 12/41. Parade thro’ Town in Blue-Grey Festival. 10am. Hard work but good show. After beer & grub at Morrisons Then to ball game at Gampton Bowl – disappointing. Later Blue-Grey Ball – lovely. Tommy Trinder’s band.
SUNDAY 28 12/41. Returned 1.30am. straight to bed tired. Stayed in bed to 9am. Leisurely shave etc. lunch 11.30. Usual Sunday Parade. R.A.F. colours presented. Bridge wrote home. & bed.
[page break]
Memoranda
and when sun sets the whole sky is a blaze of colour. Snow and roads etc. soon settles down & becomes frozen hard. There is no slush.
[underlined] FOOD. [/underlined] Not so unlike English dishes as at first one imagined. Different cuts of meat such as ‘T’ bone steak etc. food generally much cheaper. A whole supper @ 45c the same price as one ice cream sundae or fancy effort at the Soda fountain. Method of ordering is to choose the main dish which are priced on the menu and usually grouped together in price order. Menus all in English! Then you choose the soup or tomato juice etc. course, the sweet also the vegetables, for the main dish & last coffee, tea or milk. Having fixed the price of the meal by the main dish the rest is thrown in by the management! Usually lashings of all the kinds of vegetables on the menu and an extra cup of coffee if required. All restaurants are usually “Bennett’s Grill” or “Alison’s Grill” with “Art Bennett. Prop” under the name! some are called restaurants but usually grills. The interior is much the same. Always a soda fountain then snack bar with tall seats, and the rest
[page break]
For Week of Monday 29th. Dec 1941
MONDAY 29 12/41. Usual day – parade in the afternoon. At 7.30pm. O.C. Capt. Luper lectured on the U.S.A. “Honor” System in hanger. Troops got and enlightened him on the British code of honour. He was shot down in flames! Cable K.
TUESDAY 30 12/41. Usual day. Rumour that we’re going on the 11th. Shan’t be sorry. [underlined] Japs take Manila. [/underlined] Damned [indecipherable] lectures up to now ore History & Geography (U.S.A) & Aircraft Rec. bridge – bed.
WEDNESDAY 31 12/41. Usual day. We won the Sqdn. Competition! After parade into Town. Drinks – eats – flicks (“Yank in R.A.F. – good) drinks. Got bored at 11pm & returned 11.30pm. Went to bed. Heard New Year come in. Cable from Con.
THURSDAY 1 1/42. Reveille same time. Period of P.T. excused drill owing to winning Competition. Raining. Open post after lunch to 7.30pm. did’nt go out. Rumour we’re going on 6th. Spot of trouble over the [indecipherable] damage. Honour at stake.
FRIDAY 2 1/42. Received five letters & one parcel (Con) all via Heaton Park & [indecipherable]! makes things look a bit rosier. Bridge – prepared room for inspection next day.
SATURDAY 3 1/42. Presentation of American Wings to Advanced Class – lucky devils – address by Gov. Weaver O.C. U.S. Air Corps. Open post 12.15pm – 12.15am. Town. Meal – Tommy Horsfall. Dance Intro. Saxons. Invite next Saturday.
SUNDAY 4 1/42. Reveille usual time. [underlined] Wrote home [/underlined], A.W.Smith, Rly. Mag. Macs. Gilletts, Phyl. Went into Town – just had a look round museum at Capitol – tea & home.
[page break]
Memoranda
divided into knife board partitions to hold four – similar to the Quality Inns. Iced water and a plate containing rolls, biscuits or cookies as they are called, with butter are always provided with a meal. To choose a complete meal is cheaper by far than to order a la carte. Incidentally Bennett started in Moncton 5 yrs ago with 50$!
[underlined] HEATING. [/underlined] all houses large or small are “steam heated”. Indoors in Moncton is stifling far too hot. They do not seem able to strike a happy medium. Even the buses are heated by hot pipes. Probably accounts for the T.B. going from humid atmosphere to the freezing cold outside. Still – in each house however small there is a boiler in the cellar. Then according to the wealth of the owners there is a proper radiator system or just pipes lead off to all the rooms blowing in hot air. The wooden houses are much hotter than the brick variety – also wood is cheap and easy to get. The Canadians do not seem to have frost difficulties as in England. They don’t seem to take any special precautions but expect the “steam heating does the trick.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 5th. JAN 1942
MONDAY 5 1/42. Received a parcel from Rice with tobacco and one from Con with long letter all via Manchester & Moncton – very nice.
TUESDAY 6 1/42. Find we’re on the move on Saturday. Ring Saxons and re-date for Wednesday. Spot of bridge. No B/S parade.
WEDNESDAY 7 1/42. Definitely going Saturday think its Tuscaloosa. Make date with Saxons – have a good evening. Nice large house with big log grate & logs! First home I’ve been into – for 2 months!
THURSDAY 8 1/42. List definitely up for Tuscaloosa. Leave Saturday 13.15hours. Get out kit bags etc. Glad we’re going. Practice B/S parade for visitation tomorrow.
FRIDAY 9 1/42. Up 5.30am. B/S parade at 9 am for Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles Portal who arrived by a Douglas. Packed kit etc. Open post to 10pm after lunch went down Town.
SATURDAY 10 1/42. Left at 1.30pm for Tuscaloosa by motor coach. Good journey 147m in 3 1/2 hrs. Tuscaloosa a change from Maxwell. Good billets, grub fair, less B/S.
SUNDAY 11 1/42. A day of ‘Pep’ talks & lectures from 6am to 8pm! Settled down in rooms. I rather like the place Similar to Hatfield not so good.
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] THE JOURNEY SOUTH [/underlined] 16 12/41 – 18 12/41.
C.P.R Coaches with adjustable seats which also swivel so that you can face the window or turn right round for cards, etc. Told we get America state at Detroit. Start at 7.55am. Usual scenery to ST. JOHN. Diners attached and we climb & climb. Scenery very grand and glorious along St. John river. Climbing hard with occasional easy. Changed our Canadian national 4.8.4 for a C.P.R. 2.8.4 at St. John with smaller wheels. [indecipherable] different toned whistle. Stock rides well and silently but terrific jolts on starting. Arrive [deleted] Ma [/deleted] QADAM short 2.30pm and change engines for another of same type. Climbed onto cab but driver said it was against law to give footplate trips – pity. Away again – soon cross a small river by bridge and we are in the U.S.A. – we cross the state of Maine to reach Montreal. Stop at Brownsville – get cigs & chocolate. Playing bridge scenery now rather flatter and covered with small farms. American cottages although of wood do not seem to be so well built as the Canadian version. Coaches are very warm – too hot really although there is plenty of snow about. Continue to climb to majestic
[page break]
For Week of Monday 12th. JAN 1942
MONDAY 12 1/42. Lectures to lunch. Flying at 12.30pm. M. [indecipherable]. Power off & P. on Stalls. S & L 40 mins. Stearsman P.T.17’s heavy & clumsier than moths. Decent Instructor. [indecipherable] – does’nt [indecipherable]. 40 mins. Wrote home
TUESDAY 13 1/42. Lectures. Flying at 12.30pm 35 mins. Not good can’t do anything right. P.T.17 heavier to handle than Tiger. Rudder and bank to be put on together! Fair landing. Feel a bit fed up.
WEDNESDAY 14 1/42. Lectures – flying 12.30pm. made a much better job of it. Getting used to the P.T.17. good take off & landing. Felt better and more confident. K.
THURSDAY 15 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. 1 1/2 hours. Made a fair job of it. Did circuits and bumps at faster [indecipherable] of solo. Flick show at the station – quite good. Wrote G.H.W.
FRIDAY 16 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. Only did 2 circuits & bumps – to make up for yesterday. Fair. Wrote to Wilkinson. Open post – did’nt go out. Wrote Sal.
SATURDAY 17 1/42. Flying 12.30pm. [indecipherable] then circuits & bumps Fair [indecipherable] of solo. Open post went down town to Methodist Hall – poor. Snack then beer at Ellis Club.
SUNDAY 18 1/42. Actually allowed to sleep on to 9.30am. what a treat. Wrote home, Sheila, Cyril & Nora, Charlie. Rested rest of day. Did not fly today.
[page break]
Memoranda
Stop here for 20 mins. We’re now in the Province of Quebec therefore we dash to an hotel conveniently near the station and grab three bottles of beer each. Had to ask for cigs in French! Beer not bad rather light in colour & on the palate. Was double headed and away we go – through the Town. We now move in two C.P.R. diners with kitchens end to end in relays. Grub excellent and plenty of it. Waiters very obliging. Scenery now much grander and the two engines are working hard to lift us over the hills. No tunnels – just heavy gradients. Engines not suited for double heading and we are going slowly with jerks. Don’t like these central buck-eye couplers. We have crossed the top of the U.S.A. province of Maine to reach Majestic. Darkness falls with glorious colours among the pines, hills, frozen lakes and general splendour. We play bridge until bed time then make ourselves as comfortable as possible for the night on our slide back seats - 3 men to 4 seats sandwich fashion. 17 12/41. Wake up to find a [indecipherable] cold [indecipherable]. The heat is full on and the doors which we opened have been closed. Still better after a
[page break]
For Week of Monday JAN 19th 1942
MONDAY 19 1/42. Flying 7.A.M. SOLO 4 [deleted] 3 [/deleted] Circuits & fair landings. Very glad – performed at Tuscaloosa.
TUESDAY 20 1/42. Flying 8.30 am. 2nd SOLO at Rice. 3 circuits & fair landings one wheels first. Feel quite happy on my own. Rice very small “cabbage patch“ – good fun.
WEDNESDAY 21 1/42. Flying 7.30am. 3rd SOLO at Tuscaloosa. 4 circuits & 3 fair one bump landing. Seem to have lost the knack of holding-off. Hope it will come back.
THURSDAY 22 1/42. Flying 7am. Over to Rice to shoot 1st stage. 6 circuits 3 fair landings 3 W.F. Think I must be getting a little stale. Still not too bad. Satisfactory “Stage”. Flick – Alexanders Rag Time Band.
FRIDAY 23 1/42. Flying 8.30am. Bad visibility – no solo. Up to 3000 and stalls etc. Instructor did two slow rolls. Hanging in straps – could’nt stop laughing. Open Post – flicks. Beer in Town.
SATURDAY 24 1/42. Open post after the B/S inspection. Went into Town after lunch. Met Mrs Jones – car ride round & met Foster. Nice people. More beer & bed.
SUNDAY 25 1/42. Up 5.30am. Flying 9.15 am. Bad visibility earlier. Over to Rice shot a “Satisfactory” stage. 7 Circuits. 5 landings O.K. 2 W.F. wrote home & to W/C. Pyke.
[page break]
Memoranda
wash and a breath of fresh air on the platform. The coaches – called cars – are heated as usual from pipes running from a boiler and the end. The windows which are as usual [indecipherable] do not open. The coach really gets too hot and everyone is in shirt sleeves. Well we seem to have left the grand woods & lakes for the flat farm country south of Montreal which we passed at 2.30 am. I am told. We are now on the western bank of Lake Ontario which looks just like the sea, with a horizon complete. From the map one does’nt realise the real size of the lakes. Via Brownsville to Toronto where we all pile out. We exchange our 4.6.4 for a C.P.R. 4.6.2 No. 8256 of the same class as No. 8250 which headed the Royal Train. Snow now definitely left us and it seems warmer. Now move to Ayr and stop for a half hour’s route march to get some fresh air and stretch the old legs. Surprised to find some snow all slushy on the road.
On again and we have lunch. Country very flat here – all farming, except for the farm buildings it might be England except the ground has that queer brown colour. We are travelling along the western bank of Lake Erie though we cannot
[page break]
For Week of Monday 26th. JAN 1942
MONDAY 26 1/42. Flying afternoon 1hr. dual. Usual exercises. Not to brilliant still a little progress. Good flying weather.
TUESDAY 27 1/42. Flying afternoon – if any. Low cloud 10/10 strong variable wind. Collins had one hour but instructor said it was no good. Gripe committee.
WEDNESDAY 28 1/42. Flying afternoon. Still 10/10 at 3000’. Had 52 mins dual and went above cloud. Glorious at 5,500’. Did some Slow Rolls, Roll off loop, chandelles or rather instructor did. Flick – good. Two letters K.
THURSDAY 29 1/42. Flying afternoon. Good vis. 40 mins dual – pylon eights. 45 mins solo out of traffic. Got used to spins etc on my own. Enjoyed it. [indecipherable]
FRIDAY 30 1/42. [indecipherable] & Ford ([indecipherable]) crashed on Birmingham Road. [indecipherable] died at 8.59pm – poor devil – badly smashed up. Ford two broken legs & crushed foot. Cause not known. Bad luck. Did’nt fly. Open post.
SATURDAY 31 1/42. Usual B/S Inspection. One jig. Believe Ford will lose his foot. No flying – too rough. Open post. Flick then to St. John’s Hall after to Ellis. Thomas & his medal – damn funny.
SUNDAY 1 2/42. Stayed in bed to 9.30 am. oh joy. Wrote home & to Stella, Saxons. Went for a walk with Jack round the hills & woods – quite enjoyable.
[page break]
Memoranda
see any of it as we’re too far inland. We pass thro’ stations with names like London, Chatham etc. We reach Windsor, C.P.R. the end of the Canadian part of our journey. The New York Central R.R now hook on two electric locos to take us under the Detroit River – joining to Hudson and L. Eire – by tunnel into Detroit Station. We are still in C.P.R coaches though we lost our Pacific at Windsor. We apparently change coaches at Cincinnati to U.S.A. Stock. A N.Y.C 4.6.4 hooks on and away we go. Different toned whistle again. Detroit is a dirty hole and is in the heart of the industrial area. Country very flat and somewhat uninteresting. We play bridge until tea time.
We’ve collected a N.Y.C. diner at Detroit and find we’ve waited on by coloured servants immaculate in white [indecipherable] set off by their black faces. I’m impressed by their silent service. They never speak unless spoken to or ask if you want this or that – and when doing nothing stand to attention waiting to do the next job as it presents itself. The diner is in charge of an American white head waiter who just supervised. Grub is excellent. The decoration of the diner soft and pleasing. Sitting 4 and 2. You are expected to eat American fashion and have only
[page break]
For Week of Monday 2nd. FEB 1942
MONDAY 2 2/42. Met new instructor. Seemed decent chap & satisfied with my 50 mins flying except for rudder fanning! PARCEL OF SOCKS & LETTER FROM Con –great. On the air 7.45 in R.A.F. Cadets broadcast – O.K.
TUESDAY 3 2/42. No flying – bad visibility. Seniors beat juniors at Volley ball. No gripe committee. Wrote letter – thunder a lot we all felt heavy.
K.
WEDNESDAY 4 2/42. Gusty day but went up with Instructor – fair. Stn. flicks in evening – Alice Faye in a most boring picture.
THURSDAY 5 2/42. Fair weather. 30 mins with instr. then out of traffic again for 45. Good fun though a trifle bumpy – good landings.
FRIDAY 6 2/42. Only 15 mins dual. Very gusty & sudden squall. 3 blokes out solo caught in it – all landed O.K. Wind so strong it nearly lifted the plane over. Open post – got roped into rotten party. PARCEL FROM CON. CYCLONE.
SATURDAY 7 2/42. Open post after inspection. Went to see Ford – getting along O.K. though knocked about. Flicks then grub & beer. Tommy quite merry – damned funny.
SUNDAY 8 2/42. Flying this morning. did 6 circuits & bumps solo – Could’nt get a really decent landing – safe. Seem to lose height on glide turn. Wrote to Con.
[page break]
Memoranda
a knife, folk and small spoon. Main [indecipherable], potato, carrots, with specially prepared lettuce, hot roll, butter & marmalade. Also fresh fruit salad & cream. Damn good. More bridge then we’re told we’re to change at Cincinnati and to be ready at 10.15pm. after supper – Americans only have three meals a day – I thanked the head waiter who was very decent and told me to come back later for some coffee if I wanted it. I did and one of the waiters very cautiously asked me how we made our tea in England and when I answered him in a normal manner they all seemed relieved that I’d talk to them and became quite chatty. The one with the tea query said he’d seen the film Mr. Chipps and when Chipps makes his tea he seemed to have too many pots round him. Those n***** were interesting.
We arrive at Cincinnati and prepare to change train only to be told that we were to have the C.P.R all the way. We fell out and marched up to the main Hall of the station which is supposed to be best looking station in U.S.A. Certainly a huge arched roof of vast proportions with booking windows on one side and shops round the other. Markey floor and [indecipherable] splendour everywhere. We marched
[page break]
For Week of Monday 9th. FEB 1942
MONDAY 9 2/42. Two letters CON. 1 SHEILA. 55 Dual 30 solo. Landings etc. fair. Learnt chandelles – good fun – nice feel I’m progressing a little.
TUESDAY 10 2/42 2 Letters CON. 1 Syd. 1.00 Solo. Stalls, spins, chandelles, etc. eights etc. quite enjoyed it. Fair progress.
WEDNESDAY 11 2/42. No flying – low cloud & bad visibility. Lousy film in the evening
THURSDAY 12 2/42. 40 Solo. 35 Dual. practice for 900 stage. Landings only fair. Made a mess of two at Rice when dual. gripe committee.
FRIDAY 13 2/42. Letter G.W. he sounds fed up – poor devil. Failed 900 stage at Rice. 18 A/C going round at once – hard to pick a spot in which to land. Open post – Town Seniors beat juniors at Soccer.
SATURDAY 14 2/42. 2K. Satisfactory 900 stage at Rice. Just caught 4.30 bus for B’ham Good time. Met Jones, Smith, Mann who took us to Road House. Good fun. Stayed at Bankhead Hotel.
SUNDAY 15 2/42. Slept well – had hot bath – great treat. After breakfast bought tobacco & caught 1.30 bus back. Rather tired but well worth it as a change.
[page break]
Memoranda
round in Flights and halted in the main Hall to the admiration of the American people there who clapped their hands in applause when we marched away - they genuinely meant it. We re-embark and a Southern engine hooks on and away we go. We've changed our diner for a Southern one. Getting much hotter and after a spot of bridge turned in again - left all the doors open got nice thro’ draught.
18 12/41. Awoke at Chattanooga in Tennessee where we changed engines. Went along to breakfast in the Southern diner - very similar to N.Y.C. but waiters did’nt seem so efficient. Excellent breakfast. Appears to be some early morning fog but when it cleared we found ourselves in beautiful scenery. Reminiscent of the New Forest undulating country with plenty of timber - fir, spruce, etc. Amazing colours in the brown - red grass and red soil to the dark green of trees and bushes etc. Strange to see leafless trees with an English summer sun and equivalent temperature. Small farms with plenty of cotton fields which are ploughed in S’s. Also some apple orchards. Plenty of darkies and still the houses seem to be rather ramshackle. Getting hotter and we leave off a sweater!
[page break]
For Week of Monday 16th. FEB 1942
MONDAY 16 2/42. No flying - bad visibility. Went to ALA University. Morgan Hale and heard Rev. Michael Coleman on “There’ll always be an England”. Very fine speaker. Vicar of All Hallows in the City. Informed I was next G.C.
TUESDAY 17 2/42. Cloudy day but got in 1.15 dual, weather cleared a bit & then 40 solo. Fair.
WEDNESDAY 18 2/42. No flying – bad visibility. Bridge in evening.
