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https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2096/34806/SRAFIngham19410620v100001-Audio.1.mp3
df75c4e4cf72f2d427bab4d2e174deb9
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Title
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RAF Ingham Heritage Group. Zosia Kowalska
Description
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Three items. An oral history interview with Zosia Kowalska and two photographs.
Date
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2016-11-14
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IBCC Digital Archive
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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RAF Ingham
Transcribed document
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Transcription
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GB: The Polish Air Force um, and if you could perhaps just start by telling us a bit about how you arrived in England, and I’ll let you just chat on.
ZK: I was deported to Siberia with my family. My parents died. Then we moved to Tehran. From Tehran I got [indecipherable] no, Minsk sorry, and from Tehran we went to Africa: to Tanganyika. No first we went to India, then from India go to Africa, Tanganyika. From Tanganyika we signed, because it was um, Marshal Sikorsky want Polish, Polish girls to go to work in England, so we signed: five hundred of us. We left Tanganyika about 1943, ’43 that was, yeah. We came, we come to, we come to [pause] South Africa, South Africa, you know South Africa.
GB: Yes, yes.
ZK: Yeah, we come there, we stay there about two weeks, recuperated, and then we go again. We were sailing six weeks to England, six weeks on sea. Imagine: one thousand soldiers and five hundred women, Polish women. [Laugh]
GB: I won’t ask you any stories about on the ship then, we’ll move on from that maybe.
ZK: Some answers there! [Laughter] And we arrive in Scotland, I believe in Scotland, I can’t remember the place where we been to. Then we were loaded to train, we’re going by train to Redcar. You know Redcar, in Yorkshire? We was there during the winter, that was winter when we come to, about March, something like that. And we was issued with uniform, we stayed there two weeks, then we continue down to recruiting, er where’s that place, we were, they were teaching us English, English language. There was English man there, he said - there was Polish couple she who look after us and he said to her ‘why is it in Poland many, many people cannot read and write?’ She said ‘what did you say? Did you read, did you read the Europe history?’ He said ‘no’; she said ‘you must read Europe history, then you find out what happened to Polish people there.’ Yeah. And from there I was moved to, to [pause] Nottingham. What is this station you call Nottingham?
GB: Newton, Newton? RAF Newton?
ZK: Yeah, Newton, yes. I stayed there about two months, and before Christmas we were going to, they moved us to Weston-Super-Mare, RAF station Locking.
GB: Yes.
ZK: There, before Christmas. We arrive there late and we have nowhere to sleep, so we look in town, round to sleep. We find this erm, what you call this charitable place.
GB: Like the Salvation Army.
ZK: Yeah, yeah, that’s it, Salvation Army. They let us in, they give us supper, then we went to bed. Next morning we wake up and they give us some breakfast again and we continued on to RAF station Locking. We come by, no we didn’t catch bus, we were walking all way from Somerset to RAF station Locking, there. We come to there [indecipherable] it was two men standing there, guiding the people where to go. So these two men, was my future husband! [Laughter] And other man was his friend. They took us to this camp, and we stay there, we go for dinner and then for dinner, then there was so much to do, the writing and everything, and the next things, the next morning, they took us to, to er cookhouse, introduce us [laugh] to this big, big thing where you cook thing for the people: huge potatoes, carrots, parsnips, everything. They teach us what, how to make pastry, and there was an exam, we were taking exam every six weeks. The last thing I took I make er, I make [pause] pastry, puff pastry, puff pastry which was very good, [laugh] for first time, and something else for, I think it was like vegetable and meat, beef.
[Other]; Stew.
ZK: Stew that stew, yes. I make that and the colonel of the station come taste, taste with lady woman, she was officer as well. He taste everybody, the next day and the next day, he didn’t say me that I was passed. [Laughter] The next day my friend read in paper: ‘hey’ she said, ‘Zosia you passed!’ [Laughter] I did, and everybody congratulate me, so that’s the end of the cooking practice. And after it was Christmas time, Christmas, evening Christmas that was, we have supper in Poland, we have big supper there.
GB: On Christmas Eve.
ZK: Yeah, Christmas Eve, oh we make presents for boys, oh it was great [laughter], even my future husband got sausages because he like food! [Laughter]
GB: But he was happy with that, yes.
ZK: He like food. That was beautiful night, that. I never forget, it was lovely.
GB: Were you and your husband at that time, were you just friends, or did he like you at that point do you think?
ZK: I don’t have nothing to do with him during the, before Christmas, nothing, and that time, oh what am I saying?
GB: Christmas Eve and the presents.
ZK: Christmas dinner, Christmas dinner and next day officer [indecipherable]
[Other]: Who served you dinner?
ZK: The officer do job for the ordinary people, all the men, yeah, and that was, and the next day, no the next week, I met my husband in the, in the – oh dear.
GB: Was it like the club, or the institute?
ZK: Yeah, in the big room was where everybody was coming, airmen and everybody and he said, he went by and he said ‘can I ask you something?’ I said ‘yes’, he said ‘can you come to pictures with me tonight.’ [Giggle] ‘Today I’m not, I’m not going today, no today, no.’ The next Sunday, the next week again he ask me. I hear, I know that he had woman before me, that she was crazy about him and the next day he said, the next week, he said ‘you come today with me to cinema.’ I said ‘today yes, I come with you.’ And that woman spot him, she got iodine, she put his eyes, it burned his eyes, you know.
GB: Yeah?
ZK: Yes, she was bad woman! Oh dear. But nothing happened to his eyes, nothing, just went to the surgery and they cleaned it out, everything, yes, and since then we never hear of her.
GB: Good job I think.
[Other]: [Whispering]
ZK: She was married too! Before the war, yeah. The next thing is there was this wedding. Mrs, there was two girls with me in the RAF, Mrs Alexander’s daughters, and they invite, they hear about this coming wedding, and they invited us to their house in Somerset. So we went that Saturday, I didn’t speak that much English, and I was a bit shy, and they give, had a beautiful meal there, everything, and they arrange me everything there: wedding dress, beautiful, and after the, after the wedding I had civil clothes, coat and shoes, everything, everything, they gave me, those people. They were beautiful people and I thank them very, very much. And after this wedding, we, they say we going to move to Cammeringham. They told us we are going to move to Cammeringham, oh some time in May we moved there, I think, in May 1944.
GB: ’44.
ZK: Yeah, no, yeah, 1944. Oh dear. No, 1945 we moved to Cammeringham, yes, and um, oh God, [chuckle] something happened and we stayed there until, until the release from the RAF. We release in, it’s there somewhere.
[Other]: ’46.
ZK: Pardon?
[Other]: ‘46
ZK: Yeah. And we still stayed in that Cammeringham village. We got this cottage. This cottage was filthy, filthy, filthy, terrible! We clean, we cleaned, we painted, the cockroaches was singing during the night, my husband got poison, he sprayed, sprayed all over the rooms and everywhere there and in the morning you swept full of these what they call cockroaches and they went, they all die. And it was June, yes June, my brothers come from Italy, my younger brother from Italy came, but he stay in Coventry. The other, the younger brother was here, Janek, he was in the RAF Cadets, you know, and he come as well and um, Jan, Jan was in the RAF, Stacek was in the middle east, he was in school, he was cadet in school, he came, he came during the night, I was sleeping I didn’t hear nothing. He came in the middle of the night, I didn’t know that, he didn’t say anything: he didn’t write when he coming back, no nothing. He throw this stone to the window, to the bedroom window, I didn’t hear. In the morning she was crying, she was baby that time, she was crying. I come downstairs on this concrete, concrete steps, come downstairs, my brother was sleeping like that. I look down and around and: oh my goodness that’s Stacek! Oh God. He wake up, he said ‘I can’t [indecipherable] bed outside.’ [Laugh] Oh dear. And we had reunion in that June, before that, before they went to Matlock to work, my husband found a job there in Masson Mill, my brothers, three brothers and my sister came from Africa as well.
GB: Zosia can I just ask you a question about Ingham at this point because it’s probably easier than going back: did you and your husband have to get special permission to live out? Even though you were married, normally they would expect you to live in the barracks, wouldn’t they, separately.
ZK: Yes, yes. We had this party from camp come friends as well, we had full cottage and in the garden plenty people, I said to my husband ‘how can we provide with food?’ He said ‘don’t worry, I’ve got farmers friends!’ They provided, he went round and got eggs and everything. I bake cakes [beep] I bake everything. He bought some wine, some whisky as well. We had very, very nice time, the last time with some of my brothers. They went to, they went to Matlock, they stay in County Station Hotel there, you know Patrick where it is, yeah, County Station Hotel. They wanted muscle men, my sister and this man who run the County Station Hotel said ‘I don’t, I never understand this language’, [laugh] they were laughing! Anyway, he said, he told them that I manage, I manage, to understand this language anyway. So one by one went to Australia, another brother follow him after six months. The younger brother went to America, to Chicago, he’s still there, he’s still alive, and he got beautiful family, he married to American girl, she was descendent, German descendent she was, and we corresponded. I’ve been there, in Chicago, and then [sigh] I didn’t like my sister-in-law. [Laughter]
GB: Well they always say you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your relatives. That’s very, very true, isn’t it I think, you know. Could you tell us, Zosia, a little bit about your time at Ingham? Your work and what happens day to day, on a normal day.
ZK: I’m coming to that, I’m coming to that.
GB: Okay.
ZK: In Ingham we were living in that, Mrs Franklin cottage, she was she was old lady, her husband worked on the council on the road and she very little, she read very little, she didn’t know nothing about Polish people. She said ‘I think Polish people were black!’ [Laugh] I said ‘no, they’re not black!’ She find out how lovely Polish people are, after that, you know. And we stay there one year, one year, and that time she find this cottage, this cottage we have to clean up. Oh, it was hard work, hard work and I was expecting [indecipherable], I still work, I still go to kitchen, to RAF, working there as well; it was very, very hard that time. We had no washing machine, no hoovers, we had to do washing like that! Now, then, oh what I say, she got, that lady she got three daughters. One was, two was married, the youngest was something wrong with her and she was going to marry, she married that man, we went to this wedding, to their wedding that was all right, was after the war, was nothing, nothing you can buy, yeah. And um, oh so much, so much to say, you forget. [Laugh]
GB: Where exactly in Ingham was the house that you lived, in the cottage?
ZK: It was behind the village, back of the village.
GB: Back of the village, a little cottage.
ZK: It was cottage there, beautiful, she kept ever so clean. She was ever so good cooking. Cook.
GB: Oh right, yes, yeah. So, so from your cottage, to the place where you worked, was just along the street, wasn’t it.
ZK: Yeah.
GB: Maybe two or three hundred yards? A little bit more.
ZK: More, more. Yeah.
GB: So when did your, what, tell us what would be a normal day for you? What time would you get up to go to work? Tell us a little bit about -
ZK: We wake up six o’clock, six o’clock in the morning and my husband went first to job and then I follow him after that. I went to cookhouse and there was these four girls with me, two English and three Polish women and we makes some, for tea. I ask what are you going to do for - I was in charge of the cookhouse then - and I said ‘well we going to do today platski’ – potato pancakes. [Laugh] So we had beautiful potatoes, we grate and put eggs, two, three eggs and flour and mix it and put in pan and fry it up, frying up there and keep them, when the thing come we have to keep hot this platski, and we gave them this and they eat it all [emphasis]. They say oh, what a beautiful meal we had today – they love it, they love it!
GB: And is platski, is that for breakfast or is that or lunch, or dinner?
ZK: Any time you can have.
GB: Any time, okay.
ZK: They ask, the next week ask me are we going to have this the same, this platski, I said ‘no, it’s hard work you know, it’s hard work. Unless you can do you help us, grate the potatoes and peel the potatoes then frying, you can have them!’ Ask but it’s too hard a job, too hard, yes. So, they give up and um, that time, my, I was going to, on um, on um, I finish with about that time, 1940 - 1946, 1945. Yes, I did. My husband stayed still two years there.
GB: So your husband was at RAF Ingham as well then.
ZK: Yeah, yeah.
GB: I know that you said that he lived in the cottage, I thought you said he was at a different RAF station.
ZK: No, we lived together, yeah.
GB: Oh right.
ZK: I have this paper and I stay in that cottage because I was waiting and it was big winter that time, 1947, remember?
GB: It was before I was born, but I do understand it was like 1963 was a very bad winter as well, but I understand ‘47 was bad.
ZK: We were going to Gainsborough, she was born in Gainsborough, during the night. It was snowing, we didn’t know where to go. I nearly have her in the car. Oh dear! Finally we arrive to that hospital, the matron, fat matron come, she was ever so good to me, she said ‘don’t worry lass, don’t worry’ [chuckle], she was wonderful lady, and the next day she was born and I stay in that hospital for one month because it was big snow, we can’t got to our cottage because it was snow up, my husband had to build a tunnel to be [indecipherable] and there was Queen and King going to Africa, with their daughters, that time and we say: ‘oh my goodness we come from Africa, should have stayed there!’ [Laugh]
GB: Wouldn’t it be nice to stay there, yeah, oh definitely.
ZK: And after month I come back home and the neighbours gave us beautiful dinner, Mr and Mrs Hayes, yes, they were lovely people. Everywhere I went I met good people, very nice people; they were very good to me.
GB: We, the only people that we know of that are still in the village of Ingham that have a Polish connection at the moment now, is Margaret Schmietster, she would have been there ’45, ’46.
ZK: Maybe, yeah.
GB: Jan was obviously her husband, he was Polish but she was a local girl, and she, obviously Jan has passed away a few years ago but she’s still, she’s the only person we found: Margaret Schmietster.
ZK: Oh.
GB: So you had the whole, about a year then at RAF Ingham, or two years, with your husband?
ZK: Three years!
GB: Three years!
ZK: 1944, no 1942 I joined the RAF, in Africa, I don’t know if you count that or not.
GB: If you joined, you joined!
ZK: [Falling object] Four years I was in RAF. Long time you know. I want to go to civil street you know, because well, you have enough of this marching and doing thing, oh dear, yeah.
GB: Did you only work in the kitchens that were down in the village or did you work at the kitchens up on the airfield at all, because we had the, I don’t know whether you remember, because the building that we are trying to renovate now is the airmens mess up on the airfield?
ZK: Yes, there I was, yeah.
Int; Oh, you worked in there as well?
ZK: Yes.
GB: Oh my goodness me!
ZK: It was an officers mess as well there.
GB: There is, there was an officers mess up there – a separate building – and a sergeants mess.
ZK: Because my friend, you know Marion.
[Other]: Yes.
ZK: He worked for officers mess there.
GB: Is your friend Marion, is it a he or she?
ZK: No, is a he.
[Other]: A he. He’s died
GB: He’s passed on has he?
ZK: He’s passed away, yeah, he was working there. [Sigh] Oh dear.
GB: It would be interesting for you to actually go back and see Ingham as it is now. A lot of it is still as it was, how you would remember, there are a few small kind of housing builds that have changed, especially, unfortunately, where your, where the Station Headquarters was and where your kitchen was, it’s just, it’s two streets of modern houses now I’m afraid. We’re struggling to find any photographs because most of the buildings there were there through to about the nineteen seventies, nineteen eighties, used for different things: for industrial purposes, there’s a scout hut, but then obviously the developers decided to flatten it, and build houses. So unfortunately we, we’re struggling to find, but on the airfield, the airmens mess on the airfield of course, the shell is there, the shell of the two buildings, so we are renovating that up, and it would be lovely perhaps um, either this summer, when it’s nice and warm, or maybe next year.
ZK: You’re going to finish that?
GB: We are: next year it will be finished. But you know, if you care to, there’s not a great deal to look at this year, but God willing, God willing, you’re obviously kind of like to come down perhaps next year and see the finished thing.
ZK: If I still live!
GB: You will, I’m sure you will, I’m sure you will!
ZK: I’m ninety two! Big age.
GB: I just hope that I am as fit and as well as you at ninety two, so. [Laughter] So, tell me a little bit about your husband if you don’t mind. Obviously, obviously the time that you knew him in the RAF? What kind of job did he do? I know you said he was service police, at RAF Ingham, did he work in the village or up at the airfield? What rank was he please?
ZK: In the airfield, in the, they have house there, Police Office,
GB: In the guardroom.
ZK: Guard, yeah, in Cammeringham. He was very busy. He go on, to Scotland very often, to search, to find out about, he was like um, detective.
GB: Yes, an investigator. Right, okay.
ZK: I don’t understand. He usually go to Scotland. I said ‘where are you going today?’ and he’d say ‘we’re going to Scotland, on business.’ He never told me.
GB: He probably wasn’t allowed to tell you, depending on what he did. In those days it was very, very quiet. What rank was he?
ZK: He was corporal.
GB: A corporal.
ZK: Polish, Polish rank he had, you know sergeant.
GB: Right, and when, when it came to the time of demob, when you came out of the RAF, did you stay in Ingham, or did you?
ZK: Oh yes! We stay, yes. We had chance to go to Canada, my, I have cousin right there, in Toronto, they say we must go there, but we decided, my husband didn’t want to go nowhere, and I think I like England as well, you know. I went to Canada, I been to America as well, see my brothers, and I don’t like America [laughter]. I said it’s best, best to stay in England.
GB: You think so.
ZK: Yes, he said I got relation in Poland where I have to go to see them, he have only one sister left, everybody was killed there. During the war.
[Other]: And his mother. His mother was alive.
ZK: Mhm. That was, that was terrible, terrible. And we stay, we decided to stay in England. I said ‘this is best country, I love England.’ I love Poland because it’s my country, that, you know, but I make lot of friends here, English people, I enjoy. I went, we went that first time, you remember, I was sad, sad story, first time, there was nothing there. Nothing. Oh, and um, what was going to say. It was, everything and Russian there: everything was, they have no clothing, they have nothing, nothing. Poor people; I feel sorry. We went to that camp, [indecipherable] People was looking at our car and I was crying, I said ‘oh my goodness, we have this car’ and they had nothing. Yeah. [Beep] It was bad, and we come back after months. We stay there months, we were going round big towns see the churches, cathedrals, beautiful. All bombed.
GB: All bombed.
ZK: Yeah. We went to Gniezno, where Poland become Christian - first time in thousand years. There were, outside the church there was figure from bronze, bronze, round beautiful monastery, and the Jerries took everything down, everything down for bullets to kill Polish people.
GB: Yes.
ZK: It was, then we went to Chopin, remember Chopin, we went to Chopin place, we went to Niepokalanow as well, where this Franciscan monk was killed by Jerry in Auschwitz. You remember?
GB: Yes, yes.
ZK: We been there. And where were we? In Krakow, Krakow, we come during the night, our car was, we didn’t, there was no light, nothing, it was dark, my husband took the road and there was hole in the road and the car plonk, in this hole. Oh my goodness, children was crying: we never come back to Poland! We never get back to England. About twenty people, Polish people, come and lift the car up. Oh, that was relief! [Laugh]
GB: Out of the hole. Would, would it be just a good idea just to give you a little break for a couple of minutes? Maybe like a drink of water or something?
ZK: Yeah, come on, make cup of tea.
GB: No! I meant from your point of view, just have that because you’ve been talking very nicely too us, but I think maybe.
ZK: I forgot lot, but you should come early I tell you more [indecipherable].
GB: No, you’ve been telling us tremendous stories already and luckily, with the camera here, we can record everything and what we’ll do is we’ll, when we’ve produced it, we’ll give you a copy, obviously give yourselves a copy, on disc, then at least you’ve got. It’s, it’s good to look back at it when you, because things you may forget about in a few weeks’ time you look back and then watch yourself on the television [laugh] and if you’re like me, you get very critical of yourself, and what, how you sit, how you speak to people, and that’s why I sit behind the camera you see! So if it’s all right with you, we’ll just take a short break, now and you can have a glass of water or what have you and then we can carry on again. If that’s all right. Okay?
ZK: [Indecipherable]
[Other]: I will do, yes. While we’re doing this, that’s mum when she was much younger. [Beep]
GB: Oh my!
[Other]: Your facility, the way you were able to say “Bast!”, [laughter], like that. You didn’t’ know English when you came to England. So when you went to Redcar did you have a medical?
ZK: Med?
[Other]: Did you have a medical when you came to Redcar?
ZK: Yes, we have.
[Other]: And what happened? What did the doctor say when he looked at you?
ZK: I don’t know! [Laughter]
[Other]: Oh, this one’s what?
[Other]: This one’s a?
ZK: No!
[Other]: This one’s a virgin. She had no idea what virgin meant!
GB: Oh dear!
ZK: There was a girl there, Rosalia, in Redcar, we were dressed up for morning’s attention, [beeping] I’m stood there and men working on the roof there and Rosalia didn’t put skirt on, [laugh] she was rushing, she was rushing and officers noticed so: ‘Rosalia, you have no skirt on!’ [Laughter]
[Background talking]
[Other]: My mum said that was at Ingham as well.
ZK: That was funny!
GB: Goodness me!
[Other]: With the English. That’s at Ingham.
GB: Oh right!
[Other]: Another one, police one, they had an adjutant at camp, Cammeringham, and when on parade he kept [indecipherable] didn’t notice but all the girls did and eventually Stefan, her husband, went and had a word and he didn’t do it any more.
[Other]: Do you want a piece of cake?
ZK: He chased me round!
[Other]: He said as copper I go tell him!
ZK: The boys: chase me round the cookhouse! [Laughter]
GB: So not a lot really changes in seventy years then, because that still happens! People still get chased round cookhouses and things.
[Other]: And corporal Miehalski, what do you remember about him?
GB: Might want to kneel down a bit Brendan, you’re right in the way of the lens, mate.
GB: That’s fine, for God’s sake, all these cameras.
ZK: We had fun, we had fun: we had good time.
[Other]: And so you should!
[Other]: Can you remember Miehalski?
ZK: Miehalski. Oh yeah, yeah, cook.
[Other]: What did he do?
ZK: He was, he wore big moustache. [Chuckle]
[Other]: And if you’re –
ZK: He, he look after me, he said ‘I will look after you, put weight on, don’t, you have nice complexion’, he give me some cream to drink [laughter].
[Other]: Ulterior motives!
ZK: He was funny man. He was from, where Stefan come from.
[Other]: Potsdam.
GB: Can you remember in the um, headquarters down in Ingham village where you worked, you obviously had your cookhouse, the canteen?
ZK: Yeah, I remember.
GB: But there were other buildings in there. We’ve looked at some of them and it looks like there might have been a shoemakers in, within the RAF?
ZK: Oh yeah, maybe, maybe there.
GB: Did you get a chance to look round any of the other buildings?
ZK: The clothing there, clothing as well.
GB: The Clothing Store was there, yeah.
ZK: Because my friend Stella used to work there.
GB: So did that mean you were able to get a couple of extra bits of extra clothing for the winter, yeah?
ZK: Oh dear!
GB: I’ll have a look at those photographs in a minute.
ZK: I did have the uniform, [indecipherable] I give you that, I don’t want it.
GB: But I presume obviously, working inside in the kitchens it was nice and warm anyway, even through the winter.
ZK: Warmer than Siberia! [Laugh]
GB: But then perhaps in the summer perhaps not so good, working in the kitchens.
ZK: No. Well, in Siberia, when we were deported, all my family, they gave us job on the river, on the river. They built edges, on the river, [paper shuffling] about four corridors, four corridors: A, B, C, D, wood, you get me, catch wood through that corridor. And I caught the wood and the wood, I went under water and I was hearing, and somebody was saying ‘she’s drowning, she’s drowning!’ My God! And I said, I go to that Commandant, our Commandant, Commandant and said ‘no, no, I’m not working on the river give me other jobs’, and for some men, they follow, for some men they gave us this cook, cookhouse job, they were cooking there and for winter we had to go to woods to saw the wood, wood, big wood, casting them for this river, and they send them, they bind them together and they send them in the river – I don’t know where they go.
GB: Probably to the big saw mills or something, yes.
ZK: Hard work. Hard work.
GB: With that many big tree trunks and logs, I imagine.
ZK: Long logs.
GB: Yeah, did people end up breaking their arms and hands and things?
ZK: Yeah, oh dear, I was in hospital there and I went out and that’s why I have that leg now.
GB: Because of the wood.
ZK: Yes, it was so cold.
GB: Can I ask you Zosia, when, going back to your time at Ingham, when you, you say that you were demobbed in 1946, but you and your husband stayed in Ingham, did you carry on working at the, in the kitchens?
ZK: No, I worked until I left RAF, since then I didn’t work ‘cause I was expecting baby and there was a lot of work at home – I had to clean out this house. It was terrible.
GB: And then how long did you stay in Ingham, in that house? Or should we say when did you move?
ZK: About eight months.
GB: Oh right, and then where did you move to after that?
ZK: We moved from that house to Matlock.
GB: Right, yes.
ZK: She was about -
[Other]: Matlock Bath.
ZK: Hmm?
[Other]: Matlock Bath.
ZK: Yeah, Matlock Bath, yeah. Come to Station Hotel and we stay there. All my brothers come with us, yeah, and we had this job and they love it, but they say that we’re not going to stay in England. They emigrated to Australia and since they emigrated I don’t hear from them nothing [emphasis]. Nothing. I don’t know what happened to them. I don’t know. The brother from, after me, he was in Italy, he was in Monte Cassino he had something wrong with him; he always cry. Oh, it was terrible. He was telling us story, he was years falling down. Terrible. Didn’t mention only one word Polish, fighting there, thousands of Polish people that day die there.
GB: At Monte Cassino.
ZK: Yeah. I was watching cemetery this summer, they were, oh, [pause] they had big do there, religion, all religion, you know, different nationalities come together, and there was a mass there as well, I was watching and they say that the scouts, scouts come, about thousands of scouts come with roses, red roses; they lay each roses on grave, these soldiers’ grave. That was beautiful, beautiful ceremony. [Blowing nose] Young people, scouts.
GB: That’s lovely, yes.
ZK: I’m sorry. It’s horrible, horrible.
GB: No, no.
ZK: I remember. I watch everything what’s going on this war, this last war, I don’t want it to happen again, [loudly] it’s happening again!
GB: It does. I’m afraid. I’m afraid people never learn, do they. They never learn from other people’s mistakes, and other big wars, and they keep happening.
ZK: That bloody Putin, Putin.
GB: Yeah, he’s causing problems now isn’t he, yes.
ZK: He’s horrible.
GB: Can I ask you one question Zosia, we’ve looked at these photographs, and do you not have a, no, do not have is a wrong question to ask. Do you have a photograph of you and your husband on your wedding day?
ZK: Oh yes.
[Other]: I’ve got it, at home.
GB: Ah, right!
ZK: Yes!
[Other]: It’s being reframed. I don’t know if it’s there. We found it broken.
[Much cross discussion]
GB: It was just that, yes, I just remember you said at the time about the family were very good to you, they brought you, you know, the wedding dress and the civilian clothes afterwards and I just thought to myself, well.
ZK: Yeah, there’s, got one there. That one.
[Other:] Oh this one.
ZK: Yes.
[Other]: In fact it was the mayor of Weston Super Mare.
[Other]: Sorry.
GB: The brother that was in Monte Cassino. He went in fact all the way through the Italian Campaign and he got a, which is unusual for them, he got a Cross of Valour.
GB: Ah! There we go.
[Other]: On the one I’ve got it’s been sort of coloured, hand painted, so it’s you know, sort of life.
GB: I have to be honest, I do like the black and white ones, I really do. I often think that photographs these days are nice to be in colour, but so many photographs would be nice if they were just left, even nowadays, in black and white, ‘cause I think sometimes colour, colour can be a bit untruthful in a way, black and white is very nice.
ZK: When will that photograph be coming?
[Other]: It’s still at home, it’s still waiting to reframe it.
GB: That is terrific.
[Other]: I didn’t know about that.
[Other]: Very low down on my priority list.
[Other]: And we didn’t know about the naughty ladies!
[Other]: No we didn’t.
GB: Could we possibly just take it out of there? If you don’t mind, you wouldn’t mind if we took a photograph of that one as well would you? Because then it’s lovely seeing you and your husband, it’s nice to see a picture of you together, especially on your wedding day. Have you got any other particular memories of RAF Ingham or thoughts, thoughts that you can now remember about just the everyday things that happened at RAF Ingham, any funny things, ‘cause you’ve obviously, with people chasing you round the kitchens! [Laughter] And I notice in particular, one of the pictures here, this one here, in the dining room, purely because the decoration’s up, it must have been Christmas Day or Christmas Eve.
ZK: That was Christmas Eve. Dinner.
GB: That was Christmas Eve. At Ingham.
ZK: He is there.
GB: Yes. And would this, would this have been the dining room down in the village or up on the airfield?
ZK: Yes.
GB: Which one do you think this would have been?
[Other]: Which one?
ZK: I think that was Somerset, RAF station Locking.
GB: You think it was Locking do you? Right.
[Other]: You told me it was Ingham.
GB: Well, it’s difficult to say, we’d have to look at the building anyway, ‘cause that’s, we’re really sad, Brendan and I, but we immediately look at the building.
[Other]: Oh no, you’d get some anorak coming and saying that’s not.
GB: Exactly, the windows of, most of the expansion period RAF buildings that were done in the ‘30s, 1930s when the RAF built up all of its stations, there were nice big concrete and brick built permanent stations. It’s only the ones that were built during the Second World War in particular that are all single story, with an apex roof and Nissen huts and things like that. So immediately we start looking at the windows and the size because they obviously had much bigger windows then we did, so our first question was going to be we wondered, we knew it was obviously Christmas purely by the amount of the food that’s on the table.
ZK: Good do, Christmas Eve.
GB: Yes, and all the decorations.
ZK: Yes.
[Other]: The one about the English chaps eating the Polish food, that was definitely Ingham.
ZK: Oh they love it, they love it! Our food is good!
[Other]: Zosia would have called that Cammeringham of course.
GB: Yes, because it was Cammeringham from November ’44, they changed it. Funnily enough they found that there was a small village in Suffolk, also called Ingham, and through most of the war years they found a lot of stores were going – there wasn’t an airfield at Ingham in Suffolk – but a lot of stores were getting sent there by mistake. The problem was, in March of ’44, that’s when the Polish bomber squadrons moved to Faldingworth, just across the other side of the A15, so RAF Ingham then reverted to being a training camp – there was still some flying still going on - and then the Air Ministry decided in the November of that year, after the operations had all finished, to change the name of the airfield to Cammeringham.
ZK: Yes, there was Faldingworth, remember Faldingworth.
GB: Faldingworth, yes, yes.
ZK: Was stationed there. My friend was there.
GB: Who was that? Can you remember who that was? At Faldingworth.
ZK: Well she died, long time ago. Mrs Bonner, you know.
GB: Okay.
[Other]: Oh yes, Mrs Bonner, yes.
GB: Because obviously everybody that was at Ingham in particular, with 300 Squadron, they moved over to Faldingworth, on to Lancasters, flying Lancasters, and they had obviously concrete runways there and that’s where they, most of them, spent till the end of the war and after until about ’47 or ‘48 when they kind of demobbed everybody. And obviously just round the corner, we were looking on the map, the site, I think it was number nine site, then became the Polish Resettlement Camp. Each of the Nissen huts had internal walls built, so from what was just basically a long tube they created a little house: two bedrooms, a living and a cooking area and a bathroom, and they were very, very basic and I was half wondering whether you and your husband had lived in there but obviously not because you were in the cottage.
ZK: In private.
GB: Did you [beep] find that, obviously you had food stores next to the kitchen. There must have been small huts or buildings.
ZK: Oh yeah, we had, in that kitchen was special pantry, that was there, we had food there. I arrange what we having next day to cook. I was in charge there. I didn’t wanted the job, but -
GB: And –
ZK: I have to do it! [Laughter]
GB: Obviously you had to be careful because I imagine some of the things, some of the food, was kind of, fairly kind of valuable or scarce. So did you have to make sure you always locked it up so that people didn’t pilfer it?
ZK: Yes, yes, yes, very careful. Yes, ‘cause they’re selling it on black market: coffee and tea.
GB: There’s bars on some of the store windows, there’s still the bars on the windows, so we assume there was something valuable in that area.
[Other]: There would have been vandals?
ZK: I wondered -
GB: Up at the, up on the airfield where the airmens, the other airmens mess is, obviously you had one down at the bottom, the one up that’s up there, there are two or three of the small buildings left around. One of the buildings we found the original drawings for it, and it shows that part was a meat store, but it didn’t have any refrigeration like we have these days, no.
ZK: Didn’t have, no.
GB: There were just, there were bars on the windows and the vents had just got a grill over them obviously to stop flies and things coming in, and then another area within a building was all like for bread and things. The other building we’ve now found, which has been knocked down unfortunately, it says Local Produce Store. So we presume that was all the vegetables and things out of the fields. It goes into quite a lot of detail. When you come down, we’ll show you one of the maps, and it was a copy of the original drawing of the airmens mess. It was a standard thing that they had on all RAF stations, you know, a standard build so you’re probably going to look at it and think oh yes I remember standing there at the cookers, you know. And there are little offices right at the back like catering offices.
ZK: Aha. When my husband was alive we used to go to Peterborough, we go through Lincoln and we go to Cammeringham that camp as well and I said ‘this is where we stayed here’, he said ‘yes, yes, it was’ [laugh].
GB: Well if you would like to come, you know, if it’s possible, and you’d like to come maybe in the summer when it’s nice and warm, we’d be delighted to kind of show you round a little bit of the village as it is now and up on the airfield. It’s up to you all but if you’d like to come we’d love to show you what we’re doing.
ZK: I don’t know who I choose driver!
[Other]: I heard that! [Laughter] I think it must have been what fourteen years ago when we took, when we took the photographs of the cottage.
GB: Jubilee, yes, yes.
[Other]: When we went back with Zosia there and we didn’t [emphasis] look at Ingham at all. Very roughly, that plan there, it’s based like that, where’s the airfield in relation to it, no, just which way?
GB: Right, if the thing’s like that, the village is here, and then the escarpment comes up here, at the side, so it’s over to the immediate east.
[Other]: What, on top of the escarpment?
GB: Yes.
[Other]: Or is it, is it?
GB: If you have a look on, in fact if you -
[Other]: It virtually abuts the airfield, Scampton.
ZK: [Indecipherable] [Background chatter]
GB: The airfield is between - have you looked on our web site at all?
[Other]: Oh, no.
GB: Right, if you have a look on there we have pictures on it.
[Other]: I just wondered where their relation to the map there, so that’s up on the thing.
GB: Oh right. Let me just draw it quickly.
[Other]: If you look on – on our site there’s actually a google map which shows you where it is. You can go out, you can see the fields and the wood and you can actually see just below our site is where the bit where the open fields were, the runways, the A runways, were over that end, on top of what she was saying was the cliff that she used to cycle up to, to get to the top.
GB: Do you have a piece of paper, I’ll just quickly draw it for you.
GB: Is all up on the top there. Down at the bottom of the hill, was some buildings half way down, but the rest was in the village, right the way to the other side of the village so everything was dispersed. So the WAAFs quarters were right over towards Fillingham.
[Overlapping conversations]
GB: So that’s the A15 there, that goes north.
GB: Then you’ve got the top of the village and then actually the bomb dump, before what is now [emphasis] the end of Scampton runway. About a mile or so apart.
GB: [Indecipherable] Do you have a piece of paper and I’ll draw it.
[Other]: That’s to say they were virtually abutting, weren’t they. Absolutely.
[Other]: We went onto an airfield, didn’t we; we went up there.
[Other]: What happened was we were at the back, we were at the back, um, door of Scampton.
[Other]: Oh right.
GB: There is, yeah, a couple of tracks.
[Other]: The Red Arrows were there – a full practice. Several practices. [Chuckle]
[Other]: Just for you, do you remember the Red Arrows laid on a display for you, when we were over there?
[Other]: When we all went over there, when we took those photographs. Do you remember the Red Arrows.
ZK: Yeah, yeah.
[Other]: Frightened us to death, didn’t they! [Laugh]
[Other]: Frighten themselves to death!
GB: There we go, right. Might look a bit complicated. That is the A15, if you think north is to the top of the page and this is the B1398.
[Other]: The cliff road.
GB: The cliff road.
GB: Middle Street, yeah.
GB: That’s the edge of the escarpment which then goes down into the village. This was the airfield basically, this area here.
[Other]: Oh right, right.
GB: It had the longest runway, went over Ingham Lane through the war years, to about there, although they were grass. There’s a shorter one which went about there, like that, and then the other one, believe it or not, went that way, so that was over the grass area. Right back in the middle was a – was it called Cliff House?
[Other] : Yeah, that farm, farmhouse.
GB: It was a big old house, and that’s where the air traffic was as well, [loud noise] slap bang in the middle.
[Other] : Which is strange in itself.
GB: So, obviously you come up the road here, which is the Lincoln Road. At this corner here is where we were talking about the Sick Quarters: there.
[Other]: Yes, yes.
GB: And Zosia’s, the camp, where she was, was down there in the village, there’s obviously buildings and this, this really here is the whole of Ingham village.
[Other]: Right.
[Background talking]
GB: The cottages, Jubilee Cottage is there.
ZK: I remember!
GB: The little church just above it there, and then this is Church Lane, that comes to the top.
ZK: The church is there.
GB: And if you ever drive to the top, you do a quick right and a quick left, no more than ten metres, and that was, I say I’ve offset this so it’s not, that should be down there.
[Other]: There, yeah.
GB: And the main guard hut was there.
[Other]: Oh right!
GB: Which is probably -
[Other]: Where Stefan was.
GB: Where Stefan would have been based, because that was the main thing. Now our place, there’s a wood here.
[Other]: Right
GB: And then there’s a driveway in. Because obviously during the Second World War they had dispersed sites, in case there were German strafing, so, whereas a normal RAF station these days have everybody in and around the parade square or the barrack blocks, everything was dispersed, so there was an accommodation site down here, there were two or three dotted all over. So if that’s the B1398 that goes due north, our site is here. There’s a little guard, a tiny guard hut that’s left, we’re renovating, and then our mess building is literally on here, around the edge of this wood with lots of other, there’s a sergeant’s mess here and the chap, and the farmer keeps his chickens in there, so, but if you have a look at the web site.
[Other]: Yeah, will do.
GB: We have got quite a few pictures on there just to give you, and there is an old aerial photograph isn’t there I think, on the web site somewhere.
[Other] : Should be.
GB: Of 1944, which really is just that kind of picture of the airfield. That really just shows you from this point down to that, the escarpment drops by, I don’t know, is it about fifty feet, or a bit, but it’s a long drop down, it’s about as deep as it is wide, isn’t it. That’s the best way to describe it.
[Other] : It’s got to be, if you’re talking about five metres contours it’s gotta be five metres minimum [emphasis], which is you know, which is twenty five foot plus.
GB: ‘Cause going down, when you go down Church Hill or Cow Lane, either one, you’re going downhill at quite a rate of knots in the car and that one’s obviously a lot more than twisty but. So that’s just a quick artists impression of who it is and what we are.
[Other]: Absolutely!
[Other]: Thank you.
GB: But um, oh fantastic.
[Other]: That’s just for the hell of it, that’s his full name, the fellow whom you’ve come across who was stationed there at that time, that’s the full name spelled out. He later became a friend of the Kennedy’s apparently.
GB: Oh right!
[Other]: Ingham by the way, there’s also one in Norfolk.
GB: Is there really? Well there you go.
[Other]: And you may have seen, you will [emphasis] have seen, Wikipedia or something, refers to, to provoke confusion with RAF Ingham in Suffolk, as you’ve said that there was.
GB: That was, when we first started doing all the research we thought oh well there’s a, but no, unfortunately Wikipedia is good for some things, but!
[Other]: You use your own knowledge and you decide what is right and wrong.
GB: Well, thank you very much. Is there anything that we, we’d love to come and chat to you again some time but we’re aware that obviously it is quite tiring, having us here and strangers and obviously looking back over it all, is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Ingham that we wouldn’t know about but you might well remember?
ZK: No, no, I think I too old, I forget now, you know. If you’d come about five years early I would tell you lots! [Laugh]
GB: It’ll probably be after we’ve driven off down the road you’ll think oh, I should have told them about that or what have you. So RAF Ingham you were not only a WAAF, a Polish WAAF, but you were a married woman and then a mother while you were at Ingham, so that in itself is a lovely story – and here’s your daughter to prove it!
ZK: My daughter and my son in law, yeah, I think they will give me a lift to.
GB: Well that’ll be lovely, well on the back of that –
ZK: Yes Patrick!
[Other]: Sorry?
ZK: You give me lift?
[Other]: If you pay the petrol.
ZK: [Laugh] I pay!
[Other]: That chap may [emphasis] just be of use, again, you have the emails.
ZK: [Bang] Show him this book!
[Other]: Just looking.
ZK: There’s a book here.
[Other]: He is going a bit weird at the moment, that chap, but he was a bomber chap early on, Wellingtons, and was, it is a very interesting story, that’s him.
GB: Yes, we met him. I think that was the gentleman that we met before Christmas?
[Other]: Oh, you might have done, at the thing.
GB: At the Polish.
[Other]: Oh, you spoke to him? Oh good!
GB: We did, and his wife, he’s got a Scottish wife.
[Other]: That’s right. Absolutely!
GB: Yes, we spoke to him, but our conversation was wandering in and out of English and Polish and his wife was having to explain to him.
[Other]: Absolutely. He is a bit wandery now.
GB: Yeah, and the, half way through a sentence he would obviously start speaking in Polish and his wife just had to remind him he was speaking to English people.
[Other]: That’s sad, that’s happened, of course, in the last five years or so.
GB: Yes, but two hundred and sixty six missions I think, he himself said.
[Other]: Do you say missions? Missions? Tsk, tsk.
GB: Can’t I say missions? I’m allowed to say missions. Operations.
[Other]:[Indecipherable] In fact could be fighter sorties, but in fact he was a bomber chap so nowhere near as many as that.
GB: Yes, he did start as that.
[Other]: And it’s a good Polish story, well worthwhile. His early stuff, when he was on Wellingtons.
GB: He was in 304 Squadron?
[Other]: I can’t remember.
GB: I’m sure it was 304 he said he was.
[Other]: Just, and he had rather a disastrous crash early on, and subsequently, that was the -
GB: That’s the gentleman, yes.
[Other]: Absolutely, a very [emphasis] nice character, and his wife is nice as well.
ZK: He’s poorly now.
[Other]: Unfortunately he’s just going a little -
ZK: He’s very poorly.
GB: Yes.
[Other]: But, again, the basis of what you get from him, and the rest, is in there. Absolutely great.
GB: [Pause] Fantastic.
[Other]: And who was this man you spoke to this morning? Remind me what his background was.
GB: He was an armourer with, a ground armourer, with 303 Squadron. Lech -
ZK: Lech.
GB: Lech, and er, yes, he was very interesting. Obviously he’s not, he’s not directly connected with RAF Ingham, but being a Polish ground armourer, very interesting to get his point of view.
[Other]: Well worthwhile. Like [indecipherable], he wasn’t at Ingham.
GB: His perspective was nice.
[Other]: Of Zosia’s three brothers, the youngest one, he was stuck in a, like a Young Army School in Palestine; he was thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. The sort of seventeen, sixteen year old, once they left Siberia, which was Archangel, the forests of the north.
GB: Yes, yes.
[Other]: Not Siberia, he went to Halton as RAF Apprentice, where they were doing the two year course, and he joined the RAF, having finished, as an armourer, and her elder brighter, eldest, was the one who went through the Italian Campaign and as I say he got a, I forget what he bloody got, but it was most unusual for the Poles, more unusual - Cross of Valour, Cross of Valour. And I am almost certain just reading about him and having seen his picture, nowadays they’d call it post traumatic stress. Zosia was saying, that on top of his Polish emotionalism, he was also very troubled. Fascinating character but unfortunately, he went to Australia and people lost touch with him.
GB: Touch with him. Did you get a chance to photograph all the pictures?
[Other]: I’m not sure if I got all of them, I certainly got quite a few of them.
GB: What about this, this one from Zosia in er, civilian attire?
[Other]: When the camera started to go.
GB: Oh did it? Is it not working right? Or is it?
GB: It’s on a, what seems to be a mode, but it’s still taking a picture.
[Other]: [Chuckle] Have you suddenly discovered a new mode after all this using it!
GB: No! Actually, to be honest, to be honest all of this kit is brand new, you’re the guinea pigs today, of using the kit. We have to kind of own up to that.
ZK: Ah!
[Other]: Oh that’s interesting.
GB: Which is why, although we’ve had the kit for about a week or two, this is the first real live, yes, today is a live kind of um, [cough], you know, a live outing with it. So we’re hoping all has gone really well. We did have a quick playback from Lech this morning and everything had recorded on it, which was a bonus.
[Other]: Oh good.
GB: If it hadn’t we were going to be messing around at lunchtime trying to get the whole thing working, so.
[Other]: I’ve got that one, but I haven’t got this.
[Other]: Where did you, where have you been in the last few years?
GB: Oh crikey, in my RAF career?
[Other]: You haven’t been doing anything else have you? You haven’t been moonlighting!
GB: [Laugh] I’d never get the chance! Where have I been, well, if you’re talking about ordinary stations that I’ve been stationed at, I started at Marham, Kings Lynn. I then went to Rheindahlen in Germany, for four years. I then go in to Coningsby in Lincolnshire. After Coningsby I went to Northern Ireland, to RAF Aldergrove, did Northern Ireland, oh crikey.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Zosia Kowalska Interview
Description
An account of the resource
After a challenging time being sent from country to country, Zosia Kowalska finally came to England and became a WAAF. After training, she was posted to RAF Locking where she met her future husband whilst she was working as a cook. The wedding was organised by local people and Zosia was most grateful for their generosity. A posting to RAF Ingham led to Zosia living in the local village where she had her daughter. Zosia and her family talk about the people she met, the history of her brothers and visits to Poland after the war. They were all interested in the work being done at RAF Ingham and are keen to visit again.
This item was provided, in digital form, by a third-party organisation which used technical specifications and operational protocols that may differ from those used by the IBCC Digital Archive.
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
Polskie Siły Powietrzne
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Format
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01:09:16 audio recording
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SRAFIngham19410620v100001
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Geoff Burton
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Poland
South Africa
England--Lincolnshire
England--Nottinghamshire
Russia (Federation)--Siberia
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Anne-Marie Watson
Carolyn Emery
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944
1943
1944-03
1945
303 Squadron
ground personnel
love and romance
mess
military living conditions
military service conditions
RAF Faldingworth
RAF Ingham
RAF Locking
RAF Newton
Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/53/616/PBoldyDA15010033.1.jpg
568fda198e3449e6452169ac32e261e3
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/53/616/PBoldyDA15010034.1.jpg
9f903d9e5832611dc83ef5a08783801b
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
Boldy, David
Dave Boldy
D A Boldy
Description
An account of the resource
334 items. The collection concerns Flight Sergeant David Adrian Boldy (1918 – 1942, 923995 Royal Air Force) and consists of his school reports, letters from school and photographs of family and locations in India, letters from training and service, and photographs from his social life and time training. It also includes newspaper cuttings and letters about him being missing in action. David Boldy was born and attended school in India and studied law at Kings College London. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force and trained as an air gunner in South Africa. He flew operations in Manchesters and Lancasters with 207 Squadron from RAF Bottesford. His aircraft failed to return from an operation to Gdańsk 11 July 1942. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by David Boldy and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.<br /><br />Additional information on David Boldy is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/102182/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Boldy, DA
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
Women in hats at a wedding
Description
An account of the resource
A car is parked outside a church and two smartly dressed ladies stand in the foreground. Behind them is a two-storey building with the name 'GEO H ROGERS'. In front of the building there cars and people standing around. Caption on reverse 'Beth at Chris’ wedding'.
159 Oxford Street, East London, 5201, South Africa.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBoldyDA15010033, PBoldyDA15010034
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Boldy, David. Folder PBoldyDA1501
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Stilgoe
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--East London
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1695/27468/MPhillipsD1653229-180604-040001.2.jpg
5958712cc8ff298480afe8d1f89127bd
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1695/27468/MPhillipsD1653229-180604-040002.2.jpg
a40d4f383b3565c8825b5ca481d394b4
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
Phillips, Daniel
D Phillips
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
2018-06-04
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
Phillips, D
Description
An account of the resource
40 Items. Collection concerns Warrant Officer Daniel Phillips ( - 2022, 1653229) who served as a Lancaster navigator on 460 Squadron at RAF Binbrook in 1944/45. Collection contains service history, documents, a letter, photographs of people, places and aircraft. It also includes his flying log book and course notes from his navigator training.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Rhodri Phillips and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
RETURN TO D Phillips
[signature] A. R. Bush. [signature]
[signature] J A Smith N J Holman.
B G Pearson. [signature] A Pringle (.303)
[signature] [signature]
A H Brewy J K Cleary
W H J Deacon John E. Peach
JM Small.
J Anderson J M Small
[signature]
H W Stone B Powell
[signature]
H. E. Goldstein [signature]
[signature] D Herbert.
J. H. Simpson. H Moore
[signature] W. G. Colgrave
[signature]
W. G. Edwards “Joe' Bimber
H L Rogers [signature]
T Crawley Gerald Howe.
F. Marsh X Tucker.
B E Hilling C Ansry
C Keeton
Rep. 17270 - 624 - 12.43
[page break]
[RAF Crest]
No. 10 Air Navigators' Course
No. 47 AIR SCHOOL
QUEENSTOWN
SOUTH AFRICA
Wings Dinner
held at
The Windsor Hotel
on
Thursday, 23rd December, 1943
at 7-30 p.m.
[symbol]
[page break]
[symbol]
Toasts
THE KING
THE GUESTS
[symbol]
[page break]
MENU
[symbol]
Consommé à la Simpson
Fried Kabeljauw and Lemon
Crumbed Lamb Cutlets and Green Peas
Roast Stuffed Turkey and York Ham
Roast Leg of Pork and Apple Sauce
Vegetables
Vanilla Ice Cream
Fruit Salad
Coffee Fruit
Cheese and Biscuits
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
Wings dinner menu
Description
An account of the resource
For No 10 Air Navigators' course, 47 Air School, Queenstown South Africa. Menu and signatures of course members.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-12-23
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Folded printed menu card
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MPhillipsD1653229-180604-04
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.
South Africa
South Africa--Queenstown
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-12-23
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Roger Dunsford
aircrew
navigator
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2601/45185/LHomewoodWR1577093v1.2.pdf
e1bd431ee39166e8a23bef592dffb254
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
Homewood, William Robert
Homewood, W R
Description
An account of the resource
17 items. The collection concerns William Robert Homewood (1577093 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, documents, photographs and a piece of shrapnel. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 51 Squadron.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Jeffrey Homewood and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019-07-24
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Homewood, WR
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
William Homewood's Royal Air Force Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LHomewoodWR1577093v1
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
Description
An account of the resource
W R Homewood’s Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book covering the period from 2 May 1944 to 12 March 1945, detailing his flying training and operations flown as Air Bomber. He was stationed at SAAF East London (41 Air School), RAF Lossiemouth (20 OTU), RAF Riccall (1658 HCU) and RAF Snaith (51 Squadron). Aircraft flown in were Anson, Oxford, Wellington and Halifax. He flew on 26 night operations and nine day operations (total 36) with 51 Squadron. He also flew three Operation Manna flights and one repatriation flight. His pilot on operations was Flying Officer Murray. Targets were Sterkrade, Kleve, Bochum, Duisburg, Wilhelmshaven, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Julich, Munster, Essen, Osnabruck, Oppau, Hanover, Hanau, Saarbruchen, Dulmen, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Mainz, Wann Eichel, Nordstern, Reisholz, Worms, Kamen, Hemmingstedt, Hamburg, Dortmund and Wuppertal.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Terry Hancock
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Germany
Great Britain
South Africa
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Dortmund
Germany--Duisburg
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Essen
Germany--Gelsenkirchen
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Hanau
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Jülich
Germany--Kamen
Germany--Kleve (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Magdeburg
Germany--Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Germany--Münster in Westfalen
Germany--Oppau
Germany--Osnabrück
Germany--Saarbrücken
Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)
Germany--Stuttgart
Germany--Wanne-Eickel
Germany--Wilhelmshaven
Germany--Worms
Germany--Wuppertal
England--Yorkshire
Scotland--Moray
South Africa--East London
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Dülmen
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1944-10-06
1944-10-07
1944-10-09
1944-10-15
1944-10-16
1944-10-31
1944-11-02
1944-11-04
1944-11-06
1944-11-16
1944-11-18
1944-11-21
1944-11-29
1944-12-06
1944-12-17
1944-12-30
1945-01-02
1945-01-05
1945-01-06
1945-01-12
1945-01-13
1945-12-16
1945-01-20
1945-02-01
1945-02-02
1945-02-04
1945-02-20
1945-02-21
1945-02-23
1945-02-27
1945-03-01
1945-03-07
1945-03-08
1945-03-11
1945-03-12
1945-03-13
1658 HCU
20 OTU
51 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
Air Observers School
aircrew
Anson
bomb aimer
Halifax
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 3
Heavy Conversion Unit
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
RAF Milltown
RAF Snaith
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/477/10243/LBrileyWG1586825v1.1.pdf
1fafc8f88de868c2a3d32e67ebd8d4b0
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
Briley, William George
George Briley
W G Briley
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Briley, WG
Description
An account of the resource
Eight items. An oral history interview with Warrant Officer William George Briley (1586825, Royal Air Force), his log book, service material and a sight log book containing <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/987">18 target photographs</a>. After training in South Africa, George Briley completed 39 bombing and supply dropping operations as a navigator with 40 Squadron flying Wellingtons from Foggia in Italy. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by William George Briley and catalogued by Barry Hunter, <span>with additional identification provided by the Archeologi dell'Aria research group (</span><a href="https://www.archeologidellaria.org/">https://www.archeologidellaria.org</a><span>)</span>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-10-09
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.
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
William George Briley's observer's and air gunner's flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
Observers and air gunners flying log book for Wiliam George Briley, covering the period from 2 December 1943 to 24 November 1945. Detailing his flying training, operations flown and communication flight duties. He was stationed at, East London, RAF Qastina, RAF Foggia and Athens. Aircraft flown in were, DH82 Tiger Moth, Anson, Empire flying boat, Wellington, Defiant, C-47, Fairchild Argus III and Liberator. He flew a total of 39 operations, 26 night and 13 daylight operations, consisting of 28 bombing operations and 11 supply drops. Targets were, Ferrara, Bologna, Milan, Athens, Brescia, Szekesfehervar, Solonica, Borovnica, Danube, Verona, Bronzolo, Tuzla, Sinj, Vragolovi, Predgrao, Zakomo, Podgorica, Novi Pasar, Chiapovano, Szombathely, Bugojno, Matesevo, Casarsa, Susegana, Salcano, Doboj, Circhina and Udine. His pilot on operations was Sergeant Hanson.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LBrileyWG1586825v1
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
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Montenegro
Middle East--Palestine
Serbia
Slovenia
South Africa
Bosnia and Herzegovina--Bugojno (Opština)
Bosnia and Herzegovina--Doboj
Bosnia and Herzegovina--Tuzla
Croatia--Sinj
Danube River
Gaza Strip--Gaza
Greece--Athens
Hungary--Székesfehérvár
Hungary--Szombathely
Italy--Bologna
Italy--Brescia
Italy--Bronzolo
Italy--Casarsa della Delizia
Italy--Ferrara
Italy--Foggia
Italy--Milan
Italy--Susegana
Italy--Udine
Italy--Verona
Middle East--Palestine
Montenegro--Kolašin
Montenegro--Podgorica
Serbia--Novi Pazar
Slovenia--Borovnica
Slovenia--Cerkno
Slovenia--Solkan
South Africa--East London
Greece--Thessalonikē
Gaza Strip
Danube River
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943
1944
1945
1944-09-02
1944-09-06
1944-09-10
1944-09-12
1944-09-13
1944-09-14
1944-09-17
1944-09-19
1944-09-21
1944-09-26
1944-10-04
1944-10-05
1944-10-09
1944-10-10
1944-10-11
1944-10-12
1944-11-01
1944-11-04
1944-11-05
1944-11-06
1944-11-08
1944-11-10
1944-11-16
1944-11-17
1944-11-18
1944-11-19
1944-11-22
1944-11-25
1944-11-26
1944-12-11
1944-12-13
1944-12-14
1944-12-15
1944-12-16
1944-12-19
1944-12-26
1944-12-27
1945-01-03
1945-01-05
1945-01-15
1945-01-20
1945-01-21
40 Squadron
Air Observers School
aircrew
Anson
B-24
C-47
Defiant
mine laying
navigator
Operational Training Unit
Resistance
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16384/MNealeETH1395951-150731-048.1.pdf
797498dcd38cfa16c36ae6f19671107e
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
Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale 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
2015-07-31
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
Neale, ETH
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Drawing of Service personnel]
“Khaki and Blue we welcome you”
Durban is glad to see you.