THURSDAY 19 2/42. Damned cold. Flying 9 am. 1.35 Solo. Fair – nearly frozen. 25 dual – Satisfactory progress check. Film “Honeymoon in Bali” Madeleine Carroll – good.
FRIDAY 20 2/42. Warmer. 1.45 solo. Unsatisfactory 1800 side stage. W.F. landings – blast. Down Town open post. Beer at Elks – Senior term dance at University – lousy.
SATURDAY 21 2/42 Satisfactory stage (1800 side) at Moody. Also enjoyed lazy eights & pylon eights afterwards. Open post – beer & bowls – good fun.
SUNDAY 22 2/42. Making arrangements for intake of new cadets. Think everything will be O.K. No flying today. wrote Con. New crowd arrived 7 pm. rather rush but K O.K.
[page break]
Memoranda
We arrive at Atlanta in Georgia at 10.50am. – put watches back one hour last night. Loose [sic] our Southern 4.6.2 with it’s [indecipherable] crew for a 4.6.2 painted black no [indecipherable]. We cleaned the outside of our windows which had become dirty with the morning fog. A 15 minute wait and away we go. Since the [indecipherable] speed has been good – round the 60 mark. Track with exceptions round the bigger cities is single throughout.
We have an excellent lunch in the well equipped diner same arrangement as before but of course different crew and not quite so quick as the N.Y.C. We rattle along and it gets hotter. We are then told that if we cannot pack our greatcoats we are to wear them! Good old R.A.F same old B/S.
Scenery has’nt changed a great deal since this morning except to get a little more open and this afternoon we went slowly thro’ a station which evidently had a war weapons week. Flags everywhere and at least two brass bands in the most brilliant of Scarlet uniforms!
We arrive in Montgomery and after a pause in the station proceed to some track beside
[page break]
For Week of Monday 23 FEB 1942
MONDAY 23 2/42. A day of hard going looking after the Junior Term & getting them to about half a dozen lectures! Everything now O.K. Had a letter from Cherry. No flying bad weather – rain.
TUESDAY 24 2/42. Kept on the go all day – no time for lectures. Everyone wanted me all at once – what a life. No flying – bad weather. B/S parade not bad. I forgot to give Order Arms!
WEDNESDAY 25 2/42. Things getting more normal now. Practice 3600 overhead & liked it. Had “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” in evening – much better than of late.
THURSDAY 26 2/42. 2.40 hr. solo. good practice – fair progress. Cold & bumpy. Gripe committee in evening. Junior term seem to be settling down O.K. Good B/S parade.
FRIDAY 27 2/42. Unsuccessful 3600 stage (32). Very bumpy & higher wind made judgement difficult. Afterwards solo practice. Slow snap rolls – good fun. After open post. University – for records good & after to Elks.
SATURDAY 28 2/42. Good (considering) B/S inspection & parade. After open post. Bridge in afternoon then to supper & saw “They lived dangerously” – good. To Elks & home. Ran out of beer!
SUNDAY 1 3/42. Satisfactory stage at Foster (24!) one line. Better day & not so bumpy. Stayed in bed to 10.30 am – lovely! Wrote CON.
[page break]
Memoranda
Maxwell Field. We disembark overcoats and full webbing – whew! and are met by U.S. Air Corps Officers who lead us to our new quarters.
Forgot to mention that I had a chat with the “Conductor” on the N.Y.C portion of the journey. He corresponds with our “Guard” but has one or two “brakemen” to assist with various duties, such as uncoupling a car, changing points or “Switches”. He said that we were matey compared with the last lot he’d taken along towards Montgomery. They were very quiet and would’nt talk at all. Quite a decent fellow. Also being that one does’nt converse with negros which accounts for the interest of the waiters when they saw I would talk.
[underlined] MAXWELL FIELD, MONTGOMERY. [/underlined]
This is the Cranwell of the U.S. Army Air Corps. A well laid out place with the usual one storey long barracks six to a room with a locker each and wash basin in each room. Comfortable beds. A veranda or “stoop” runs the whole length of one side. Plenty of B/S but I find it rather amusing. Can’t think that in any detail the U.S. armed forces are smarter or a patch on the average British Regiment. think
[page break]
For Week of Monday 2nd. MARCH 1942
MONDAY 2 3/42. No flying – rained solidly. Pity because we’re to get 58 hrs in by 14 3/42 – practically 2 hrs a day. No retreat parade. Played bridge. No letters?
TUESDAY 3 3/42. Better day but cold. Got in 2.25 mins solo. When I got back found that the beacon had been on for over an hour! High wing – good sport. Still no letters.
WEDNESDAY 4 3/42. No rain but low mist. No solo. 30 mins dual. leant loops. Polished up hazy lifts. Pass in evening, saw Dumbo – good.
THURSDAY 5 3/42. Raining again – looks [inserted] K [/inserted] like no flying. TWO LETTERS FROM CON. Played bridge in morning as there is no flying. Worried about getting time in.
FRIDAY 6 3/42. Fog & mist all morning no flying for morning class. Cleared away in afternoon. Open post – went into Town, flicks & a beer. Pay day.
SATURDAY 7 3/42. Coiling about 2,500 got in 1.40 solo 50 dual. satisfactory stage 1800 overhead the base! Getting smoother with my air work. Open post saw “Hellsapoppin” very funny.
SUNDAY 8 3/42. Stayed in bed to 11 am – marvellous wrote Con. Went to concert at University. Played Tchaikovsky’s Bb Concerto – good. Saw “Suspicion”.
[page break]
Memoranda
arms drill does not help smartness. Many sloppy movements carried out too fast. Same with their fast drill – the executive work of command is the wrong type of word, such as “face” or “Post”, “at ease”, “rest” etc. instead of “take – post”, “stand at – ease” etc. to which we’ve been used. Their dress of the usual tailored shirt and belted trousers does’nt look too smart though must admit that the R.A.F tropical drill we have been issued with is far from well fitting.
The “Field” or aerodrome in English is well laid out. All personnel apparently live on the station and are allocated separate houses which vary in size and design with the rank of the occupier. Each has a yellow metal notice outside giving the No. and rank & name of the occupier. The design of the houses favour the red tiled roof with white walls and a balcony with iron railings. Also includes a veranda. All verandas and windows have fine gauge gauze over them to keep away flies etc.
The standard of flying here which is an advanced school is high. One sees R.A.F. pupils pulling down Howards in prefect 3 pointers. Also some good formation flying.
[page break]
For Week of Monday MARCH 9th 1942
MONDAY 9 3/42. Good flying – 2.15 hrs Solo & dual – starting aerobatics good fun but hard work on the stick. A bit awe inspiring upside down hanging in the straps.
TUESDAY 10 3/42. Army & Civilian checks [inserted] K [/inserted] both in the same afternoon! Rather a poor effort on my part for the Civilian one but made up for it on the Army which was good – bumpy. Letter from CON.
WEDNESDAY 11 3/42. More aerobatics – getting used to it now & quite like it. Makes ordinary flying seem a bit tame! Bing Crosby film in evening.
THURSDAY 12 3/42. Still more aerobatics & polishing up my flying generally. Don’t think I’ll have any more checks. Meeting of the troops who decided to have a dinner farewell party. Asked to speak at rally
FRIDAY 13 3/42. No flying owing to rain & bad conditions. Went into Town to fix up dinner at Country Club. O.K. Pusay stood me a lunch. Open post – spot of flick & beer. Prepared speech.
SATURDAY 14 3/42. Good S.M.I. submitted speech but not now required – Col. From Atlanta instead. [indecipherable] & [indecipherable] annoyed – seems rather silly on their parts. Speech will do for Monday night. Date of dinner fixed
SUNDAY 15 3/42. Stayed in bed to 9 am read some Kipling. ([indecipherable]) Did’nt fly – not good weather too much time in. wrote to CON, PHYL, SHEILA, JACKO, B.M.
[page break]
Memoranda
We are termed “United Kingdom cadets” and the rank is “Aviation Cadet”. Time off is limited and we are not allowed out of camp except Saturday afternoon and Sunday to 3 p.m. each Sunday there is a drill parade with band to which the public is admitted. Quite a palatial show colours are carried including the Union Jack as well as Squadron guidons. A march past is carried out in “mass” formation – i.e. 12 deep. Mass formation is formed by bringing three squadrons in fours in column alongside each other. Good system of repeating the [deleted] Squadron [/deleted] C.O’s cautionary command by the Squadron C.O. to avoid mistake. The band is not so smart or slick as the British equivalent. No swinging or stick display with exception of the drum major who carries his mace upside down with the other hand on his hip & kind of beats time with it. He also carries a whistle permanently in his mouth with which he signals to the band. Marches mostly [indecipherable]
[page break]
For Week of Monday 16th. MARCH 1942
MONDAY 16 3/42. Cross country flight low ceiling. Fixed up for Country Club for our dinner on Thursday. Spoke to A.R.P meeting.
TUESDAY 17 3/42. Solo & dual – good spot mostly aerobatics. Invited everyone to dinner. Arranged menu. Practice blackout.
WEDNESDAY 18 3/42. Went up in front cockpit & “instructed” my instructor – good spot. Went over to Eutaw with him. Simonds for a car load of beer. Supper with Pusay. 500 bottles of beer.
THURSDAY 19 3/42. More front cockpit circuits. To Eutaw with McKindey for whiskey. Dinner a great success – everyone merry. All enjoyed it hugely.
FRIDAY 20 3/42. Somewhat thick headed still finished off my flying. After borrowed Simonds car & return beer bottles paid bills etc. Concert by Cincinnati Symphony Orch. – excellent.
SATURDAY 21 3/42 S.M.I. after on leave to Thursday. Hitched to Birmingham. Jones, O’Neill & I. went to see Elizabeth & Elanise & had drinks. Met Sutcliffe. Colonel – [indecipherable]. Roped in to ladies convention – dreadful. Poor hotel.
SUNDAY 22 3/42 Up at 11 am. lunch. 2 pm. hitched to Bessemer via Steel hills. Then to Demopolis. Then to Livingstone. Pick up with Judge Alexander to Jackson who put us up. marvellous old Southern house.
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] Blue – Grey Football Game. [/underlined]
Saturday 27th. December 1941. On the whole somewhat disappointing. The game is slow compared with British Rugby on account of its closed play. Only the two ends the centre and the four backs are allowed to handle the ball. Then after each “down” lasting approximately 10-15 seconds there is a pause while the players go into a huddle. There is no scrummaging after a player is tackled the ball then becomes dead and is placed at that spot on the grid for the next down. We rarely saw any real constructive play and short passing is ruled out on account of a rule which prohibits a player who receives the ball from a down passing the ball if he has run more than five yards.
The side consists of 11 players. 7 linesmen – Left-End, Left tackle, Left Guard, Centre, Right Guard, Right tackle and Right End – all heavyweights. A quarter back, two half backs and a full back – usually faster men.
The object of the game is to confuse the opposite side so they do not know who has the ball. The strategy is worked out beforehand and controlled by numbers – a certain number being the executer. The captain
[page break]
For Week of Monday 23th MARCH 1942
MONDAY 23 3/42. Hitched to the [deleted] College [/deleted] Camp. Then to [indecipherable] – Kentwood. Via Clinton to Baton Rouge, thence to New Orleans. Met Geo. Taylor & Paul Lansing good booze up. they got us rooms in Roosevelt Hotel. Excellent party all round – street car!
TUESDAY 24 3/42. Up 10.30 am. pick me up – lunch. More drinks then to “Red’s” office – made dictaphone record. Then French Quarter. Grub in French Restaurant – more drinks - [indecipherable] – night club & floor show. Bed 4.30 am!
WEDNESDAY 25 3/42. Up 11 am. feel quite fresh! Had lunch. Found Paul had gone to work. Hitched to Hattiesburg. Had grub then same beer. Took pity on Eugene Plake. All three slept in one double room at Divine Tourist Cabins! Good fun.
THURSDAY 26 3/42. Up 9.30 am. and on at 11.30 to [indecipherable]. From there all the way to Tuscaloosa with bloke towing another car at 50-60 m.p.h. Good leave. Wrote [inserted] K [/inserted] CON.
FRIDAY 27 3/42. Spent the day messing about and waiting, getting packed up etc. somewhat tired after our spot of leave. Had letters from London, CON, & parcel from Phy [sic] containing socks.
SATURDAY 28 3/42. Finished packing & handing in flying kit etc. Last S.M.I. & P.I. – quite good. In afternoon went into Town, had a meal, saw a flick & then bed.
SUNDAY 29 3/42. Up early, checked baggage then at 8.40 left by coach for Gunter Ann 12.45. Looks like Maxwell & is under Army discipline. Don’t seem too bad expect we’ll settle down all right.
[page break]
Memoranda
decided on which strategy to use in the huddle. The players then line up. 7 on the line with the centre’s hands on the ball and the backers in formation behind. The numbers are then called out and on the execution the ball is flicked back to one of the backs. All the linemen then “block” which means obstructing the opposite side as much as possible to give the man with the ball as much scope as possible. He can’t pass if he has run more than 5 yards but runs in the direction determined in the strategy performed. For instance to fool the opposition as soon as the ball is out another player may run across just behind him and appear to take the ball from him and continue to run with his arm crooked as though he has the ball. He may draw some of the defence while the bloke with the ball crashes straight on. The defending side are allowed to tackle with their arms but the attackers can only block with their bodies by falling in front of an opponent and bringing him down. [underlined] Note [/underlined]:- the person blocked does not have to have the ball. The object is to keep as many of the opposition out of the play as possible.
The rule for offside appears to
[page break]
For Week of Monday 30th MARCH 1942
MONDAY 30 3/42 up 5.30 am – missed Reveille parade. Mostly drill & P.T. B/S seems a bit hectic. Second lot of P.T. & drill in the evening. American Executive Officer a [indecipherable] apparently.
TUESDAY 31 3/42. Up 5.30 – missed Reveille Parade again! Rather same sort of rush as at Maxwell. Flying. American instructor – quite good fun – like the planes especially closed cockpits.
WEDNESDAY 1 4/42 got on Reveille parade at last. Went thro’ the 10 types of stall. Find landing rather strange – expect we’ll get used to it. Meeting of cadet officers. WROTE ALEXANDER, SYD,SOLOMON, WELLS.
THURSDAY 2 4/42. Getting good at getting up! More stalls – fair. Weather excellent but a bit hazy. Find the glare rather trying must get some sun glasses. Meeting of cadet officers with Flt/Lt. Philips – good bloke. [inserted] CNG K. [/inserted]
FRIDAY 3 4/42. STALLS – flying on Maxwell been good fun but did’nt quite get the hang of it. Useful to get you home if you’re lost. Link trainer tonight. LETTER FROM CON, PIKE, MOKE.
SATURDAY 4 4/42. Elementary eights, spin and forced landings. Wish I could get the sequence of the gadgets. But expect it will come. [indecipherable] of solo. open post in Montgomery – bought some glasses.
SUNDAY 5 4/42. Stayed in bed to 10 am – blissful sleep. Wrote to CON & CHARLIE. Went for walk in afternoon – lift to town then stn. flicks.
[page break]
Memoranda
be that no player on either side may cross the line of the “line up” until the ball is in play i.e flicked back by the centre. There are also other infringements to do with blocking, “tipping” which is falling across the back of a man’s legs when he is running. The penalty usually is loss of territory by the offending side.
The field is 100yrs. long x 70 yds wide and divided into 5 yd lines – called the grid. The goal posts are 20 yds to the rear of the “goal” line – rather similar to being placed on our dead ball line. A gain of 10 yds in one down is considered good and the game slowly moves towards one end or another. One side kicks off and then commences a series of 4 downs for each side one after another – unless the opposing side recover the ball which has been dropped when the immediately commence the next series of [deleted] touch [/deleted] downs. If a side gains more than 10 yds in 4 downs it continues with the next 4 and so on. The time is divided into 4 quarters – 2 in each half – of 15 minutes each, making the game 60 minutes in all.
At half time players leave the
[page break]
For Week of Monday 6th APRIL 1942
MONDAY 6 4/42 WENT SOLO much to my surprise & had 45 minutes out of traffic. Good spot – fly better without instructor nattering. Fell foul of Lieblich for not wearing tunic – a most unpleasant individual.
TUESDAY 7 4/42. Another three circuits & bumps solo then back. Instructor hard to satisfy – says I’m getting sloppy in my work! especially after he made me put the nose down so that she bounced. Shotbolt died after crash last night.
WEDNESDAY 8 4/42. No flying owing to a low ceiling. Instructor seems to be in a better temper however. Very hot & sultry – think there’s thunder about. Shotbolt’s funeral – did’nt have to go. [inserted] W.K. [/inserted]
THURSDAY 9 4/42. Lieblich stopped W/E leave this week – troops a bit livid. Don’t blame them. Rained like nothing on earth but cooler. Wrote to TOM. letter from Phyl.
FRIDAY 10 4/42. Had an hour’s solo then dual. kept Davis waiting for 5-10 mins so he made me walk round the field with a parachute. He was very sarcastic & snotty eventually took me off un-supervised solo. I told him if he did’nt think I could fly to wash me out so that I could fly in Canada. He shut up.
SATURDAY 11 4/42. Two killed yesterday, 1 last night. Davis very sweet & gentle today the hypocrite – still he put me on solo again! Glad I did’nt answer him back yesterday. Think this engine failure is Sabotage. 4 killed in 14 days & [indecipherable]
SUNDAY 12 4/42. Had a wonderful sleep up 10.30 am. Met Kelly in Drill Room last night got some gin re Advanced. In afternoon went to Kings & dosed in sun – very pleasant. Parcel to Con yesterday.
[page break]
Memoranda
field and on this occasion a High School band containing both girls & boys with very “gorgeous” uniforms all bobbles & things came on the field. They did perform some extraordinary manoeuvres for a band marching at double quick time and forming themselves into letters such as “DIXIE”, “BLUE”, “GREY” and “U.S.” when they played the “Star Spangled Banner” – U.S. national anthem. Other school bands were stationed in the stands mostly at the corners – including the U.S. Air Corps Band – and throughout the match struck up stirring [indecipherable] marches in turn.
The ball is similar to a rugger ball in shape but smaller and can be thrown long distances. Some of the interesting parts of the game occurred with these passing movements. The ball shot back to a Quarter back who paused a few seconds – being protected by efficient blocking by the linemen – until the Ends or other backs ran up to the opposing goal line. The ball was then thrown to one of them who tried to catch it and touch down, amidst a general scramble.
[underlined] N.B. [/underlined] Only the Ends & backs can handle the ball.
Kicking or [indecipherable] as it is
[page break]
For Week of Monday 13th. APRIL 1942
MONDAY 13 4/42. Stalls & spirals this morning [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] – Instructor pleased! Had a letter from Con, Nora.
TUESDAY 14 4/42. Shot a 900 stage – O.K. Spot more instrument flying – fair. Letter from Charlie & Barbara – funny as usual. Can’t keep awake in lectures after P.T – dreadful. Heard about new Budget at home.
WEDNESDAY 15 4/42. Shot another 900 stage. Seniors finish on Friday so should get some time in. Had a plane which kept running into high pitch & would’nt climb – not very pleasant. Saw “Captains of the Clouds” – good.
THURSDAY 16 4/42. Did some stalls and spirals. Good day – Davis quite pleased – must go & spoil it by winding down flaps too soon on base leg! Scorching hot.
FRIDAY 17 4/42. Instrument flying – all went well until I tried to straighten out after glide. Davis bawled – only to be expected. Hoping Sgt. Ridley will be next G.C. – too much of a strain quite willing to assist.