[Page break]
HELPFUL ORGANISATIONS
The following organisations will gladly assist in the entertainment of visiting soldiers and sailors, who are invited to get in touch with the following:-
Rotary Club. – Luncheon meeting every Tuesday at Marine Hotel, Esplanade, at 1 p.m. Secretary, C. Teeton (tel. 56124; res. tel. 85267). Sons of Rotarians in the Forces especially welcome.
Masonic Fellowship.- Information regarding Freemasonry may be obtained form the Masonic Hall, Smith Street (opposite Greenacre’s); tel. 24261.
Sons of England.- Provincial Secretary, A.K. Todd, 7-8 Royal Exchange Buildings, cor. Smith and Field Streets, tel. 21642; residence 335 St. Thomas’ Road, tel. 48328. Lodge meetings held frequently at S.O.E. Hall, 473 Smith Street.
Toc H.- Toc H members or friends are invited to ring up Mr. W.E. Steuart, c/o Messrs. Maythems Ltd., Maydon Road. tel. 57126; residence, Beach Hurst, Marine Parade, tel. 26595. Meetings Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m., Lucas House, Commercial Road, opposite Victoria League Club.
Toc H League of Women Helpers, Ellison Club, 79 Field Street, tel. 25802.
Overseas League.- Hon. Corresponding secretary, Mrs. W.A. Larmuth, Durban Women’s Club, Stuttaford’s Buildings, Field Street, tel. 21752.
Royal Empire Society.- Hon. corresponding secretary, J.R.T. Crampton, 19-20 Gersigny’s Buildings, Leslie Street, off Gardiner Street, tel. 21418.
Australian and New Zealand Association.- Secretary F. Jempson, c/o S.A. Slippers (Pty.) Ltd., 98 Gale Street, tel. 25188; residence, 63 Bartle Road, tel. 57967.
Association of Friends of Free France.- Secretary, M. Verdoncq, 26 Baker Street, off Smith Street, tel. 20421.
Durban Caledonian Society.- Chief, J.K. Samson, c/o Standard Bank of S.A. Ltd., West Street; residence, 150 Evans Road, tel. 56874. Secretary, W.B. Smith, 24 Toledo Avenue, tel. 49405.
Natal Cambrian Society.- Secretary H.I. Rowlands, c/o Messrs. Payne Bros, 398 West Street, residence tel. 49145. Musical evenings arranged at Seaforth Private Hotel, 10 Palmer Street (Mrs. E. Matthews, tel. 20027).
Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northern Counties Association.- Secretary, Mrs. E. Jackson, 6 Beach Hurst, Marine Parade, tel. 27446.
Society of Londoners.- Secretary, Miss F.M. Lloyd, tel. 49182. Social evenings at Merchant Navy Club, 17 Gardiner St., 7.30 p.m., second Tuesday in every month.
British Empire Service League.- Offices are situated in the basement of the Municipal Buildings., City Hall.
Memorable Order of Tin Hats (M.O.T.H.).- Hon, sec., Major C. Bass, G.H.Q. Warrior’s Gate, Od Fort Road., tel. 26046, who will afford information regarding meetings of Shellholes.
Durban Camera Club.- Secretary, L. Bevis, Municipal Museum , City Hall, tel. 26611 (ext. 102).
Durban Amateur Cine Club.- Secretary, W.B. Gray, 110 Sir Duncan Road, tel. 57338.
Durban Chess Club.- Secretary, H. Fairbridge, King’s Mansions, Esplanade, tel. 26250. Meets every Tuesday, 7.45 p.m. Club rooms, Stuttaford’s Chambers, Field Street (second floor).
Philatelic Society of Natal.- Meets first and third Wednesday of each month at 31 London Assurance House, 319 Smith St. (take lift to third floor), 7 p.m. Hon. secy., G. Milner Palmer, tel. res. 48790, office 23553.
Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.- S. Carson (R.O.H.), 39 Gardiner Street, tel. 21373; residence, 16 Madeira Road, tel. 38770.
[Page break]
Ancient Order of Foresters.- Secretary, Miss N. Hughes, c/o Natal Mercury, Devonshire Place, off Smith St., tel. 24511. Meetings first Wednesday in each month at Foresters Hall, Alwyn House, 452 West Street, at 7.30 p.m.
Independent Order of Oddfellows (M.U.).- Secretary, W.J.H. Baker, 72 Madeline Road, tel. 36835. Meets first and third Mondays each month. Oddfellows Hall, Albany Grove, off Smith Street, near Playhouse, at 5.30 p.m.
Independent Order of Rechabites (S.U.).- Secretary, J.B. Matthews, c/o W. Sharp, 10 Stamford Hill Road, tel. 21234. Meetings second Monday in each month, Congregational Church Schoolroom, Aliwal Street, at 8 p.m.
Moral Rearmament (M.R.A.).- Office, 717 Payne’s Buildings, West Street, tel. 24248; after hours tel. 47958 or 49394.
Christian Science Reading Room.- No. 1 Rhodes House (ground floor), 368 Smith Street, tel. 22010. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Automobile Association of S.A., 30 Gardiner Street.
Royal Automobile Club of S.A., 5 Club Arcade, Smith St.
The Housing Section, S.A. Women’s Auxiliary Services, will gladly arrange for members of the Forces who are granted short periods of leave to be accepted as guests in private homes or on farms in various parts of Natal. Please contact Flat 5, Fire Station Buildings, Pine Street, tel. 26257.
The office of the Non-European Army Liaison Officer is at 141 Warwick Avenue, tel. 24543. It is suggested that non-European Officers and Nurses contact this official on arrival.
Information regarding other Associations or Organisations established in Durban is obtainable at the Publicity Bureau, corner of West and Church Streets.
CONSULAR REPRESENTATIVES.
Belgium: Mr. Henri Moumal, Reid & Acutt’s Buildings, 41 Esplanade, tel. 20132.
Denmark: Mr. O. Rasmussen, Whytock Building, 397 Smith Street, tel. 20731.
Free France: Capt. P. Lerequier, 42 Menteith House, Smith Street, tel. 20181.
Greece: Commander E. Lychnos, 24 Southern Life Building, Smith Street, tel. 25086.
Netherlands: Mr. F. Heckman, Netherlands Bank Building, 335 Smith Street, tel. 20387.
Norway: Mr. J.J. Egeland, 397 Smith Street, tel. 21694.
Poland: Mr. Stanislas B.M. de Rosset, 166 Goble Road, tel. 39461.
Portugal: Mr. V.M. Morgado, Netherlands Bank Building, Smith Street, tel. 22603.
Sweden: Mr. A. Lindholm, 99 Smith Street, tel. 25524.
U.S.A.: Mr. John Corrigan, Consul, Mr. Robt. C. Strong, Vice-Consul, Netherlands Bank Bldg., 335 Smith St., tel. 22461.
Yugoslavia: Mr. Alex. Blaikie, 130 Williams Road, tel. 21585.
New Zealand Govt.: Mr. H. Middlebrook (Hon. Representative). No. 3 First Floor, natal Bank Buildings, West Street, tel. 21483.
ZULU PHRASES.
[Phrase] Zulu. Pronounced.
Go straight ahead. Hamba pambili. Harmba pambeeley
Stop. Yima or Mana. Eeema or Marnar.
Turn around. Penduka. Pendugar.
Turn back. Buyel’ emuve. Buyella muvar.
How much? Imalini? Marleeney?
Go to the Point. Yana e Point. Yarnar Point.
Go to Maydon Wharf. Yana e Kangella. Yarnar Kangella.
Wait for me here. Ngilindela. Gilinderlar.
Good-bye. Hamba kahle. Harmber garshle.
A Zulu will probably express his thanks by the word “Mnumzana,” pronounced “Oomnnmzarnar”; or, if very pleased, will use the word “Inkosi,” pronounced “Inkorsi.”
Ricksha pullers and other Zulus use the following word to express money: 3d., Teekie (Itiki) or Upenn; 6d., Sispens or Zukwa; 1/-, Usheleni; 2/-, Scotchman; 2/6, Fakulin (Ufgargoleni).
Visitors will also note that Europeans use the word “Tickey” to express “Threepence”.
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“WELCOME TO DURBAN.”
This greeting is a very sincere one and, on behalf of Durban, is expressed to you by the compilers of this publication, the Durban Publicity Association, offices, corner West and Church Streets, opposite City Hall.
We trust your stay with us will result in your getting to know something of the delights of this “Sunlit City by the Sea,” that you will partake of the hospitality of its citizens and make many new friends, and that they will ripen into lasting friendships; and when the time arrives for you to leave us, we cannot do better than repeat the farewell expressed by our beloved Prime Minister, General Smuts, who said:-
“Good-bye, officer and man, visit us again; you will always be welcome; some of you might like to settle here when the war is over. You will be welcome.”
And so in some other languages we say:-
Afrikaans: Durban heet u welkom.
Belgian: Welkon in Durban.
Danish: Velkommen til Durban.
French: Bien venue à Durban.
Greek: Kalos orisete sto Durban.
Dutch: Welkom naar Durban.
Norwegian: Velkommen til Durban.
U.S.A.: Glad to know you, Cousin.
Yugoslavian: Dobro dosli vojnici u Durbanu.
Polish: Witajice! Pozdrawiamy was serdezcnie do Durbano.
Russian: Privetsvuyu vas v Durbane.
YOU WILL LIKE TO KNOW THAT
DURBAN is the premier seaport and the popular All-Year-Round holiday resort of the Union of South Africa.
Durban (lat. 29° 51’ S., long. 31° 0’ E.) is the third largest city in South Africa; Capetown and Johannesburg being larger.
The population of Durban is 280526, (Europeans 105,742 African Natives (mostly Zulus) 74,132; Asiatics 92,183; Coloured 8,469).
The area of the city is 43,050 acres, approximately 67 square miles.
The rateable value of Durban (1941-42) is £47,175,010.
The average maximum temperature throughout the year is 76.4° and minimum 63°. Average mean temperature 69.7°. Average maximum temperature (midsummer), December-February, 81.3°.
Durban enjoys 2,401 hours of sunshine during a year, equalling 54.8 per cent. of the total hours of daylight.
The mean annual rainfall is 45 inches, the greater part falling during the summer months (October-March).
Mean sea-water temperatures: November to March (summer) 76°, April to October 69°. Winter months, June-August, 67.3°.
The speed limit in Durban, except where indicated otherwise, is 30 miles per hour. The rule of the road and sidewalk is “Keep to the left.”
City Hall, Post Office, Railway Station and Publicity Bureau are two miles distant from the Point (Docks) bus terminus.
A FEW DON’TS
Don’t sunbathe to long on midsummer days. Take small doses until you’re tanned. Smearing your shoulders, arms and legs with Vaseline or other pomade before bathing will help.
Don’t drink on an empty “tummy.” Have a good square meal first. The canteens will provide all you require.
Don’t attempt to board moving buses. Wait for the next one.
Don’t cross streets against the robot. Use pedestrian crossings where provided. The traffic rule is “Keep left.”
Don’t hesitate to ask townspeople for information. They will gladly assist anyone of the United Nations.
If you wish to post this folder home, don’t hesitate to ask the Publicity Bureau for an envelope – Free.
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REFRESHEMENT CANTEENS and CLUBS
The organisations listed below are happy to provide refreshments and facilities to members of H.M. Forces and the Allied Merchant Navy.
IN CENTRAL AREA.
Victoria League Club, 209 Pine Street (near General Post Office, one minute from railway station). Open 8.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Light meals served. Comfortable writing and smoking rooms, recreation hall with three billiard tables, tennis table sets, dart boards, etc. Concert hall. Dressing room with hot baths and cold showers.
Wesley Hall Canteen, central West Street, near Gardiner Street corner. Light refreshments FREE. Magazines, gramophone records and games. Free cigarettes and writing materials also supplied to those who need them. Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entertainments also arranged. Service testaments containing the King’s message can also be obtained, gratis.
Navy League Club, Metal Buildings, 25 Field Street (Esplanade end). Open 9 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Refreshments provided. Rest and writing rooms. Hot and cold baths. Dances held Mondays and Thursdays. Sing-song every Sunday evening at 7.30 p.m.
South African Women’s Auxiliary Services Canteen, Old Court House, corner of West Street and Aliwal Street (next east end of City Hall). Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Meals and light refreshments. Rest and writing rooms. Games, billiards.
Salvation Army Soldiers’ Red Shield Club, Albany Grove, next to Mayfair Hotel and opposite the side of the Playhouse. Open from 10 a.m. Light refreshments, reading and writing facilities.
Young Men’s Christian Association, Elizabeth Crookes Hall, Beach Walk. Two minutes from City Hall. Reached via Beach Walk at side of Royal Hotel, or from Esplanade. Open daily 8.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Refreshments, indoor games, reading and writing room, two billiard tables. Dances on first and third Wednesday of each month. Partners provided.
A limited number of beds are available in the Y.M.C.A. building, adjoining the Hall.
South African Women’s Voluntary Air Force Canteen, Milton House (upstairs), Smith Street, opposite Mayfair Hotel and next to east end of City Hall. Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Light refreshments.
Sons of England Rest Room and Canteen, Union Buildings, corner of Pine Street and Mark Lane (near Victoria League Club). Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Light refreshments, games, reading and writing facilities.
Toc H Servicemen’s Club, 36a Gardiner Street (next to Wardkiss Hardware Co.). Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Light Refreshments.
Foyer des Forces Francais Libres (Free French Club), 112a Commercial Road (above Lipworths}. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Refreshments (French cooking), reading and writing facilities.
American-Canadian Club, Security Buildings, 345-347 Smith St. (in passage). Coca-cola and cookies. Reading and writing material and games. Music. Open 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
IN BEACH AREA.
Durban Jewish Club, Old Fort Road, near corner Marine Parade. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hot and cold meals and light refreshments. Writing and reading rooms. Dressing rooms with hot and cold showers. Sporting facilities: billiards, squash court, tennis, bowls. Undenominational.
Stand Easy Club.- Pavilion Tea Room, corner of Marine Parade and Old Fort Road. Open daily from 2 p.m. Light refreshments, games galore, reading and writing facilities. Dancing on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7.30 p.m. Sing-song with popular artistes on Sundays at 7.30 p.m.
Christian Science Rest Room, Marine Parade South, corner of Smith Street (adjoining Rink Garage). Open 2 p.m. to sunset daily. No refreshments. Reading and writing room.
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IN POINT DISTRICT
St. Peter’s Canteen, Point Road, near corner of Hospital Road. Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Refreshments, games. Dancing Wednesday and Sunday evenings.
Seamen’s Institute and Rest, 154 Point Road, opposite Vasco de Gama Clock and near corner of Southampton Street. Open always. Refreshments at all hours. Indoor games, billiards, reading and writing rooms. Cinema shows every night at 8 p.m. Concerts and dramatic performances in theatre frequently. Cricket and football fields available. Sleeping accommodation for Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. Sunday evening service 8.40 p.m.
Missions to Seamen (for Seamen only), Wellington Road (near end of Point Road). Open 9 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. Indoor games. Concert and cinema show nightly. Dancing twice weekly. Services on Sundays.
CONGELLA.
Seamen’s Institute Branch Canteen, Maydon Wharf. Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Refreshments, indoor games. Cinema shows frequently.
Umbilo, S.A.W.A.S. Canteen (Stella Park branch), Bartle Rd., at Umbilo bus terminus, near Union Flour Mills. Open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Meals and light refreshments. Writing facilities.
IN SUBURBS.
Journey’s End Moth Shellhole Social Club, Kensington Drive, Broadway (off Northway), Durban North. Open each Friday from 7.30 p.m. and on other necessary occasions. Dancing, refreshments, free. Limited number of dancing shoes provided.
Greenwood Park Presbyterian Church Canteen, North Coast Rd. (bus stop 34). Opens Every Sunday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and when other occasions demand it. Free meals. Games, two Badminton courts (open-air).
CANTEENS OPEN OCCASIONALLY.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Canteen, corner Albert Street and Commercial Road, opposite Fire Station. Light refreshments, games, reading and writing facilities. Concerts and social evenings organised. ALL FREE. Open 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. when occasions require it.
St. Paul’s Hall Canteen, adjoining St. Paul’s Church, corner Church and Pine Streets. Open when occasions demand it. Refreshments, etc.
Congregational Church, Aliwal Street (near Esplanade). Free refreshments.
Wayside Canteen, Presbyterian Church, Berea Road, corner of Manning Road (alight at stop 16). Open 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on rush occasions. Free refreshments.
NON-EUROPEAN CANTEENS.
For Indians: Indian Servicemen’s Club, 140 Field Street.
For Coloureds: St. Raphael’s Hall, Stratford Road.
For African Natives: Methodist Church Hall, 205 Grey Street.
SERVICES RESIDENTIAL CLUBS.
Officers.
Fleet House, Residential Club for Naval Officers (Branch of Navy League), 155 St. Thomas’ Road, Berea. Accommodation with board for 25 officers. Specially low charges. Tel. 49393.
Other Ranks.
S.A.W.A.S. Servicemen’s Residential Club, Queen’s House, 11 Queen St. (near railway station, off Soldiers’ Way), and Annexe on opposite side of street. Bed and early morning tea 9d. Over 900 beds. Lock-up kit rooms, hot and cold baths. Light refreshments (no meals served). Reading, writing and recreation rooms, billiard table. Open always.
Other Annexe, Ouma’s Victory House, Dougall’s Building, corner of Berea and Umbilo Roads. Open from 8 p.m. 100 beds. Same charge, etc. as at Queen’s House. Booking of beds to be made at Queen’s House during day.
All Night Inn, Soldier’s Way (opposite railway station). Sleeping accommodation for Naval personnel. 200 beds. 1/- night. Beds booked from 10 a.m.
Compiled and published by the Durban Publicity Association.
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[Three photographs of men enjoying the facilities in Durban]
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TRANSPORT AND MOTOR TOURS.
Travel on Municipal trolley buses, motor buses and trams is free to all members of H.M. Forces, in uniform, and also to those in hospital blue and grey, provided they wear their uniform cap and red tie. This privilege is suspended between the hours of 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive.
Troops are asked to avoid unnecessary use of conveyances between 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m., in order that the ordinary public requirements can be met.
Ordinary fares must be paid on “Race Course Special” and other special service trams and buses.
All routes are indicated on the map, thus: “Route…”
TROLLEY BUS SERVICES.
Route 2, Marine Parade, via West Street and Upper Marine Parade. Terminus Somtseu Road. En route: Hotels and flats, open-air swimming bath, central bathing beach, Aquarium, Snake Park, Beach Amusement Park, Amphitheatre gardens (special open-air dances arranged); Municipal bowling greens. Victoria Park, behind Parade (alight at Sea View Street); Beach tennis courts (alight at Hotel Empress).
Soldiers’ Clubs: Stand Easy Club, corner Old Fort Road; Jewish Club, Old Fort Road. Alight at Old Fort Road corner.
Route 3, South Beach, via West Street and South Marine Parade; terminus Addington Hospital (Government and Military hospitals). Popular bathing beach, change rooms, Beach concerts, Municipal bowling greens. Soldiers’ Club: Christian Science Rest Room (adjoining Rink Garage), corner Marine Parade South and Smith Street (near Hotel Seaside).
Route 4, Point Docks, via West St. and Point Rd. Terminus 2 miles. En route: Soldiers’ Club, St. Peter’s Canteen, Point Rd., corner of Hospital Rd.; Seamen’s Institute and Rest, 154 Point Rd., Missions to Seamen, Wellington Rd. Churches en route: Christ Church (C. of E.), Point Rd., corner Masonic Rd., and St. Peter’s Church (R.C.), Point Rd., corner Hospital Rd.
(All above services leave from Church Street.)
Route 5, Umbilo (4 1/2 miles). Industrial area on left, residential area beyond. Congella Park (corner Umbilo and Pioneer Roads), Stella Park, Stellawood Road (off Umbilo Road.)
Route 6, Queen Mary Avenue, Glenwood.
Route 7, Glenwood (Bulwer Park and Manor Gardens), to terminus, Chelmsford Road. Residential area, Bulwer Park en route (2 6-10 miles.)
(All above leave from West Street, opposite Post Office.)
Routes 8 and 9, Mayville Hill (via Toll Gate). Main Road (inland) to foot of Mayville Hill. Extensive inland views (3 3-10 miles)
Route 10. Springfield Road (via Overport), to terminus, Springfield Road. Traverses attractive residential districts, inland views from terminus (4 miles).
Route 21, Musgrave Road (via Berea Road), via Pine Street, Cathedral Road, West Street, Berea and Musgrave Roads to Marriott Road stage, returning to city via Musgrave and Florida Roads, First Avenue and Soldiers’ Way (3 miles).
Route 22, Marriott Road, to Marriott Road stage. Musgrave Road (3 miles), thence returning to City via Berea Road.
Note.- Routes 21 or 22 form a circular tour of the Berea (time 40 minutes). Wonderful panoramic views, stately homes, beautiful gardens and gorgeous flowering trees and shrubs. Musgrave and Florida Roads are lined with flamboyant trees, in bloom in December and January. Large hotels en route: Osborne, Caister and Ocean View.
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The Municipal Aviaries are situated in Mitchell Park (east end Musgrave Road), a beauty spot, restful and charming, with huge indigenous and other trees. Refreshments obtainable. Jameson Park, near by, is renowned for its glorious gardens, beautiful palms and flowering trees and shrubs.
Route 23, Botanic Gardens (via Berea Road), proceeds via Pine Street, Cathedral Road, West Street, Berea and Botanic Gardens Roads and Edith Benson Crescent to Botanic Gardens, returning to city via Cowey and Clarence Roads, First Avenue and Soldiers’ Way; and
Route 24, Botanic Gardens (via Greyville).
Note.- Routes 23 and 24 are the inner circular tour of the Berea (2 4-10 miles). The Botanic Gardens are well worth visiting. Open daily until 6.30 p.m. Summer, 5.30 p.m. Winter.
Route 29, Maydon Wharf, via Church, Smith and Russell Streets and Maydon Road to Francois Bridge. Traverses industrial area.
Route 30, Nicolson Road. Latter portion of route through pretty residential districts with extensive panoramas of city.
(All above services leave from Traffic Centre, Pine Street.)
TRAM CAR SERVICES No route numbers.
North Ridge Road and Morningside, from Gardiner St. (opposite Post Office), via Soldiers’ Way, First Avenue, Stamford Hill Rd., Sutton Cres., Windermere Rd. and Trematon Drive to junction with North Ridge Rd. (3 1/2 miles).
Umgeni.- From Gardiner St. via Soldiers’ Way, First Avenue, Stamford Hill and Umgeni Rds., passing Windsor Park municipal golf course, to terminus at Connaught Bridge (3 3/4 miles.) The Roadhouse (dancing nightly) is on the north bank of the river.
SUBURBAN OMNIBUS SERVICES.
(All buses depart from Traffic Centre, Pine Street.)
The suburban bus services (indicated on map) are as follows:-
Route 25-27.- Durban North and Greenwood Park.
Route 28.- Mount Vernon via Hillary (via Rossburgh, Seaview and Bellair).
Route 31.- Sydenham (King George V and Springfield Hospitals).
Route 32-33.- Westville.
Route 34-37.- Brighton Beach (Bluff Marine Drive).
Route 38.- Fynnland Beach (Bluff).
N.B.- Route No. 1, “CITY,” indicates returning to centre of City.
A special train service is provided between the Clairwood Transit Camp and the city. (Return fare, a “tanner.”)
Motorists passing the camp invariably offer lifts to men in uniform and bring them into town.
Departure times of last buses from the City to all termini are: Weekdays and public holidays 10.30 p.m. The last bus returning to the City from Greenwood Park via Durban North is as 11.15 p.m. weekdays, 10.15 p.m. Sundays.
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[Map showing Durban City transport routes]
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SPORT.
CRICKET, RUGBY AND SOCCER.
Visiting members of the Army, Navy and Air Force Services requiring grounds are asked to communicate with the Durban Football and Cricket Grounds Association. Chairman, Mr. W.K. Robertson, telephone 25141. Secretary-Manager, Mr. V.C. Robbins, Kingsmead Ground, telephone 21067.
The Durban District Football Association will gladly provide full playing kit for organised Soccer teams. Apply Mr. J. Rycroft, Secretary, tel. 22075.
Eleven Municipal Parks and Recreation Grounds in various parts of the city are available, free, for teams desiring to play Cricket, Football, Basketball and Hockey.
Arrangements for the use of the grounds should be made with the Director of Parks and Gardens, Botanical Gardens, tel. 46037.
TENNIS.
Players will be welcomed at various clubs. Please contact Mr. W.H. Hammond, tel. 36734, or Beach Tennis Courts, tel. 24141.
Queen’s Club, whose courts are situated at the Ocean Beach behind the Marine Parade (bus stops Nos. 11 or 12), offer honorary facilities to members of the Services. Tel. Mr. R.S. Ford, No. 61554.
GOLF.
All golf courses in Durban and the surrounding district extend an invitation to visiting troops and, where possible, will assist by providing clubs, etc. At the Royal Durban Golf Club no green fees are charged and, when possible, clubs are provided free, and at other clubs members’ green fees apply. Play at the Durban Country Club is, however, confined to Officers.
The Municipal Golf Course, Windsor Park, is open daily from 7 a.m. (Secretary, tel. 36880). Tariff: Green fees, 18 holes, Monday to Friday, 1/-; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 1/6. Caddie fees (first class), 18 holes 1/9, 9 holes 1/-, (second class) 1/3 and 9d. Hire of set of clubs and bag, 2/-. Nine-hole Mashie Course, per round, 6d.; hire of clubs, 6d. per round. Refreshments, lockers and showers obtainable. Take Umgeni tram.
BASEBALL.
Mr. H. Gethin-Jones, c/o List Bros., 360 West Street, tel. 23441 (residence tel. 22244), will make arrangements.
BOWLS.
All of the many bowling clubs will be glad to see visitors as spectators. Those desiring games please ring Mr. Ivan Southwood, tel. 26611 (ext 139), residence tel. 57443.
The Municipal bowling greens, South Beach and Victoria Park (behind Marine Parade), are open for play daily. Moring session commences at 9.15 a.m., afternoon session 2 p.m.
HOCKEY.
Please contact Mr. D. Marais, c/o Natal Technical College, tel. 20064, residence tel. 47023.
BOXING.
Those interested in the fistic art are invited to attend the Fred Crookes Gymnasium, Natal Technical College, top end of West Street, every Saturday afternoon at 2.30 p.m. As opportunity occurs tournaments are staged for visiting servicemen. Contacts: Mr. J.C. Barnes, tel. 22531 and residence No. 36692, or Mr. Trevor M. Pay, residence tel. 49237.
HORSE RACING.
Frequent race meetings are held by the Durban Turf Club (course at Greyville at the foot of the Berea, indicated on map), “Race Course Special” trams leave from Gardiner Street, opposite Post Office, for Greyville (fare 6d.).
RIDING SCHOOLS.
Information obtainable at Publicity Bureau, West Street.
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PLACES OF INTEREST.
Art Gallery and Museum.- Municipal Art Gallery and Museum, City Hall, entrance Smith Street, opposite Playhouse. Open 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (Wednesday 9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Sundays 2.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Open until 8.30 p.m. when large numbers of troops are in Durban. A Guide-Lecturer is in attendance and will gladly show visitors around.
Library.- Municipal Library and Reading Rooms, City Hall. Same entrance as to the Art Gallery. Library open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Reading Rooms open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Botanic Gardens.- Situated on Berea (indicated on map), 50 acres. Fine specimens of trees, palms, etc., from various parts of the world. Open 7.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. October-March; 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. April-September.
Burman Drive is a Wild Life Sanctuary where monkeys abound. Take Morningside (North Ridge Road) tram to terminus. Wonderful inland and marine panoramas from the view site at the top of the drive. The monkeys are fed daily by the Warden from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., but take some bananas and nuts and feed them yourself.
Mitchell Park, situated on Berea (take Marriott Road bus). Lofty trees and spacious lawns. Large collection of birds in aviaries. Waterfowl and small collection of antelopes. Tea garden.
The Robert Jameson Park is nearby. Always a riot of colour. Fine indigenous trees and plants.
Indian and Native Markets.- between Queen and Victoria Streets, near Roman Catholic Cathedral (see map). Oriental atmosphere in Indian market; basketwork, fruit, etc. In Native Market, Zulus make and display beadwork and other ornaments, curios, skins and walking-sticks, etc.
Old Fort and Warriors’ Gate.- In Old Fort Road (see map). A historic spot, now an old-world garden. The old magazine is now a beautiful memorial chapel.
Warriors’ Gate adjoining is G.H.Q office of the M.O.T.H. (Memorable Order of Tin Hats). The largest Ex-Service order of its kind in the world. Patron: Mademoiselle of Armentieres. In the upper room are over 120 shields, each representing a Moth unit, and other interesting exhibits. Open daily (except Thursday) 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Custodian will show visitors every feature of this unique building.
Aquarium.- Lower Marine Parade, central Beach (adjoining Kenilworth Tea Rooms and next to open-air bath). Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission 6d.
Snake Park.- Snell Parade, north end of central Beach. Take Marine Parade bus to terminus. Hundreds of African snakes handled by skilled assistants. Full information procurable on snake-bite treatment. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Reduced admission charge 7d.
Beach Amusement Park.- North Beach. “All the Fun of the Fair.” Games and side shows, etc. Open from 2 p.m. weekdays.
Zulu Dances.- On Sunday afternoons at 4.30 p.m. at Municipal Native Sports Ground, Sometseu Road (see map). Reached from Marine Parade bus terminus. Admission free.
Amphitheatre Gardens.- Sunken gardens at north end of Marine Parade, occupying 5 acres. Delightfully laid out. Fascinating stonework, rockeries, etc. Open-air dance arena. Popular concerts.
GREETINGS AND EXPRESSIONS IN AFRIKAANS.
Goeiemore … Good morning.
Goeie nag … Good night.
Alles van die beste … Everything of the best.
Alles sal reg kom … Everything will come right.
Wag ‘n bietjie … Wait a bit.
Bly om u te ontmoet … Glad to meet you.
Hoe gaan dit? … How are you?
Ko mons soek vir die kantien … Let us look for the canteen.
Baie dankie … Thank you.
Wat drink jy? … What’s yours?
Tot siens … Au revoir, or Until I see you!
Hou die blink kant bo … Thumbs up!
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Welcome to Durban
[Drawing of three service people]
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WOMEN’S CLUBS.
Ellison Club (Toc H League of Women Helpers’ Club for Service Women), 79 Field Street, between West and Pine Streets. Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Meals and light refreshments. Lounge-dining room, rest-writing room and all the comforts of a home. Sleeping accommodation (20 beds) for week-end and occasional leave.
S.A.W.A.S. Service Women’s Club, 3rd floor, Fire Station Buildings, Pine St. Open always. 40 beds. Same charges as at Queen’s House. Meals can be obtained at Ellison Club.
The Red Cross V.A.D. Sunshine Service Club, 80-81 Club Arcade (first floor), 305 Smith Street, opposite Mercury Lane (for members of the South African Military Nursing Services and Overseas Visiting Sisters and Nurses). Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Writing and rest room. Hot and cold baths, etc.
Durban Women’s Club, 4th floor, Stuttaford’s Chambers, Field Street, welcome all members of Visiting Nursing Services. Open 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
With a few exceptions, all the canteens welcome Service Women.
ENTERTAINMENTS
MUNICIPAL ENTERTAINMENTS.
Variety and light orchestral concerts, given by the Durban Municipal Orchestra, the Theatre Orchestra and Dance Band, are arranged daily in the City Hall, the City Gardens opposite, and the Amphitheatre Gardens, North Beach (Bus No. 2). Concerts and dances are advertised in the daily newspapers and at the City Hall. When large numbers of troops are in town special Garrison Variety Shows are presented under the direction of the Musical Director, Edward Dunn, late of Blackpool, Buxton, Bath.
All Municipal entertainments are free to H.M. Forces and Merchant Navy.
CINEMAS.
The principal cinema theatres are open daily, except Sundays, to visiting troops at specially reduced prices. Times 2.15 p.m. and 5 p.m., evening 8 p.m. Criterion Theatre and Prince’s continuous performances from 10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. For Sunday openings see daily newspapers.
On Saturdays four showings are screened at the Playhouse and Metro Theatres. A Newsreel is shown daily, except Saturday, at the Playhouse at 1 p.m.; admission to troops 6d. and 1/-.
DANCING.
Open-air dancing on the Garden Terrace, Athlone Gardens Hotel, Durban North, every afternoon except Sundays, admission free. Every night except Sundays in semi-open air, couples only, couvert charge 2/- per head. Wed. and Sat. nights dancing in the ballroom; couvert charges Wed. 5/- per couple, Sat. 7/6 per couple; reservation of tables necessary (tel. 61661.)
Dancing nightly, except Sundays, at the Roadhouse, North Coast Rd., Umgeni, couvert charge 2/- per head; you must be accompanied by a partner.
“Tops” Palais-de-Danse, 161 West St., open weekdays 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.; dancing partners provided.
Top Hat Tea Room, Umhlanga Rocks Drive, Durban North, dancing nightly.
Dinner-dances are held at the Caister Hotel, Musgrave Rd. (charge 10/-), on Saturdays. Reservation of tables necessary; telephone 48591.
“Cinderella” dances are held every Saturday night, 8 p.m., at the Royal Durban Light Infantry Drill Hall, Epsom Rd., under the auspices of the R.D.L.I. Women’s Auxiliary Comrades’ Assn., 7/6 per couple; table reservations, tel. 61552.
COSMO CLUB and STARDUST CLUB.
Officers of H.M. Forces are accorded honorary membership of these “dance till dawn” clubs, the addresses being: Cosmo Club, 8a Umgeni Road, corner of Old Fort Road; Stardust Club, corner West Street and Cathedral Road (positions indicated on map). Dancing from 9.30 p.m. onwards. Taxi fare to either club from City Hall, 1/- or 1/6 for 1 to 4 people.
Information Bureau, West Street (next to Post Office).
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SOCIAL CLUBS.
The privilege of honorary membership is accorded to all officers of His Majesty’s Forces by the following clubs:-
The Durban Country Club (golf, tennis, squash, bowls; meals).
The Royal Durban Golf Club, Greyville.
The Royal Naval Yacht Club, Esplanade.
The Mercantile Club, Whytock Building, 397 Smith St.
The Southern Club, 2nd floor, Poynton’s Bldgs, 339 Smith St.
The Merchant Navy Club, Alliance Buildings 17 Gardiner St. Open to all Captains and Officers of the Merchant Navy, the Royal Navy and other services, open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Netherlands Club, 483 West St., For all members of the Netherlands Mercantile Marine, the Netherlands Navy, Army and Air Force. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Durban Jewish Club, Old Fort Road.
The Union Club of South Africa, corner Smith and Field Streets, extends the privilege of their club to Chief and P.O.’s of the Royal Navy.
The Port Natal Marine Club, Rees’ Building, 146 Point Rd. (opposite clock). Open to W.O.’s and Sergeants of the Army, Chief and P.O.’s of Royal Navy and officers of the Merchant Navy.
Orient Club.- Officers of the Indian Army, Royal Indian Navy and Indian Air Force will be welcomed at the Orient Club, situated near Umbogintwini on the South Coast road (12 miles). Please contact Mr. A.I. Kajee, president, 37 Albert Street; tel. 22981, residence tel. 22750.
BANKS.
Barclays Bank (D.C.& O.): head office, 359 West Street; Natal Bank branch, corner West and Gardiner Streets.
Standard Bank of S.A. Ltd.: head office 329 West Street.
Netherlands Bank of S.A. Ltd.: 335 Smith Street.
Banking hours: 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. Saturday.
MONEY EXCHANGE AND TRAVELLERS’ CHEQUES.
Facilities for the exchange into South African currency of moneys likely to be in the possession of members of H.M. Forces are available at the commercial banks (Barclays, Standard and Netherlands) between the hours of 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. Saturday; and at the office of Thos. Cook & Son, Mercury Lane, between West and Smith Streets (see map), during the hours of 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Saturdays. Sterling and dollar travellers’ cheques can also be encashed at prevailing rates of exchange.
English notes, also dollar bills, are encashable, the former at par, and the latter at the fixed rate of 4s. 10 1/2d. per dollar.
POST OFFICE HOURS, Etc.
Cables and telegrams: 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Note.- E.F.M. telegrams, via Overseas, of standard texts, covering greetings, health, money, congratulations, etc., etc., are accepted at a cost of 2/6. Three text numbers may be used in a telegram out of a selection of over 120 available. This service is available to members of H.M. Forces and Mercantile Marine who wish to send telegrams to relatives and friends in overseas Empire countries, except Eire and India.
Other cable rates to Great Britain: L.C. (deferred) rate, 7 1/2d. per word. N.L.T. (night letter telegram) rate, 25 words or less, 10/5, excess words 5d. per word. Full rate 1/3 per word.
Money Orders, Postal Orders, Savings Bank: Weekdays, except Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Stamps, Post Restante, Registered Letters and Parcels: 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., weekdays.
SHOPPING HOURS.
Retail Stores (outfitters, drapers, grocers, booksellers, jewellers, etc.): Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m.: Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The hours of business at stores may vary and are somewhat curtailed.
Chemists: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Special group arrangements for urgent medicines at week-ends are posted on the doors of various pharmacies.
Hairdressing Saloons: Men’s – Monday to Thursday, 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Fridays, 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.; Saturdays, 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ladies’ – Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Saturdays, 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Newsagents and Tobacconists: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., weekdays.
Restaurants and Fruiterers: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and Sundays. Some with late hour privileges to 2 a.m.
[Page break]
CHURCHES.
IN CENTRAL DURBAN.
Anglican Church (Church of the Province of S.A.); St. Paul’s Church, Church St.; Central Baptist Church, 155 West St.; Congregational Church, Aliwal St.; Dutch Reformed Church. 151 Smith St.; Methodist Church, West St. (near Gardiner St. corner); St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Commercial Rd. (opposite Central Fire Station); Emmanuel Cathedral (Roman Catholic), Cathedral Rd.; St. Andrew’s Street Synagogue, St. Andrew’s St.; First Church of Christ, Scientist, corner Russell and St. George’s Streets.
Services on Sundays, generally 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Holy Communion at Anglican Churches 7 and 8 a.m. Mass at Roman Catholic Cathedral 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays. On request, later masses are arranged for troops at St. Peter’s Church, Point Rd. Requirements of Catholic Chaplains attended to. Hebrew Services 6 p.m. Fridays, 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. Saturdays.
A list of churches of various denominations in other parts of the city, and of sundry undenomonational churches, is obtainable at the Publicity Bureau.
REFRESHMENT CHARGES.
The charges for refreshments indicated below are those usually made in restaurants and tea rooms in Durban.
Tea or coffee … 4d. & 6d.
Tea, scone and butter … 9d.
Milk (hot or cold) … 4d.
Cocoa … 6d.
Ice cream … 3d. and 6d.
Milk shake … 4d. and 6d.
Coca-Cola … 3d.
Minerals … 3d.
Orange or Lemon Tomango, Lime Juice, Grenadilla, etc. with water … 4d. and 6d.
Orange or Lemon Tomango, Lime Juice, Grenadilla, etc. with soda water … 9d.
Cold fruit drinks … 4d., 6d. and 9d.
Ice cream sodas … 6d.
Milk cocktails … 6d.
Sundaes … 1/-
Fruit lunch (fruit salad and cream with bread and butter and tea or mineral … 1/6
Cold lunch, meats and salad with bread and butter and tea or mineral … 1/6
Fried fish and chips, with bread and butter, tea, coffee or milk … 1/6
Steak and eggs, bacon and eggs, sausages and eggs, with bread and butter, tea, coffee or milk … 2/-
Mixed grill with bread and butter, tea or coffee … 2/6
At hotels and grill rooms where liquor is obtainable, the charges are higher and vary according to the class of establishment. The prevailing charges for table d’hote meals at the best hotels are: Breakfast 3/- to 3/6, luncheon 3/6 to 4/-, dinner 4/- to 6/-. At many other hotels the charge made to servicemen for a full course meal is 2/- to 3/-, irrespective of the class of meal.
The prices of liquor are:-
Beer (lager or ale), per reputed pint bottle … 10d.
Beer (lager or ale), per 10oz. glass … 7d.
Beer, draught, per imperial pint … 1/1
Whisky or imported gin and water … ½
Whisky and soda or other mineral … 1/5
South African brandy and water … 9d.
S.A. brandy and minerals … 1/-
Bars and liquor licensed premises are closed on Sundays.
Cigarettes.- Well-known South African brands range from 1/4 to 1/11 for packs of 50; Du Maurier and Gold Flake filter tip, Peter Jackson and Viceroy Virginia., 50’s 2/9. Imported Players, 20’s 1/5, 50’s 3/6; Gold Flake, 20’s 1/3, 50’s 3/-
Chocolate Slabs.- 8 oz. 1/-, 4 oz. 6d., 2 oz. 3.d.
TAXI TARIFF.
The official municipal tariff is as follows: Minimum Fares. Maximum Fares.
For any passengers up to four-
For one mile or part thereof … 1/- 1/6
For each succeeding half-mile or part thereof … 6d. 9d.
Four people can therefore travel by taxi for one mile for a total sum of 1/- (minimum) or 1/6 (maximum).
Waiting time.- For every 5 minutes waiting time after the first 5 minutes, 6d. One hour waiting time is therefore 5/6.
Night Tariff.- Double tariff may be charged between midnight and 5.30 a.m.
Every driver of a taxi is required to be in possession of a tariff card, supplied by the City Council, which must be displayed in the taxi..
Always ask the driver beforehand for a definite quotation for the journey to be undertaken. To avoid disputes, please take particular notice of the number of the car.
N.B.- If fares in excess of the above are demanded, the hirer should require the driver to proceed to the nearest police station.
Charges usually made from City Hall or Post Office to:-
Addington Hospital … 2/6
Vasco de Gama Clock, Point Road … 3/-
Bus terminus, Point Docks … 3/9
Flats and hotels on South Beach and Marine Parade … 2/- to 3/-
Ditto on Snell Parade to bus terminus … 2/6 to 3/-
Caister Hotel, Musgrave Road … 3/9
Maydon Wharf … 2/- to 3/9
Greyville Race Course … 3/-
Clairwood Camp … 10/- to 12/-
Country Club … 4/6
Athlone Gardens … 6/9
Roadhouse … 6/9
Cosmo Club … 1/6
Stardust Club … 1/6
RICKSHA FARES.
The authorised tariff for rickshas for one passenger is 6d. per mile or portion thereof, and a higher fare, if demanded, should not be paid. Charges from Post Office to:-
Albert Park … 6d.
Marine Parade (corner West St.) … 6d.
Indian and Native Markets … 6d.
Kingsmead … 6d.
Flats and hotels on South Beach or Marine Parade … 1/-
Vasco de Gama Clock, Point Rd. … 1/-
Bus terminus, Point Docks … 1/-
Maydon Wharf … 1/- to 2/-
[Page break]
[Map of Durban]
[Street map of Durban]
[Three photographs of Durban]
[Page break]
THE ENVIRONS OF DURBAN.
Owing to the prevailing conditions it has been found necessary to cancel all Municipal motor coach de-luxe sight-seeing tours.
Along the Natal coast, south and north of Durban, are many delightful seaside resorts which will appeal and can be reached by rail and road. Southwards, the resorts are Isipingo Beach, Inyoni Rocks, Amanzimtoti, Doonside, Warner Beach, Winkle [words unreadable] (31 miles) and many others further south. [Words unreadable] surf bathing, fishing, golf, tennis, bowls, etc., Modern hotel accommodation. En route: waving canefields and Zulu reserves. Safety bathing pools at Isipingo Beach, Inyoni Rocks and Umkomaas. Troops at Clairwood Camp should entrain at Clairwood Racecourse station. Frequent train service both ways.
On the North Coast, Umhlanga Rocks (the beach is 5 miles distant from Mount Edgecombe station). Municipal bus service to Umhlanga Rocks from Pine Street, 9.15 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. Tues. and Thurs., and 10 a.m. and 3.45 p.m. Sundays. Fare 2s. 6d. return. En route: charming countryside, sugar canefields.
Inland: Through pretty suburbs climbing to Fairydene, Pinetown, Kloof and Hill Crest, and thence to Bothas Hill and Drummond (35 miles, 2,128 ft.) for views of the famous Valley of a Thousand Hills and Zulu kraals. En route: enchanting scenery, country residences, banana, pawpaw and pineapple plantations.
All the foregoing tours can be undertaken in a day or less. Reduced rail fares available to servicemen with leave passes.
Branches and canteens of the S.A. Women’s Auxiliary Services are established at many of the places mentioned and hospitality is always offered to the Services by them.
Motor excursions to beauty spots and places of interest are also arranged for parties of men by the S.A.W.A.S. Contact Entertainments Section, Flat 4, Fire Station, Pine Street, tel. 26258 or 27046; also the R.A.C. of S.A., 5 Club Arcade, Smith Street, tel. 23347.
SHORT LEAVE TOURS.
For those able to take a short period of leave the following tours are suggested:-
Drakensberg Mountains. Majestic scenery and mountaineering. 4 or 5 days. 150 miles, reached by rail and/or road (2 days travel). Hostels at Cathedral Peak, Cathkin Park. Drakensburg Garden Hotel and Natal National Park.
Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Zululand. 2 to 4 days (road, 1990 miles). Noted for white and black rhino, buffalo and other big game. Hostel accommodation. Road travel each way, 7 hours. En route: interesting native life.
[Words unreadable] Lake and False Bay can be [words missing] this tour if more time available. An anglers’ paradise. Flora and fauna, hippos and crocodiles. Bird Sanctuary.
Trout (Brown and Rainbow) and Black Bass Fishing, In several rivers in the midlands of Natal (80 to 150 miles). Seasons: Trout, September to May; Black Bass, January to June.
Farm Guest Houses in the Midland and Northern parts of Natal. Many such establishments offer a restful break. Riding, trout fishing, golf, tennis, swimming pools, etc. Altitudes vary from 2,000 to 6,000 feet.
[Page break]
Johannesburg (the Metropolis of South Africa) and the Reef, and Pretoria (the Administrative capital of South Africa). Rail 494 miles, road 417 miles. Rail time each way 17 hours; by road 10 hours. Pretoria is 36 miles by road and 43 miles by rail beyond Johannesburg.
Kruger National Park, Transvaal, 7 to 10 days. Big game. Several well equipped camps an rest houses in the Park.
Further particulars of these and other tours, and advice, will be gladly offered by the Director of Publicity, Publicity Bureau: Messrs. Thos. Cook & Son, Mercury Lane; and the S.A. Railways Tourist and Travel Dept., Church Street. Rail concession fares are frequently available.
BATHING AND SWIMMING.
Free admission to the City Bath (salt water), situated in West Street, opposite the City Hall and next to the Publicity Bureau) and to the Beach Open-air Bath, Lower Marine Parade, is granted to all uniformed members of H.M. Services on the following days and times:-
City Bath.- On weekdays, excluding Mondays and Thursdays, from 6.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 6.30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Hot sea water baths, charge 1/6, and hot fresh water baths, charge 1/-, may be obtained. Included in this charge is the issue of towels and soap.
Beach Swimming Bath.- On weekdays, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 6 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. during the summer months, and from 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. during winter months. Bath closed on Fridays.
Men possessing costumes and towels are required to use them. Men not having these articles may obtain them by depositing 1/- for a costume and/or towel, which deposit is refunded on the articles being returned, together with the deposit slip. Care should be taken of the deposit slip, as no refund can be made without it.
On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays admission may be obtained on payment of the ordinary charges, viz: reserved booth 6d., hire of costume 6d., hire of towel 3d.
South Beach Change Rooms.- For surf bathing. Free on weekdays, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 7 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. during summer and 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. during winter months.
On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (hours 7 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. summer months, and 7 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. winter months) a charge of 3d. is made for the use of the dressing room and clothes hanger. Hire of costume 6d., hire of towel 3d.
Owing to the depletion of the Life-Saving Staff due to active service, no protection to bathers is provided on the bathing beaches on weekdays. Bathers are therefore warned to exercise great care and not to be venturesome.
Voluntary Life-Savers are on duty on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and public holidays only. Sound advice, therefore, is “Take no undue risk and always bathe with others.”
Where organised parties of men desire admission to the Beach swimming bath or the City baths, West St., please contact the Beach Manager’s office, Ocean Beach (tel. 24467), and the Superintendent, City Baths (tel. 23238) respectively.
Arrangements for the use of the Beach bath for water polo matches, etc., can be made through the Beach Manager’s officer.
Troops must observe the temporary restrictions imposed on the beaches.
[Page break]
[Three photographs of service personnel enjoying the environs of Durban].
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
Welcome to Durban
Khaki and Blue We Welcome You
Description
An account of the resource
Two leaflets produced by Durban to introduce service men to the city. They include details of organisations, greetings in Zulu and Afrikaans, canteens and clubs, transport, maps, sport, places of interest, entertainments, taxi fares, places to visit and bathing and swimming.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Durban City
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two printed leaflets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MNealeETH1395951-150731-048
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
British Army
Royal Navy
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Durban
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Anne-Marie Watson
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1293/31004/LBallantyneWM1395001v1.1.pdf
f50ada92bc28a33e0a1151c94337ac93
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
Ballantyne, Bill
William Morris Ballantyne
W M Ballantyne
Professor Ballantyne
Description
An account of the resource
Eight items. An oral history interview with Bill Ballantyne (1922 - 2021, 1395001 Royal Air Force) who flew as a pilot with 77 Squadron. Also includes his pilot's flying logbook, service training documents and a photograph of his crew.
The collection was 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
2019-06-14
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
Ballantyne, WM
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
W M Ballantyne pilot's flying log book
Description
An account of the resource
Pilots flying log book for W M Ballantyne, covering the period from 3 March 1942 to 18 July 1945. Detailing his flying training, Duties with 267 transport squadron, operations flown and instructor duties. He was stationed at SAAF Wonderboom, SAAF Waterkloof, SAAF Pietersburg, RAF Cairo West, RAF Bari, RAF Bilbeis, RAF Kidlington, RAF Feltwell, RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Marston Moor, RAF Full Sutton, RAF Valley and detachments to Tunis, Francesco and Catania. Aircraft flown were, Tiger Moth, Hart, Hind, Oxford, Anson, Dakota, Beaufort, Wellington and Halifax. He flew a total of 22 operations with 77 Squadron, 14 night and 8 daylight. Targets were, Osnabruck, Essen, Koblenz, Hannover Mainz, Bonn, Goch, Bohlen, Chemnitz, Wesel, Reisholz, Hamburg, Wuppertal, Homberg, Recklinghausen, Sterkrade, Nuremberg, Flensberg Fiord and Heligoland.
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
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LBallantyneWM1395001v1
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
Conforms To
An established standard to which the described resource conforms.
Pending review
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Egypt
Germany
Great Britain
Italy
South Africa
Tunisia
Atlantic Ocean--Flensburg Fjord
Atlantic Ocean--North Sea
Egypt--Bilbays
Egypt--Cairo
England--Norfolk
England--Oxfordshire
Germany--Bonn
Germany--Chemnitz
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Essen
Germany--Goch
Germany--Hannover
Germany--Hamburg
Germany--Helgoland
Germany--Homberg (Kassel)
Germany--Koblenz
Germany--Leipzig Region
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Osnabrück
Germany--Recklinghausen (Kreis)
Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany--Wuppertal
Italy--Bari
Italy--Catania
Scotland--Moray
South Africa--Polokwane
South Africa--Pretoria
Tunisia--Tunis
Wales--Anglesey
England--Yorkshire
Germany--Oberhausen (Düsseldorf)
North Africa
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1944
1945
1944-12-12
1944-12-13
1944-12-24
1944-12-25
1944-12-28
1944-12-29
1945-01-02
1945-01-03
1945-02-01
1945-02-02
1945-02-04
1945-02-05
1945-02-07
1945-02-08
1945-02-13
1945-02-14
1945-02-17
1945-02-20
1945-02-21
1945-03-05
1945-03-06
1945-03-08
1945-03-09
1945-03-11
1945-03-13
1945-03-14
1945-03-15
1945-03-20
1945-03-24
1945-04-08
1945-04-09
1945-04-11
1945-04-13
1945-04-14
1945-04-18
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
1652 HCU
20 OTU
77 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
bombing
bombing of Helgoland (18 April 1945)
C-47
Flying Training School
Halifax
Halifax Mk 2
Halifax Mk 3
Halifax Mk 5
Heavy Conversion Unit
Initial Training Wing
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
pilot
RAF Feltwell
RAF Full Sutton
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Marston Moor
RAF Torquay
RAF Valley
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1780/36177/LDidcoteWG574095v1.1.pdf
cc2d34efdc71c8d457df3d7ff8c4159a
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
Didcote, William George
W G Didcote
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
2021-01-20
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
Didcote, WG
Description
An account of the resource
Three items. The collection concerns Squadron Leader William George Didcote OBE (b. 1922, 574095 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book and two photographs. He flew operations as a navigator with 115 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Timothy Victor Wilks and catalogued by IBCC Digital Archive staff.