SATURDAY 18 4/42. Got in 3.15 hrs today the Seniors are on leave more planes. Stage – instr – solo. good day all round especially instruments. Open post – in town for a drink. [inserted] PAR K [/inserted]
SUNDAY 19 4/42. Got up at 10 am. Lovely sleep wrote to Con. Went to see some baseball – quite good fun – just like rounders.
[page break]
Memoranda
called is long but owing to the handling rules one saw the ball bouncing on the ground with three or four opposing linemen standing round it waiting for someone to come and pick it up – The defence of course blocking the Ends & Backs to prevent them doing so. There is no foot play equivalent to our forward rush.
Each team or “Squad” as it is called is in charge of three coaches who more or less control the players, send out reserves to rest tired men and also give advice as to weaknesses in the opposing side. It is permitted to bring on a kicker to kick goals. A touch down gains 5 points & the goal kick 1 point. A goal kick in play is 3 points. To kick a goal the goal kicker gets ready with another back on one knee ready to receive the ball. The ball is flicked back from the down to the back who places it on the ground almost simultaneously with the kickers foot. The linemen block to stop the opponents charging it down. It is all very quick and in this match was carried out in play. Same procedure after a touch down.
The game is controlled by a
[page break]
For Week of Monday 20th.APRIL 1942
MONDAY 20 4/42. Tried a spot of formation flying – not too good. Find it a lot harder than it looks. Still I’ll get the hang of it. Also an hour’s solo. been made Group Adj – hard work – damn. [inserted] L.K> [/inserted]
TUESDAY 21 4/42. One hour’s instrument [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] today – not too bad. Told we’re to have 20 hours instrument at basic – Lordy, Lordy, what a bind. Rumours flying as to change in instruction programme. Don’t believe them.
WEDNESDAY 22 4/42. No solo today. Instructor O.D. so no flying – 1 hr link. Heard of the Saxons thro’ Addington must get in touch.
THURSDAY 23 4/42. 900 stage at Taylor Field. fair got balled at for nearly landing alongside control plane – windy lot these Yanks. Letter from STELLA.
FRIDAY 24 4/42. Cross-country to Columbus & back 73 miles. No difficulty just kept going on course & bobs your Uncle. Letter from Stella Open post into town.
SATURDAY 25 4/42. Open post – rang up Saxons – met them in Town and after a spot of beer went back to their place. Grand in daylight. Letter from CON. [inserted] Seed for Cheeky. [/inserted]
SUNDAY 26 4/42. Flying this morning had a pre-check flight. Instructor balled as usual – think I’ll put in for a change after this 20 hr check. Wrote to CON, BILLY, WELLERS. Night flying. OK
[page break]
Memoranda
referee and three assistants each apparently watching a section of the play each.
The players are dressed in the usual jersey with breeches reaching to the knee, similar boots to ours and a crash helmet, painted different colours to show what position he plays in. the shoulders, thighs & back round the kidneys are padded with sorbo rubber for protection. In spite of all this they move quite fast and certainly play hard. It seems to be the rules that are at fault and the restricted play which makes it not half the game to watch as our good old English Rugby.
[underlined] N.B. [/underlined] to illustrate time wasted there is a large clock over the score board showing the exact amount of playing time taken up to one quarter of 15 minutes. This clock is stopped if the ball is dead. The game of 60 minutes playing took 2 hours 15 minutes.
The referees use a system of tick-tack with their hands to indicate what the whistle has been blown for.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 27th. APRIL 1942
MONDAY 27 4/42. Spot more instrument flying. Started the system of two cadets taking each other for an instrument ride – one as observer. Good sport.
TUESDAY 28 4/42. Spot of solo – tried stalls & chandelles and lazy eights. Not night flying tonight. Think I got the hang of it on Sunday. Instructors sight from above.
WEDNESDAY 29 4/42. Cross country to Clanton & Atlanta – good sport and managed to find my way correctly. Seniors left for Selma & Maxwell. Went to rehearsal at Huntingdon College
THURSDAY 30 4/42. Observing – formation and spot of team instrument with Fallows. I think I’ll get the hang of formation. Hellish busy afternoon & evening organising the Juniors. Practice Blackout.
FRIDAY 1 5/42. Nothing but instrument with Galer observing – bumpy. Met Saxons in the evening. Woman upset beer over my trousers – had to borrow a car to go back to change. Spent night (Jones & I) with Saxons.
SATURDAY 2 5/42. Up a bit too early went into Town with Saxons. After lunch to Huntingdon College – good show. Evening to dance at the Whitley – we invited the Saxons. Good fun. Parcel to CON.
SUNDAY Did’nt feel much like flying spot of instruments. Spent day with Saxons – grand lunch – such a treat in a house. Watched young Elizabeth ride – nice people. [deleted] WE [/deleted] Mention Socks – Baseball game – letter to Con
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] Montgomery – Alabama U.S.A. [/underlined]
Can quite imagine the place springing up as at [sic] town of shacks, later consolidated into buildings. Streets – wide and of course laid out in squares. Quite good shops – some of decent size. The ordinary things such as cigarettes, handkerchiefs etc not expensive. Not a big town but of medium size – like Maidstone – with two fair sized hotels, four picture houses and one theatre.
Food is good – definitely. We patronised a cafeteria called “Morrisons”. You wait your turn in a queue along one side collect a tray and then pass along in front of lashings of good food all labelled as to type and price. You help yourself ending up with hot things such as meat etc. The whole is then added up and a slip is placed on your tray. You then go on ahead & select your table while a darkie waiter bring along your tray and puts the things down for you. You are issued with a knife fork &spoon rolled up in a table napkin. You should eat American fashion as your meat is on one plate and all your vegetables are on little round dishes placed round it. The method is to cut a portion of
[page break]
For Week of Monday MAY 4th. 1942
MONDAY 4 5/42 did’nt fly – bad weather. B.24 in R.A.F Colours landed overnight – apparently amazed the town who thought a B.T. was coming in. Pilot an interesting man who flew in last war. On way to England – be here tomorrow evening – lucky devil. WROTE CON.
TUESDAY 5 5/42 Only a team ride this morning [inserted] WK [/inserted] bad weather earlier. Passed final morse sending & receiving so now excused from morse class – bags of sleeping hours.
WEDNESDAY 6 5/42 Gave Davis bad instrument ride and he threatened a failing grade! He does’nt know how to settle a student down on a bad day. MacDonald (RAF) & P/O Bolter killed night flying. L.L. [indecipherable].
THURSDAY 7 5/42 Instrument team rides and 900 stage – complimented on landings – not by Davis of course. Got the hang of stalls under the hood. Hear Paddick who was fooling around with Butler is under arrest pending C/N.
FRIDAY 8 5/42 Gave Davis a good ride under the hood today – but he waited after each turn to find something to bind about. Night flying last period – 1.30 am – 3 am. Tired but went up to Control Tower – interesting.
SATURDAY 9 5/42. Did’nt get up until 10.30 am then breakfast. Went to see baseball game which was good and on the way back met the Saxons. Had a drink, meal then to flick to see “The little foxes” – excellent acting.
SUNDAY 10 5/42. Just got up in time to go to flying. Tired but did 2 hours formation & an instrument ride. WROTE CON. Sleep in afternoon – then to town saw “Shadow of the Thin Man”.
[page break]
Memoranda
meat with your knife, lay your knife at right angles to you on the further edge of the plate, pick up your fork and eat away, taking forkfuls of vegetables as required. The process is repeated when more meat is required. The same fork or knife or spoon is used throughout the meal. For instance you eat your sweet & stir your coffee with the same spoon & butter your bread and cut your meat with the same knife. The quality & quantity of the food is good. One can have as many varieties of vegetables as desired.
The British Cadets have a club in the Whitley Hotel and the American Cadets ditto in the Jefferson Davis Hotel, where one can drink eat and otherwise make merry.
There are no drinking hours in Montgomery. The only stipulation is that you must drink sitting down. The bars close down when everyone has had enough apparently. One misses the homely atmosphere of an English pub. A bar here being used to supply waiters. You can buy over the bar, but they don’t like it and you have to take it to a pew afterwards. Police quite freely walk into the bars to detect any offence – or to have a quick one.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 11th. MAY 1942
MONDAY 11 5/42. Instrument & team rides all morning. Instructors now have every other morning off! Wrote to SHEILA, PHYL & CHERRY. Lecture by S/L. cancelled in favour of accidents talk by C.O.
TUESDAY 12 5/42. No flying – low cloud. Spent morning chatting to the instructors. WROTE TO MACKS ([indecipherable]) Steve. No night flying – bad weather.
WEDNESDAY 13 5/42 No flying again owing to weather – no night flying for same reason. Damned nuisance may cut down leave. Torrential rain & thunder in evening. Wrote to W/Cmdr Pike.
THURSDAY 14 5/42. Still bad flying weather but managed to get in 1 1/2 hours dual instruments – mucked up flying [indecipherable]! A lot of thunder about & cloud.
FRIDAY 15 5/42. Raining when we woke so did not go to flight line until later. No flying. Cleared up during day. Down for night flying. Waited till 1.30 am the did’nt get any – should have been open post – livid.
SATURDAY 16 5/42. Rang up Saxons in the morning met them for lunch & went out for the afternoon with Edwards. Had supper then a few beers – became a Cardinal! Good evening. Weather seems to have picked up. parcel Con.
SUNDAY 17 5/42. Actually got some team instrument in. Night flying tonight. Wrote to CON. Quite enjoyed night flying black out landings not so hard as I thought.
[page break]
Memoranda
Transport is provided by single decker buses with pneumatic doors fore and aft and the engine at the back or taxis ranging from the “Dive” taxi to more expensive but better kept taxis. Dive taxis take you anywhere in the city for a dime. Others like the “Black & White” advertise 25c for two miles and [deleted] of [/deleted] are fitted with a meter.
There are three or four “Night Clubs” which are not so good as the English variety – there being no point in going there except to dance. Also there are a fair number of brothels – I’m told Prostitution is more or less legal here and certain parts or streets of the city contain these places. One is not bothered by [indecipherable] in the street – its just there if you ask the policeman the way. Rather sordid and quite naturally the decent blokes don’t interest themselves.
General procedure on “open post” is to amble in to town – hoping to be invited home by some family. If unsuccessful one goes to a flick has some grub then some serious drinking and totter back to camp in a cab, to sleep until lunch time on Sunday. 1st: parade on Sunday is 3.30 pm
N.B. The beer here is light like lager
[page break]
For Week of Monday 18th. MAY 1942
MONDAY 18 5/. Had my 40 hour check – seemed to be satisfactory rest of the time on instrument flying.
TUESDAY 19 5/ Supposed to be on a cross country but cancelled owing to bad weather coming up. Did some team & finished off night flying – plane would’nt go into high pitch!
WEDNESDAY 20 5/. More instrument – put Davis right through [indecipherable] of silence twice! He was quite pleased. Changed over to afternoon flying permanently. Weather getting worse.
THURSDAY 21 5/. 3 dead (Lear, Overton & Randall) crashed on night part of cross country. Out of 35 planes only 5 got back 2 baled out & several forced landings including O’Neill. Letter from CON. Given Open Post.
FRIDAY 22 5/ Helped pack up dead mens clothing all yesterday – rotten job. Now 6 dead (Peachell Peattie & Maddick) Love still missing. Got in dual instrument.
SATURDAY 23 5/. No flying this morning – low cloud. Funeral of the six poor lads – everyone attended and large crowd of people light formation flying – good fun. Flew with Wagner – nice chap new here.
SUNDAY 24 5/. Open post at last. Rang up Saxons went out with Edwards for lunch. Motor round in afternoon – made tea for them. Spot of shooting practice in garden Good day.
[page break]
Memoranda
and sold in tins mostly or bottles. One cannot get draught beer in any form from a barrel. Its a bit gassy but safer to drink than Rum or Whiskey which is very potent. The whiskey is rye mostly though Scotch such as Johnnie Walker, Black & White, Vat 69 is obtainable, sold in small bottles. The Americans seem to drink either whiskey or mixtures which are iced. They also have a kind of cream drink called an “Egg Nog” which consists of whipped cream & white of egg flavoured with spirits.
[underlined] TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA. [/UNDERLINED]
About 145 miles N.W of Montgomery in the heart of the cotton country. Fair sized town consisting of one main street & fair shops. University town of Alabama. Lacking in entertainment & not so big as Montgomery. One decent hotel, 3 picture houses, a number of café’s and drug stores. Served by three railways, two passenger carrying and one goods only.
In a “dry” county but we can get beer at the Elks Club and there is a rather sordid club called the “Riverview” – not to be recommended.
People fairly hospitable and the
[page break]
For Week of Monday 25th. May 1942
MONDAY 25 5/. They’re still searching for Love. A. poor devil. Went to flight line all day – got in 50min. dual instrument this afternoon. Went to Stn flicks – quite good “Rio Rita”. Wrote to CON.
TUESDAY 26 5/. Had final instrument check this morning & third cross country this afternoon. Night flying cancelled – only that to do. LT. Patterson found Also Love – dead – in swamp poor devil. [inserted] L.K. [/inserted]
WEDNESDAY 27 5/. No flying all day but did night cross country tonight. [indecipherable] – 4 lights each way nothing in it. Made good landing – complimented from the Tower. Flying over – thank god.
THURSDAY 28 5/. Messed about all day hoping in vain for open post. The organisation here is foul! Went to Doris’s house for supper & a few beers afterwards to [indecipherable] Room.
FRIDAY 29 5/. No official notice has yet been posted re leave but got a pass to Monday midday. Met Saxons in evening – could’nt fix fishing party so we’re to go out there tomorrow. Slept at Camp. All IN [indecipherable].
SATURDAY 30 5/. Got up late went into Town met the Saxons went out to Elmore lazed around in the sun and thoroughly relaxed. Saxons made us very welcome. We bought a present for [indecipherable]. PARCEL TO CON. [inserted] LK. [/inserted]
SUNDAY 31 5/. Got up at 9.30 am. lazed in the sun – shot a lizard. Young Elizabeth came over in afternoon. We all went into Town & had grub. Played solo to 1 am.
[page break]
Memoranda
various churches run entertainments in their church halls or a few post nights dancing, games etc. As in other places in America the girls seem to be either 16-18 or elderly married women & therefore of no interest except the married women who generally can talk sense but are full of how wonderful the Americans are or what they did in the last war & what they’re going to do in this. About time they got going, I think.
The Alabama Institute of Aeronautics or A.I.A for short at Van de Graaf Field is the local airport where we do our training under the auspices of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The C.O. & the [indecipherable] officers are U.S. Army Officers who look after the administration & do “Army” checks. The instructors & the C.F.I. are civilians and are a fair crowd on the whole. Some find others are more persuasive in their methods but they seem to want to get you through. The exercises are different to England though the basic principles are much the same. Took some time to get used to their [indecipherable] technique – not to keep it on in the [indecipherable] – but otherwise seemed to adapt quite well.
The planes are the Steadman P.T.17 heavier & clumsier than the redoutable [sic] Tiger Moth, and need rather harsher
[page break]
For Week of Monday 1st: JUNE 1942
MONDAY 1 6/42. Came into Town with Mrs. Saxon, then to camp. Packing – not sorry to leave this badly run camp – still no official notice about leave (Harley won’t cross us the food list so we get no subsistence allowance). Letter CON.
TUESDAY 2 6/42. Had a few beers last night – open post. Up early – got cleared left for Tunisfield. Phillips remarked – “Damn good Adjutant” & shook hands – nice bloke. One of the coaches [indecipherable] & can [indecipherable] otherwise uneventful. Arrived 10.30pm.
WEDNESDAY 3 6/42. Does’nt seem too bad a place rather more B/S and sound worthy. Definitely twin engine stuff. Told we’re not starting flying until Saturday – R.A.F. instructors not ready! Wrote to CON.
THURSDAY 4 6/42. Did’nt get up for Reveille! Medical exam all morning & afternoon. Damn blunt needle for blood test. Very hot & sticky here – seem to sweat glue. Bridge in evening.
FRIDAY 5 6/42. No Reveille again! Lounged all morning & read “Escape”. Paraded for flight line after lunch – usual lectures detailed to instructors – mine R.A.F P/O thank goodness. Sq/Ldr Rothwell keeping eye on things.
SATURDAY 6 6/42. Did’nt get up for Reveille Start flying this afternoon. Went up in twin engine [indecipherable] excellent fun. Found taxiying [sic] difficult on the engines! Saw “Ships with Wings” – poor in station flicks. W.K.
SUNDAY 7 6/42. Flying this morning. Weather good – hot. Went up in Harvard with LT. LOGAN. Not much faster than B.T.13 but narrower undercarriage. Plane would’nt start 2nd period so could’nt do any landings myself.
[page break]
Memoranda
use of controls. Good trainers.
The circuit consists of patterns each one being either right or left hand according to whether its away from the hangers. Circuits or patterns are numbered 1-8 and controlled by a moveable Tee, which should point into the wind. You must take off & land into tee which makes it sometimes cross wind. There are also definite methods of entering traffic – 450 downwind leg or straight onto base leg. Supposed to be safer than the Circuit at home – doubtful but you soon get used to it.
B/S not so bad as at Maxwell. Rooms have to be just so & beds correctly made but you soon get used to it. Three nights a week there is a Retreat Parade but that only lasts 10 minutes. Otherwise only marching is to & from lectures.
Cadets do one broadcast a week from local station called “In Camp Tonight”. Usual collection of persons of same interest – George Medallists, Policemen, Soldiers etc.
Open post is good. One night mid-week to 10pm if flying in afternoon & each alternate Saturday of Sunday together with Friday to 10pm or 2 am according to whether you’re flying Saturday morning etc.
Quite a good spot & I think we’re enjoying it here.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 8th. JUNE 1942
MONDAY 8 6/42. Flew the 17 this morning. Instr. said fit to go solo. Did circuits & bumps – think I’ll manage all right. Played bridge in evening – wet afternoon.
TUESDAY 9 6/42 Still raining. No flying this morning. O’Neill turned sick. Had to take the poor lad to Hosp. Temp 102! Pulse 108. – said to be flu. Got him some [indecipherable] etc.
WEDNESDAY 10 6/42. No flying – low cloud & thunderstorms. Solo in evening. – not much good. Letter from CON.
THURSDAY 11 6/42. No flying – low cloud until about 11 am. So instructors took up Duncan. Went to see O’Neill – looks a lot better. Usual solo in evening – did’nt do much good.
FRIDAY 12 6/42. 50 mins Circuits & bumps in A.T.17 to make up 5 hours. Now can go solo. got a touch of “Athletes foot” got treatment. Saw O’Neill – much better. Pay day. Solo improved in [indecipherable]. Rain.
SATURDAY 13 6/42. Went up in A.T.6 in front cockpit – made a muck of traffic pattern – let myself get pushed out too much. Saw O’Neill much better. Fed up – no open post. Letter from Mr Wells dated 7/1/42
SUNDAY 14 6/42. Been in A.T. 17 quite good above cloud. Wrote to CON. Lazed about.
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] LEAVE [/underlined] – 21 3/42 – 26 3/42.
We set out for a hitch party. O’Neill, Jones & I (the Three Musqueteers). First to Birmingham then to New Orleans if we could get that far.
I had 35 dollars, O’Neill 25, & Jones 12 so we could’nt afford to pay much.