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
W G Didcote’s South African Air Force observer’s or air gunner’s log book
Description
An account of the resource
South African Air Force observer’s or air gunner’s log book for W G Didcote, covering the period from 15 December 1942 to 9 November 1945. Detailing his flying training, operations flown, instructor duties and duties with 90, 186, 218 and 83 Squadrons. He was stationed at SAAF Oudtshoorn, SAAF Port Alfred, RAF Millom, RAF Silverstone, RAF Wratting Common, RAF Waterbeach, RAF Witchford, RAF Chedburgh, RAF Manby, RAF Tuddenham, RAF Stradishall and RAF Coningsby. Aircraft flown in were Tutor, Botha, Anson, Oxford, Tiger Moth, Wellington, Stirling and Lancaster. He flew a total of 32 operations with 115 Squadron. His pilots on operations were Flight Sergeant Carter, Flight Sergeant Gibson, Pilot Officer Rowe-Evans, and Pilot Officer Atkin. Targets were Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Laon, Aachen, Rouen, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Friedrichshafen, Chambly, Cap Gris-Nez, Courtrai, Le Mans, Duisburg, Dortmund, Trappes, Ouistreham, Lisieux, Paris, Dreux, Nantes, Le Havre, Valenciennes, L’Hey, Watten, Vaires and Nucourt. He also flew one Operation Exodus flight and one Operation Dodge flight.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Britain. Royal Air Force
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1942
1943
1944-02-15
1944-02-16
1944-02-19
1944-02-20
1944-02-21
1944-03-15
1944-03-16
1944-03-30
1944-03-31
1944-04-10
1944-04-11
1944-04-12
1944-04-18
1944-04-19
1944-04-20
1944-04-21
1944-04-22
1944-04-23
1944-04-26
1944-04-27
1944-04-28
1944-05-01
1944-05-02
1944-05-09
1944-05-10
1944-05-11
1944-05-19
1944-05-20
1944-05-21
1944-05-22
1944-05-23
1944-05-27
1944-05-28
1944-05-31
1944-06-01
1944-06-05
1944-06-06
1944-06-07
1944-06-08
1944-06-09
1944-06-10
1944-06-11
1944-06-14
1944-06-15
1944-06-16
1944-06-23
1944-06-24
1944-07-05
1944-07-06
1944-07-07
1944-07-08
1944-07-10
1944-07-12
1945
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Belgium
France
Germany
Great Britain
South Africa
Atlantic Ocean--English Channel
Belgium--Kortrijk
England--Cambridgeshire
England--Cumbria
England--Lincolnshire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Suffolk
France--Audinghen
France--Caen Region
France--Dreux
France--Laon
France--Le Havre
France--Le Mans
France--Lisieux
France--Nantes
France--Nucourt
France--Paris
France--Paris Region
France--Rouen
France--Valenciennes
France--Vaires-sur-Marne
France--Versailles Region
France--Watten
Germany--Aachen
Germany--Berlin
Germany--Cologne
Germany--Dortmund
Germany--Duisburg
Germany--Düsseldorf
Germany--Essen
Germany--Friedrichshafen
Germany--Leipzig
Germany--Nuremberg
Germany--Stuttgart
South Africa--Oudtshoorn
South Africa--Port Alfred
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
France--Ouistreham
France--Cap Gris Nez
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Log book and record book
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One booklet
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mike Connock
Cara Walmsley
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
LDidcoteWG574095v1
115 Squadron
1651 HCU
1653 HCU
1678 HCU
17 OTU
186 Squadron
218 Squadron
83 Squadron
90 Squadron
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
bombing
bombing of Nuremberg (30 / 31 March 1944)
bombing of the Le Havre E-boat pens (14/15 June 1944)
bombing of the Normandy coastal batteries (5/6 June 1944)
Botha
Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster
Lancaster Mk 1
Lancaster Mk 2
Lancaster Mk 3
Me 110
navigator
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operation Dodge (1945)
Operation Exodus (1945)
Operational Training Unit
Oxford
RAF Chedburgh
RAF Coningsby
RAF Manby
RAF Millom
RAF Silverstone
RAF Stradishall
RAF Tuddenham
RAF Waterbeach
RAF Witchford
RAF Wratting Common
Stirling
Tiger Moth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1385/25799/SBakerDA19210428v20178-0001.2.jpg
f5611e228a9a3b4e7d121e6b9f12c51b
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1385/25799/SBakerDA19210428v20178-0002.2.jpg
12e5f66fc4a066b24aad1daffc61b51f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Baker, Donald Arthur
D A Baker
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-11-13
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Baker, DA
Description
An account of the resource
187 items. Donald Arthur Baker (b. 1921) travelled from Southern Rhodesia to England in 1940 to join the Royal Air Force. Trained as a pilot in 1941 he was operational with 144 Squadron at RAF North Luffenham flying Hampdens. He was shot down on 5 November 1941 and remained a prisoner of war mostly in Stalag Luft 3 until 1945. He return to farm in Southern Rhodesia after the war. The collection contains letters to his mother throughout the war as well as other correspondence and documents including his prisoner of war log with photographs and notes.
The collection was loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by June Baker Maree and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Access Rights
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Permission granted for commercial projects
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
Victory greeting card
Description
An account of the resource
On the front a 'V' with British and combined allied flag, Morse code 'V' and 'Victory Greetings'. On the reverse a head and shoulders portrait of a man and a woman.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Movie Snaps Cape Town
Format
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Artwork card with b/w photograph
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Artwork
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SBakerDA19210428v20178
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Cape Town
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.
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1333/20530/PSearleROJ17030026.1.jpg
cd7af112fb141d8a3baf69e1765a3997
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Searle, Rex. Album 1
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-07-25
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
Searle, ROJ
Description
An account of the resource
74 items. The album contains photographs and papers relating to Rex Searle's pre-war family life as well as his wartime and postwar service.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[Picture missing]
Quiet Corner - - - By Patience Strong
Parted
You are always in my mind no matter what I do. All the time within my heart there is the thought of you. . . . Remembering when life for us was rich and good and sweet – Wondering how many days must pass before we meet.
Never for a moment are you very far away – Absent, and yet near you seem, and dearer every day. . . . Love is like a bridge what spans the spaces that divide – Parted, yet in dreams we walk together side by side.
[Photograph]
Valley of a Thousand Hills, Natal.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Valley of a Thousand Hills
Description
An account of the resource
A postcard of a hilly area captioned 'Valley of a Thousand Hills, Natal'. There is also a clipping of 'Parted' by Patience Strong.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w postcard and one newspaper clipping from an album
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PSearleROJ17030026
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
David Bloomfield
Claire Monk
Requires
A related resource that is required by the described resource to support its function, delivery, or coherence.
Workflow A completed
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16334/BNealeETHNealeETHv06.2.pdf
55a860098060395f8842f3775bfba21a
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale 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
2015-07-31
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
Neale, ETH
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[underlined] Minding my own business. [/underlined]
Walking down the street in [underlined] Bloemfontein [/underlined]. [inserted] [symbol] [/inserted]
We had trained as NAVIGATORS & BOMB AIMERS at 42 AIR SCHOOL SOUTH AFRICA. BREVETT & STRIPES up and happy, we were on our way to DURBAN on the “BLUE TRAIN.” good food, good beds with clean bedding supplied in a valise with a seal which you broke to prove it was fresh, the train puffing along, walk to the front of the train, swing doors to the track and pick what we thought were melons, which turned out to be pumpkins, [underlined] UGH. [/underlined]
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]. then climb back aboard the train to continue on, that slow. One of our number had fell[inserted]en[/inserted] off the train in the night, going to the toilet he opened the wrong door, only had a shirt on, walked along the track until he come [sic] to a town. Named Watson (we called him Wiley), he did catch us up eventually.
This being a single track you had to halt in a place where another track was laid so that the trains can pass going in the opposite directions.
We stopped at BLO[inserted]E[/inserted]MFONTAIN. The brewing capital of S.A. for eight hours, and we were in
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined]. the middle of the town. I was walking along with my mate Lofty Winterbourn, 6ft 3 3/4” and don’t forget the 3/4” he would say.
Six young fellows walked past and in the guttural Afrikanse [sic] we heard [underlined] RAF [/underlined] Bastards, next thing I knew I was on the deck and they were jumping on me, they picked on me being smaller by the best part of a foot, however Lofty was doing his bit, I reached up and grabbed a shirt and pulled myself up and kicked someone where it was most painful, then they took off but not before I had ripped
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined][sic] the front of a shirt. We went back to the train where we thought our attackers had gone, and along with the other 40 or 50 [inserted] aircrew [/inserted] on the train we went all through the train looking for a torn shirt, with no success, by this time my eye [inserted] was [/inserted] black & closed & a little finger with a black nail & bruising where they had stamped on it, we went into town again where we supped their special four XXXX brew, which helped to ease the pain. Then time to get back on the train & continue our journey [underlined] to DURBAN [/underlined]
[page break]
A happy band of NAV’s, we came together at Heaton Park, where in front of the band stand we were designated our trades of PILOT BOMB/AIMER or NAVIGATORS, being released from essential service in the Woolwich Arsenal I had the option of returning to civvies since my release was specified for PILOT only. I had soloed quite successfully at GRADING SCHOOL but the P.N.B Scheme had started so they just went through the list 1-2-3. P- N.B.
So we arrived at BRIDGENORTH. a hut full of NAVS U/T. wasting time since all the [inserted] troop [/inserted] ships were being being [sic] used for the North African landing, until eventually in early 43 we all left Liverpool on the “STRATHMORE” arriving after 3 weeks
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined].
in Durban, still together on to EAST LONDON, then on to various AIR SCHOOLS for flying training. In my case at 42 AIR SCHOOL PORT ELIZABETH we went on our wings parade, where we were called to return to our classrooms. The married men were told to fall out, while the rest drew playing cards, the half of those left that lost were to go to the Middle East to O.T.U. while the rest including the married ones were to go back to Blighty. We all returned to Durban where by various means we made our way to CAIRO, then went our separate ways.
[page break]
Dear Sir. I am writing to you for the prospect of help for what has been a situation that has rankled for me for many years. I volunteered for the R.A.F. and was eventualy [sic] released from an exe[inserted]m[/inserted]pted occupation in the Royal Ordinance factory, the Woolwich Arsenal. I joined the RAF for aircrew training in early 1942. I served until October 1946 when I [inserted] was [/inserted] demobilised. In that time I trained & served as a Navigator, my active service was with 37 Squadron A Wellington squadron on bombing raids from Italy. On completion of a tour I joined a Communications flight out of Casertare Algiers, flying on Baltimores & ANSONS. I was fortunate enough not to suffer any apparent injuries, although I was hospitalised twice for what would be considered today as a Post Traumatic Stress syndrome, but the forces of the day being what they were I was discharged from hospital as
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined] N.Y.D. which was the jargon for “not yet diagnosed”. on demob I returned to my civilian life. After a short time I realised that I had a loss of hearing, I was seen by a consultant hearing specialist who diagnosed what he said was “high tone” deafness which amounted to a complete loss of a spectrum of my hearing, he said that there was no treatment for the condition, and that a hearing aid would not be a cure.
The pension authorities at this time did not accept that this hearing defect was pensionable.
Some years later I made an application and an appointment was made for another hearing test, which confirmed the original diagnosis, and this time, I was granted a lump sum of £1,500 being the lowest award available, something over 2% disability
After many years I received a letter from the pensions department
[page break]
[underlined] 3 [/underlined] inviting me to have another ear test, resulting from which I received another sum [inserted] just [/inserted] in excess of £1,000. After a few more years I was [deleted] invi [/deleted] informed that I had run out of time to make an appeal, but if I made an appeal it would be considered, although it was out of time, In the event I was told that the appeal would not be allowed. As a result of the hearing test I was considered for a hearing aid from the N.H.S. which I eventually received, as the diagnosis of 30 years or more proved correct the hearing aid was of no use. Being taken in by glowing adverts I paid over £800 pounds [sic] for the latest hearing aid which was no improvement on the NHS one. I was fortunate enough to receive most of my money back. After a few more years the hearing department of the NHS wrote &
[page break]
[circled] 4 [/circled] invited me to go for another consultation when they fitted me with a hearing aid for my other ear which once again proved useless. I have lived my life missing out on social functions theatres, television etc, [sic] at our BIGGIN HILL Aircrew Association meeting just last week I sat [deleted] while sat [/deleted] through the meeting without understanding a word. It is the same at the Sidcup branch of RAFA. My [inserted] old [/inserted] wireless operator made an application for deafness disability and was granted a pension whilst nowhere as severely afflicted as myself. I will explain my reason for making this application at this time. I have [deleted] bef [/deleted] kept in touch with both my South African pilot & the rest of my crew all these years, including my bomb-aimer also in South Africa. With the
[page break]
[circled] 5 [/circled] [inserted] advent [/inserted] of E mails, I now keep in touch via my younger brothers computer. Of recent date my Pilot has passed on news of one of our old squadron members, a KURT LAVACK. who is living in SWEDEN, he is a Canadian who was a pilot on our squadron in Italy, back in 1944 I was crossing the runway one evening when I heard a Wellington aproaching [sic] to land, so I halted to watch it land, as it touched down there was a massive explosion, and I watched as the aircraft disintegrated in flames. I watched as the fire & rescue crews dealt with the crash, surprisingly only two of the crew died, the rest of the crew survived with injuries & burns, except for the pilot, who was unsathed [sic], [deleted] becau [/deleted] because the pilots seat was armoured to protect him from flak & bullets etc, the rest of the crew were will know [sic]
[page break]
[circled] 6 [/circled] to me as friends. Kurt was back in the air with a new crew within a few days. It appeared that a hung up bomb had released on landing, slid forward & detonated on striking the end of the bomb bay. My brother managed to contact KURT by E mail & we have corresponded this last few months. He sent a recent E mail in which he stated that some war-time service people who he had befriended in Sweden asked what pension he had received for war service, they said that the Canadian government would be pleased to receive a letter from him because funds had been made available for ex war service people, he received from them a substantial sum of money, they also apparently forwarded his particulars to the War pensions in England, since he served with the RAF and not the Canadian air
[page break]
[circled] 7 [/circled]. force. from the British he also received a substantial sum of money still being in Sweden he felt that I should have a reasonable case for a pension as he had never lived in England. I am now 80 years of age, living on only a state pension, with a wife who is severly [sic] arthritic and is in constant pain. Do not construe this as an appeal for any financial help from yourself, I just want help to get from my government what I consider is well overdue
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
Two stories and a letter by Ted Neale
Description
An account of the resource
#1 Ted Neale's account of a train trip in South Africa. Ted and his tall friend were attacked in Bloemfontein by a group of six locals.
#2 Designated pilots-navigators or bomb aimers at Heaton Park then sent to Bridgnorth to await a ship to South Africa. Ted went to Port Elizabeth at 42 Air School to train, then Cairo.
#3 A letter referring to Ted's service history and his deafness. Over the years he attempted to get a disability pension but only received small lump sums. He details fellow aircrew who have been treated differently to him. Then he discusses a Canadian pilot, Kurt Lavack, who had survived a landing accident which Ted witnessed at close hand, when an unreleased bomb exploded. The pilot, Kurt, was later given a substantial pension by his own (Canadian)government and the British government. The letter concludes that at the age of 80 he deserves to be treated better.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ted Neale
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
13 handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BNealeETHNealeETHv06
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Royal Air Force
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Bloemfontein
Great Britain
Italy
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Baldwin
37 Squadron
aircrew
Anson
bombing
military ethos
navigator
RAF Bridgnorth
training
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2214/39912/PDunnFT18010015.2.jpg
45c04a8d92223a7a987d1a19b28a6abc
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2214/39912/PDunnFT18010016.2.jpg
0fede7189b580a3022945b996c835050
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
Dunn, Frederick Thomas
Dunn, FT
Description
An account of the resource
45 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Frederick Thomas Dunn (1319229 Royal Air Force) and contains his logbook, memoir, correspondence, clippings and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 102 Squadron and was killed in a mid-air collision on return from Berlin 22 November 1943. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Josephine Guinness and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. <br /><br />Additional information on Frederick Thomas Dunn is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/207983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2018-02-14
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Dunn, FT
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
Two airmen
Description
An account of the resource
Two airmen wearing khaki uniform and side caps sitting on a bench with trees and a thatched hut in the background. On the reverse 'Johannesburg Zoo Gardens'.
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Johannesburg
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
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PDunnFT18010015, PDunnFT18010016
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
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1526/29781/PMilesRJ16070008-0001.1.jpg
99dedea4584f10abdf6783b154199b0b
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1526/29781/PMilesRJ16070008-0007.1.jpg
787fdd6046049df0a1f162aad554461b
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1526/29781/PMilesRJ16070008-0010.1.jpg
d9b9867231061be3ab0d278226fb41cf
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
Miles, Reg
Reginald J Miles
R J Miles
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-07-26
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.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Miles, RJ
Description
An account of the resource
102 items. The collection concerns Reg Miles (1923 - 2022) and contains his audio memoir, log book, photographs and documents. He flew 36 operations with 432 and 420 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by R Miles and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
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
Truck Loaded with Damaged Master Aircraft
Description
An account of the resource
Three photographs of an aircraft on a trailer.
Photo 1 is of five airmen around a truck with a damaged aircraft.
Photo 2 is the aircraft about to move watched by boys.
Photo 3 is a group of nine airmen at the rear of the trailer.
Information supplied with the collection identifies the location as Dewetsdorp.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Three b/w photographs
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PMilesRJ16070008-0001, PMilesRJ16070008-0007, PMilesRJ16070008-0010
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.
South Africa
South Africa--Free State
South Africa--Dewetsdorp
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
ground crew
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/2214/40049/SDunnFT1319229v10002-Transcript.2.pdf
73a2212dfd8e0b0d676104b75464c587
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Dunn, Frederick Thomas
Dunn, FT
Description
An account of the resource
45 items. The collection concerns Sergeant Frederick Thomas Dunn (1319229 Royal Air Force) and contains his logbook, memoir, correspondence, clippings and photographs. He flew operations as a bomb aimer with 102 Squadron and was killed in a mid-air collision on return from Berlin 22 November 1943. <br /><br />The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Josephine Guinness and catalogued by Nigel Huckins. <br /><br />Additional information on Frederick Thomas Dunn is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/207983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a>
Date
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2018-02-14
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Dunn, FT
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
Transcript of My life in the RAF
Description
An account of the resource
Transcript of F Dunn's memoir describing life before and after joining the RAF. Includes induction and starting off in the RAF in England and then sea voyage to South Africa and then initial training in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Creator
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F T Dunn
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1941-02
1941-10
1942-01-14
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Wiltshire
England--London
England--Warwickshire
England--Stratford-upon-Avon
England--West Kirby
England--Manchester
England--Lancashire
England--Liverpool
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone--Freetown
South Africa
South Africa--Durban
South Africa--Johannesburg
South Africa--Centurion
South Africa--Gauteng
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe--Bulawayo
England--Swindon (Wiltshire)
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Format
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Twenty-three page printed document
Identifier
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SDunnFT1319229v10002-Transcript
Conforms To
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Pending review
Pending text-based transcription
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
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IBCC Digital Archive
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Dunn, Frederick Thomas. My life in the RAF
Air Raid Precautions
aircrew
civil defence
military living conditions
military service conditions
recruitment
sport
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16746/ENeale[FaMo]NealeETH43XX25.jpg
9a890e8e4dbcd3e33df529c7b8b30d76
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
Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-07-31
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
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Neale, ETH
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
169367
TO:- 1395951. L.A.C. NEALE. E
NO 19 A.N.
42 AIR SCHOOL
PORT ELIZABETH
SOUTH AFRICA
[date stamp]
[inserted] & Bill [/inserted]
1 Joan Crescent
Eltham
S.E 9
My Dear Ted
I hope this finds you well as we are O.k. we got your 5 page air Graph but page 4 was missing for nearly 2 weeks you say you are flying now do look after yourself Dear. we had Reg to see us on wednesday [sic] he is home on 15 days leave well the chickens & the Duck are doing well. Did you get your cables & cards you should have done we sent them in good time well my Darling I think I must now Close so Cheerio Tons of love
From Mum & Dad Dot
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
To Ted from his Mum and Dad and Dot
Description
An account of the resource
An airgram letter to Ted at 42 Air School, Port Elizabeth, South Africa from his parents in Eltham.
Creator
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Mr and Mrs Neale
Format
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One handwritten airgram
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
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ENeale[FaMo]NealeETH43XX25
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
South Africa
England--London
South Africa--Port Elizabeth
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Tricia Marshall
David Bloomfield
aircrew
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16336/E[Author]NealeETH-MXX1201-0001.jpg
35246e9163722e298e7dbb2bfb0c7578
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16336/E[Author]NealeETH-MXX1201-0002.jpg
7e1ca9ef7bc5c34e11883e66859daf00
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
Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale 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
2015-07-31
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
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Neale, ETH
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
1 Dec.
2 2nd Avenue
Bellville
Cape Province
South Africa
Dear ‘Joseph’ & Mary,
After you have been revived with a glass of water – or something stronger – you may have been able to get this far into the letter for the big’ Hallo!” and Seasons Greetings from an old ‘comrade’ - & the years have slipped by so fast & since we ‘diced ‘ together ‘Joseph’ that the word “old’’ is beginning to take an almost unpleasant note.
No doubt you have given me up as a bad job, for in front of me is a letter of yours dated “15 December”. However, tho’ I write rarely, it’s sometimes with a certain amount of misgiving that I take stock of myself in this Sunny Clime, and think of the evenings, or perhaps week-ends, I may have spent in the good company of those friends I left behind.
One musn’t [sic] become too depressed tho’, so I shake off
[page break]
old man gloom & get down to things – for I have a lot of work on hand and ahead of me.
Your letter of so long ago opens up with a reference to my change of address a frequent occurrence. This address will be permanent tho’ for some time as I am buying this place. It is not a new house, but I got it at a very reasonable price & on excellent terms & it has great possibilities – I am very busy planning for the coming year – last year being spent in decorating & getting the garden straight.
Next year I hope to complete a garage & turning a stoep into a kitchen – the kitchen will become the dining room.. I intend to build both garage & stoep up myself so I have quite a lot of my spare time booked. What is news of the ’crew’. Is Mae still with the ‘mob’ – his kiddies
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Title
A name given to the resource
To 'Jasp' and Mary
Description
An account of the resource
Part of a letter to Ted Neale and Mary from a friend in South Africa. The writer apologises for taking so long to reply and writes of his new house.
Format
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Two handwritten sheets
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Correspondence
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
E[Author]NealeETH-MXX1201-0001,
E[Author]NealeETH-MXX1201-0002
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Karl Williams
David Bloomfield
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1817/32365/BWittyARWittyARv1.2.pdf
a568d561e92d25b45be271b0cecccb86
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
Witty, A R
Witty, Ron
Witty, Ronald
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-03-23
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Witty, AR
Description
An account of the resource
118 items. The collection concerns Flight Lieutenant Ronald Witty DFM (1520694 Royal Air Force) and contains his log book, navigation charts and logs of all his operations, photographs and correspondence home from training in South Africa. He flew thirty operations as a navigator with 12 Squadron before going as an instructor on 1656 HCU and then 576 and 50 Squadrons after the war.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by David Witty and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
TIME OUT FOR WAR
[black and white sketch of Avro Lancaster bomber]
A factual account of war-time experiences
By Flight Lieutenant Ronald Witty D.F.C., B.Sc., A.R.I.C.
[page break]
TIME OUT FOR WAR
A factual account of war-time experiences
By Flight Lieutenant Ronald Witty D.F.C., B.Sc., A.R.I.C.
[page break]
[underlined]Author’s Foreword[/underlined]
At the insistence of my family, who are somewhat in the dark as regards what I got up to during World War Two, I have compiled the following account.
My memory of the wartime years still remains very clear, helped by some brief notes in diaries, my log book, some letters and, importantly, the navigational logs and charts of all thirty bombing operations in which I took part in 1944. Using them I could still tell you where our Lancaster crew was, within two or three miles, at anytime during those operations of more than fifty years ago.
[underlined]Acknowledgements[/underlined]
Many thanks to my wife Yvonne and my family for their various contributions in getting the raw material organised, and to Mike Fong for his help with the photographs.
[page break]
[underlined] CONTENTS [/underlined]
[underlined] Chapter. [/underlined] [underlined] Page No. [/underlined]
1. Decisions 5
2. The Stirling Castle 15
3. South Africa 21
4. Back to England 33
5. Operations 1 - 20 43
6. Operations 21 - 30 55
7. Instructing “ferry trips” & crewing up for second tour. 69
8. Lancaster ME 758 PH-N “Nan” 81
9. GEE, A.P.I. and H2S 85
10. The German Defences 87
11. Reflections on Survival 89
12. Postscript 93
Bibliography 97
Glossary of Terms 99
1
[page break]
[blank page]
[page break]
[underlined] PHOTOGRAPHS [/underlined]
Following [underlined] Page No. [/underlined]
[underlined] East London, 1943 [/underlined] 32
Left to Right - Fred Rolph, Author, Dorita, ? Parker (uncertain)
[underlined] ‘B’ Flight, Air Navigation Course No. 12 at 41 Air School, Collondale, East London [/underlined] 32
Left to Right - Bond, Chippendale, Cox, Osborne, Jones, Sadler, Author, Hill, Woodland, Wilson, Marshall, Albans
[underlined] Ops Crew, 1944 [/underlined] 54
[italics] Mid Upper [/italics] - Stan Swain, [italics] Bomb Aimer [/italics] - Tom Crook, [italics] Navigator [/italics - Author, [italics] Pilot [/italics] - Fred Holbrook, [/italics] Rear Gunner [/italics] - Tom Tibb, [italics] Flight Engineer [/italics] - John Squires, [italics] Wireless Operator [/italics] - Jock Poyner
[underlined] Ops Crew and PH-N (‘Nan’) [/underlined] 54
Poyner, Tibb, Author, Swain, Crook, Holbrook, Squires
[underlined] The Author and PH-N [/underlined] 54
[underlined] Second Tour Crew, May 1945 [/underlined] 80
Two Gunners, [italics] Wireless Operator [/italics] - ‘Artie Shaw’, [italics] Pilot [/italics] - Bill Addison, [italics] Bomb Aimer [/italics] - Jack, [italics] Navigator [/italics] - Author, [italics] Flight Engineer. [/italics]
3
[page break]
[underlined] The author en-route to Wickenby, June 1945 [/underlined] 84
[underlined] PH-N, June 1945, with the author and member of the old ground crew [/underlined] 84
4
[page break]
[underlined] Chapter 1 : Decisions [/underlined]
Hull Grammar School - an old established seat of learning, with many famous pupils. I was proud of the old school and here I took the School Certificate Examination in June 1937. I passed in eight subjects with a Distinction in Chemistry. A selected group took Additional Maths, taught by the Headmaster, F. Mayor. This introduced me to differential calculus at the age of fourteen. I spent two terms in the Lower Sixth Science pending my sixteenth birthday, in March 1938. Although Maths was my favourite subject, it was more practical at that time to use the Chemistry. In those days, there were fewer universities and unless ones parents were very wealthy, one left school at sixteen.
I started work in the laboratories at British Oil & Cake Mills, H.O.M.Co, Stoneferry, Hull, within easy cycling distance from home. They were part of the Unilever Group, and were a very good firm, with sports and social facilities. I had little spare time for these as I immediately enrolled at the Hull Municipal Technical College, beginning in September 1938. I found that my School Certificate qualification gave me exemption only from the Northern Universities Matriculation and not from the London University Matriculation. This meant that I couldn’t enter for the External London B.Sc. in Chemistry. The difference between the Northern Matric. and the London Matric. was that English Literature was a compulsory subject for the latter. This seemed irrelevant in the context of a Chemistry Degree. However, I entered for the A.I.C. (Associate of the Institute of Chemistry). The A.I.C. and B.Sc. people took the same classes, but instead of taking the Inter-B.Sc. examination, after two years of Evening Classes one was given slips of paper certifying that one was up to Inter B.Sc. standard in Maths.
5
[page break]
[NOTE: PAGES 8 AND 9 MISSING]
and Physics. (These I duly obtained in May 1940.)
Meanwhile, I was fully aware of what was brewing up in Europe with Hitler and his gang making monkeys of the old-school politicians. The ruthless annexation of Austria, followed by that of Czechoslovakia, despite the pathetic delaying tactics of Britain and France, in addition to Hitler’s bellicose threats, made it very evident to me that war was becoming almost inevitable. The facts and figures produced by Winston Churchill underlined the growing military potential of the German forces. The weak capitulation of the British and French diplomats on the matter of the Sudetenland confirmed my belief that it was only a matter of time.
I was heartened when at last Britain and France gave their support to Poland, and actually felt relief when, after the German attack on Poland on September 1st 1939, they honoured their obligations and declared war on Germany. I realised fully how terrible a step it was, but there was no reasonable alternative. Sooner or later we had to face reality.
It was still very eerie when the first air-raid warning sounded on Sunday, September 3rd. 1939.
I carried on with my evening classes (three evenings a week), cycling to and from the Technical College throughout the black-out and occasional air-raid alarms. In fact, I didn’t miss a single class up to the time I went into the R.A.F. in April 1942.
I seem to remember that it was during the very first session of evening classes that I first met Walter Suddaby, who lived in North Hull. He was a quietly-spoken pleasant lad and we had similar ideas of humour and became friends for the duration
6
[page break]
of our time at the Tech. Of course, having full-time day jobs plus three nights a week at the Tech. and other evenings writing up notes and studying at home, we didn’t get together outside the course.