We were delayed by official [indecipherable] and got away at 12 Noon on Saturday 21 3/42. Jones & I went to see the “Target for Tonight” once again, met Pat at 3.30 walked a mile out of town on the B’ham road & thumbed. At 4.30 a decent old [indecipherable] of [indecipherable] picked us up in his huge Oldsmobile & took us right into B’ham. He owned a kind of cattle ranch in [indecipherable] and said he might be going to Mobile next day & would give us a lift. This, however, fell through.
In B’ham we had a drink in the [indecipherable] & Pat rang up his friends Elizabeth & Louise. We were promptly invited up for a drink & there met an Englishman, Bill Sutcliffe, from Liverpool, who had been in America for some time. The party was going quite well when [indecipherable] arrived with a pompous American Colonel & fat little man who was his “Yes” man. Colonel, who really suffered from an American inferiority complex, proceeded to take the floor and we were not
[page break]
For Week of Monday 15th. JUNE 1942
MONDAY 15 6/42. Visit by Balfour & Air V. Marshall did’nt see them myself. Did a spot of formation in the 17. Quite good [indecipherable] time. 1st. effort a bit rough landing. Feel more like flying. Hope killed – engine on fire! [inserted] L.K. [/inserted]
TUESDAY 16 6/42. No flying owing to rain. Got open post and had 1st. day in town. Went to “Fred’s Office” good spot. S/L Rothwell & F/LT. Judge there & had a chat. Fears of O.T.U confirmed by Rothwell. To be ready by August – damn!
WEDNESDAY 17 6/42. Wet morning but cleared [inserted] L.K. [/inserted] up at lunch. Hope’s funeral – did’nt go – hate [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] funerals. Cross country Eufaula, Butler. Not bad but have’nt got the hang of the approach yet. Letter from CON.
THURSDAY 18 6/42. Spot of inst. Under the cloud fair though you don’t get any feel on the stick Approach still a bit shaky – must show some improvement.
FRIDAY 19 6/42. Got dates wrong. Wednesday was link only. Thurs. cross country & Friday [indecipherable]
SATURDAY 20 6/42. Open post - [indecipherable] managed to get out of it. To Radium Springs had a good swim. After grub in Town and some beer at Freddie’s office. Chat to Rothwell.
SUNDAY 21 6/42. No work this morning Slept to 10 am.! Longest day of year. Spot of instrument flying in A.T.6A. Through care of silence twice! Wrote to CON.
[page break]
Memoranda
sorry when the party broke up & they went to feed. We did likewise and went into the [indecipherable] for another drink. There we were pounced upon by a woman in evening dress who made us come upstairs to a kind of women’s convention meeting which had broken up & wanted dancing partners. We soon excused ourselves & made tracks for a bed – picked the wrong hotel and paid through the nose for a mediocre room.
Sunday 22nd. Got up at 11 am. had brunch & at 2 pm started to thumb for New Orleans. First lift was to Bessemer, 12 miles away, but our drive took us via the Steel mills – most interesting. Second was in a big Oldsmobile via Tuscaloosa to Demopolis reached at 6 pm. Grub at a roadside café then short lift of 5 miles & we started to walk in the dark. Several cars passed us but at last one stopped & we reached Livingstone. Here we saw a car with “Mississippi” plates & boldly asked him to take us to Meridian if of course he was going that way. He was. He told us he was Judge Alexander & wife who had been visiting their son in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Maxwell. They were going to their home at Jackson and asked us to go on with them & spend the night there – gladly accepted. The house turned out to be a wonderful old “Southern” home with some lovely old furniture. We
[page break]
For Week of Monday 22nd. JUNE 1942
MONDAY 22 6/42. No flying owing to bad weather so Ted went in & we got Open Post. Went in town for a drink ran into S/L Rothwell in Freddie’s Office with P/O [indecipherable] had a good cheery evening. Told we might get back home for O.T.U – good.
TUESDAY 23 6/42 No mail from home thunder heads about so no flying again today. Did’nt ask for open post. Read book called “Mrs Miniver” – jolly well written.
WEDNESDAY 24 6/42 Ted & Duncan off on Cross country as pilot & navigator. I got a spot of link trainer – did good beam work. Started to read “For whom the bell tolls” – about Spanish Civil War queer book.
THURSDAY 25 6/42. Ted & I scheduled for Cross country but when we got out to plane it was cancelled owing to the thunder & we had a bad storm in evening. Played bridge.
FRIDAY 26 6/42. Spot of instrument flying beam – better approach & landing than normal. Should possibly have gone on cross country but weather not too good.
SATURDAY 27 6/42. Ted & I got our cross country at last. Made quite a fair show of landings at the auxiliary dromes. Ted good navigator. Open Post not given so Gabbie & I had a “friend” down from [indecipherable] & had evening in Town.
SUNDAY 28 6/42. Open Post given from 11 am to 2pm ridiculous everyone fed up with B/S & tripe Gabbie & I went into town still to see our friend but we had to get back for [indecipherable] at 4.30pm. What a bind.
[page break]
Memoranda
All were given separate rooms with our own bathroom and the most comfortable box spring beds in America. Did we sleep. We had travelled 258 miles!
Monday 23 3/42. Much refreshed, nice real bath, and breakfast at 8.30 am. Judge Alexander was a perfect host & most charming in manner, also Mrs [deleted] Jackson [/deleted] Alexander and made us most welcome – even to making tea English fashion which was excellent. Eggs & bacon toast etc – good breakfast. Hardly had she dropped us on our road when another huge car stopped & a lady & gentleman hauled us in for a lift to McComb, half way to New Orleans.
The country to Demopolis had been similar to our surroundings here but when we saw Jackson in daylight the weather was warmer and the gardens were full of azalias [sic], camellias & magnolia bushes the size of small trees a riot of colour. The country was more green & good farm land and spring seemed to have arrived much earlier. It looked grand with crops beginning to show green & trees in bud & some in leaf.
From McComb where we had lunch we got a short lift to Magnolia and another across into Louisiana to Kentwood. After a short wait we picked up by a Mr D.H. Langins, of Silver Creek, Miss! a traveller who took us via Clinton to Baton Rouge where we cross the Mississippi over a magnificent rail & road bridge
[page break]
For Week of Monday 29th. JUNE 1942
WROTE CON
MONDAY 29 6/42. Trouble about that parade yesterday apparently someone was outspoken about the U.S.A. their parades etc. and Air Corps in particular! Duly reported to the Yanks under the honour system. F/L Judge in a rotten position – had to make apology. Inst. Flying. [inserted] LK. [/inserted] Letter from Con dated 26th. Feb!
TUESDAY 30 6/42. Saw Rothwell re O.T.U in England. No one came forward re yesterday’s affair enquiry [indecipherable] remark made outside Post Theatre 4 days ago – informant cannot identify. Yanks obviously jumped too soon. Saw Judge & told him so. Transition on the A.T.9.
WEDNESDAY 1 7/42. Went before the Commissioning board today – they were quite decent – think I’ve got one. I’m to see Rothwell about other matter tomorrow. Spot of transition on the A.T.9.
THURSDAY 2 7/42. No flying today low cloud & [inserted] W.K. [/inserted] thunder – though we were supposed to start night flying. Saw S/LDR and heard that more of us are to stay here for O.T.U. – cheers. Think I’ll get out of Instructor. No open post – this W/E – LIVID.
FRIDAY 3 7/42. CON’S BIRTHDAY – BLESS HER. Wish I could give her a good hug. Started real transition on the 9. Usual talk of lack of judgment – think Instr. must be wrong or have a queer sense of judgement himself.
SATURDAY 4 7/42. More transition and one exam on [deleted] pre [/deleted] flight at 6.45 a.m! Damn fine lecture on ops by S/LDR in afternoon. Wangled Open post if no night flying left us hanging around till 12 midnight!
SUNDAY 5 7/42. Good lay in until 10 am much enjoyed the rest. Wrote to CON Transition with Sandison – no talk of bad judgement. Went up later with Dale & made some car hops!
[page break]
Memoranda
with clover leaf crossovers at either end. The river here was about 1/2 mile wide. We were also taken to see the Louisiana State Capital building – a magnificent structure surrounding [sic] by gardens full of azalias [sic] in bloom. From here we picked up a lift into New Orleans down the straightest road I have ever seen. It was straight as far as the eye could see. The scenery was now flatter and produced market produced [sic] (Truck country) – ratter different from the wooded country further North and the farming country around Baton Rouge.
We arrived in New Orleans at 8.30 p.m. having travelled 259 miles. We strolled up the main street of many lights, called Canal Street. The street cars run down the centre of the road and on the outskirts this is grassed over with azalia [sic] & magnolia bushes. The road is lined with palm trees. In the centre there are some large Hotels & bank buildings and masses of lights, near signs etc.
We were tired but intent on seeing if we could get hold of some Southern hospitality so we entered the bar at the JUNG Hotel – no good. We strolled down the street a bit further & ran into some more of the lads, who seemed to be having a good time. So we went into the bar of the largest hotel – the Roosevelt – and bought a drink, stared
[page break]
For Week of Monday 6th. JULY 1942
MONDAY 6 7/42. Cross country to Crestview – Pike lost us we nearly reached the Gulf – looked wizard. Found ourselves then on way back P lost his may! So we came back on beam. No night flying – weather.
TUESDAY 7 7/42. Spot of link today. Raised [inserted] 4L.K. [/inserted] subject of Open Post with F/LT. Judge – he could’nt get any satisfaction. We could’nt get passes signed so had a beer in camp. F/LT going to see Col.
WEDNESDAY 8 7/42. F/LT. Judge saw Col re Open Post with S/L. Blank refusal! He’s very fed up. Too bad – guess they were not well received. Link again – spot of night flying in the 9 – fair. Spot of skeet shooting.
THURSDAY 9 7/42. Did’nt fly today. in the evening Gabbie & I pitched a story about buying stuff to take home & wangled two passes! Met S/L & F/LT in Freddie’s Office they were delighted and invited us out to lunch at the Gables – excellent evening. [inserted] L.K [/inserted]
FRIDAY 10 7/42. Somewhat heady today! Did a T & D problem back in formation. Spot of night flying at Liesberg in the 17 – fair.
SATURDAY 11 7/42. Link only today. Open post granted – blow me down! Went into Town – ran into S/L & F/LT – to the Gables again – good evening. Bought some more silk stockings.
SUNDAY 12 7/42. Two Letters from CON – so glad. Spot of team with Edwards & formation later in 9. Spot of night flying at 1.40 a.m. Hellish tired made rotten landings in the 9
[page break]
Memoranda
round the bar and stood talking – in hopes. On the way in I was stopped by an American who asked who we were.
We were almost giving up hope when a quiet voice said at O’Neill’s elbow “Drink that one up & have one with me”. From then on we never looked back. He was a bloke named George Taylor & his friend Paul Lansing who had stopped me as we came in. when they heard what we were doing & that we’d made no arrangements to sleep, George disappeared to return later and blandly announce he had got us all a room in the hotel, the best in Town! We went on drinking until about 12 o’clock then we thought of food and went over to a restaurant in the French Quarter for some bacon & eggs. We were hailed over to speak to a Norwegian sailor & when we returned to our table we found our companions had paid the bill & gone! Could’nt find them anywhere until we discovered they had staggered on to Canal Street & in their cheerful condition had tried to drive a street car full of negroes. Very tired – to bed. Marvellous room – two single & a truckle bed with bathroom complete. Wonderful beds – slept like nothing on earth.
Tuesday 24 3/42. Awoke 9.30 – bit of a head. Rang up George & Paul & we all got up & met in the bar over some “O hair” pick-me-ups – quite good. Then we had
[page break]
For Week of Monday 13th. JULY 1942
MONDAY 13 7/42. Had the whole morning to sleep – excellent – now flying day & night one day and having the next day as regards flying off. Felt hellish tired went to bed early – saw Stn. flick Chas Ruggles – good. Wrote to CON.
TUESDAY 14 7/42 Cross country then a spot of team formation. Had trouble with a gusty cross wind on landing – rt. Wing stalled about 10’ from ground came in heavy. Night flying in A.T17 – all good landings.
WEDNESDAY 15 7/42. Another morning in bed – very good too. Gabbie & I tried to get out to “do some shopping” but were told we’ll probably get Open Post on Friday – hope so.
THURSDAY 16 7/42 Spot of team T & D – O.K. day [inserted] WK. [/inserted] for All flight though I’ve never soloed in a 6 – cancelled when we returned. Letter from TOM. quite cheery though think the old boy is getting old. Night flying.
FRIDAY 17 7/42 Stayed in bed all morning! Spot of ground school then Open Post. Bought some more stockings & had a good party in Freddie’s Office with S/L & F/LT. Asked to arrange farewell party.
SATURDAY 18 7/42 Flying in the morning and then ground school. Saw F/LT re party arrangements. Info that we’re finishing on 5th. August. Night cross country – 1st. off – in bed by 12.30.
SUNDAY 19 7/42. Up 10 am & Open Post! Went into Radium Springs & lazed all day with a sandwich lunch. Afterwards saw [indecipherable] – excellent acting by Leslie Howard.
[page break]
Memoranda
brunch & returned to the bar where we were joined by some more Americans. We drank Gin & tonic – good for us. George left on the 1pm train for the north but Paul announced that our room was ours for as long as we could stay & the party for the day was on him. They would’nt let us pay for a thing the night before.
So we ambled over to the offices of the “Mississippi Valley Barge Line” for whom he worked but found “Red” Rutgar, the boss was not in. So we set about making a rude Dictaphone message for him when in he walked so we finished it off for George & mailed it to him!
In the afternoon Paul got us some tickets for a motor tour round the old French Quarter. We visited the old Cathedral, rather like St. Marks, [indecipherable]. Saw the old [deleted] fre [/deleted] French houses with the patios, containing lovely flowers, behind the French Market, the ruins of a Spanish house and generally got sober. It was most interesting especially as New Orleans was the centre of pirating in the 18th. Century when Pierre Lafitte & his [indecipherable] used to come in there.
Met [deleted] Gales & [indecipherable] & later [/deleted] Paul who had a dinner date but insisted on taking us to a French Restaurant where he at last let us pay for our dinners. We arrived there in a horse drawn [indecipherable] complete with negro coachman
[page break]
For Week of Monday 20th. JULY 1942
MONDAY 20 7/42. Flying this morning did a Cross country under the hood – not brilliant. Rumour we’re to finish on 26th. – leave? Night cross country – team. Got 60 hrs in & over 210 total. Sent for Schick bead. WROTE TO CON.
TUESDAY 21 7/42. Mosely killed at Liesberg last night. Reynolds – two cracked knee caps & bruises. Apparently ran into a riggers hut at end of runway – did’nt have enough flying speed to take off – bad luck. Ted, [indecipherable], Gab & I went into [indecipherable] for beer party.
WEDNESDAY 22 7/42. Spot of formation. Mosely’s funeral. Some of the lads got into hot water for missing & being late for Retreat last night. 20 & 10 tars respectively! No night flying – weather not suitable for XC.
THURSDAY 23 7/42 Good nights [sic] rest – got up fairly early. Went with O’Neill to see F/LT re [inserted] 2LK. 1C [/inserted] tars (Americans only given 3 [indecipherable] for same thing). Rained this afternoon – no P.T. or Retreat horay [sic]!) Saw “Take a letter darling” – excellent – Rosalind Russell.
FRIDAY 24 7/42 No flying this morning – low cloud. Had letters from Con (2) Phyl, Syd, Mr. Wells, Billy last night excellent! No night XC tonight storms about so early to bed. Rumour that 11 instructors are to be kept back. seems [indecipherable].
SATURDAY 25 7/42. Edwards & I saw S/L. [indecipherable]. Had a chat that I’ll get back O.K. – they’d rather have volunteers. Went into Radium Springs – to 3.30pm. Rain threatening so returned to town, flick, supper beer – bed.
SUNDAY 26 7/42. We all over slept a bit this morning! Did 4.45 hrs flying excellent – fair effort tho’ formation seriously criticized! Nearly finished my time – got 60.40 in. wrote to CON. Got new razor head – better than old one.
[page break]
Memoranda
in a silk hat. At every crossroads the horse shied & had to be led across. An Army Colonel who had hired the affair before us described it as a “Stubborn horse & a stupid n*****”. However Paul kept us in fits of laughter the whole time.
The meal consisted of a seven course dinner for a dollar – excellent. We strolled through the French Market smoking cigars & then returned to the hotel where we met Gales & [indecipherable] & later Paul, who whisked us off with his friend Mac & another bloke to a Bowling match where we drank beer.
Then we came back to a night club for a floor show including a spot of strip tease – extraordinary performance. We also visited the old Absinthe House (before going to Bowling) and tried some absinthe. Queer muck – rather like peppermint and milky white in colour. There was also a fat n***** who had a wonderful touch on the piano. A most interesting relic of pirate days. After a visit to a few more night life spots we went to bed at 4.30 am & soundly slept.
Wednesday 25 3/42. Up at 10.30 found Lansing had got up early! & gone to his office. Went out & had brunch & ran into Paul & thanked him for the whole show. Took cab to road 11 & started to thumb, intent on getting to Mobile. However Bob Southrey stopped in a huge Hudson & picked us up bond for
[page break]
For Week of Monday 27th. JULY 1942
MONDAY 27 7/42 Got up fairly late went into see F/LT. re party. Instructors required now 15 – S/L saw everyone, accepted my excuse, also Ted Gabbie & Dai to stay, O’Neill? Rotten luck but thank God I’m going back.
TUESDAY 28 7/42. Spot of instr & formation. O’Neill going home good! Also finished off night flying now have 74 hours in here only inst. to do. Party fixed for Sat. night.
WEDNESDAY 29 7/42 Did’nt get to bed till 4.30 am so not up till 11.30. Gabbie unable to get out of it. Trouble over P.T – due to bad instructions from Ridley – exhibition by him in F/L’s office! Saw rotten flick in Stn. Flicks. Party altered to Sunday.
THURSDAY 30 7/42 Finished inst with fairly good check. Rumour now that we’re to do 10 more landings in the 9! Finish & got wings on Wed. & straight off to Canada – good egg!!! Shall be delighted to go. Night flying
FRIDAY 31 7/42 Party arranged for Sunday night. Assessment in log book – below average – rather disappointed – but S/L said no need to worry – just to indicate to next instructor what I’m weak in. Record O.K. Open post – few beers with Gabbie.
SATURDAY 1 8/42 Finished off my flying. Went in on Open Post met S/L & F/LT went out to Gables – good party. Had chat about assessment – nothing to worry about – he’s had dozens of B.A’s. all get though all right.
SUNDAY 2 8/42. Got up to go to flight line not required so back to bed! Trouble over night flying – can’t put party off! Party fixed. good effort No night flying. Good time was had by all. Barbeque rather disappointing though grub good.
[page break]
Memoranda
Hattiesburg so we altered our plans. We had a good run across the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and so north. Country became flat, then wooded and slightly hilly arrived at Hattiesburg at 6 pm. Put up at Dixie Tourist Cabins – three in a double bed[deleted] s [/deleted] three musqueteers with a vengeance and somewhat warm. Had a spot of beer in a bar & supper in town. Sorry to find a girl of 18 working in a bar which is full of soldiers. Found they had to get a job in that particular County or go to jail to keep the women out of mischief. Nice kid named Eugene Plaka who was saving up to get out of it & jet home so took pity on the poor wench. 121 miles.