When the war started I was just coming up to seventeen and a half and “Sudd” was about the same age, maybe a month or two older. We followed the events of the war, wondering how it was going to affect us, but with no clear idea what we were about to do in the future.
War came to Hull spasmodically but with increasing intensity as the years passed. The German Luftwaffe found the city an easy option. Placed on a distinctive bend of a wide river estuary, it wasn’t too difficult to spot even at night, when most of their attacks were made. Also it wasn’t a great distance for them to travel, reducing navigational problems on the way. There were many air-raid warnings when inland targets were being sought and the “All-clear” didn’t sound until the last of the enemy aircraft cleared the coast on their way home. Hull often received an extra “bonus” if the Germans couldn’t find their original target.
As the war progressed the age of conscription for service in the armed forces was reduced to nineteen years but there was provision for students who were within two years of the final exams. to obtain deferment until after those exams. I remember quite clearly discussing the situation with “Sudd” and another Tech. student as we stood with our ‘cycles in the middle of the town. We agreed that we wouldn’t apply for deferment because “our qualifications wouldn’t amount to much if Hitler won the war”. “Sudd” and I would volunteer for the R.A.F. and the other lad (I can’t remember his name now) preferred the Fleet
7
[page break]
would be affected by the transition from my mundane earthly existence into the realms of flight. I had at the back of my mind some disturbing recollections of not being too comfortable on fairground rides, so I was just a little apprehensive. On this account I asked my mother not to tell people that I was going as aircrew, so if things didn’t turn out too well I wouldn’t be a public disgrace.
At Lord’s the centre of the famous stretch of turf was cordoned off but the perimeter offices had been converted into depots dispensing all the items of kit we were likely to require plus the inevitable kit-bag. Here we had our introduction to authority in the shape of sergeants and corporals, who shepherded us around the establishment until eventually we were marched off to our billets. My lot were in a converted block of flats in Viceroy Court, St. John’s Wood, which had been re-equipped with service beds and lockers.
It was all very strange, finding oneself amongst a crowd of strangers from various walks of life. The only thing we definitely had in common was that we were “all in the same boat”. We had so many adjustments to make from our previous individual routines that we more readily accepted our imposed companions and most of their idiosyncrasies. The main exceptions as far as I was concerned were smoking and crude language. I had earlier decided that smoking was bad for the health and ruled that out. After hearing some of my new associates, apparently unable to complete sentences without including at least one “f” word, I concluded that the repeated insertion made both the speech and the user appear idiotic and resolved never to stoop to it. I never did.
Various N.C.O.s, mainly corporals, undertook to instil
10
[page break]
some military discipline on our “shower” and in a few weeks we were marching around in shiny boots and brand new uniforms with shiny buttons and getting regular hair-cuts so we didn’t get picked out during inspections.
Although I was in London there was no scope entertainment-wise. Pay for an A.C.2 was 2s. 6d. a day. I was making a voluntary allotment home of 1s 0d. a day, so when pay day came after two weeks I had to quote my last three numbers, 694, step forward, salute and receive the princely sum of £1. I think I managed to get to a Lyon’s cafe once or twice whilst in London. Most of the “entertainment” consisted of walking around some of London’s famous streets.
We all looked forward to getting to an I.T.W. (Initial Training Wing) and acquiring some more useful instruction than the rudiments of drill. Unfortunately, by the time my posting to No. 5 I.T.W. at Torquay came through I had a problem. Due probably to being a little run down towards the end of the evening class session in Hull, combined with swinging arms up to shoulder-level during our marching exercises I developed an abscess under one arm. If I reported sick I would miss my posting and would be stuck in London for another three weeks, so I kept quiet and only mentioned the matter when I got to Torquay on 9.5.42. I was immediately hospitalised with a temperature of 104 degrees F. and operated on the next day.
“Home” in Torquay was the Toorak Hotel, appropriately modified with service beds and lockers. We commenced a range of studies including navigation, meteorology, signals, armament, aircraft recognition, hygiene and anti-gas. We continued with drill and physical training in addition to the regular exercise we
11
[page break]
got marching along the hilly streets in Torquay. The thing that regularly bothered me, being only five feet six and a half, was the constant effort to keep pace with the taller people at the head of the column, generally six-footers. I seemed to be airborne most of the time! We had as our N.C.O. Sergeant Ditchburn, who was the Tottenham Hotspurs goalkeeper. We found him to be quite a reasonable type and certainly preferable to a pre-war regular. He was firm but genial and had a good sense of humour.
As we progressed with our I.T.W. course we were rewarded by promotion to L.A.C. (leading aircraftman) which involved wearing a propeller badge on the sleeve. This embellishment in addition to the white flash worn in the forage cap gave us quite a smart appearance. Pay shot up to 5s. 6d. a day! Much of the time that summer in Torquay we didn’t wear our tunics – it was too warm, particularly when being marched around at 140 paces to the minute. I must admit that marching like that with arms swinging to shoulder height did look impressive and when it was N.A.A.F.I. or W.V.S. break time there was no problem achieving 140 despite the hilly streets, particularly when “racing” other squads.
I can remember learning Morse and using the buzzer and the Aldis lamp, also learning to rectify faults in the Browning 303 machine gun. Two other events associated with those days spring to mind. On one occasion we were all on the beach when we got our first sight of the enemy. A couple of Messerschmitt 109s came swooping in at low level to attack the shipping in the harbour. They also opened up with machine gun and cannon fire at random. We lay flat on the beach and had a very good view of the crosses on their wings. Fortunately we had no casualties.
The other memorable event was a dramatic introduction
12
[page break]
to dinghy drill. An inflated aircraft dinghy floating in the harbour at Torquay was the objective of our escapes from a mock ditching. In turn and singly we had to don a sodden uniform and a Mae West and jump into the harbour and make our way to the dinghy. This was reasonably straightforward for swimmers, but as a complete non-swimmer it certainly presented me with a problem.
For a start the water was about 14 feet below the harbour wall so there was no easy option. It was a case of jumping into the unknown or not showing up very well in front of everyone – so I jumped.
It seemed a long time before I surfaced and then managed rather laboriously to dog-paddle to the dinghy. I realised that it would not have been a realistic exercise in, say, the North Sea for real.
Time passed and we were kept well occupied with lectures, exams and drill (including rifle and continuity drill) and a memorable cross-country run of a mile or two which included ploughing through a duck-inhabited pond. We returned to the Toorak Hotel soaking wet, smelling horribly and legs stinging from nettle contact. On another occasion we were taken by a rather ancient local train and dropped off in small groups at stations along the line skirting Dartmoor and given the task of finding our various ways across country to a pub four or five miles away, somewhere in the middle of the moors. There we downed a pint or two of excellent cider. Fortunately we didn’t have to walk back!
[page break]
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[underlined] Chapter 2: The Stirling Castle [/underlined]
Eventually, I think it was about 15.10.42, we were posted to Blackpool after some embarkation leave. We were billeted in typical Blackpool boarding houses complete with landladies. Ours was “Holmleigh”, Crystal Road. When “Sudd.” got my letter with the Blackpool postmark he was surprised but rightly deduced that I was going abroad. He said he wouldn’t mind being in my place. He was completing a wireless course at Cranwell. He had at one time also been billeted in Blackpool and had enjoyed his accommodation. He wished me good luck and suggested that to be on the safe side I should send my future letters to his home address in 5th Avenue, North Hull.
I received his letter just before we were moved to Liverpool and transferred to the “Stirling Castle” one of the Union Castle Line’s fleet which had been converted for troop carrying. That was on 26.10.42. Our accommodation consisted of long narrow benches and tables for the day-time and hammocks for sleeping. I recall the awkward and maddening time getting even the blankets to stay in the hammock. At night we must have looked like a tin of sardines. Next day the ship moved out into the river and our time was spent “spud-carrying” (2 hours) and then “fatigues” such as cutting butter, etc. from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Talk about slave labour!
On the 28.10.42 the ship turned to face the river mouth and we had our first boat drill. At 1 p.m. the following day we sailed, leaving Liverpool and the Royal Liver Buildings, then passing the Isle of Man and Stranraer as we headed round Northern Ireland. We got used to the hammocks but there was a snag. They isolated us from the movement of the ship and the full extent of the sea movement was not apparent until we
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dismounted next morning and hit the heaving deck. By now of course, we were getting into the Atlantic. It was better, if somewhat chilly on deck. I was a little sick and didn’t bother about fish breakfast. The afternoon was pleasant and we were entertained watching Aldis signals from escorting warships and a sister ship, the “Athlone Castle”. There were six ships in our convoy.
On the third day our convoy had increased to seven ships with six escorts and we were moving more slowly. Depth charges were dropped during the afternoon. Two days later we were joined by a merchant cruiser but there were now only two destroyers or frigates in sight. The temperature was increasing as we headed in a generally southerly direction and we changed into tropical kit.
We wrote letters and listened to the B.B.C. when we could, and were pleased to have good news of the North African theatre. Pontoon was a popular pastime but we also spent some time swotting our I.T.W. notes. In between we watched flying fish and were fascinated by the phosphorescence of the water. One ship left the convoy, with a small gunboat as escort.
As the temperature rose and we estimated our position as approximately 28 degrees West we speculated about the possibility of visiting South America. Our thoughts were re-focused when a destroyer Aldis message mentioned U-boats. This was a particularly profitable time for the German submarines, as the Royal Navy had not had time to recover from a series of severe set-backs in ’41 and ’42 and had only the minimum capacity for escorting convoys. On the credit side, the German Enigma Code had been broken, (we, of course, knew nothing about that) and so it was possible using devious routes to
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avoid the U-boat packs.
On 10.11.42 we were reduced to two escort vessels. Next day, Armistice Day, I bought a poppy – amazing that someone had such foresight! We reckoned that we were now about 4 degrees S. and 28 degrees W. We were now joined by the cruiser H.M.S. London and were also rejoined by the merchant cruiser. On 12.11.42 we spotted a Catalina flying boat so we knew land wasn’t too far away and from then on we saw aircraft every few hours. It reminded one of the dove with the olive branch. On 14.11.42 we were told we would be in port tomorrow.
AT 0530 next morning I got my first glimpse through a porthole of a low-lying stretch of land on the starboard with an orange-coloured beach, backed by trees, palm and deciduous. We were in an inlet running roughly north-south. A Brazilian biplane (it looked like an Italian C.R. 42) flew past and I spotted a Grumman Goose (American amphibian) and a Catalina – at least the aircraft recognition was paying off! There was a small harbour vessel with white-dressed pilots and officials to see us in, together with what appeared to be a tug (the “Aquina”). We were surrounded by canoes and skiffs of all sizes, fitted with sliding seats and crewed by handsome Brazilian boys. There were sailing boats looking somewhat like Red Sea feluccas. We saw loads of bananas and pineapples passing by and liberty men going ashore in launches. We had arrived at Bahia.
In the evening it was impressive, after weeks at sea and years in blacked-out England, to see all the lights ashore and red flashing street signs, together with the green flashes of trams. The land rose steeply from the sea shore with buildings at the foot and the top with trees in between.
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About 5 p.m. the next day our ship took the place of the “Athlone Castle” at the quayside. We had a London fire-engine pumping fresh water aboard and a British-made crane (Bath) loading stores. Some of the firemen threw oranges and bananas up to us. The water replenishment seemed to go on for quite a bit of the next day.
Wednesday 18.11.42 was a red-letter day. We went ashore for a couple of hours. (We had the “honour” of being the first Allied troops to land in Brazil after their belated declaration of war on the Axis). We were marched through the colourful streets, being followed by children who were delighted to have coins thrown to them. We halted and dismissed for a few minutes in a local park where there was a monument to the foundation of the Brazilian Republic. Everyone was after drinks and fruit, a complication being the exchange rate. I had a shilling, 100 reis = 1/4d.; 1,000 reis = 1 milreis. We then formed up and marched back to the ship.
We left Bahia the following afternoon on the final long leg of our journey to South Africa. We were escorted, presumably as a precaution against loitering U-boats, by a Brazilian “Harvard” fitted with bombs. Our convoy now consisted of three transports, two smaller ships, a destroyer and an armed merchant cruiser. By the next day we were well away from Bahia with no sign of U-boats.
Our time was occupied by tests in navigation, signals etc. We played chess and pontoon, and wrote letters (“airgraphs”). We listened to Wing Commander Ritchie, D.F.C., the author of “Fighter Pilot”. We had boat drills at regular intervals. Then on 25.11.42 we changed back into “blues”, and were duly inspected, prior to our second pay parade aboard the “Stirling Castle”.
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We estimated our position as roughly 25 degrees South and 5 degrees West, i.e. about halfway from Bahia to South Africa. I have a note on 27.11.42 that I saw the doctor and an albatross! I’d been bothered by bronchial catarrh for about a fortnight, possibly due to the stuffy conditions below decks at night-time. I used to take a book to the stairwell and read to get myself good and sleepy before climbing into my hammock so that I had a chance to fall asleep without coughing and disturbing everyone around. I can still remember the label “Mist. Expect.” on the medicine bottle in the sick bay which I visited at regular intervals!
During the next few days we were joined by a merchant cruiser and then saw two Venturas over our convoy. We were obviously in another danger zone and portholes had to be closed during the day as well as at night.
On the afternoon of 30.11.42 we sighted Table Mountain and very soon afterwards the wreckage from a ship torpedoed early that morning. By 8 p.m. we reckoned we were well east of Table Mountain when paravanes were brought into use against the possibility of sea-mines in the seas around the Cape.
We continued out of sight of land until on 4.12.42 we arrived at Durban. Everyone crowded on deck as we edged slowly into harbour at the end of our 5 weeks voyage. We were told to look out for the “Lady in White”, who made it her business to greet all the visiting troops at the dockside. Suddenly, there she was in a long white dress and picture hat.
She began to sing to us, using a megaphone, in a song clear voice several heart-warming songs such as “Rule Britannia”
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and finally “We’ll Meet Again”. At the end of her mini-concert the troops responded with cheers and whistles and the ships’ sirens joined in.
By 6 p.m. we had disembarked in our khaki uniforms and were entrained, six to a compartment, on our way to 48 Air School, a joint R.A.F./S.A.A.F. base, near East London. The journey was fascinating – I suppose being back on land and away from the ship helped a lot. We were back in civilised surroundings, a comfortable train and enjoyable meals served without us having to move a muscle. The scenery was magnificent, rolling hills with rocky outcrops. We often caught sight of forward and rear section of our train as we negotiated the snaking track. The evenings were notable for the brilliant displays of fireflies.
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[underlined] Chapter 3: South Africa [/underlined]
We reached Woodbrook, just three miles outside East London, on 6.12.42 after our two-day rail journey and were pleased by the wooden huts provided for our accommodation. We had an excellent dinner, filled in various bits of paperwork and got the bus into East London for the evening. It really was another world, walking through well-lit streets past well-filled shops, rather like a throw-back to 1939.
We discovered that new courses began every three weeks so we had quite a bit of time on our hands. In the meantime, I reported sick and got further treatment for bronchial catarrh, but really it was just a matter of time and it wasn’t long before I was O.K. again.
It wasn’t long before we were acclimatised, conditions being just about ideal in East London, temperatures being generally about 10 degrees F. warmer than we were used to in England. The coastal situation had quite a modifying effect compared with more inland Air Schools. We had the occasional sharp storm with heavy rain, but generally in short spasms, not enough to inconvenience our exploration and enjoyment of our unexpected “holiday”. Car lifts were readily available to and from the town. The harbour was usually worth a visit – we encountered various nationalities including Dutch seamen from a submarine depot ship. The shops were all set out for Christmas – this seemed at odds with an evening temperature of 70 degrees F. at 19.45 hours. A favourite indulgence was fresh strawberries and ice-cream in a local restaurant. For our entertainment and refreshment there were several volunteer-run facilities including the U-NO-ME Club, Toc H, and S.A.W.A.S., rather like the W.V.S. at home, where you could sit around and chat or play
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games. I was quite keen on table-tennis and snooker which I generally played with my pal Fred Rolph (an ardent Brentford F.C. supporter). It was also quite pleasant on the beach, or attending the “Colosseum” cinema. I also caught up with my correspondence, sending airgraphs and receiving letters from my parents, dated October.
Christmas Day was spent in the camp with lunch served by officers and sergeants. We went short of nothing. There was turkey, pork, pudding, cake, fruit, sweets, nuts, ices, beer etc. In the afternoon we rested and we had little room for tea.
It seemed a life in limbo. There was a world war going on many miles away but we were temporarily detached from it and waiting to get on the conveyor belt.
We obviously had some of our time occupied with lectures, drill etc., but were impatient to get on with something more meaningful. We were intrigued by the political situation and the segregation of the white and black communities. The coloured people did the menial jobs and seemed to accept their lot with resignation. They were housed generally in single-room huts on the outskirts of the European city. Quite a few thousands of black South Africans were enlisted in the Army but they served only in menial ways. Strangely enough they seemed quite keen on Army life. One day when I was on police guard near the main gate I witnessed a squad of them being drilled by one of their own N.C.O.s in their free time on the road just outside the camp. They put quite a lot of effort into it and were trying hard to be smart. They didn’t have any firearms, of course, or we might have been anxious! By and large, the R.A.F. lads sympathised with their situation in their own country.
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On 7.1.43 there were rumours of our course starting on 25.1.43. We filled in the time attending lectures, carrying out various duties, marching etc., and going into town when we were free. About this time I bought myself an Omega watch (£5.10s.) and a Tissot watch for my brother. The Omega watch is worth mentioning as I relied on it exclusively during all my navigation (training and operational). I got them from a Swiss jeweller’s shop in East London in early January ’43. (I still have the Omega, though it was accidentally broken around 1970).
We played a lot of table-tennis and snooker and I wrote home and to Walter Suddaby, and my brother Norman who was also in the R.A.F. (training as a wireless operator). Keeping up with the washing was another regular activity. My wash-day was usually at the weekend and consisted simply of washing my clothes in the wash basin using a bar of “Sunlight” soap, rinsing thoroughly and then spreading them out on large rocks in the sun to dry. Trousers were creased by placing them carefully under the mattress.
Eventually, we started our course proper on Monday 25.1.43, with three periods of dead-reckoning (D.R.) navigation, one period on instruments, two periods on signal procedure and one practicing on the Morse buzzer. From this time on we were kept solidly at our studies for the next eight weeks, including examinations to keep us up to the mark.
It was during this time, however, that Fred Rolph and I were invited to visit the home of Dr. G.J.C. Smyth of 30 St. Georges Road, in East London. He and his family were most hospitable and regularly entertained us when we and two other R.A.F. lads had a few hours to spare at weekends.
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We spent a lot of time in the spacious garden playing tenni-quoits, which was most enjoyable and enabled us to “let off steam”. We maintained this contact until just before we left South Africa. We didn’t see a lot of the Doctor himself, as he was pretty busy, but Mrs. Smyth and the family looked after us very well.
For the flying stage of our training I was posted on 27.3.43 to No. 41 Air School at Collondale which, I was pleased to discover, was only about eight miles from East London, thus enabling me to continue having pleasant weekend breaks at the Smyth’s. Fred wasn’t quite so fortunate, in that he was posted to No. 47 Air School near Queenstown, approximately 100 miles inland, which made it more awkward for his journeys to the Smyth’s. Fortunately he could make it by rail.
After the minimum time to settle in and only three days into our studies our class of twentyfour trainee navigators, divided into “A” and “B” flights, came face to face with reality by way of the Avro Anson. This was a twin-engined monoplane with a great safety record. I can recall it was already practically obsolete from a military point of view, being far too slow and almost unarmed, but provided a good steady platform for training purposes.
Appropriately, my first flight ever in an aircraft was on April 1st. (This by strange coincidence happened also to be the 25th. anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Air Force in 1918). I was first navigator with another pupil as second navigator in Anson “V” (3153) piloted by 2nd. Lieutenant McIndoe of the S.A.A.F. The aim was to give us air experience and to try out our map-reading skills while navigating as best we could from Potsdam, (a nearby village) around a laid-down
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cross-country route of about 250 miles. As first navigator I sat at the plotting table carrying out the chart plot and maintaining the log of events. The second navigator armed with a topographical map (i.e. showing the main ground features on the route) tries to identify features passing below the aircraft which are shown on his map. When he gets a positive identification he notes the spot on the map, the precise time of this observation and passes both pieces of information to the first navigator, who then plots them, using the latitude and longitude on his chart. This flight became the first entry in my flying log-book.
On subsequent flights the two navigators took it in turns to be first and second navigator.
The earlier trips were inclined to be a bit rough and ready technique-wise, but as experience increased we became more confident in our judgement of when to give the pilot an alteration of course. In reality, we had many factors in our favour, navigating in South Africa. The weather was generally very good and so was the visibility. The ground features were easy to interpret, nowhere near as congested as we were to encounter later back in Britain. The aircraft was usually only a few thousand feet up and the pilots were quite familiar with the territory, so although they played the game one was aware that they wouldn’t let things get out of hand navigation-wise. If you spotted a railway track it was a big help because there weren’t many railway lines in the whole of the area. Sizeable towns were few and far between and so were much more readily identified.
At this stage we were already encountering the fundamental problem of air navigation – estimating and allowing for the effect of the wind, a continually varying factor. As anyone observing a light aircraft flying in a crosswind will know,
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the aircraft doesn’t travel in exactly the direction it is pointing. It drifts sideways to an extent depending on the wind-speed and direction, (wind velocity). If the aircraft is supposed to be travelling from point A to point B it is not sufficient to point the nose directly at point B unless the wind is from dead ahead or dead astern, a most unlikely occurrence. One has to apply a correction to the heading according to the wind velocity. Knowing the aircraft’s heading from the compass and its airspeed from the airspeed indicator the navigator can plot an “air position” according to the time elapsed on that course. If at that time he can identify the actual position of the aircraft relative to the ground by visual or other means and plot that “fix”, the line joining the “air position” with the “fix” shows both the wind direction and the effect of the wind over the time of the plot and hence the wind velocity. This velocity can then be used as the most up-to-date information for use in making any necessary alteration of course to allow for the wind effect.
We proceeded with ever more sophisticated exercises as the course progressed, flying mainly with South African but occasionally R.A.F. pilots and included photography, astro-navigation (night-flying), over sea exercises, formation flights, flame-float exercises (also involving night flying), and low-level map reading.
Meanwhile we were kept hard at it with our ground studies which involved D.R. (Dead Reckoning) theory, D.R. plotting, compasses meteorology, maps and charts, instruments, radio navigation, reconnaissance, photography, aircraft recognition, signals (both lamp and buzzer) and Astro-navigation.
With any subject involving calculations I found no real difficulty because I had always enjoyed Maths. Notwithstanding
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the confidence this gave me, I could not see much relevance between the training we were getting and the realities of operating at heights of 10,000 to 20,000 feet on dark nights with the ground practically invisible, under enemy fire. Astro-navigation seemed to be about the only independent means of navigation, but when one thought about what that entailed in practice it didn’t seem such a good idea. Inherently Astro-navigation did not appeal to me as sufficiently accurate. In order to get a fix one needed to take observations by sextant on three stars distributed at reasonable angles in the night sky through the perspex dome in the roof of the bomber aircraft, each observation taking a minimum of 2-3 minutes, not forgetting to note the time of the observation and having to calculate a position line from a book of tables and transfer it along the track on the chart. Then, if one was lucky, one had three lines which crossed producing a sizeable triangle, somewhere within which lay, hopefully, the position of the aircraft. The biggest criticism was the vulnerability of an aircraft flying straight and level at a steady airspeed for up to ten minutes over predicted anti-aircraft fire and being followed by night fighters with radar. At this stage I was puzzled how the job could be done and I just had to hope that all would be revealed in the fullness of time. Meanwhile, I was thankful not to have experienced any ill effects from my encounter with aviation and felt that I should be able to cope reasonably well in the future.
It must have seemed very tame for some of our South African pilots after coming from combat in North Africa to spend time “taxi-driving” we “sprog” navigators. We heard strange stories about some of their antics as they tried to relieve the boredom, but the Anson was a most tolerant aircraft and almost flew itself. In my log book I have the names Jooste, Nasmith, Efroiken, Van Rensburg, Moll, Mannheim, Van
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Heerden, Steyn and Duveen, along with R.A.F. pilots Cowan and Hill.
Suddenly, on 1.7.43 I, with four other members of pour course (No. 12) at 41 Air School was sent for interview by W/C Pettit and two Squadron Leaders. I was genuinely taken by surprise, wearing a somewhat scruffy battledress with two or three buttons missing. I had nothng [sic] to lose and I ran down the C.E.B. exams in general. I noted “it seemed to work”.
The following day, more prepared on this occasion, I was interviewed by Group Captain O’Grady. I was stumped by a question on details of the D.F.C. He was very pleasant and at the end I felt I would have liked to have another interview, knowing more about him. It turned out that I was considered O.K. for commissioning, along with John Tebbut from “A” flight.
I was somewhat surprised, considering that I had at no time applied for or even thought about a commission at this early stage in my training. More so, because during the first interview I had rejected the possibility of staying in South Africa as an instructor on the grounds that pupils would be likely to take more notice of instructors with operational experience. I omitted to say that I would have felt like the blind leading the blind.
[underlined] Results of Courses from 29.3.43 to 10.7.43
Air Navigation Course No. 12 Held at 41 A.S. South Africa [/underlined]
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[underlined] Subject – Poss. – Obtd. [/underlined]
D.R. Theory – 100 – 63
D.R. Plotting – 300 – 229
Compasses – 100 – 74
Meteorology – 100 – 72
Maps and Charts – 100 – 94
Instruments – 100 – 76
Radio Navigation – 100 – 79
Reconnaissance – 100 – 72/A
Photography – 100 – 94/AA
A/C Recognition – P. – P.
Signals – 100 – 96
Astro-Navigation – 100 – 97
Flying times on Course Day 76.45 Night 17.20
A/C Type Anson
Air Exercise Assessment AA (Above Average)
[underlined] TOTAL MARKS OBTAINED 81 PERCENT PASSED [/underlined]
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Remarks: An Above Average Navigator
Signed by W/Commander Pettit
There were still three more air navigational exercises to fit in before our graduation day on 10.7.43. To present our brevets we had Rear-Admiral Scott. When it came to my turn the conversation was as follows:-
“Where do you come from, my boy?” “Hull, Yorkshire, Sir.”
“There’s not much of Hull left is there?” “No, Sir.” etc.
The evening celebration was quite informal but the Group Captain did take the opportunity to compliment us on a good parade.
A big dampener, as far as I was concerned, was the news I had received from Fred Rolph, about the time I had my first interview for a commission. He’d made a mess of the Astro-Navigation exam and then came up against a problem in the D.R. Plotting. He said in his letter of 29.6.43, “Do you think I could remember how to do it? I sat there cudgelling my brains and thinking of Edna” (his girl-friend back home) ”and the Astro exam and I couldn’t think how to do it.” He tried to remedy the plotting but only succeeded in getting deeper in the mire. In fact he needn’t have worried so much about the Astro exam – he obtained 67 percent, but he didn’t know how. It was worrying unnecessarily about the Astro that contributed to his failure in the D.R. Plotting. The outcome was that nine members of his course, including Fred had to re-sit their D.R. Plotting exam a day or two before I was getting my brevet. This meant a delay of three weeks for Fred but he added a P.S. “Edna won’t mind waiting three weeks extra after nine months. (I hope!)”.
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Unfortunately those three weeks meant that he never caught up with me again, and his next letter, posted from the Smyth home on 26.7.43 didn’t catch up with me until four months later, when I had no idea where he would be.
I had done my packing and said goodbye to the Smyth’s and boarded the train for Cape Town. Denis Smyth, probably about eighteen or nineteen years old, took me to the station by car, followed the train and saw me again at Cambridge just down the line. I was really sorry to leave the Smyth’s, after all their kindness. Next day, Tuesday, we passed through Queenstown very early in the morning, and on Wednesday afternoon we arrived at Cape Town. We completed the journey to the I.F.T.C. Westlake (Imperial Forces Transit Camp) by electric railway and we were ensconced in Hut 6/26.