Thursday 26 3/42. Up at 9.30 then breakfast. Southrey met us at 11 am and on. Stopped for lunch at roadside cabin – good. I drove to Meridian – terrific car nearly hit a wandering car & some line engineers dropped a cable across our wireless aerial. From Meridian we got a lift right to Tuscaloosa by a bloke who was towing a car – they just couple the cars together & let the wheel swing! But travel at any speed. 187 miles.
So home to Camp again. Total distance 879 miles – all hitched!
[page break]
For Week of Monday 3rd AUGUST 1942
MONDAY 3 8/42 Open post all day. Went in town. 4 parcels to CON. 3 food 1 cheeky seed. Missed John Bliss who is an Instr. at [indecipherable] – pity. Went out to R/H with S/L. Rothwell – back to Freddie’s for a spot & had party in S/L Hirst’s room. Tried to get arrested by gate guard – no luck!
TUESDAY 4 8/42 Open post till 6pm. Packing. Open post extended to 12 night. Went into town. Saw S/L Hirst & F/L. – to 43B’s B.B.Q. with S/L Rothwell. Then back to Freddie’s with S/L who took me up to his room and gave me a pair of R.A.F. Wings! Best present yet. More fun with Gate Guard – no clink.
WEDNESDAY 5 8/42 Up early – getting squad up. WINGS PARADE. Caught 1.20 train. Said reluctant good bye to S/L & F/L they were sorry too. Route via Atlanta Chatt. Cincinnati where we join rest of party. Rather dirty uncomfortable coaches. Cold at night.
THURSDAY 6 8/42 Did’nt sleep much. Up 6 am. Arr. [indecipherable] 8.30 am. 5hr wait. Into town to Schicks – beer look round station – photos. Dep. 3.10 complete party Arr Detroit 11.30 pm. change to C.N.R. switched coaches. Fiddled sleeper – sheets – comfort!!! Cost $1.50.
FRIDAY 7 8/42 Slept fair – well worth it – a bit cold & stiff – 5 in compartment 6’ x 8’. In Canada passed Toronto at 5 am. (Dai & Co [indecipherable]). Wizard scenery. Stopped Montreal beer good – St. Lawrence – homesteads – all the gang crowded in our cabin – good fun. Slept well.
SATURDAY 8 8/42 Woke at Campbellton – top route all R. St. Lawrence then S.E to Moncton arr. 12.30. Train taken into 31P.D. found we’re potential officers – kind of officers mess. In town to Ellis (beer) – Bunnetts – Ellis. [indecipherable] three fruit machines!
SUNDAY 9 8/42 Did’nt get up till 10.30. After lunch we hitched to Point de Chene [Pointe du Chêne] 20 miles away for a spot of sun bathing – grand. Met the Jones family who very kindly waited to bring us back. wizard scenery – good day.
[page break]
Memoranda
[underlined] BASEBALL. [/underlined]
Much the same as rounders though the rules are tightened up to make it harder.
Each team consists of nine players. One team fields the other strikes and goes on until 3 members are out then they change round nine times i.e 9 innings each.
The pitcher bowls, the catcher is the wicket keeper, there is a baseman for each of the three bases and the remaining men field either deep or at short stop. The plate is the home base shaped [inserted sketch] and for a fair ball it must be pitched at a height between the knees and the shoulders & pass over the plate. It is called a “strike” if a foul it is a “ball”. The hitter can have three ‘strikes’ but if he does’nt hit the 3rd he’s out. The pitcher is allowed 3 ‘balls’ on the fourth the hitter gets a free run. The ball must be hit into the field ie between the lines of Home – 1st. base & Home 3rd base. He can never be caught out on a foul strike behind the wicket.
To be out the ball may be caught or thrown to a baseman who has one foot on the base before
[page break]
For Week of Monday 10th. August 1942
MONDAY 10 8/. Drew a [indecipherable]! Good sign? Rumour [inserted] L [/inserted] life as usual. Went into town after supper. Wet day – to Ellis – poor luck on machines – foolish but good fun. O’Neill got Jackpot! – after we’d gone.
TUESDAY 11 8/. Went out in the afternoon after cashing cheque for £5 with Wild. Bought powder & some underclothes for myself. Went to a flick met Charlie & Co & stooged back to Camp. More trained personnel in today.
WEDNESDAY 12 8/. Saw [indecipherable] today with wing up on way back. Played bridge in evening – nothing to but! Pay parade for everyone but us on Friday.
THURSDAY 13 8/. Went out to Point de Chene with O’Neill this afternoon. Got a good lift both there & back. good fresh air – excellent. Slept like a log. Saw “The Reluctant Dragon” – jolly good.
FRIDAY 14 8/. Stuck around all day with absolutely nothing to do. Bored with all the hanging around. Played bridge in evening – then drink in the mess.
SATURDAY 15 8/ Sat around reading all day – did nothing. So fed up went for a walk in evening with Edwards then back for drink in the mess.
SUNDAY16 8/. After lunch hitched out to Point de Chene with Bailey & Edwards. Good hitch out – walked down [indecipherable] track. Rather a job hitching back – walked a lot 3-4 miles. Got going just before dark. Pleasantly tired.
[page break]
Memoranda
the hitter reaches it, or a runner can be touched by an opponent with the ball between bases.
A hitter who strikes the ball into play must run to 1st. base wherever the ball goes to. If there’s a man on 1st base he must run to second & so on. So that by smart fielding the ball can be thrown to 2nd base and get that man between 1st & 2nd & thrown to the 1st. baseman to catch the hitter who had not yet reached 1st. base. Indeed it is possible to get 3 men or even 4 by quick & hard throwing.
Each man goes in to hit in turn. A home run is one where the ball is hit so far that the hitter gets round in one run. If a baseman (men) runs from one base to another or a ball which is caught he must return to his original base and is often thrown out.
The game as a whole is faster than cricket though totally different and not so [indecipherable]. It is however good fun and quite a good afternoons entertainment especially when runners dive for their bases to beat the throw.
The game is run by an umpire standing behind the catcher and a Referee who looks after the problem of close shaves or getting home to a base before the ball is caught.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 17th. August 1942
MONDAY 17 8/. Stuck around as usual. Went down town with Bailey & made enquiries about thicker stockings for Con. Decided to sell two pairs & buy two more here. A few beers in mess. Letter CON.
TUESDAY 18 8/. Hitched out to Point de Chene with Bailey followed by Reas & Gabbie. Got a lift on a sand lorry & had great sport in the water mostly duck fighting. Got an invite on lift back for next week. Met Conner – rumours.
WEDNESDAY 19 8/. Rumour correct draft going [inserted] 2L. [/inserted] tomorrow & Friday – bailey only one of our Crowd going lucky devil – all very broke & disappointed. Have to stay in till Friday – do hope they give us time to get things
THURSDAY 20 8/. Went down with [deleted] Bailey [/deleted] Ted to have beer at Ellis with Bill who is off tomorrow. Met Jim, Bailey’s pal, who took us to his home after billiards at the Ellis. Nice people English settlers, he’s a civil servant. (P.O)
FRIDAY 21 8/. Pay at last! Get $40 went down [inserted] IL. [/inserted] town and got lipstick, face cream & some thicker stockings for Con. Supper at Bennetts & some beer at the Ellis. Rather fed up. started “This above all” – good book.
SATURDAY 22 8/. We thought we’d go to Point de Chene but it was so windy we just lazed around & read until after supper when we went into town for a beer etc.
SUNDAY 23 8/. Did some packing this morning & got things organised. C.O. dropped lists of moving soon – do hope he’s right. Went down to see with Jones and found the [indecipherable] a [indecipherable] – spent evening with them.
[page break]
Memoranda
All players wear a glove and the catcher and umpire wear protective padding and a face grill. The pitcher who really works the hardest stands on a little mound of sand in the centre of the arena.
Quite a good game and I believe very exciting between two 1st. class sides – mostly professional. The Americans go nuts over it.
[underlined] THE JOURNEY NORTH. [/underlined] 5 8/42 – 8 8/42.
5/8/42. Up early and got ourselves cleared with flying kit bedding etc. Finished packing but unfortunately my laundry was returned un-washed owing to a mistake of some kind. At 10.30 am we marched up to the Camp Theatre with arms swinging in good old Babbacombe style for our “Graduation Ceremony”, when we received a pair of tin wings and a certificate amidst much band playing and flag wagging. After a photograph and lunch we all boarded trucks for the station – damned glad to be at last on our way home, seems almost too good to be true. I pinned on my R.A.F wings, which S/Ldr Rothwell had given to me the night before and which I prize muchly - damned
[page break]
For Week of Monday 24th. AUGUST 1942
MONDAY 24 8/. Stuck around all day played bridge – read “This above all” grand book. Spot of beer in the mess. No gen yet – though hints are coming out. Lecture by C.O.
TUESDAY 25 8/. Lecture by C.O. no gen yet. still more hinting. Spot of bridge. Letter from CON. I wish we could get a move on. Went to see the Jones with Gabbie – all arranged on the spur of moment. Letter CON
WEDNESDAY 26 8/ Did nothing all day until afternoon. Went in to change some stockings for Con. Played bridge in the evening. We’re all damned bored. Beer.
THURSDAY 27 8/ Played a spot of bridge to keep us going. Went out after supper with Gabbie. Saw a spot of amateur soft ball. Came back to the mess for a beer.
FRIDAY 28 8/. Did nothing all day. Went to see the Jones again with Gabbie – quite a cheery evening. Rumour we’re going soon – good.
SATURDAY 29 8/. Gabbie gone to Shediac with Edwards & O’Neill. I joined Whitfield & Clark. Flicks, spot of supper then beer. Good blokes.
SUNDAY 30 8/. Went to Church with same lads & introduced to Mrs O’Dwyer. Out to Shediac with them. Met Guntry’s etc. Very nice people – good breeding – English. Wish we’d met them before.
[page break]
Memoranda
decent of him. At the gate of the camp we gathered all our passes together and scattered them out of the back of the truck to the tune of “All coppers are B—ds!!”
at the station we found we had two special coaches & a van for luggage and we were hooked onto the back of the “Flamingo” as far as Atlanta. The coaches were filthy and not too comfortable. We said reluctant good bye’s to S/L & F/Lt and thanked them for all they had done and got on the move at 1.45pm
Scenery typical Georgia with Pecan & Peach trees, farm corn & so on all the way to Atlanta. Track single most of the way with passing loops & automatic sectional signals.
At Atlanta we were shunted from the “Central of Georgia” to the “Southern” up to Cincinnati. We got going at 7.45pm. We had had supper at the C of G before Atlanta. The scenery now began to get more interesting as we climbed up through the Appalachian Mts towards Chattanooga. Soon it was dark and we put down our seats and tried to get some sleep. We were wearing summer kit and had no [indecipherable] or blankets. It was warm at first but soon got
[page break]
For Week of Monday 31st. AUGUST 1942
MONDAY 31 8/. Rumour strong – supposed 150 going on Thursday. No ‘gen’ yet. still plenty of time. Went in with the lads to a flick. Nearly got payed [sic] by mistake. Some Blokes did!
TUESDAY 1 9/. Definite gen this afternoon. WE’RE GOING ON THURSDAY At last – gen right for once. Got some pay & bought of stuff got packed. Went to Rockaway with Mrs O’Dwyer. Saw the Guntry’s there. E & G made a four – for me beer.
WEDNESDAY 2 9/. Eldin got it bad. Put out deep sea kit – gen talks – we’re to leave at 5.30AM tomorrow via NEW YORK! Rumour it’s the Queen Mary. Said good bye to Mrs O’Dwyer Spot of beer with Fl/LT Judge who is up here.
THURSDAY 3 9/. Up before dawn away 5.30 am. Via St. John, McAdam, crossed the border at Vanceboro. Proper sleeping equipment this time & good grub. Stopped at Portland in U.S.A. for an hour then bed & a good snore. Clocks back 1hr.
FRIDAY 4 9/. Breakfast at 5 a.m. due at N. York at 8.30 am. Usual business [indecipherable]. New [indecipherable] R.R. electric locos. Arr. Pennsylvania Stn. 8.45 am. To New Jersey by tunnel. Then by tender to the QUEEN MARY!! Saw the Statue of Liberty. [indecipherable] on her side.
SATURDAY 5 9/. Good bunk in stateroom – good sleep. 14,000 U.S. Troops on overnight. Funnels smoking – rumours rife. Good breakfast. Off 2.45pm! passed skyscrapers & out thro’ basin to sea. Then what a bow wave & how wizardly she sails. Grub excellent = 2 meals day
[inserted in margin] Co 1360 to 190 [inserted in margin]
SUNDAY 6 9/. Slept like a log – good breakfast rough guess we’re covered 500 miles already. Going well in huge zig-zags no escort. Plenty of armament on board. Steward says [indecipherable] on Thurs. good egg!!
[inserted in margin] Co 090 [inserted in margin]
[page break]
Memoranda
Chilly and we none of us slept much. We got up at dawn.
6/8/42. We arrived at Cincinnati at 8.30 am. Detrained and had a good breakfast in the Station restaurant. We had to wait for the remainder of the 42G [indecipherable] who were due to arrive at 12.30 so Gabbie & I went into Town as did the remainders. Gabbie went for a shave. I went along to Schicks Service to get my razor serviced and had a shave there. After we tried innumerable shops to get Gab a pair of R.A.F wings without success.
On return to the Station we heard that the others were not due until 2.30pm so we had a beer and then Ted & I went down onto the station & took some photos. It is much the same as Carlisle was in pre-grouping days and is jointly owned by the several railways using it. We got some good shots – though the majority of the American engines look much the same in general designs except of course the streamlined ones. The signalling is group controlled from a central signal box with track indicator electric chart. Signals are rather few and the [indecipherable] are placed on track level like [indecipherable], the
[page break]
For Week of Monday 7th. SEPT 1942
MONDAY 7 9/ Still moving at a good fast rate. Never seen the sea look so beautifully blue – deep blue marked by white – where our huge wake leaves a pattern. Halfway at approx. 6.30 pm. Getting very excited. (turkey). Saw flying fish last night.
[inserted in margin] Co 090 [inserted in margin]
TUESDAY 8 9/ weather a bit colder & more cloudy – sea rather a swell on and she’s rolling. Later sea quite big and we’re pitching & rolling somewhat – everything creaking. Sea quite heavy towards evening.
[inserted in margin] Co 045 - 000 [inserted in margin]
WEDNESDAY 19[sic] 9/ Lovely rumours – “Tirpitz got out” and “the Q.M sunk 500 miles out of New York. Sea quite heavy with a good deal of spray. Excellent fun. Still going a good lick.
[inserted in margin] Co 045 [inserted in margin]
THURSDAY 10 9/. Rumours yesterday that we’re to be in tonight! No sight of land. Sea still big swell – boat rolling heavily. Gen now that we’re in early tomorrow. Think we’ve taken a round about route.
FRIDAY 11 9/. Up early & behold we [indecipherable] up the Clyde! Scenery looked wizard. Anchored at 9.50. off boat 1.30. Entrain 5.30 & away at 6.00. via Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Carlisle, Crewe [indecipherable], Clapham Jc. B’mouth [Bournemouth]. Rode on footplate from Carlisle – Crewe [indecipherable].
SATURDAY 12 9/. Arr. B’mouth 9.45 & off to billets at Hazlewood Hotel. Good messing. In search of uniform. Starting cold in head. Spot of beer - [indecipherable] – not bad. Slept like a log. Could’nt get thro’ to Con – 2hr. delay.
SUNDAY 13 9/. Rang Con this morning – wonderful to hear her voice. Went to Christchurch this afternoon – concert at Pavilion in evening. Saw Bailey just back from leave.
[page break]
Memoranda
latter do not appear to be used except for important crossovers or from sidings onto M/L.
at 2.35 in came the rest of the gang, some riding on the footplate the remainder leaning out of the window – all in good spirits. We spent some few minutes sorting out people we knew & had’nt seen for some time and off we went again. This time the Baltimore & Ohio took us to Detroit & gave us a good lunch, in fact grub on the journey was good.
The scenery was good. Pleasant farm country with the usual hooting for gateless crossings. Bags of corn growing tall and although cooler it was still warm. We rattled along well.
We reached Detroit at 11.30 pm and bye-passed the station to some sidings where we transferred to the C.N.R. Proper old stock with hard seats – three men to a seat so that one had to sleep on the wooden canopy up above – with no blankets or bedding for two days! I did’nt think it was good enough – still we got going at last and went along to the diner for grub. The train had obviously been fitted up specially as a troop train as the diner had been stripped of its chairs & tables and
[page break]
For Week of Monday 14th. SEPT 1942
MONDAY 14 9/. Hellish queues for uniforms – decided to go to Gieves – excellent stuff even if more expensive. To flicks in the evening & then a whiskey & bed. Cold rather bad – gone to chest.
TUESDAY 15 9/. Feel better today – cough looser. Still waiting for deep sea kit. Paid £5 went out to Christchurch for a drink.
WEDNESDAY 16 9/ Deep sea kit arrived at last. Went to see Coles at New Milton & borrowed a case.
THURSDAY 17 9/ Collected flying kit & handed in Airman’s kit – got ourselves packed up & ready. On leave tomorrow.
FRIDAY 18 9/ Usual queue for passes arrived in London too late to get down to [indecipherable].
SATURDAY 19 9/ Caught the 11.55 and got a [inserted] K [/inserted] lift to Stevensons Farm on an Army lorry beautiful to give Con & Phyl a good hug & wizard to be home again. Cottage looks fine & still some roses.
SUNDAY 20 9/. Pottered about in the morning Had chicken for lunch. Arthur & Sheila came in. went up to aerodrome for supper at the W.A.A.F’s run in the mess. Met Gibson & S/L Bill Greenslade told all about G.M.R.
[page break]
Memoranda
we all sat at long tables placed length-ways with forms as seats. The food was quite good and it was good to see the friendly British faces of the dining car crew.
After grub Gabbie & I went along to see if there were any [indecipherable] where one could sleep (we’d both got the top bunk which was damned hard.) we found a sleeper or rather a day car fitted with proper mattresses between the two diners for the use of the crew. At one end was a kind of smoke room with a long settee with two easy chairs. Just what we wanted! so we tackled the coloured conductor. He said that we could have [underlined] beds [/underlined] in the “drawing room” at the other end as there were five of us – we had been joined by three others. He wanted $2 for the complete but agreed to take $1.50. One bloke dropped out so I went & fetched Charlie Hare – it was a pity we could’nt have got rid of the other two & got Edwards & O’Neill in there as well.
I went along to say cheers to Dai who was in the last coach & was to be slipped at Toronto about 6 am. He seemed alright though somewhat depressed. I was sorry he’s not coming with us.
And so to bed [underlined] between sheets [/underlined]
[page break]
For Week of Monday 21st. SEPT. 1942
MONDAY 21 9/ Went up to look round a Stirling & an Oxford. Two sqdns on the camp now – 214 (S) & 101 MkIII Wimpeys. Operate most nights now. Troops don’t like the Stirling much – all [indecipherable]. Up to mess for a drink
TUESDAY 22 9/ Sick & diahaerr [diarrhoea] all night. Spent morning in bed – germ floating about. Lovely quiet evening with Con over the fire. Don’t feel too well – too much excitement perhaps.
WEDNESDAY 23 9/ Better today – over fields to Sheila’s with Con. Flip with Gibson this afternoon in Oxford – good. Tiny [indecipherable] & Jean in to supper – nice girls – chicken supper & spot of beer. Stomach quite recovered.
THURSDAY 24 9/ Off this morning – wish we had another week. Went down to Hammersmith & saw Wadson, Williamson [indecipherable] etc. good evening.
FRIDAY 25 9/ Back from leave – mouldy hole. Don’t seem to have said or done anything I’d planned to do on leave. It was too short.
SATURDAY 26 9/ went out to Mrs Cole to return the suitcases. Her sister at St. Howards missing after bomb hit her flat – bad luck. Met Whitfield & his wife.
SUNDAY 27 9/. Went to concert at Pavilion this afternoon. Out to Christchurch for a drink.
[page break]
Memoranda
I slept alongside old Gabbie who tossed about a bit but did’nt snore too much – much refreshed in the morning though 5 in a room 6’ x 8’ was rather stuffy inspite of a fan & the top ventilators open. (We could’nt get the side windows to open).
7/8/42 Found we’d passed through Toronto overnight or rather in the early morning and we were going through marvellous scenery towards Montreal. So much fresher than yesterday’s in America and much better farmed. Lovely firs & hills with trees & little clearings. Now and then we rumbled over a stream all rock strewn & occasionally quite a decent sized river. We were running parallel to the St. Lawrence on our right.
We had a got [sic] breakfast & just after an equally good lunch stopped in Montreal. We had an hour to wait so we all went in search of a beer. Found a pub – quite English looking – called a “Taverne” – and the beer was, I think, the best we’ve had this side of the drink.
It was much cooler then America and the air clean & fresh. Such a pleasant change. We collected a big 4-8-4 with a
[page break]
For Week of Monday 28th. SEPT. 1942
MONDAY 28 9/. Posted to No. 6 A.F.u Little Rissington. [deleted] Oxfordshire [/deleted] Glos [Gloucestershire] so not too far from London & Stead. Spent the day messing about – to Kings Head for a drink.
TUESDAY 29 9/. Off to Little Rissington via Reading, Didcot, Oxford, and bus from Kingham. Good station & nice mess. used to be an S.F.T.S. Shared room with Edwards & O’Neill.
WEDNESDAY 30 9/. Damned cold, shivered in lecture room & had “pep” talk – drew flying [indecipherable] etc. Assigned to auxiliary aerodrome at Akeman St. – go out in a bus daily – no grd school. Rang Con.
THURSDAY 1 10/. Up 6 am – phew! damned cold. F/Sgt as Instructor – murky weather – did’nt fly. Did some cockpit drill. Getting 48 over W/E. [deleted] Rang Con [/deleted]. Signed up to get away.
FRIDAY 2 10/. No flying today – got away early. Hitched to Oxford.
SATURDAY 3 10/. Met Con & Phyl & Phyl’s flat [inserted] K [/inserted] – grand to see them again. Saw Davis & later to Hammersmith saw Wadson & later Price & Co at the Signals Mess. slept at Mai’s.
SUNDAY 4 10/. Breakfast at Canteen. Phyl’s for lunch with chicken – wizard. Nora came over in the afternoon so nice to see everyone again – like old [indecipherable]. 8.5 train back.
[page break]
Memoranda
wizard [indecipherable] hooter, looked pretty clean & well kept – or just out of the paint shops.
After leaving Montreal we crossed the ST. Lawrence by a long girder bridge and carried on parallel to the river on the east side through wizard country mostly made up of small farmsteads which looked rather like original settlers homes – just a small square wooden shack with about 20 acres of land all laid out in long strips. Grand seems pretty futile and O’Neill said it looked good for farming.
We followed the St. Lawrence along though we could’nt see it and we bye-passed Quebec though we saw the famous bridge standing up there with the “Heights of Abraham” behind. Scenery much the same & we rattle on along the single track. When we went through last December we went through Maine (U.S.A) & did not go thro’ or near Quebec. Also this part of the journey was at night. I can see we missed a good deal. This time we follow the St. Lawrence to “Mont Peli” and turn off there via Campbellton to Moncton.
That night Edwards & O’Neill piled into our “drawing room”
[page break]
For Week of Monday 5th. OCTOBER 1942
MONDAY 5 10/.
Fly round – quite like the Oxford. We fly in all sorts of weather.
TUESDAY 6 10/.
Circuits & precautionary landing. Oxford not bad to land but the aerodrome is somewhat bumpy.
WEDNESDAY 7 10/.
No flying – weather awful.
Walked down to Bourton-in-the-Water [sic] and put down & [sic] odd pint in the “New Inn”.
THURSDAY 8 10/. Cross country under the head – then find out where you are & fly home – fairly successful. Flow back to Rissington with Instructor.
FRIDAY 9 10/. Flip with Instr. this morning took S/L to Rissington. Latter pleased with my [indecipherable]. Not a very good effort at landing. Later up with F/LT. Kerridge after Solo (2 circuits) Regaining confidence lost by Pink.
SATURDAY 10 10/. Bad weather this morning. Dual with tight turns & single engine operation then on hours solo – wizard. I feel full of confidence again now. To “New Inn” for a spot.
SUNDAY 11 10/. Did a spot of local map reading Country looks grand from the air – Oxford especially Had one x country as passenger to Hereford & into Wales. Came back over Dick’s place at Alvington.
[page break]
Memoranda
really to play cards but when we found the conductor had put the beds down we just lazed around smoking and talking. After a lot of persuasion we got rid of them & turned in.
8/8/42 we woke up after a good night – not so many kicks from Gabbie – at Campbellton on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I don’t think we covered a lot of ground overnight. Still we had breakfast and got packed up, we were due in Moncton about noon. The scenery all along the Gulf was grand. We kept passing little bays & short views of the sea – it looked grand. We saw inland and into good farming country and on E.T.A arrived at Moncton.
It looked somewhat more civilised without the snow but it was a real pleasure to see the cheery & friendly faces.
This time they backed down passed [sic] some sidings then went forward into a spur which led right into the camp – a new arrangement since we were here last. We went into a Drill Hall and then as potential Officers we were singled out from the [indecipherable] & taken to the Transient Officers Mess.
As we got off the train another
[page break]
For Week of Monday 12th. October 1942
MONDAY 12 10/. Nav. test. Hatfield & to Oakham. Went down to 500’ to have a look at the place – grand – just the same as ever. Enjoyed the whole thing very much passed test without much trouble.
TUESDAY13 10/. Our 1st solo cross country to Harwell – [indecipherable] -Alcester & back. got round fine. “shot up” by 9 spits west of [indecipherable] & ran into fog near Alcester good experience – got through O.K.
WEDNESDAY 14 10/. 2nd solo cross country today when I got up found ceiling at 1000’ so went on at 800 – all the way. Found ST. Ives (Hunts) & passed 24 Fortresses on way to Evesham. Got lost in Glos and eventually landed to ask!!
THURSDAY 15 10/. Went as Navigator complete with plotters, charts etc with Hodgkinson as plot XC to Ellesmore etc. Kept accurate log as poss. & Flt Commander very complimentary. Said it was the best he’d seen. Sending it to Stn Nav Off.
FRIDAY 16 10/. Posted to Wattisham for BAT. Near Stead! Bit of a wangle. Had to bring 11 Sgts & [indecipherable]. All arrived O.K. Rang up Bank on way thro’ London – pleasant surprise £83!! Mess here rather quite – full of Yanks.
SATURDAY 17 10/. Link then some beam flying – not bad for an initial effort. Spot of beer in the Mess and so to bed. Invited to Mess Party thrown by the Yanks to-morrow night. Rang Con – bless her.
SUNDAY 18 10/. Flying early this morning – fair. Good party with good beer. Met some nice people. Yanks tight all over the place – knew it would happen. Majority all right though. Rang Con.
[page break]
Memoranda
batch of fellars [sic] complete with gas masks came down to get in the train to go on to Halifax – lucky devils. We had apparently just missed a draught – damn, had we been on it I’d have seen Con’s roses by the end of August.
[underlined] JOURNEY HOME [/underlined] 3 9/42 – 12 9/42.
We’re away at last in C.N.R [indecipherable] stock but as officers with pukka beds etc. this time. Journey via St. Johns, into U.S.A via Malden &across the border at Vanceboro & following the coast to New York. We stopped for an hour at Portland and then on. Climbed into my top bunk which was extremely comfortable with mattress & sheets & slept well.
Next morning we were on the New Haven R.R and being hauled by an electric loco. The scenery reminded us very much of good old England, especially when we passed the usual early morning business people waiting for a local to New York. Soon we began to pick up the suburb – not so slummy as London & run into the big arterial roads. Saw some wonderful clover leaf crossovers & of course the usual mass of cars. We crossed the Hudson by a girder bridge & seemed to be skirting the city when we started to go downhill.
[page break]
For Week of Monday 19th. October 1942
MONDAY 19 10/. Somewhat sore headed this morning. (11 pints) – thank god not on link ‘till 10 am. Clamp to 50’ Jerry stooging around – alerts one after another. Yanks flying to shelters we made to do likewise interrupted our lunch. Ensa show at Naafi – poor. No flying today.
TUESDAY 20 10/.
Lovely morning got in some flying – poor effort swung too much on beam – Instructor does’nt seem to mind Yorkshire F/LT – clever bloke. Rang Con.
WEDNESDAY 21 10/. Flying coming on O.K. getting the hang of it now. Had a look at a battered Wimpey on the ‘drome.
THURSDAY 22 10/. Finished flying this morning should get away by lunch tomorrow. Rang Con.
FRIDAY 23 10/. F/LT Stevens came over and picked me up just after lunch. Home for tea – lovely supper went up to W.A.A.F Mess collected Tiny then to Ladies Room for some drinks.
SATURDAY 24 10/. Mrs Isaac left this morning. Tiny came in for lunch – nice girl. Had a look at my models. Got lift to Haverhill & so back.
SUNDAY 25 10/. Squared up – believe we’re night flying tomorrow – could have stayed another day.
[page break]
Memoranda
Everyone was looking for the skyscrapers but I only got a glimpse in the mist as we dived into a long tunnel coming out into the Pennsylvania Station right under New York.
We were all grabbing at rumours that it was & then it was’nt the Queen Mary & so on, so that when another electric engine backed on and we got going into New Jersey our spirits drooped.
However we piled out at a reception centre on the water’s edge, boarded a tender & chugged up stream. It was quite misty with the sun behind it. Suddenly the Statue of Liberty loomed up looking somewhat green in the strange light. Its a terrific size and one can walk up steps into the torch! We were all straining to see the famous skyline when suddenly one or two skyscrapers loomed out of the mist gradually followed by the rest as we got nearer. It was magnificent. We followed East River round and ran along the big boat piers. Was it the Q.M. on we went – then there was the terrible sad sight of the Normandie on her side. All her upper works have been removed prior to righting her. On the west pier behold the Q.M. For once our ‘gen’ was pukka!
We pushed off next day at 2.45 pm backed out into the River tugs pushed us round & off we went thro’ the basin & out
[page break]
For Week of Monday 26th. October 1942
MONDAY 26 10/. Night flying – foul weather back in Mess at 8.30 played darts & billiards.
TUESDAY 27 10/. Got in a spot tonight – easier than in the States. Glide path indicator a great help. Did a spot of A.C.P.
WEDNESDAY 28 10/. Helped to lay out flare path & A.C.P first period. Got in one XC when clamp set in and we went back.
THURSDAY 29 10/. Low cloud & rain. Hung on till midnight – no flying. Going down to see Con for W/E as I can spend Monday travelling.
FRIDAY 30 10/. Went to Akeman St all dressed for flying instead of leave & missed a possible hike to London. Still we were back in the Mess at 8 pm for party with ENSA people
SATURDAY 31 10/. Up early taxi to Kingham 7.49 to London. Via Gieves to 11.55 and then via Army lorry to Con at 3 pm. She was delighted so was I. Walked to Hampstead to order fowl. Sheila home.
SUNDAY 1 11/. Lovely morning country looked [inserted] K [/inserted] grand. Rollo razor seized up – had to take it [indecipherable]. Sheila came in for lunch had to catch the 4.50 back. Rode up in Guard’s van to L’pool [Liverpool] St.
[page break]
Memoranda
to sea. We passed & had a last good look at the skyline with its huge buildings. As we went passed [sic] most of the windows of the skyscrapers were full of waving people – we had 17,000 U.S. soldiers on board.
Once out to sea she ramped along at 29k. by day & a bit more at night. It was a wizard trip – eight to a cabin & good food though only 2 meals a day owing to the huge No. The Q.M rolls very badly in the swell – probably as she was not using gyros in wartime – and it was quite amusing seeing some of the Yanks who are not sailors rolling off chairs or sliding about on deck. It was a nice slow sort of roll but she used to go over a dickens of a way. Whilst we were bowling along the Nazi claimed to have sunk us 500 miles out! on the radio!
Friday 11 9/ we steamed up the Clyde & one got some impression of her grace & speed when one saw a destroyer pushing up a terrific bow wave to keep up with us be [deleted] docked [/deleted] anchored at 9.50 & tenders came alongside. It was wizard to see green fields & stone buildings again. we got ashore at 5.30, entrained & off at 6 pm. At Carlisle I was talking to the driver (Starkley of Carlisle) & was asked to ride on the footplate to Crewe! It was wizard, the engine was No.5468 St. Helena, a 5XP, and it was a wonderful experience at night, down Shap & through Westmoreland & [indecipherable]. We arr at B’mouth [Bournemouth], via Willesden & Clapham Jc at 9.45 am
[page break]
For Week of Monday 2nd. NOV. 1942
MONDAY 2 11/42. Watch to Moores, Pike to Edward. Bampton flyer to Akeman St. Tiring day. Night black as pitch flew very badly – everyone the same. Two killed at Rissy. Girls.
TUESDAY 3 11/42. Breakfast in bed – good Went down but not flying – grand mist got back by 11 pm. Beer and then bed.
WEDNESDAY 4 11/42. Misty morning – [indecipherable] N/F. No N/F. to New Inn. Walked down with Hodgkinson.
THURSDAY 5 11/42. No N/F.
FRIDAY 6 11/42. Still no N/F. Extremely misty
SATURDAY 7 11/42. Got off solo at last fair effort. Much easier then at Tunis Field U.SA.
SUNDAY 8 11/42. Got in a XC & a spot of solo tonight. Weather conditions seem better. Wrote to Con.
SEE NEW DIARY.
[page break]
[1941 CALENDAR]
[1942 CALENDAR]
[page break]
[book inside back cover]
[page break]
[book back cover]
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
Keith Dexter diary. One
Description
An account of the resource
Day by day diary recording events from his joining the Air Force in April 1941 up until 8 November 1942. Covers time at 1 Initial Training Wing and No 1 Elementary Flying School at Hatfield including interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Followed by crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Halifax, Canada on route for pilot training in Alabama, United States. Covers training in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery on PT17 and BT13. Award of wings in August 1942, trip back to the United Kingdom and time at 6 Advanced Flying Unit at RAF Little Rissington.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
104 page diary
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Diary
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
YDexterKI127249v1
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
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Devon
England--Hertfordshire
Canada
Nova Scotia--Halifax
United States
Alabama
Alabama--Montgomery
Alabama--Tuscaloosa
Nova Scotia
Louisiana--Baton Rouge
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1941-04-03
1942-11-08
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Keith Dexter
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
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Baldwin
aircrew
entertainment
Flying Training School
Initial Training Wing
military living conditions
military service conditions
pilot
RAF Hatfield
RAF Little Rissington
RAF Torquay
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/185/3629/LSayerT591744v1.1.pdf
83e258c6faf6ed7815681549299d9b06
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
Sayer, Tom
Tom Sayer
T Sayer
Description
An account of the resource
13 items. An oral history interview with Flying Officer Thomas Sayer DFM (1922 - 2021, 591744 54901 Royal Air Force), two log books, service material, newspaper cuttings and photographs. After training as a pilot in the United States of America, Tom Sayer flew Halifaxes with 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington. He was commissioned in 1944 and became an instructor.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Tom Sayer and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
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
2016-02-17
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
Sayer, T
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
Tom Sayer's Royal Canadian Air Force pilot's flying log book. Book one
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LSayerT591744v1
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. Coastal Command
Royal Air Force. Transport Command
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.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
one booklet
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941
1942
1943-02-22
1943-02-25
1943-02-28
1943-03-03
1943-03-06
1943-03-09
1943-03-12
1943-03-15
1943-04-30
1943-05-25
1943-05-26
1943-05-27
1943-05-28
1943-05-29
1943-05-30
1943-06-11
1943-06-12
1943-06-19
1943-06-20
1943-06-21
1943-06-22
1943-07-13
1943-07-14
1943-07-15
1943-07-16
1943-07-24
1943-07-25
1943-07-26
1943-07-30
1943-07-31
1943-08-09
1943-08-10
1943-08-11
1943-08-12
1943-08-13
1943-08-17
1943-08-18
1943-08-23
1943-08-24
1943-08-25
1943-08-27
1943-08-28
1943-08-30
1943-08-31
1943-09-01
1943-09-05
1943-09-06
1943-09-27
1943-09-28
1943-09-29
1943-09-30
1943-10-04
1943-10-05
1943-10-08
1943-10-09
1944-07-18
1944-07-19
1944-09-01
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Canada
France
Germany
Great Britain
United States
Alabama
Florida
England--Gloucestershire
England--Yorkshire
Georgia--Atlanta
France--Le Creusot
France--Montbéliard
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Essen
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Krefeld
Germany--Leverkusen
Germany--Mannheim
Germany--Munich
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Peenemünde
Germany--Wuppertal
Italy--Milan
Germany--Düsseldorf
England--Cornwall (County)
Italy
Georgia
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Description
An account of the resource
Royal Canadian Air Force pilot's flying log book for Sergeant Tom Sayer from 28 July 1941 to 17 December 1944. Detailing training and operations flown with Coastal Command and Bomber Command. After training in the United States and Canada he served at RAF Linton on Ouse, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Pocklington. Aircraft flown were Stearman, Vultee, Harvard, Oxford, Blenheim, Whitley, Halifax, Anson, Horsa and Stirling. He carried out a total of 35 complete operations as a pilot, eight antisubmarine patrols with 10 OTU from RAF St Eval, one with 76 Squadron from RAF Marston Moor and 25 with 102 Squadron from RAF Pocklington on the following targets in France, Germany and Italy: Aachen, Berlin, Bochum, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Krefeld, Le Creusot, Leverkusen, Mannheim, Milan, Montbeliard, Munich, Nuremberg, Peenemunde and Wuppertal. His first or second pilots on operations were Sergeant Carrie, Sergeant Hewlett, Sergeant Lewis, Pilot Officer Mann, Sergeant Green, Flying Officer Phillips, Sergeant Davis, Sergeant Henderson, Sergeant Thorpe, Sergeant Miller, Flight Sergeant Cummings and Flying Officer Kay. He then became an instructor and glider tug pilot. The log book is well annotated and contains printed training material. He completed one additional special operation 18 July 1944 with 620 Squadron from RAF Fairford ‘(SAS. 3 chutists, 24 containers 4 paniers [sic])’ and 1 September 1944 from RAF Ringway ‘parachute jump 600’ singly into lake.’