During the next ten days I explored part of Cape Town and did some shopping. I managed to get items such as 1/2 yd. braid (pilot officer), a badge, some shirts, shoes, socks, gloves, hankies, and a raincoat and posted several small parcels of goodies to the family in England.
On Sunday, 25.7.43 I settled up my mess fees, collected my pay and a £15 travelling allowance, packed the little that remained to be packed and was transferred at the last minute to the draft prior to the one I had expected. In a very short time we boarded the “Mauretania”. There were eight of us in a cabin, but it was luxurious compared with the hammocks and benches in the “Stirling Castle”. There were five R.A.F. Pilot Officers, two Navy types and one civilian attached to the R.A.F. Next morning we sailed for England about 11 a.m., after a boat drill at 10 a.m.
Like the “Queen Elizabeth”, the “Mauretania” was
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constructed just before the war and proved extremely useful in transporting troops throughout the war. The “Mauretania” alone carried more than 380,000 troops during 55 voyages and must have been a high priority target for German U-boats. My brother travelled to Canada in the “Mauretania” for his aircrew training, shortly afterwards.
Our accommodation was section C3 on C Deck and our Mess No. 69. Mealtimes were pleasant affairs – I have an autographed menu from the luncheon on Wednesday August 11th 1943 in the Officers’ dining room. Nothing pretentious of course, but a big leap back to civilised behaviour. In contrast, acting as orderly officer one day, accompanied by a corporal I had the job of seeing the other side of life and asking the airmen on the mess decks for “Any complaints?” Thankfully everyone seemed reasonably happy with their lot.
So we passed our time in comfort on our fairly direct (apart from a brief call at Freetown), journey back to Liverpool. This took about half of the five weeks of our outward journey on the “Stirling Castle”. By this time the submarine menace had been reduced considerably.
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[photograph of three men and one woman]
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[photograph of the crew with signatures]
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[underlined and centred] Chapter 4: Back to England [/underlined and centred]
Once we docked in Liverpool we were soon on the train and on our way to No. 7 P.R.C. (presumably Personnel Receiving Centre) at Harrogate on 14.8.43. From there we went on our disembarkation leave. I believe I got most of my officer’s uniform fixed up in Hull and maybe some items in Harrogate, where we had to return before posting.
On 8.9.43 my posting came to 3(O) A.F.U., Halfpenny Green, an airfield situated in the West Midlands between Bridgnorth and Dudley. (Today it is a civil airport). There during the next few weeks, I was to take part in No. 138 Air Observers Advance Navigation Course. It seemed an impressive title although a little anachronistic when the replacement of Observers by Navigators had already spread to South Africa and Canada with the Empire Training Scheme. We were already wearing the “N” brevets which replaced the previous observer “O”, as we arrived for the course.
The “advanced navigation course” conducted on Ansons served two purposes. It showed us the difference between map-reading over the wide-open spaces of South Africa, where it was relatively easy to pick out significant features such as a main road or a railway line, and the more complex problem in European map-reading. The more densely populated areas introduced a corresponding profusion of ground detail. Secondly, it extended our experience quite logically without the further complication, on a short course, which might have been occasioned by using an unfamiliar aircraft. On the other hand, the disquieting feeling remained over the relevance of map reading from a few thousand feet, half the time in daylight, compared with the coming operational navigation mainly at
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night, largely out of sight of the ground and at around 20,000 feet, while covering the ground more rapidly in a four-engined aircraft and with the added distractions caused by the opposition.
The thirty-eight and a half hours flying time accrued at Halfpenny Green, brought my total flying time to one hundred and thirty-two and a half hours, roughly one-quarter being night flying. My one recollection of those days was, on the completion of a particular night exercise, walking from the airfield to the hut on a beautiful Autumn night along a narrow country road with not a soul in sight and humming a popular tune of those days.
The next posting was to No. 84 O.T.U. (Operational Training Unit) at Desborough in Northamptonshire. That was on 12.10.43. This was a recently established O.T.U. and the roadways had only been laid that Autumn. It was also pretty wet weather during the first few weeks there and we aircrew, marching between our Nissen huts and lectures found ourselves on roads covered with mud from the soil excavated during their construction and piled nearby.
The O.T.U. was equipped with Vickers Wellington twin-engined bombers, which had been the main-stay of Bomber Command for some time but was being progressively replaced by four-engined types. However, the Wellingtons, or “Wimpeys” as they were usually called, looked large and impressive and very business-like compared with the Anson to which I was accustomed.
Other huts were occupied by other categories of aircrew – pilots, bomb-aimers, wireless operators and air-gunners. Very soon we would have to perform the transition from individuals to aircrews. To this end we were assembled in a large hangar and
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told to get ourselves sorted out. This was very much a lottery. We were teaming up with people we had never met before to undertake dangerous operations during which we would be bound to depend implicitly on these strangers being able to do their jobs efficiently. I suppose this was accepted because we were “all in the same boat”. In hindsight, I don’t think anyone could have suggested a rational alternative.
I cannot remember just how it came about but I found myself “crewed up” with three sergeants (pilot, Chris Derrick; wireless operator, John (Jock) Poyner; a rear gunner, Tom Gibb from Glasgow), and a Pilot Officer bomb-aimer making up the crew of five for the Wellington. This was the stage at which the division between commissioned and non-commissioned aircrew became apparent. We commissioned “types” were quartered in huts segregated from the huts of the N.C.O.s, and we had separate messes. We attended lectures according to our aircrew duties, e.g. navigator or whatever and only got together as a crew when flying was in the offing. It wasn’t done for officers and N.C.0.s to go around in “matey” groups.
On the morale-boosting side, we navigators were soon relieved to learn that our big worry about how we could possibly navigate accurately at night would be considerably relieved by our introduction to an almost magical device known as a Gee box. Basically this measured the aircraft’s distance from each of two ground stations and where these measurements coincided gave the geographical position of the aircraft. On the debit side it was jammable by the enemy and could not be relied upon beyond the enemy coast. Nevertheless it would give us a sound beginning to our task when we went out on operational flights.
We flew in a “Wimpey” for the first time on 8.11.43 with
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a “screened” pilot instructing our pilot, Sgt. Derrick on the take-offs, circuits and landings, commonly known as “circuits and bumps”. The significance of this dawned on me in the course of time.
Our pilot was given his solo check, went solo (with members of the crew) and had three further lots of “circuits and bumps”. Then we took the gunners on an air-firing exercise and did some dual “circuits and bumps”, two thirds of them with six different screened pilots. I think we must have met most of the instructors of “B” flight, some of them several times. Sometimes we were airborne several times a day, four times on three occasions. Our pilot seemed to have some trouble with his steering around the perimeter track and wandered off it occasionally. When this happened we were liable to be bogged down as the ground was so muddy.
On a couple of occasions I flew in the rear turret because the gunners were occupied with ground training and the policy was for there always to be a pair of eyes in the rear turret to warn of the proximity of other aircraft both in the air and on the ground. I did not care for the cramped conditions and I cared less about the landings, when my helmeted head hit the turret. In my ignorance I thought it was just one of the things that went with flying heavy aircraft. I was thankful I was a navigator.
Now the bomb-aimer had to “get in” a bit of practical work, dropping eleven and a half pound practice bombs at the local bombing range. We had been to the bombing range once at night and once by day, both times with a “screened” pilot. Now we had to carry out the same exercises “solo”. The high-level bombing by day was carried out, apparently satisfactorily but night bombing presented difficulties. We had bomb-sight trouble
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on a number of occasions and four attempts were aborted. On the last occasion our bomb aimer was sick and on our return to base our pilot reported “bomb-aimer u/s” instead of “bomb-sight u/s”.
At this stage we parted company with Chris Derrick – he was considered unsuitable as the pilot of heavy bomber aircraft. We heard that he carried on flying Oxfords, twin-engined aircaft. [sic] We also saw no more of our bomb aimer, F/O Valentine. I missed listening to his gramophone and classical records of an evening.
During these early weeks we were rudely brought up against the realities of the job. One of our Wellingtons was shot down one night by a German intruder aircraft from a height of about 10,000 feet, possibly on a practice bombing exercise. Two members of the crew, including the F/Lt pilot, who had some operational experience on other aircraft, were fellow occupants of the same hut as Valentine and myself. I was one of the bearers at the funeral service in the local church.
Within a few days we had a replacement pilot, Sgt. Redman, a rather taciturn character and we were transferred from “B” flight to “D” flight. We also had a replacement bomb-aimer, Sgt. Tommy Crook.
Obviously Sgt. Redman had already satisfied the Air Force that he was competent to fly Wellingtons because, without any preliminaries whatsoever, our first outing with him was on a daylight cross-country (i.e. navigational exercise) in the company of a screened pilot. That was on 28.12.43. By the 10.1.44 we were completing our series of navigation exercises (in which we suffered simulated attacks by R.A.F. fighters) in what must have been record time, as the Air Force attempted to
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makes us catch up on lost time.
Unfortunately the cross-country on Route 92/19 turned out to be a somewhat traumatic experience. (In those days I don’t think the word “traumatic” was part of the vocabulary as it is today). Part of the route during a five and a half hour flight took us about 100 miles out over the North Sea and everything was going satisfactorily and the Gee set was working O.K. when Sgt. Redman suddenly announced that the aircraft had stalled. In front of me on the navigator’s table, was a duplicate altimeter, showing 8,000 feet. I watched, somewhat numbly, as the needle began to “unwind”. I can only suppose the other crew members were similarly afflicted. There was certainly no chatter and no panic.
We all knew that the next words from the pilot were most likely to be “Prepare for ditching” which would mean taking up positions to minimise injury when the aircraft hit the sea. The altimeter continued to “unwind”. There was no instruction from our pilot to the wireless operator to try to inform base of our predicament and no word as to what was happening. At 4,000 feet, halfway down to the cold North Sea with virtually no chance of survival, the aircraft levelled off, still without a word of explanation from our pilot. It transpired what had happened was that the pitot tube, which feeds the air pressure for the airspeed indicator had “iced up” so the air-speed appeared to fall. The pilot, partly through inexperience, had feared the worst and informed us accordingly. We were relieved to get “home”.
In unanimous agreement the crew decided that we had no confidence in our pilot and did not wish to fly with him again. Because of my commission, I had the unpleasant job of forwarding the crew’s views to our superiors and we did not
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meet Sgt. Redman again. However, by the contribution of our two pilots, the rest of the crew were deemed to have completed the O.T.U. course, and after a spot of leave we were posted to a holding unit at Methwold, in Suffolk on 8.2.44.
It must have been at Methwold that, whilst puzzling over the fate of our temporarily headless crew, I happened to meet an American lieutenant pilot serving with the R.A.F. He had a very English name, Braithwaite, and hailed from Hollywood and had lots of flying hours behind him before he left the U.S.A. He was waiting to be given a crew. He didn’t have a pronounced American accent and discussing our mutual situation we got on very well together. We both thought it would be the ideal solution if we could join forces, i.e. if he could take our pilotless crew. Unfortunately, the authorities preferred to give him a crew who had lost their pilot doing an operation as second pilot with another crew for experience before operating with his own crew.
Our crew was posted on 25.2.44 to No. 1653 H.C.U. at Chedburgh, (also in Suffolk), which was in No. 3 Group of Bomber Command. Here we were in the land of the Stirling four-engined bomber – we would much rather have been on Lancasters. However, looking back on those days, I am certain that it was a turning point as far as our crew was concerned. In addition to acquiring a new pilot, Sgt. G.F. (Fred) Holbrook and a mid-upper gunner, Sgt. Stan Swain, we were joined by our flight engineer, Sgt. Johnny Squires, an extremely useful asset over the next six months or so. Johnny was already serving in the Army when the war started and had got to the rank of Captain in the Black Watch, pretty good going considering he wasn’t much taller than my five foot six and a half inches! Anyway, during the middle years of the war the Army had a comb-out of junior officers of 40 years and more and it was
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decided that he would be better employed in his basic occupation, engineering, in civilian life. He was not enraptured with the idea and, knocking ten years off his age, joined the R.A.F. for aircrew training as a flight engineer.
He was, of course, much older than the rest of us. I was just coming up to 22, our wireless operator, John Poyner, was just 22 and Fred Holbrook was probably about the same age. The rest of the crew were younger, the gunners probably 19 or 20. You could say he was almost a father-figure, but we daren’t have suggested any such thing at the time.
He was really first class at the job, always calm and never at a loss, whatever the circumstances. He was a really steadying influence and, personally, having already “lost” two pilots along the way and now having a third unknown factor taking over, I felt much happier about our future knowing that Johnny was sitting up there alongside Fred. That feeling was reinforced as we progressed steadily with the local flying and then with navigational exercises on Stirlings (Mark I and III).
The Stirling, which was the first of the R.A.F.’s four-engined bombers, built to a 1936 specification, gave the impression of a long dinosaur waiting to attack or pounce. The undercarriage was enormous and at first sight made me wonder what the altimeter in the cockpit read! It was a good aircraft but had serious limitations, the main one being its maximum altitude. I understand that this was due to its wingspan being limited by the standard hangar width of the day.
Whilst other Bomber Command aircraft normally operated at about 20,000 feet, this ‘plane could barely manage 15,000, so it seemed it would be unwise to get mixed up with
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people dropping things from a mile above.
After five weeks at Chedburgh we were able to erase such thoughts from our imagination as we went on leave prior to being transferred to the Lancaster Finishing School at Hemswell in No. 1 Group. I still have one souvenir from the Stirling era, a horizontal scar on the bridge of my nose, due to colliding with the rear end of the tailplane whilst walking around a Stirling on a very dark night. Fortunately it was only local flying – not a navigational trip – and I was able to clamp my first aid dressing on to the spot immediately and stop the bleeding until we returned. That was to be the only injury I sustained in the Air Force.
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Walter Suddaby
I kept in touch with Walter at varying intervals throughout our R.A.F. careers and I knew he’d been with his crew to 1658 H.C.U. (Heavy Conversion Unit) at Riccall (halfway between York and Selby) to train on Halifax bombers. I had plenty of reminders when I later travelled through Riccall on my way to and from work at Selby. I heard when he got onto 158 Squadron at Lissett, near Bridlington and then no more.
I cannot remember just how it happened that his brother, Frank, cycled over from their home in North Hull and found me home on leave, but his tidings were terrible and I was shocked. Walter had been killed in extremely unfortunate circumstances. In “The Bomber Battle for Berlin”, Air Commodore John Searby explains what happened on the night of 24/25th March 1944. “Over the Dutch coast P/O Simpson” (Walter’s pilot) “called base saying his port and starboard outer engines were damaged”. (It would be Walter transmitting the message). “and nothing more was heard until he was reported having crashed at the water’s edge at Ingham near Cromer, Norfolk, where a minefield was laid years before against possible invasion. The aircraft blew up and all were killed.” Apparently, having little altitude, the pilot attempted a crash landing on the beach, and had either forgotten about the mined beaches or had little alternative but to take the risk.
A later publication, by W.R, Chorley. reported the crash as happening on the sand dunes near Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk.
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[underlined] Chapter 5: Operations 1-20 [/underlined]
I can still remember my first close-up encounter with the Lancaster – no, I didn’t bump my nose. Compared with the ungainly appearance of the Stirling, the Lancaster looked sleek and business-like. On entering the cockpit I was greatly impressed by the appearance of the in-line Rolls Royce Merlin engines, of which I had heard so much since I became interested in aviation. My confidence soared. It increased further when I heard about the H2S (air-borne radar equipment) and the A.P.I. (air position indicator). Not that I had any time for practice at Hemswell – the object of the exercise was the transference from one four-engined bomber (the Stirling) to the other (the Lancaster) which mainly meant lots of take-offs and landings for our pilot and familiarisation with the new aircraft and its numerous instrument panels and dials for pilot (Fred) and flight engineer (Johnny).
We were airborne for a total of barely eleven hours (some day and some night) during our brief stay at Hemswell and in no time at all we were making the short journey, on 26.4.44, by crew bus I believe, to Wickenby and No. 12 Squadron. At Wickenby, which was a war-time constructed airfield, I was again segregated from the rest of the crew as they were all sergeants. My accomodation [sic] on the officers’ site was in a Nissen hut, similar to that of the crew on the N.C.O.S’ site, which I later wandered over to inspect.
I had a distinctly unusual and rather disquieting introduction to my new “home”. There was only one person there when I arrived, P/O Adam (Jock) Varrie, who I believe hailed from Lockerbie. (Currently domiciled in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe). He had lost his crew on operations whilst he was ill,
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and had been given the job of assistant to the Flight Engineer Leader. He had arrived at Wickenby in September ’43 and had done quite a lot of ops. before losing his crew. He told me that during his time at Wickenby he knew of only one crew and “one odd bod” who had survived a tour of 30 operations, i.e. from the two squadrons Nos. 12 and 626, operating from Wickenby. I decided there was no point in worrying and to take a limited objective.
I had a few science books with me and I did look at them on several occasions but I decided to defer the idea. Instead, I suppose partly in bravado, I decided to read Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” which I found in the Library at Wickenby Officers’ Mess. I wondered how far I’d get with it under the circumstances. I did in fact get through the lot, more than 1,000 pages, in instalments! For moral support I said the “Lord’s Prayer” each night as I lay in bed, trying to give full interpretation to the words. Secondly (and rather trivially) I always polished by flying boots before going off to briefings. It was rather foolish in hindsight, because if I’d had to parachute down in enemy territory, polished boots would not have been a good idea, if one was trying to evade capture even if you managed to rear off the leg parts. Looking back, I suppose it was a case of “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition”.
At the Navigation Office I encountered F/Lt. R. Stancliffe, our Squadron Navigation Officer and was impressed by his relaxed and friendly attitude. I soon encountered something which I found very inspirational. In some pigeon holes or racks in the Nav. Office there were a few navigators’ logs, one of which left an enduring impression on me. It had been compiled by F/O D.A. Colombo who had gone missing, along with his crew, on the Berlin raid of 24/25 March ’44, i.e.
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just over a month earlier and the one on which Walter Suddaby and his crew were lost. His log seemed to me like a work of art, hardly the kind of craftsmanship one would have believed possible, given the circumstances prevailing at that particularly hazardous period in the history of Bomber Command. I decided, then and there, that if I couldn’t make Colombo’s standard I’d have a good try. I never met him but I never forgot him.
Our crew was placed in “B” Flight of 12 Squadron and we were airborne just twice, both on 28.4.44, for “fighter affiliation” (i.e. dodging a Spitfire) combined with air-sea firing practice for the gunners and a simulated night attack on Bristol. I don’t remember whether we managed to fit in a short leave but just over a week later we were detailed for our first op. on 7.5.44.
The first and second ops. were not very demanding, one on a target near Rennes in France and the second to a target in Belgium. The latter attack was aborted on the instruction of the Master Bomber, due to poor visibility and we were ordered to return with our load.
Between our first and third ops. we got in quite a lot of navigational practice (and much needed H2S practice) on five cross-country exercises. This period also helped very considerably in getting us working together as a crew and becoming familiar with our surroundings, both aloft and on the station.
Our third and fourth ops. were on German territory, but only just over the border from Belgium. They were attacks on two marshalling yards at Aachen and met with considerable resistance, the loss rates being 6 percent in the first case and 7 percent in the
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second.
Railway marshalling yards were beginning to assume very considerable importance in view of the impending invasion of Europe by the Allied Armies. Anything that would impede the free transit of German forces to the coast could obviously be helpful to our forces, and Aachen was an important railway junction in that respect.
On the second of the Aachen trips we made the aquaintance[sic] of Lancaster Mk.1 ME758, PH-N, the former being the Manufacturers (Metropolitan Vickers) number and the latter comprising No. 12 Squadron’s letters and the aircraft letter. This was to become our regular aircraft, in which we were to do 25 of our 30 ops. The Aachen trip was N-Nan’s tenth.
On all night operations and quite a lot of the day ones I travelled secluded from the outer world by my black-out curtain. I sat at the navigation table, which was situated to the rear of the pilot’s armoured back-rest (the only armour in the aircraft), facing the port (left) side of the aeroplane. The reason for the black-out precaution was, of course, the angle-poise light which illuminated my chart and navigation log. Any emerging light would not have been appreciated by the crew as a whole and would not have been good for the pilot’s night vision.
I had devised my personal system of navigation in an effort to simplify the calculations. In fact, I had gone decimal and worked in tenths of hours and tenths of minutes instead of minutes and fractions. For example, in the early stages of an operation when I wanted to ascertain the actual wind velocity, which was ever-changing and sometimes considerably at variance with the meteorological information, I took Gee-fixes at
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6-minute intervals or sometimes 12, knowing it was then simple mental arithmetic to multiply the measured vector from the air position (thank goodness for the A.P.I.) to the fix by 10 or 5 respectively to find the wind speed in knots (nautical miles per hour). This saved a lot of messing about with the manual computer.
It was just as essential to keep in touch with the wind velocity as with your actual position so that you had the ability to correct your course in order to hit the next turning point on your route. It was always a case of working with hind-sight. You could only assume that the wind affecting you over the next few miles would be similar to what you had just experienced.
Miscellaneous observations such as times of bombs being fused and released, times to drop and rates of dropping of “window” (i.e. anti-radar aluminised strips), times and rough location of the positions of aircraft being shot down (including some alleged to be “scarecrow” devices fired into the air by the enemy to pretend they were R.A.F. aircraft which had been destroyed in mid-air), whether parachutes were seen, sightings of enemy aircraft, target indicators, radio information via the wireless operator, and anything which might be of use to “intelligence”, all had to be logged with time of occurrence and estimated positions relative to our aircraft and its heading.
We fitted in yet another cross-country exercise on 29.5.44 for H2S practice. (See page 88. for technical details). The log book entry reads “Window (aircraft) lost and aileron damaged. A.S.I. (Air Speed Indicator) read 360 m.p.h. plus in dive”. The necessary repairs were soon made.
With the invasion imminent we got a number of short-
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haul trips, including attacks on a radar-jamming station near Dieppe which was later found to have been made “with great accuracy”, a gun position at Sangatte, near Calais, (as part of a deception programme to keep the enemy guessing where the landings would come), and the attack on a coastal battery at St. Martin de Varreville on the Normandy coast on the eve of the invasion. On the latter occasion the H2S screen was covered with numerous luminous pin-point echoes of the invasion fleet on its way across the Channel.
On the next evening we were supposed to bomb a railway switch-line at Acheres in the suburbs of Paris, but there was too much cloud for the safety of French civilians so the Master Bomber ordered us to return with our loads. (Not much fun, landing with a full bomb load!)
That counted as our eighth operation. The next couple of night operations were also concerned with inhibiting the Hun, one being against a landing-ground at Flers in Southern Normandy and the other attacking the important railway junction of Evreux, about 50 miles west of Paris. So far our ten ops. had not been too stressful and had averaged only about four and a half hours night flying.
Targets were marked by the Pathfinder Force (PFF) with various coloured devices which could be varied according to pre-arranged plans during the period of the attack and could be over-ridden by instructions from the “Master of Ceremonies” (Master Bomber) according to eventualities arising during the progress of the raid.
By the time I was operating, the P.F.F. system had been developed over the better part of two years into a formidable
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system, but there were occasional human errors. When this happened the whole or part of a raid could go awry.
On the night of 12/13 June 1944 we took part in the first raid of a new oil campaign, the target being the Nordstern synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr. In addition to my normal duties I was one of a number of navigators on the operation to be detailed for “wind-finding”. The idea was for the force as a whole to have the benefit of the information obtained from selected navigators and apply it to their individual needs. We calculated the wind velocities at successive stages en route and had our wireless operators transmit the coded information back to base for analysis and consideration by meteorological staff, who then reported back to the main force the outcome of their deliberations in terms of up-to-date information on wind vehicles.
From my log for the trip I see that I sent back wind velocities from seven stages of the outward and return trips. I was quite happy with the navigation and had given the pilot the final correction to the course to the target, then calculated and given a wind velocity to Jock Poyner, our wireless operator, when our pilot spotted what he believed to be the target markers about 30 degrees to starboard and altered course towards them despite my disbelief, when we were approximately 20 miles from the target. Our clear instructions were to bomb the markers so that is what happened. We bombed just after 0101 hours, i.e. within our allotted range of 0100 to 0104 hours.
Many years later I read an illuminating account in “Bomber Command News” in an article spanning “Six months in the life of Bomber Command, a day-by-day account of support for the Allied invasion forces.” This covered the period 23.5.44
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to 31.12.44, including the attack on Gelsenkirchen. It reported – “Owing to the good work of the Pathfinders the attack opened with exceptional accuracy. Later a rogue target indicator fell ten miles short of target and was bombed by 35 aircraft. All production at the oil plant ceased with a loss of 1,000 tons of aviation fuel a day for several weeks.” On my part, I compared the photograph taken automatically when our bombs were released, with the large wall mosaic in the Intelligence library of photographs taken by R.A.F. reconnaissance aircraft. Not having the benefit of the information which was quoted so many years later in “Bomber Command News”, I estimated from our last alteration of course before the target approximately where to look on this huge map for the place we had actually bombed.
From a few distinctive features on our photograph I was able to find the matching spot on the wall map – with a difference. Our picture showed unmistakably a dispersal point on the perimeter of an airfield which must have been constructed during the years since the reconnaissance photographs were taken. So the airfield personnel probably had an exciting night! The probable explanation is that whilst the real target was obscured by thick smoke from burning oil, the markers dropped ten miles away in open country were clearly visible. Seventeen Lancasters were lost, 6.1% of the Lancaster force of 286.
For a bit of variation we flew the following night for a couple of hours practicing night fighter evasion (with an R.A.F. fighter).
On the evenings of 14th and 15th June ’44 we operated in Bomber Command’s first daylight raids since May ’43. The objectives were the fast German motor torpedo boats (E-boats) and other light German naval forces based at Le Havre and
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Boulogne, which were threatening Allied shipping off the Normandy beaches. We flew in loose “gaggles” (there had been no training in formation flying) escorted by Spitfires of 11 Group. The E-boat threat to the invasion beaches was almost completely removed. R.A.F. casualties were very light.
We next had an aborted attack on a switch-line at Aulnoye, about 20 miles south of Mons. After a discussion between the Master Bomber and his deputy it was decided not to risk civilian casualties as it was too cloudy to bomb with accuracy, so we set off back with our loads, jettisoning the delayed-action bombs shortly after we left the French coast.
On the night of 12/13 June ’44 the Germans began their V-1 (flying bomb) attacks on London. Between 15-16 and 16-17 June, 144 flying bombs crossed the Kent coast and 73 reached London. This stung the British authorities into action and Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the invasion forces, agreed that retaliatory action (code name CROSSBOW) should rank second in priority only to the urgent needs of the battlefield. From mid-June to mid-August attacks on V-weapon objectives became one of Bomber Command’s major concerns, absorbing about 40% of its effort and correspondingly reducing its ability to bomb Germany.
Our first involvement came with a daylight attack on a flying-bomb site about 10 miles south-west of Calais. As the promised target indicators were not visible at the stated time we bombed on the Gee co-ordinates. That was on 22.6.44.
I think we must have had a week’s leave after our 15th “op”, because “N-Nan” flew five operations with three other crews before we returned to the fray. Then it was back to the
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Pas de Calais to attack the Domleger V-1 site, (my log says “flying-bomb supply lines”) in another daytime operation on 2.7.44. It was rather cloudy so again we “homed” to the target on Gee before the bomb-aimer, Tommy Crook, was able to take over and bomb visually.
Now followed a trio of fairly lengthy night operations all involving railway marshalling yards at important centres in France. On the nights of 4/5, 5/6, and 12/13 July, we visited successively Orleans, Dijon, and Tours (not exactly Cook’s tours). On the first night the loss rate was 5 percent, on the second nil, and on the third about 3 percent. This was rather strange because the Dijon trip was by far the longer route, taking eight and a quarter hours, compared with about six hours for each of the others. The results were satisfactory, particularly at Orleans.