10 OTU
102 Squadron
1652 HCU
17 OTU
620 Squadron
76 Squadron
81 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
Blenheim
bombing
bombing of Hamburg (24-31 July 1943)
Bombing of Peenemünde (17/18 August 1943)
Flying Training School
Halifax
Halifax Mk 1
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 3
Halifax Mk 5
Harvard
Heavy Conversion Unit
Horsa
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Fairford
RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor
RAF Leconfield
RAF Linton on Ouse
RAF Marston Moor
RAF Ossington
RAF Pocklington
RAF Ringway
RAF Sleap
RAF St Eval
RAF Stanton Harcourt
RAF Tilstock
RAF Upwood
Stearman
Stirling
submarine
training
Whitley
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/240/3385/PCoxJ1606.1.jpg
1bcdedc530fd2f872407ddab9e936c8e
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/240/3385/ACoxJ160321.1.mp3
06100ff099a07721ae8e49ba1bd5acd8
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
Cox, John
John Cox
J Cox
Description
An account of the resource
Seven Items. Includes an oral history interview with John Cox (133397 Royal Air Force), his logbooks and photographs. He flew operations as a pilot with 626 Squadron before becoming a prisoner of war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by John Cox 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
2016-10-14
2016-03-21
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
Cox, J
Transcribed audio recording
A resource consisting primarily of recorded human voice.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
This interview is being conducted for the International Bomber Command Centre. The interviewer is David Meanwell the interviewee is John Cox .The interview is taking place at Mr Cox’ home at Old Oxted in Surrey on the 21st of March 2016. Right could you perhaps tell us a little bit about your, like where you were born and your up bringing.
JC. Yes I was born in a town called Bourne actually, in Lincolnshire, that was spelt Bourne on the 15th of November 1922 and I was brought up there, I had two brothers one younger, one older than me we all went to the local grammar school and eventually each of us went into the services my elder brother went into the Army, he became a captain in the Army and was posted to India for a good time in of the war. My younger brother was, didn’t join up because of his, he wasn’t old enough until shortly before the war finished. As far as I was concerned I was always anxious to get into the Air Force and I looked forward to it with some relish. My, we all went to the local grammar school, we all enjoyed sports, I particularly enjoyed cricket. I used to cycle to Nottingham, to Trent Bridge some forty miles away to see a game of cricket when I was about fifteen. So, and I used to play cricket locally, then I decided that, well it was decided for me after I left school that I had to earn a living and I considered myself fortunate to be, to receive an entry into the Midland Bank. Now in those days it was not customary for anyone in the Bank to be allowed to work in the town in which they were born. So I was sent in fact about some sixty miles away to at the age of sixteen to a town in Norfolk it was called Wymondham, it was spelt Wymondham but locally pronounced ‘Windham’ and I went there into a small branch of the bank and I enjoyed a very, a very nice period there, I was only there for about four months I suppose before war was declared and I clearly remember the Sunday morning when we listened to the broadcast to say that we were at war with Germany. Whilst I was there in Wymondham I again played a lot of cricket for the local teams, I was staying in a nice boarding house together with some of the younger people who required accommodation like I did. I was entirely happy, it was only when war was declared I of course that I had to look at things rather more seriously. I wasn’t old enough to go into the Forces at that stage I was only sixteen but nevertheless it was looming in the distance that I was eventually got to join up and I was looking forward to joining the Air Force.
DM. So what was the route you followed into the Air Force, how, how did you come to join the Air Force?
JC. Well before the war I was interested in gliding as well as other things. I did a bit of gliding which gave me which gave me a lot of encouragement that I might be accepted in aircrew I didn’t know whether it was or not. But after that and when my time came to be called up I had an initial interview at Cardington I think near Bedford that is where they used to keep the R101 I do believe, the airship in the hangars there or outside the hangars and there we had a medical examination and a very brief interview with three Air Force officers who asked very simple questions which any idiot could have answered and I was accepted in as potential aircrew. Sent back home again and then eventually I got the call to report down to London where, which was the general reception area for aircrew and I found myself living in some very expensive flats in St John‘s Wood, all the furniture and important articles had been removed from the flats and we were just sleeping on the floor of the flats. Incidentally I found myself in a troop of thirty chaps, I was the only Englishman, all the rest were from the West Indies and they had just come over to England for the first time and very anxious to see London and with the result that we didn’t see much of them for quite a time because they were absent without leave. However eventually they came to heel and we went through the usual motions of being marched round the streets of that part of London by the corporal in little troops of about twenty or so and he would stop us at some little tea shop where he got his free tea and we had to pay thrupence for a cup of tea. And then we had our medical examination in the Lord‘s Cricket Ground in the Long Room at Lord‘s, which was absolute sacrilege for a for a cricketer but nevertheless we had our examinations, medical exams there and then we proceeded to be issued with our uniforms. I remember the big boots we were issued which took a little bit of breaking in. We used to have our lunch each day, be marched to the zoo and we had our lunch in the zoo, the animals were still there, we could hear the sounds of all the various animals as we were having our lunch. From there we I was transferred to an Initial Training Wing at Cambridge to Pembroke College. We had the College had been placed at the disposal of the Forces during the war. I remember it was very cold indeed we used to have to wash outside in the mornings in a sort of a little tub, the living was a bit sparse but nevertheless it was very interesting we then began to enter into our studies, aircraft recognition and everything applying to flying. We used to spend a lot of time at Cambridge being marched from one university to another where we had the privilege of receiving our studies in some of the well known universities. And we, the idea was at the end of our initial training there we should be sent to an Air Force Station where we would commence our flying. The course in Cambridge covered learning the morse code and many matters concerning RAF law et cetera, et cetera. Anyway I found myself being sent up to Scotland to an aerodrome called Scone which is near Perth. This was in the middle of winter. It was in January and when we got there we were suppose to do some initial flying to see if we were going to be airsick and that sort of thing otherwise we would have been thrown out. However when we got there it began to snow, we were only going to be there for three weeks but in three weeks we got one hours flying, because each day it snowed, or each night it snowed and each day we were spent clearing the snow off the runways. However the three weeks went by reasonably quickly and I found myself flying I think a couple of hours in a Tiger Moth. They satisfied themselves that I wasn’t subject to airsickness and so I was then delegated or instructed to go to America. We went over to the Clyde and boarded a relatively small American ship I think it was called the USS Neville it was a small one. We went in convoy then over to the State everybody was seasick without a shadow of doubt but we had a, went over in convoy and we didn’t have any, meet any trouble from the enemy at all. But when we got to New York that was that was a very pleasant environment in which to find oneself. Well the Americans had only just, that week I think it was just come into the war, Pearl Harbour had just occurred and they were forced into the war. They were then, as Americans are, very “gung ho” and everything was everything was sort of orientated to ensure that the troops were being prepared for war. Great celebrations, well not celebrations but incidents of patriotism in Times Square, New York where there were banners all over saying ‘let‘s go USA’ that sort of thing, it was all, they hadn’t experienced any war themselves at that moment. They were extremely kind to us, extremely generous, they enabled us to and provided us with tickets to go to any function almost, free of charge in New York whilst we were there. Personally I went to, I chose to go one night to a boxing match between Joe Louis and man called Abe Simmons at Madison Square Gardens. That was just one of the things I went to, but after a few days there they then arranged for us to board into trains to go to the Southern states of America, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana et cetera.
DM. So after you left New York where did you end up.
JC. Well we then went by train to the Southern states, I was very much looking forward to getting, starting to fly because I remembered in about 1935 when I was about thirteen years old I went to Sir Alan Cobham’s Air Circus which was, which came to my local town in Lincolnshire and I was absolutely thrilled to go and also very anxious to fly in the future. So anyway we got down to Tosca Alabama initially on the train. There we were well received by the local population, they hadn’t experienced any war at all down there or in America at all at that stage and they couldn’t have been kinder to us they really gave us a warm welcome and in Tosca, Louis or Alabama. I was attached to the local aerodrome where we started our primary training, we were flying Steersman aircraft. I remember I had an instructor called Mister Allan who was a very good pilot, not an awfully nice man but a very good pilot. I think before he started working for the US Air Force he had been a crop sprayer flying, flying low level and he was a very good pilot indeed. Well I managed to survive the six weeks course there in Alabama having gone solo after a few hours and I think when we done sixty hours we moved on to Turner Field in Georgia where we were then flying a rather heavier type of single engined aircraft. We did sixty hours or so there. After that we went to our Finishing School at Ellington Field in Houston in Texas. There we were flying twin engined aircraft, the Cessna 89 and some much more sophisticated aircraft after about sixty hours there we qualified to receive our wings. I was one of the fortunate ones who was invited to remain there as an instructor of the American Air Force. The Americans of course had a war forced upon them unexpectedly after Pearl Harbour and they hadn’t got enough instructors to cope with the large influx of pupil pilots of their own. So a few of us were asked if we would remain as instructors for the American pilots.
DM. How did you feel about that, were you pleased to stay or were you keen sort of to get into the fray back in Europe?
JC. Well no, I was desperately anxious to get home quite honestly. But I got messages from my home saying please take this opportunity to be an instructor in America because they realised the dangers were less over there than they were back home.
DM. You were out of harm‘s way.
JC. Yes I was out of harm’s way. In any event it was a, it was a very pleasant experience we had a course, courses lasted about six weeks and each of us had six pupils and they, I think I did about four or five courses there until the end of the year. It was a very interesting assignment and we knew we were eventually going to come back into the general fray of things in England but we did enjoy it over there.
DM. How did the young Americans I assume they were mainly young take to an equally young Englishman teaching them how to fly an aeroplane?
JC. They looked upon us with great respect strangely enough. I think it was because we had come from England where the war had been going on for some time and somehow they thought they they.
DM. You were the experts.
JC. Yeah they thought we knew all about it, in fact we didn’t we had only just trained ourselves but I suppose we had been selected because perhaps we had done reasonably well in out training and we were commissioned and generally speaking we, we did enjoy it. I, we had lots of privileges there too, for instance we were enabled if we wished to have an aircraft each weekend and we could go anywhere within a thousand miles as long as we were back by Monday morning and that was fine. We could take anybody with us if they were in uniform and so each weekend, not every weekend but many weekends we did make use of this great advantage. I remember one weekend I flew from Houston in Texas to the Grand Canyon in Arizona and, and back again. There was one restriction which was placed upon us that was that we were not supposed to fly more than a thousand miles away from base. Well the Grand Canyon was in fact one thousand two hundred and ninety miles away. So what I had to do was to fly to an aerodrome called Winslow, Arizona and land there and that was about three hundred miles short of the Grand Canyon. I had to refuel there, fly into the Grand Canyon, we flew around I took a Sergeant with me who was my Flight Sergeant on the aircraft, on the ground staff and we flew in the Grand Canyon and then flew back to Winslow, Arizona to refuel. So in fact I hadn’t exceeded the thousand mile limit [laughs] but had cheated a little bit and it was a very pleasant experience.
DM. Did you have to do your own navigation for that?
JC, Oh yes, there was just the two of us in a twin engined aircraft and they were lovely aircraft Cessna’s very much heavier aircraft than our Airspeed Oxfords and over here over in England, a fine aircraft. Anyway but that was a privilege, that sort of privilege made life very congenial over there and I exercised it quite a lot. We used to go to New Orleans and Kansas City and Memphis Tennessee, each weekend if we wished, we didn’t do it every weekend, but if we wished we could make use of that facility.
DM. So you were flying around the United States visiting places like New Orleans and having quite a good time. Eventually all good things come to an end and you had to come back to England. So what, what was the journey like, how did that go?
JC. Well, the journey back from America was interesting; we actually came back on the Queen Mary. Now the Queen Mary at that time was plying backwards and forwards to New York, without, without any support, without any military support or naval support because it was so fast in relation to the other ships. And so when we came back there were only about twenty of us I think on the Queen Mary from the RAF. All the rest were German, were American Soldiers and there were sixteen thousand on board. It annoyed us immensely because they all thought it was an American ship as it was so large, the biggest in the world at the time they thought it must be American. It took a lot of convincing them it was in fact an English ship. My colleagues and I in the Air Force were invited or requested via the ships’ crew by the Captain to go onto the flying bridge I think they call it in the fore end of the ship and spreads right across the whole ship and we had to keep our eyes scanned for enemy shipping or anything which needed reporting to the Captain. We had eight on the bridge at the same time each of us had in front of him a disc which had a segment marked out for us and we had to survey that particular segment looking out for enemy activity. Another, occasionally we had the extreme edge of this bridge to do our observations from and that was right over the sea, it was over the sides of the ships. The object, the objective of having those observation points was that we could look back along the side of the ship to see if there were any portholes being opened or flashing of enemies or flashing of lights to the enemy. Of course we didn’t, all the port holes were in fact locked and so it would be a problem for anybody to make any signals to anybody, but that was the object of that particular exercise. It kept us busy, we used to, used to do it about one night in three on the way back but it, I think it took us about twelve days to get back which was a long time for the Queen Mary then, it was going across in about three and half days in normal conditions, but we came back via the Azores which for security reasons apparently we did came, did a long circuit that way, that way home. That’s why we took so long, but it was an eventful journey. The reason it was restricted to sixteen thousand on board was that they could only serve thirty two thousand meals a day. So we all had two meals a day but they were very good meals.
DM. What was the accommodation like?
JC. The accommodation, we were, we were housed in the cabins and they were probably about ten in each two man cabin. We had bunks there to sleep in and they were stacked up the walls of the cabins we had about three or four cabins, three or four bunks on each wall of the cabin, so we were very crowded. Nevertheless the food was, although we only got two meals a day they were absolutely marvellous meals for war time conditions.
DM. What port did you come back to?
JC. We came, we came back into Gourock I think in Scotland and then we would ship down to somewhere near Liverpool overnight and then we came, I think we were allowed some time to go home. We had a bit of leave, that was, that was before we started on any serious flying in England again.
DM.So at this time you have been trained, you have been a trainer, you have come back to Britain. You have obviously not been allocated a squadron or anything yet.
JC. No, no we hadn’t. We were allocated to our squadrons we had all done about a thousand hours of flying already. So we didn’t need a lot of flying training I would suggest but we had to obviously had to get used to the Wellington and the Halifax and then onto Lancasters. We went to different aerodromes for that purpose. We had a reception centre at Scarborough in Yorkshire where and, and we were billeted in hotels there till such time as we we were allocated to our next station for training. First of all, then a Wellington a rather heavy aircraft, I didn’t care much for them, but that was the first English aircraft that I flew really. I had flown Airspeed Oxfords and lighter aircraft but that was the first heavy one that I had flown. Then we went onto Halifax’s at another station and then further on, finally Lancasters. From that of course we were allocated a squadron and that is the begetting of another story.
DM. How did the crewing up for the Lancaster come about.
JC. Well the crewing was a bit haphazard in my mind. We were just let loose with the aircrew, potential aircrew and they said well ‘just sort yourselves out’, you know, ’pick somebody you like the look of and, and if you want him he’s yours.’ So It really was a hit and miss affair fortunately I picked a very good crew, they were all friends of friends they were all very capable at their jobs. They weren’t truculent or boastful or cocky they were just very good crew members. We didn’t have a lot of jollity while we were flying in fact we had none at all. I used to make sure that there wasn’t a lot of idle chatter over the intercom ‘cause that was a bit disturbing and I, I stopped any of that, but we, we always worked well together. When we were on the ground we would go out together, possibly into Lincoln to whoop it up a bit. I’d got a motor cycle I remember that was a great help to me, I could get into Lincoln in about twenty minutes time. One night I was coming home after having probably a spot of liquid refreshment and I hit the railway gates which were closed [laugh] and went right over the railway gates much to the. The signalman came out and admonished me, I told him ‘he hadn’t got his light on the gates’ and he said ‘of course you haven’t got it on because you have knocked it off.’ I threatened to report him to the authorities he said ‘you can do what you like’ [laughs] I didn’t get very far with him. Anyway in Lincoln itself the squadron there was 626 Squadron I joined at Wickenby eight miles outside Lincoln we also had the 12 Squadron on the same aerodrome and but by and large we kept to our own squadrons for community reasons, friendships but it was a well run aerodrome.
DM. When did you receive your commission because I assume -
JC. I got my commission in America.
DM. You did? While you were training?
JC. Well, at the end of training, yes, those who became instructors also were commissioned at the same time. So I had my commission and I was a Flight Lieutenant when I was flying from the squadron in Wickenby.
DM. Were all your crew British or?
JC. They were, there was a Scotsman but they were British as you say. But on the night that we were, we were shot down my rear gunner who was a Scot was injured on his motor cycle, he had been into Lincoln and he was coming home he he had a crash and he was injured so on that particular night of our, of our operations, when, when it was a bit fatal for us, I had another gunner allocated to me and he was a Belgian. I had never met him before but as far as I was concerned, he was a good gunner and but otherwise they were all English. Eh I’m sure they were all English, yes.
DM. So can you remember anything about your first mission what your thoughts were, how you felt.
JC. Well, I didn’t have any apprehensions at all in, in flying certainly early on my own crew were well trained by then we done a lot of practice flying together we were, we were a good happy combined unit. No I didn’t have any apprehensions about it, no.
DM. Now you were based at Wickenby and you came from Bourne so you were sort of a local lad to all intents and purposes but did that mean you were able to see more of your family than perhaps your colleagues at all?
JC. In fact it didn’t because we had, we had to remain on the station whenever there was a possibility of any flying and we didn’t know what the weather conditions were going to be so they couldn’t give us leave and the tour of operations would normally be relatively short. Either you got shot down or you finished your thirty tours, thirty operations and it wasn’t going to be spread over a long period. No it was nice to have my family close at hand but I don’t think I ever visited them whilst I was operating.
DM. So where were some of the places you flew over?
JC. You mean.
DM. Where were your missions to?
JC. Well my first mission was to Karlstad [?] and that was in December of that year. And then I went to Essen and to Ludwigshafen to Ulla and Bonne and quite a few more that was in about two or three weeks we covered those few. Subsequently I went to Gelsenkirchen, Nuremberg, Munich, Ludwigshafen, Wiesbaden, Kleve, [sound of papers rustling] Dresden, Chemnitz, Dortmund, Duisburg, Flashier, Dessau, Kassel, Essen, Dortmund and finally shot down over Nuremberg.
DM. Before that fatal, so to speak twenty-first mission when you were shot down had you had encounters with enemy aircraft or bad, bad experiences with flak?
JC. Yeah, yes on each occasion usually there was some, some enemy action which was, was a bit disturbing, on occasions we had a clear run. But places like Nuremberg and Munich and Chemnitz, was a long distances to go and Dresden was a long way to go. Off course there was a lot of criticism about our bombing of Dresden. We didn’t know before we went we were going to cause so much damage. It was of course because Dresden was built mainly of wood and burned rather readily. It was a great shame about that but it did help the Russians to get into East Germany and quite a lot sooner than they would otherwise have done. Because the Dresden railway yards were being used by the Germans to bring their troops up and the Russians were complaining that we weren’t doing much to help them. They had come back from Moscow driven the Germans back from the doors of Moscow almost to the borders of Germany again, but their lines of communication were so long it was causing them problems. Just as it had caused the Germans problems when they got were attacked Moscow. They got to the gates of Moscow virtually but the weather and the long lines of communication caused them to be defeated there.
DM. The criticism about Dresden, I have always assumed it was after the war. Was there any criticism at the time, do you remember, I suppose people didn’t know what had happened then?
JC. There was no criticism in the British press I don’t think, in fact it was hailed as a great success probably. When I was shot down which was not too long after my trip to Dresden it was shouted at me by the Germans, ‘Dresden, Dresden, Dresden’ and it had obviously hit home very hard there. And it was a, it was a very unfortunate affair that so many were killed. But at least it did help to shorten the war because within about a month or so the Germans, the Russians were in Berlin.
DM. So turning now to that mission to Nuremberg when you were shot down what, what led to your demise?
JC. Well, Nuremberg, we’d been before we thought we knew the way there, we did know the way there quite well. We had, we got caught in searchlights which was a frightening experience. The master searchlight got us at twenty thousand feet earlier on then all the other searchlights coned in on us and it was at twenty thousand feet the inside of the aircraft was lit up as though it was daylight. One felt very vulnerable because there was nothing you could do to get out of the searchlights. If you weaved about the master searchlight seemed to follow you then all the other searchlights coned in on you and for a few minutes it was, that was quite a frightening experience. But the last mission to Nuremberg when we were shot down, we were attacked by a Junkers 88 and we were about, we were on the bombing run in, we were the bomb aimer, the bomb aimer was at his gun sights giving instructions to the pilot who was me to change direction very slightly here and there as we went in and it was at that time that we were attacked by this Junkers 88, yeah.
DM. So can you tell us a bit about the night when you were attacked by the Junkers 88 and shot down?
JC. Yes indeed we had completed about two thirds, two thirds of our tour and we were therefore quite experienced we had been to Nuremberg on the 2nd of January 1945 and we had moments of excitement but were not unduly concerned about the second trip. My regular rear gunner had a motor car, motor cycle accident the day before and he was replaced by a Belgium that we hadn’t met before but he had been well recommended to us. The notes I made at the pre flight briefing show that we were to bomb in three waves, commencing at three minute intervals and our aircraft was to fly the second wave from 21:33 hours to 21:36 hours we were at twenty thousand feet and our bombs, we were dropping our bombs on a heading of 084 degrees. Mosc, Mosquito Pathfinders with illuminating flares would be available at 21:26 and then they would follow up with red and green flares. If the target was vis, if the target was visual then red target indicators would be backed up with green target indicators. The aircraft would be staggered between eighteen and twenty thousand feet and the bomb load was one four thousand pound bomb and six thousand four hundred pounds of incendiaries. The, we witnessed considerable night fighter activity on the way there particularly south of Stuttgart where we had seen one or two aircraft going down and they were shot down by heavy flak. We were not concerned with night fighters and we successfully took evasive action when the rear gunner reported the Junkers 88 on our tail but it was out of range. The searchlights were plentiful as we approached Nuremberg but not too troublesome except to the extent that it made our silhouettes more easily seen. At 21:24 hours we were just short of the target and contemplating our bombing run although our bomb bays were not yet open. Without any warning we were attacked from underneath and set on fire in the centre section flames and choking smoke funnel, funnelling forward to the cockpit. I had no intercom response from the crew. Almost immediately I, the Lanc went out of control and into a steep dive and I am convinced some part of it must have fallen off or a control linkage severed. Having regard to the nature of our bomb load I still cannot understand why we did not explode as it appeared to me that the incendiaries were on fire. Immediately I gave instructions to bale out, not knowing if my order was received but mid upper gunner and wireless operator were presumably either injured or prevented by the fire from escaping. The bomb aimer and rear gunner were captured on landing about thirty miles from the crash site. The flight engineer did not survive and I can only assume that after he jumped he was caught up by some sort, part of the aircraft which was in a very steep dive. The parachute of the navigator failed to open and he was buried in the neighbouring village of Burgoberbach. For my part I must have been no more than a few hundred feet up when I baled out. I saw the Lanc explode on the ground just below me and within seconds I landed about three hundred yards from the burning aircraft. A compound fracture of the right leg resulted in a series of bone graft operations in various RAF hospitals for the next, for the next three years and I was eventually invalided out of the Air Force at the end of 1948. The exceptionally large losses that night I think could be attributed to the fact that the German night fighters were able to penetrate the bomber stream at an early stage and on a clear night. From Stuttgart onwards we were very vulnerable. Nuremburg was always a hot target.
DM. Ok so you you you parachuted, you managed to escape the aircraft, you baled out, you landed near to the aircraft, it was obviously night. What what happened after that once you were on the ground. Did you hide, you were injured clearly so you weren’t very mobile.
JC. It wasn’t a question of hiding, it was a question of, I fell in a pine forest and the trees were very close together. Looking at it from as you parachuted down it looked like a pin cushion that you were going to fall into which I did fall into it and my leg, I could see that as I parachuting down my right leg was bleeding and that and my boots had come off both, both boots had come off and it was my fault because I hadn’t got the straps tied sufficiently tightly around them. So that was a mistake on my part but I, when I landed and crashed through the trees, there was no way which I could avoid crashing through the trees. I was there with a, with a shell wound in my leg, no boots on at all, my feet were absolutely bare and I was lying at the bottom of a pine tree in the middle of the forest. I thought my chances of escape from there were pretty limited. After that I didn’t know, I couldn’t do anything for myself, I couldn’t my leg was busted, broken completely with a shell wound and I was, I thought that was going to be my end because there was no way I could attract attention of anyone being in the middle of a forest. It was the next morning probably about six o clock or six thirty in the morning when it was just daylight I could see just through the trees the silhouette of an old lady who was gathering firewood. The Germans were very short of any sort of fuel and she was obviously thinking about her fires at home and gathering firewood. Well I, I hailed her through the trees and she didn’t see me initially because the trees were so closely together but then she did see me and she scuttled off. Well I thought at least somebody knows I am here. Then I was waiting then, I could only wait to see what happened. There was no way I could move with my leg as it was, no shoes, there was no way of escaping and I just had to trust to the Lord for my future. Well after about an hour I saw a soldier coming through the trees towards me. He was a very well dressed soldier and he was part of the, we were to call it the Home Guard in our country but had a much, much more military style about him and he had two guns in his belt but he came, he didn’t take the guns out of his belt or anything like that, he saw that I was helpless lying at the bottom of this tree and he looked at me and then indicated that he would come back. Well he went away and I didn’t know how long it was but an hour or two later he came back again and this time hauled me to the side of the forest that we were in and he had a hay cart there. Well, and he helped me onto this hay cart and started trotting away back towards the village. On the way back he, he also picked up the body of my navigator who was dead and I notice that the navigator had no parachute and I can only assume that he had not attached properly his parachute when he clipped it on, leaving the aircraft. I saw him leave the aircraft and I thought he’d got the parachute with him then but obviously somehow or other he he lost it on the way out. So I am afraid he was dead and they put him on the side, on the straw in this hay cart that I was on alongside me and trotted into the neighbouring village of Burgoberbach.
DM. Where did you go from there, what happened after that?
JC. Well after I got there of course they were very hostile, the local inhabitants and they continued to shout the name of Dresden to me quite frequently. I couldn’t do anything by way of response except look a little bit contrite and they took my, the body of my navigator off the hay cart and decided that the local hospital where they took me wasn’t appropriate for my particular wound which was quite serious, they couldn’t deal with me and so they transferred me to a pony and trap, put me on this trap and the same soldier who had picked me up out of the forest drove me about probably four or five miles to a German hospital and left me there. There is no doubt about it they were pretty hostile towards me and I wasn’t in a position to do much arguing with them.
DM. Was the hospital you ended up in, was it a military hospital or a civil hospital?
JC. It was a German, it was a military hospital, it was housed entirely with German soldiers and a place called Troisdorf and they, they received me there and they took me into the operating theatre, they looked at the leg and they put a plaster cast, plaster cast on it and they left a hole in the side of the plaster cast where the shell had gone in so they could treat that. In fact it, it was a good idea but it didn’t really work because of the leg didn’t improve. They weren’t antagonistic towards me in the hospital they were I thought reasonably, not friendly that would be stretching it too much, but they tolerated me and put me in a ward of soldiers. There were forty in the ward the beds were so closely packed, they were all injured German soldiers except me. There was a gap between each bed of no more than six, eighteen inches just enough so the doctor could come round between each bed but they were very, very, very closely parked the beds in the hospital. They I wasn’t treated badly, they didn’t give me a very warm reception. The soldiers in the ward strangely enough were not antagonistic. They were in the same boat as I was, they were all injured and I received a daily visit from the doctor, he couldn’t do anything because they probably got more important things to do. I was there for some weeks in the hospital hoping that one day the Americans would come along and release me.
DM. Did you receive any information as to what was going on in the war, did you manage to glean anything when you were there?
JC. The only, no, I had a, I was concerned that nobody knew where I was and furthermore the Red Cross weren’t aware of where I was so I couldn’t be reported as a prisoner of war. I was concerned my parents back home would assume that I had been killed because the Red Cross were normally pretty good within twenty four hours or so indicating that either members alive or he wasn’t. And there was no way in which I could ask the Germans to do anything for me in that regard no I felt very lonely and I was more concerned about my parents at home must be believing I had been killed and I wasn’t able to communicate with them and that happened, that applied for quite some weeks afterwards, so I was very sorry about that.
DM. Did, did you get a chance to write a letter before, before you left to your parents or you never had a chance to communicate with them?
JC. Oh there was no way at all, there was no question of writing letters it was a question of surviving really and this was on my mind the whole time that my parents would believe that I was dead because normally when one was shot down they went to a prisoner of war camp. The Red Cross would immediately take action to ensure the parents was advised that the son was still alive at least and in a prisoner of war camp. And of course the food in a prisoner of war camp would have been better than we were getting in the hospital. Our meals were very very sparse, mind all the German soldiers were getting the same food as I was. But we used to live on sort of a very watery soup if I remember and I lost quite a bit of weight there, yeah.
DM. When did you come to leave the hospital what happened?
JC. Well, I think it must have been about six weeks or so that I was there before the Germans, before the Americans came in.
DM. So was the hospital evacuated or ?
JC. Well they were on the brink of it and there was a lot of disturbance and I wasn’t quite clear what was going to happen. Certainly there was a lot of activity at the local railway station and I suspected that they, the patients were going to be evacuated, but on the other hand there wasn’t much sense in evacuating the only way they could go was further into Germany and into that part of Germany and the Americans were going to follow them anyway, so there wasn’t much point in it. So in the end I waited until I could hear the guns coming of the Americans I could hear them in the distance a couple of days before they actually arrived. They were approaching at about fifteen miles a day and when they got to the hospital they were, they had a man come, I managed to contact them. The hospital wasn’t evacuated and the Americans were not delighted to see me, I was just a nuisance to them. I got my leg in a full length plaster, they didn’t know what to do with me, but the only thing they could do was take me along with them. And I went along [laugh] with General Paton [laugh] and his officers for quite some days but I was going in the wrong direction, they were approaching at about fifteen miles a day into Germany and I was going the wrong way with them, but my main concern was still that I couldn’t get a message to my parents. I couldn’t ask couldn’t ask the Germans to do anything, they weren’t interested and General Paton was too busy with his troops and not of, not of an inclined nature to be helpful. It was interesting to see how they were progressing, they would do about fifteen miles a day and they would go through three of four villages during that time and there was no resistance of any substance at all for them they were just rumbling through. They would ring up the next village and say ‘we want to see the white sheets coming out of the windows by way of surrender otherwise we will come in shooting’. In no time at all you could see the white, look at the next village, and the sheets were coming out of the bedroom windows and they had pretty well a free run. But they had bypassed so many Germans on the way through and this is why they couldn’t do anything with me, they couldn’t send me back by ambulance. So many Germans had been by passed and there was still a great danger, well nuisance anyway, but General Paton was only anxious to, plough on through, through that part of Germany and he had no, virtually no opposition at all. We went, they always used to choose the best building in the village that they were going to stop in that night and kick anybody out if they were, if they were residing there and make that the Officers Mess. Every now and again they would pick up a village halls one night we stayed in a school the village school and I was interested to walk round the school. I thought whilst I was there I might as well walk round the classrooms and I was, it was very interesting to see that their style of education was obviously very much similar to ours. On one occasion I saw that there was a map on the wall and it was the south coast of England and the north coast of Europe there the English Channel between them, but I notice they called that the German Channel. I thought this was a bit off side, [laugh] I thought it was the English Channel but no it was the German Channel, never mind.
DM. How did you eventually come to leave General Paton’s army.
JC. Well eventually they began to get the Germans cleared behind them so that it made it, it made it possible to bring ambulances forward and eventually I, I was put in an ambulance together with about six of their own soldiers that were injured and brought back. I was about a fortnight day by day moving backwards from one medical station to another, Russian, American medical stations to another and I saw some. The Americans were treating the German injured as well as their own. I remember on one occasion there was a nurse giving a blood drip to an American to a German soldier and he was, he was in agony, crying out and she slapped him across the face and she said ‘shut up will you’ she said, ‘you should be grateful to get good American blood’ [laugh]. Anyway eventually I, I got back by ambulance to Rheims, “did I tell you this?”
DM. “No you didn’t.”
JC. Went there, Rheims where there was a very big American camp and these chaps were being sent back to England to go on to America the war was over as far, they weren’t, they were just American soldiers, they were surplus to requirements then in France and I was the only Englishman in this camp there must have been a thousand American troops there. Very basic. They were living in tents in the middle of Rheims and from there they were flying them back to England, the Americans were flying their own troops back to England and I, I eventually came back with them. On one occasion I looked along the line and I saw outside one tent a table, it was a big tent a table was displaying lots of little parcels on it. There was a master sergeant there sitting by this table and these, the soldiers were lined up receiving one of these little parcels and I so said to one of them ‘what are they queuing for?’ and he said ‘they are queuing to get their Purple Hearts.’ So I said ‘oh yes so I will try and get a Purple Heart’. I was the only Englishman in the camp it was all various Americans. So [laughs] I went, I got in the queue they were lined up and signing and taking their Purple Heart away and I, when I got there the master sergeant looked me up and down and said ‘what outfit are you in?’ you see and I said I was in the Royal Air Force and he said ‘well I shall have to see the colonel about you’ “I said, ‘don’t bother’ [laughs] and passed on. I didn’t get my Purple Heart.
DM. So did you fly home from Rheims?
JC. Yes they, I was the only Englishman on the flight it was especially for the Americans really they all, the pilot asked me to go and sit with him in the cockpit so that I could see the White Cliffs of Dover as we came over. We landed at an aerodrome in the south of England its name just escapes me, but I was there for a fortnight and it was only there that I could arrange for a phone call to made to my parents to say I have landed in England and that was a happy release for me. Then I went from there to Cosford near Wolverhampton which was the general reception area of all RAF prisoners of war as they came back. Whether they were injured or whether they didn’t, they went there. The prisoners of war went to Cosford where they had an absolutely marvellous organisation. These chaps came back like I did with ragged clothes, and that sort of thing, and they were fitted out with new uniforms. If they got brevets to put on their uniforms they were put on, and if, they were fitted up with new boots, fully fitted up and after a medical examination they were sent off home, to their homes which they were anxious to get to of course but as far as I was concerned I went and there was no way they could get me home immediately but I was there for about a fortnight being looked, having my leg looked after, put in another splint and then they did allow me to go home. There were some very good natured people about at that time who were prepared to drive these ex prisoners of war from Cosford Hospital to their homes where ever their homes may be. I was in Lincolnshire, my home was in Lincolnshire a long way from the hospital but some kind chap drove me all the way there all the way home. And he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t stay, with my parents to have a chat with or anything, he said ‘I must now turn round and go back’ and he went all the way back to Wolverhampton very nice of him. But I suppose that in those days there was rationing of petrol but these people who were prepared to do this, the transfer to patients back home to their homes obviously got a special allowance of petrol to do that. Yes, that was pretty much the end of my story.
DM. You didn’t stay on in the Air Force after the war?
JC. I stayed on for three and a half years not because I wanted to but because my leg, was needed treatment and, I was in hospital, Cosford Hospital for two years with various operations on my leg. I had bone grafts and that sort of things the first ones wouldn’t, wouldn’t heal l so I had new ones and it was a very long winded job. And then they sent me or allowed me to go to an RAF Regiment camp near my home in Lincolnshire where I was assistant administrating officer or something like that not having to do any work but it was a place to put me whilst my leg was continuing to heal. Anyway it was three and a half years before I actually left the Air Force. Meanwhile they paid me all the time which was good of them, in the Officers Mess.
DM. Did you go back into banking?
JC. Yes I went back into banking, first of all I went to the Lincoln branch of the bank. I couldn’t accept any pay from them because I was getting Air Force pay, so I was working for nothing but as far as I was concerned I was getting back into my line of business. From then on I, I took up various appointments in the bank I went to Northamptonshire, I went to Birmingham, I went to Coventry and different branches each time receiving a bit of an uplift in by way of promotion, eventually I, I, I managed a big branch in Birmingham and then I went to London and I was reluctant to go back to London because I was so happy in Birmingham. We lived in a nice house and got well settled but I had to go back to London. When I got there I objected in a mild manner, I know I agreed to the move, but they said be patient and within six months they had made me Manager of the largest branch in the bank in Threadneedle Street which was a surprise to me and obviously they had moved me around with this in mind from Birmingham. But I was there for about five years and then was eventually made a General Manager of the bank from which I retired.
DM. Did you keep in touch with colleagues from the war?
JC. No, well my Canadian bomb aimer he, he went back to Canada, I lost touch with him. The remainder, of course I lost four of the crew for one reason and another and the Belgian he went back he went straight back to Belgium he didn’t come back to England before going home, I don’t blame him either he went straight back home. So I,I didn’t have any more contact. I did have a lot of contact with the Germans afterwards at various reunions and entirely different.
DM. That’s the Germans that shot you down basically?
JC. Oh yes, I met them, they turned out to be quite nice chaps really, yes there we are. They visited me in England, came over and had a holiday then they went on to Ireland to extend the holiday a little bit and I took them round the RAF Museum. They wanted to look inside the Lancaster but they wouldn’t open, they wouldn’t allow them to open the door.
DM. That was mean.
JC. [laugh] So that is more or less the end of my story.
DM. Do have any thoughts, opinions about how Bomber Command were treated after the war. About the public reaction or lack of recognition?
JC. It didn’t unduly concern me but I, I agree that they did justify rather more publicity than they got publicity of a favourable nature, but that’s the way it is they weren’t, I don’t think people understood for a long time just the percentage of losses which were really incurred it seemed to be about one in two that were likely to not survive. No I didn’t get worked up about it, it was one of those things. Now of course some attention is being paid to that remission, yeah.
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/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ACoxJ160321
PCoxJ1606
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with John Cox
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
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
01:08:49 audio recording
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
David Meanwell
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-03-21
Description
An account of the resource
John Cox grew up in Lincolnshire and worked in banking before he joined the Royal Air Force. After training as a pilot in the United States, he served as an instructor for almost three years. He flew 20 operations as a pilot with 626 Squadron,from RAF Wickenby, before his aircraft was shot down and he became a prisoner of war. He was repatriated from a German military hospital by American forces and returned to England. Spending two years in hospital at RAF Cosford, he received treatment and bone grafts to his leg. After the war he returned to banking.
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.
Germany
Great Britain
United States
England--Lincolnshire
England--Shropshire
Alabama
Georgia
Texas
France
France--Reims
Germany--Troisdorf
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1945
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Hugh Donnelly
Carolyn Emery
626 Squadron
Absent Without Leave
African heritage
aircrew
bale out
bombing
bombing of Dresden (13 - 15 February 1945)
crewing up
final resting place
Halifax
Ju 88
Lancaster
Oxford
pilot
prisoner of war
RAF Cosford
RAF Wickenby
Red Cross
searchlight
shot down
training
Wellington