I had cause to remember the bombing of the French railway system just over a year later when involved in flying our forces home on leave from Italy because the French railway system was still in a mess from our efforts in 1944 (see later). There was also an occasion when I was attending a symposium on analytical chemistry at Birmingham University in either 1954 or 1958 when I became involved in a discussion with a young French scientist, whilst queueing at the refectory. When he asked me if I’d been to France, I said “Not exactly” and admitted I hadn’t set foot in France although I had visited during the war.
I had no idea what his reaction would be, and was greatly relieved and pleased when he slapped me on the back and spoke warmly of his admiration for the way the R.A.F. had managed to knock out railway goods yards close to the towns whilst causing the minimum of civilian casualties. He did not have such a good opinion of the U.S.A.A.F. with whom he chose to make the
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comparison. I wish that I had made a note of his name and address! It was a completely unsolicited testimonial. After a gap of another week we went on our 20th operation to the railway yards and junction at Courtrai (or Kortrijk as the Belgians have it nowadays). Both targets were devastated. Casualties were 3 percent.
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[black and white photograph of 7 airmen in uniform standing in a row in front of a Nissen hut]
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[black and white photograph of seven airmen in front of an aircraft, four standing in the back row and three kneeling in the front row.]
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[underlined] Chapter 6: Operations 21-30 [/underlined]
Taking part in the first major raid on a German city for two months, on the night of 23/24 July, we went to Kiel. It was our twentyfirst [sic] operation. The elaborate deception and the surprise return to a German target must have confused the opposition because Bomber Command lost only four aircraft out of 629 taking part. Kiel suffered heavy damage. The bombing force appeared suddenly from behind a Mandrel jamming screen, operated by the Radio Counter-Measures squadrons of 100 Group, and took the defences by surprise. In the space of 25 minutes nearly 3,000 tons of bombs fell on the town and port, inflicting enormous damage to the U-boat yards and many other areas.
Rescue and repair was hampered by 500 delayed-action bombs and unexploded duds. There was no water for three days, no trains and buses for eight days and no gas for cooking for three weeks. Looking at my log, I see that I had a fault on the H2S and also that when we were well on the way home I had a dabble with the bubble sextant, taking three star shots for practice. I was glad I wasn’t dependent on them.
On the night of 24/25 July we took part in the first of three heavy raids on Stuttgart. This was a more arduous trip, the return trip taking eight hours forty minutes. I had to Sellotape two Mercator charts together to lay down the route which took us via Normandy and south of Orleans to just beyond 9 degrees E longitude, and the majority of two double-sided log forms. Once again, I had the added duty of “wind-finding” for the main force. As it happened, the winds were the lightest I encountered on operations, barely reaching 20 knots at any stage and often less than 10 knots from between west and north-west.
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From the intercom. and audible noises off I gathered, in the seclusion of my snuggery, that the reception committee was doing its best to welcome us as we neared the target. Someone spotted a night-fighter immediately ahead of us but fortunately it was crossing our route and was banked away from us, probably after some othe [sic] prey.
(See page 91 “The German Defences” for further information on the tactics of the night-fighters).
We bombed within half a minute of the time I had in my flight plan and speeded up to the next turning point on our route, just three minutes beyond the target, where we made a sharp turn to starboard on to the next leg of 18 nautical miles, before another starboard turn over the Schwabische Alb range. We had just settled onto our homeward route when trouble arose. The port inner engine packed up, probably due to flak, and had to be feathered.
That meant we had ahead of us, all being well and no further complications, a four hour journey on three engines. We hoped we didn’t encounter any night fighters and were thankful for light winds for the next part of our journey.
Actually, being relieved of the bomb load, “N-Nan” managed very nicely on its three Rolls Royce engines and I was able to continue the job of sending wind velocities back to base, the first on our return journey being only fifteen minutes after “losing” the engine. Altogether, on this op. I see that I managed to send back ten wind velocities covering various stages en route. We did lose a little time but by the time we crossed the south coast of England we were only ten minutes later than our planned time and we didn’t have to queue for landing back at Wickenby. Casualties amounted to 3.4 percent of the 614 attackers.
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Two days later, on 27.7.44 we were airborne locally to air test the new engine and also the replacement for a damaged tail-fin, do some air-sea firing and take a passenger to Sandtoft.
Our 23rd operation was much shorter and less exciting. On 30.7.44 we were part of a very large force of 692 aircraft sent to bomb six German positions in front of a mainly American ground attack in the Villers Bocage-Caumont area. Our target was near Caumont. Cloud caused difficulties and we had to orbit and descend to see the target indicators before bombing. Only four aircraft were lost. We were down at Wickenby after four hours.
During the previous week I had been greatly surprised to see among new arrivals on 12 Squadron an old acquaintance from South African days. Furthermore, he was the other navigator commissioned at the same time and so we had consecutive Air Force numbers. We had both been on No. 12 course at 41 Air School though he was in “A” flight and I was in “B”. Due to the vagaries of the R.A.F. posting system, he had arrived at Wickenby three months after myself. He was F/O J.A. (John) Tebbut. We were naturally both excited by this coincidence – he could easily have gone to one of the many other airfields and squadrons and I hadn’t encountered any of the other navigators of No. 12 course since I left 41 Air School.
I readily agreed to fly with him locally (and unofficially I believe) so that I could help him master the H2S equipment. We flew in “N-Nan” on a local cross-country lasting just over two hours on 31.7.44. When he wasn’t tied up with his crew we had a good natter about things in general and then he asked if I would like to borrow a book he had been presented with at Christmas 1943. I still have the book in front of me as I write, with its
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inscription “from Harold and Sylvia”.
Operation No. 24 couldn’t have been more brief. It was on a flying-bomb site at Les Catelliers, in the Pas-de-Calais. Navigation was normal down to the south coast near Selsey Bill except that I concentrated on H2S to the exclusion of Gee equipment. After that I relaxed as our formation was led to the target by Mosquitos. (I do not thing the Navigation Officer approved – he scribbled “Average Nav.” at the foot of my log). We were home again after three and a half hours.
Next day, 3rd August, we were briefed for a daylight attack on a flying-bomb site at Trossy St. Maximin, not far from Chantilly, about 25 miles north of Paris. The wind was light and the navigation straightforward. This time I relied mainly on Gee and my decimal-hour system taking Gee fixes at 1215, 1221, 1227, 1233, 1239, 1245, 1251, 1257, and 1303 hours i.e. 6 minute intervals and obtaining seven measurements of wind velocity in that time. For the next fix, at 1309, my fix was a bearing and distance from Selsey Bill, using H2S.
On crossing the coast the bombs were fused and selected and we proceeded at our eventual bombing altitude of 11,000 feet. We kept “bang on” our route and crossed the French coast within seconds of our predicted time. Other Lancasters were visible all around. At position “H” on our route the time was 1408 as we turned (dead over the turning point according to Tommy Crook, our bomb-aimer, and headed towards Compiegne, our last turning point before the target. Compiegne was only 14 nautical miles (4.3 minutes) away at this time and I thought I would have a look at this historic place as we turned towards our target. It was the place where the Armistice was signed in a railway-carriage in 1918 and the self-
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same place where Hitler insisted on reversing things in 1940.
I moved forward into the cockpit and was feeling pleased as Compiegne appeared below our banked wing-tip. Then I looked for our accompanying aircraft and eventually spotted them as small specks ahead of us. They had obviously cut the corner, missing out the right-angled bend at Compiegne and were well on the way to the target. There was only one other Lanc. anywhere near us and it was probably half a mile away on the beam.
We were now faced with a straight run onto the target of 21 nautical miles, which would take over 6 minutes, at only 11,000 feet in a cloudless sky and with no-one with whom to share the flak. The odds were very heavily stacked against us, but we carried on according to form. No-one panicked – we were all pretty quiet – but that run-in onto target seemed to take an awful long time.
We were subjected to very intense anti-aircraft fire – the gunners must have been rubbing their hands in anticipation. The conditions were ideal for them – a large aircraft at moderate height on a steady course in clear visibility. We were surrounded by shell-bursts, to the extent that the crew of the other aircraft thought we’d “had it”. We bombed in the middle of our allotted time bracket for bombing, which was obviously not the case with the vast majority of our companions, who were now miles away. Our aircraft was very fortunate to survive. Our recent replacement port inner engine was hit and had to be “feathered”. One of the other engines was damaged and three petrol tanks hit.
Our bomb-aimer, Tommy Crook, and flight engineer,
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Johnny Squires, received minor injuries from the “flak” which they later professed to be worthwhile in exchange for the wound-stripes they were then entitled to wear on their sleeves.
About 12 minutes after leaving the target and nearly halfway back to the coast, we saw a Lancaster on fire about five miles ahead and counted five parachutes opening as the crew baled out. That Lancaster “hit the deck” two minutes later.
It might just as easily have been our aircraft. Once we had crossed the French coast we breathed a sigh of relief and reduced the airspeed to ease the burden on our remaining engines. We were only 8 minutes later than scheduled back at Wickenby.
It so happened that our Squadron Navigation Officer had taken part in this operation and he was obviously in one of the aircraft which had taken the short cut, missing out Compiegne. I quite surprised myself by marching into his office later and telling him what I thought about it. I wondered, later, if it wasn’t our pilot I should have had words with, as he should have realised what was happening and stayed with the “gaggle”, or at least told me what was afoot. On the other hand it was possibly a throw-back from the Gelsenkirchen raid when he missed the target by sticking strictly to orders rather than follow my directions.
The outcome was that our aircraft “N-Nan” needed extensive repairs, having between 50 and 60 flak holes. (Johnny Squires gave me a piece of German flak found in the Lanc. – I still have it). It didn’t take part in operations again until ten days later, piloted by F/O G.S. Whyte to Falaise on 13/14 August.
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In the meantime we were sent on a sea-mining (or “Gardening”) operation in Lancaster PH-W off the French coast to the west of La Rochelle on 10/11 August.
This was our 26th op. and in this regard our crew was running neck and neck with another crew captained by F/Lt G.C. Owens, with a Canadian navigator F/O G.L. Wistow, who were both in my hut on the Officers’ site. I didn’t know George Wistow all that well, but I knew he was very well thought of in Canada. Mail delivered to the Mess was generally placed in a pigeon-holed framework but the “W” pigeon-hole was inadequate for the volume of Wistow’s letters so his were tied in a separate bundle placed just below the W’s. Like many Canadians he was a very outgoing type and usually went around with his pilot in his free time. Although only eight aircraft were taking part in this operation, Wistow’s was one of them, PH-X, JB716.
The object was to lay mines (or “Vegetables”) in channels believed to be used by U-boats operating from La Rochelle. This was where our H2S was to be of use in determining the dropping points of the mines on a bearing and distance from a feature on the Ile de Oleron.
The obvious hazard was the flak we were likely to encounter at our mine-dropping height of only 5,000 feet from both the Ile de Oleron and the Ile de Re. Night fighters wouldn’t have to make much altitude either.
Our route took us via Bridport on the south coast, then south across the Channel and the Brest peninsular and descending gradually to 5,000 feet to reach a turning point at 47 degrees N and 4 degrees W over the Bay of Biscay, from where
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we headed south-east towards our destination.
The islands indicating our mining zone appeared quite clearly on the H2S so I directed our route, map-reading by the H2S for the last few miles. When we reached our release point on a bearing of 335 degrees (true) from Boyard Ville we dropped our mines at 4 second intervals whilst maintaining the same bearing. There was a considerable amount of light flak but we did not receive any damage and were soon climbing back to 10,000 feet on our way home. Our mines had been dropped around 0058 G.M.T., i.e. within the 0050 and 0100 range allotted and we landed back at base at the time our pre-flight plan had calculated for our arrival, all despite a certain amount of apprehension about having to use a different Lancaster from our old faithful “N-Nan”.
Unfortunately, PH-X, with F/Lt Owen’s crew did not return. We heard later that they were badly shot up by flak near the mining area, struggled back to England but left it too late to bale out, crashed and caught fire. The wireless operator and the mid-upper gunner were the only survivors. They were both badly injured but fortunately they managed to crawl out without getting burned. They were in hospital for some time but both survived the war. Stan Canning, the wireless operator still lives in Birmingham. (I managed to contact him in 1997).
There were continual reminders for me in the post-war years of both George Wistow and Walter Suddaby as I journeyed between York and Selby. On the main road I passed through Riccall where Walter was stationed at the H.C.U. (Heavy Conversion Unit) prior to going on to Lisset and 158 Squadron. On the alternative route I had to pass through the village of Wistow.
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I think our crew must have gone on a week’s leave because the next entry in my log book was ferrying Lancaster PH-Z from Wickenby to Ludford for a major inspection on 21st August. Perhaps it was a good job it was only a twenty minute flight! Anyway we travelled back by road.
We discovered, on our return from leave, that John Tebbut and his crew had gone missing during our absence, so I was left with the slim blue book on “Cloud reading for pilots.” which he had lent me two or three weeks before. By this time of course, all his kit and possessions had been collected and I couldn’t see a lot of point in trying to catch up with them for the sake of the small inexpensive book which remains among my souvenirs.
Very strangely, a couple of years ago, I found John Tebbut’s name recorded on the Wickenby Roll of Honour with the date 24th June 1944 although my log book records my flight with him on 31st July 1944. W.R. Chorley in “R.A.F. Bomber Command Losses in 1944” obviously had the same source of information, reporting the loss of John’s crew “without trace” on 24th June during an operation on Saintes. I know they’ve got the records wrong but how can I do anything about it after 54 years? So many people were involved in making the records of operational casualties that inevitably mistakes were made. One such instance I can point to is the appearance on the Wickenby Roll of Honour of the two crew members who survived the crash which killed George Wistow and four of his crew mates. One of them, the wireless operator, is still alive and the other, the mid-upper gunner died in 1992. I presumed they must have died of their injuries until I came across their names in the Register of Members!
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By the time we renewed our acquaintanceship with “N-Nan” she had completed two more missions, her 42nd and 43rd, with two other 12 Squadron crews. We got her back for her 44th and our 27th operation on 25/26 August. This time the target was the Opel motor factories at Russelheim, E.S.E. of Mainz, where amongst other products, components were being made for flying-bombs.
Navigation was becoming pretty routine by this stage in my career, and although it was a nine-hour trip I managed to keep my concentration all the way, filling in reams of calculations with no noticeable variation in quality right through the exercise. This was recognised by the commendation “Very good nav.”. from our Squadron Navigation Officer written on the bottom of the log. Wind-finding for the main force was again an extra duty. Our scheduled time on the target was 0106 to 0110 – we actually bombed at 0107.
My log included two entries at 0054 and 0126.2 recording aircraft being shot down, with rough bearings relative to our heading. Also noted was a precautionary practice stall with just over twenty minutes to go to Wickenby. Our tailplane had received some damage and it was considered best to try out pre-landing manoeuvres whilst we still had plenty of height (about 8,000 feet). Anyway it can’t have been too bad. One thing I found was that after so many hours of continuous concentration, and then going through de-briefing, I didn’t have any problem sleeping!
The verdict on the operation, not immediately available, was that it inflicted very considerable damage and that the forge and gearbox factory were put out of action for several weeks. The attack was considered ”much more profitable, both in
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damage inflicted and in the lighter losses incurred” than the visit by a force a fortnight earlier.
Operation 28, our second attack on Kiel, turned out to be a rather bumpy ride. On the outward journey we stayed at 2,000 feet, heading E.N.E. until we were three-quarters of the way to Denmark before climbing on the same track to 12,000 feet. At 7 degrees East we turned to starboard and headed almost S.E. as if to attack Hamburg. Navigation was simplified by the fact that Heligoland stood out quite sharply on the cathode ray tube of the H2S with, of course, no confusing signals possible. I obtained bearings at ranges of twenty seven and three quarters and nineteen nautical miles as we passed well to the north of the islands, placing us right on track. At the same time we were climbing to 19,000 feet, and I sent back to base the third of the wind velocities I had dutifully measured.
We crossed the German coast dead on track, crossed the Kiel Canal still heading as if for Hamburg, but when about 25 nautical miles short we turned sharply port on a north-westerly heading to Kiel. As we turned we saw red target indicators going down S.E. of us, so it looked as if there was a diversionary attack on Hamburg. Ahead we saw the first illuminating flares going down but it looked as if there would be low stratus cloud over the target. Then we saw red indicators going down ahead of us. Using the H2S I measured the remaining distance to Kiel at 15 nautical miles, or 3.6 minutes time-wise. Then the green target indicators appeared dead ahead and our bomb-aimer, Tommy Crook, took over. The bombs were dropped at 2309.7 so we were very close to our planned time on target of 2310. We turned away at 2310.1 and, looking at the H2S, I reckoned we must have been “bang on” our aiming point.
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Our H2S fix at 2312.3 showed us right on track to our turning point over Kiel Bay, from which we turned westwards to cross the narrow neck of Germany roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Danish border. From our next turning point on the western German coast, we were to descend from 19,000 feet to 7,000 feet as we put the nose down and pushed up our airspeed from 160 to 200 knots. We had only left the coast between 10 and 15 miles astern when we saw a burning aircraft falling about five miles away on the port beam.
At 2340 all was going well and we were only 2 miles south of track, but only seven minutes later we were encountering static in heavy cloud at about 17,000 feet so Fred altered course, first onto 150 degrees, and then 180 degrees and then 210 degrees, as I could see from my repeater compass, to try to go round to the south of the cumulo-nimbus band. I managed to get a fix using Heligoland which now showed us 14 miles south of track, but we were still heading predominantly south looking for a gap in the clouds. We levelled out at 12,500 feet and turned onto 240 degrees. We were now about 24 miles due west of Heligoland and 20 miles south of track.
Fred decided to descend below freezing level on a heading of 270 degrees (west), but we encountered severe turbulence which upset some of our instruments, (apart from the crew!) and without any action by the pilot the aircraft was thrown around onto an easterly heading, all in the space of a couple of minutes! Fred turned south once more and I got another fix on Heligoland which showed that in a period of almost six minutes we had actually made good only 5 miles and that in a southerly direction. We kept on trying to avoid cloud, first on 240 degrees, then 210 degrees and back to 240 degrees.
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Another fix at 0010 hours showed us only 10 miles north of Nordeney, in the East Friesian Islands, known to be the outposts of German flak batteries. We weren’t keen on re-entering German territory and fortunately we found a gap in the clouds and altered course, thankfully, onto 290 degrees as an estimated direction whilst I calculated a more accurate course to intercept our originally intended track back home.
By 0051 we were practically back on track and hastening homeward at 220 knots. I resumed full navigational control of the aircraft and was soon back in the old routine. We arrived over Wickenby only 15 minutes later than our flight-planned time, thanks partly to using a somewhat higher airspeed than planned over the last hour of our journey, despite a certain section of our route seeming rather like an eternity.
The Navigation Officer’s comment written on my log was “Must have been a big, big cloud!!!” I wish he’d been with us to enjoy it! I think we had probably encountered what is know as a “line squall”. The report in Bomber Command News“ (Summer 1988) says “472 aircraft attacked, very heavy bombing in the town centre with widespread fires fanned by strong winds. 17 Lancasters were lost. In W.R. Chorley’s “R.A.F. Bomber Command Losses in 1944” six Lancasters are individually listed with their crews as “lost without trace” and two as “crashed in the North Sea” on that operation. One of the aircraft lost without trace was PH-A from 12 Squadron. I wonder whether they had cloud trouble but fared worse than we did?
Looking back on this experience I marvel not only at the robustness of the Lancaster but also that of the gyrocompass and the air position indicator (A.P.I.) which it served.
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It was back to routine on our 29th operation, which took us by day over Reading and Eastbourne to another flying-bomb site at Fromentel in the Pas-de-Calais. This was such a short-haul trip, lasting barely three hours, that we were able to take our maximum bomb load of 15,300 lb, or very nearly 7 tonnes in today’s parlance. One innovation this time was that the bomb-aimer took over the navigation from the French coast onwards and map-read us the 21 miles to the target, which was in any case, well marked with red target indicators, (T.I’s). We bombed one minute later than planned, but it was all pretty uneventful.
Our final (30th) operation took us on a daylight attack on a V-2 rocket store at St. Riquier, just a few miles from Abbeville. Eight other V-2 stores were being attacked on the same day, involving a total of 601 aircraft. Again things went very much according to plan and we bombed right on time. We did, however, climb to 14,500 feet to avoid flak as we headed back for the coast near Dunkerque. There was some flak damage to the aircraft, just to prove it’s not wise to take things for granted. Six Lancasters were lost. So we ended our operational tour of 30 ops. tidily on the last day of the month (31.8.44). I got an “excellent” proficiency assessment from the O.C. of 12 Squadron, Wing Commander Maurice Stockdale, which is recorded near the end of my log book. That gentleman now lives in Fleet, Hampshire.
One outcome of a successful tour of “ops” was my receiving the D.F.C., gazetted on 12 December 1944. I later learned that our pilot Fred Holbrook (who began his tour as sergeant, progressed to warrant officer half-way through the tour, and was commissioned after 23 “ops”) also received this award.
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[underlined] Chapter 7: Instructing, Ferry Trips & Crewing up for second tour [/underlined]
Just as quickly as our crew assembled in O.T.U. days we were dispersed. We went on leave, (I think it was for a week and I visited the B.O.C.M. laboratory early in September. The only home address I had for a member of the crew was for Johnny Squires. It’s such a long time ago I can’t remember how and when we got our postings, but I can’t remember meeting up again with the others at Wickenby. I was posted to No. 1656 H.C.U. (Heavy Conversion Unit) at Lindholme, near Doncaster, early in September.
I found I was amongst a bunch of experienced navigators condemned to instructing pupil navigators in the use of H2S (airborne radar). Part of the instruction we could do using simulators in a sort of classroom but the nitty-gritty part was actually flying with them on cross-countries. The four-engined aircraft at Lindholme were at first mainly Halifaxes (Mk II) but over the time I was there, (nearly eight months), they were steadily being replaced by Lancasters.
The one common factor in the flying instructing in H2S was that on each occasion (and there were forty-six of them) I flew with a different trainee crew who were leaving the airfield for the first time in a four-engined aircraft without the assurance of a “screened” pilot aboard. In every case they were all complete strangers to me, with the occasional exception of the navigator who I might have met on ground training exercises, and so there was a considerable element of the unknown when one took off with them on a four or five hour cross-country exercise. This might sometimes be extended to include simulated bombing by H2S or the dropping of small practice bombs at the local
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bombing range. When the “screened” pilot flew with a “sprog” crew he at least had his salvation in own hands in the case of emergency – while I knew nothing about piloting an aircraft for real. A “screened” pilot had generally successfully completed a tour of “ops” which was a fair enough way of sorting out the men from the boys.
Maybe I shouldn’t have put it quite like that – after all I was now a “screened” navigator, not that I felt all that screened in this situation. Anyway, I did my best to pass on my experience to a succession of navigators and there was never any suggestion of my being “grounded” and someone else doing the job.
Generally the H2S simulated bombing was done at the turning points on the navigational exercise. When the bombs would have been released if we were bombing for real, we operated (without looking out of the aircraft) a downward pointing camera to give us a line-overlap series of photographs which could be examined later to check the expertise of the use of the H2S as the sole bombing aid.
I still have some line-overlap series as souvenirs of the time we “bombed” Luton, Skomer Island (off S.W. Wales) and the Skerries (just to the N.W. of Anglesey). These were most impressive when the target happened to be largely obscured by cloud that would have made visual bombing difficult and yet there were identifiable points visible through breaks in the clouds on the photographs to prove that the bombing run had been “bang on”. As the H2S was just as effective by night as by day, these photographs helped instil confidence of its effectiveness in the pupil crews. Later we had a more sophisticated camera attached to the H2S set which took pictures of the scene on the cathode ray tube.
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Inevitably there were tricky moments. I can well remember coming in to land at Lindholme after a cross-country with one pupil crew. The pilot misjudged his landing and we touched down on the grass some distance from and running roughly parallel to the runway. Ahead of us loomed some large building. The pilot tried to turn the Lancaster and the undercarriage collapsed, so we skidded to a belly-landing. As calmly and unhurriedly as I could, I suggested that we got out quickly in case the aircraft caught fire. (We might have ruptured a petrol tank and the engines were still hot). Fortunately all was well and no-one was hurt. I have a picture in my log book of this unhappy Lancaster lying on its tummy and the succinct comment on the exercise of 15.1.45 – “Last trip by “X”. In another similar incident “Jock” Niven, another of our flying nav-instructors had to leave an aircraft somewhat hurriedly and, in squeezing his rather plump form through the emergency exit, got out either without his trousers or with them in disarray.
On another cross-country the powers that be tacked on a fighter affiliation exercise (to practice evading fighters) which upset my stomach somewhat and I had to go back down the fuselage to use the Elsan (chemical toilet) – in my log book I have a minute sketch of myself as a match-stalk man, being sick into a bucket! I survived other fighter affiliation exercises without undergoing that particular indignity.
It was just before the half-way stage of my sojourn at 1656 H.C.U. I learned that I had been awarded the D.F.C. for my work on 12 Squadron, and when I went on Christmas leave Mother presented me with a cutting from the “Hull Daily Mail” – I’ve no idea what happened to that.
Judging from the gap between entries in my log book I
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presume I had another leave after completing my duties as an instructor because the next entry shows me flying as navigator in a crew headed by F/Lt Bill Addison, who had acted as flight commander towards the end of his duties at Lindholme.
We were part of a newly assembled crew, each member having completed a tour of thirty operations, preparing for a possible second tour of operations. We had been laid off for a minimum six months (in my case eight months), to rest us from our first tours and at the same time make use of us in the training of further batches of aircrew.
In typical inflexible service fashion we found, much to our chagrin, that we were treated as beginners without an “op” behind us. Another possible explanation is that with the ending of the war in Europe, the R.A.F. had to keep us temporarily occupied and this was the easiest way to do it. For a couple of months (May to July ’45) we went through the same routine that our first crew had to undergo at No. 1653 H.C.U., omitting the “circuits and bumps” but making up for this by doing twice as much of the other H.C.U. catalogue. Halfway through this our crew was transferred to No. 576 Squadron, based at Fiskerton near Lincoln. To use a prevalent expression we were all “cheesed” or “browned off” with our lack of recognition. The war in Europe had ended but we were expecting to be sent to tackle the Japanese.
On 17.7.45 we had a cross-country with a difference, code-named “Cooks Tour”, visiting Rotterdam, Arnhem, Essen, Cologne, Aachen and Antwerp. The idea was partly to impress the natives and partly to let us see the havoc wrought by Bomber Command during the recent campaign. I believe we carried a few ground-staff personnel as observers.
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Then the R.A.F. at last found something to keep a large number of bomber crews occupied. We were used as troop carriers, flying to and from Italy, taking service personnel from and on leave, respectively. This was, I suppose, a kind of poetic justice. We had wrecked the railway system in France so that it was impossible to transport troops by land at anything like a reasonable speed, if at all, so we got the job.
On our first trip, early in August, we went to Bari, on the Adriatic coast and brought back on leave twenty members of the 8th Army. It can’t have been at all comfortable for them, sitting on the metal floor of a Lancaster, but I expect the novelty of the situation helped to distract them, and at least they were getting home quickly. Another novelty was that their kit bags were slung up in the bomb bays of the aircraft in place of bombs, but we didn’t drop any. On arrival in England we had to land at an airfield with Customs facilities, where the troops had to display their acquisitions (or loot).
The second trip was to Naples on 22.8.45. We had glorious views of Vesuvius on the approach to Pomigliano airfield. The next day was free and we managed to visit Pompeii. In Naples we were beset by bare-footed urchins competing with one another to swop lire for pound notes. Some R.A.F. types took packages of coffee to sell at inflated prices to the deprived Italians. On the following day we were due to carry another twenty passengers back to England.
Bill and I had to attend an early morning briefing, ready for a very early start, but take-off was postponed for a few hours and we had to attend a second briefing. Bill was rather tired and asked me to modify our official route by cutting off one of the corners. Instead of taking a north-westerly route running roughly
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parallel to the west coast of Italy and then heading due west towards the French Riviera I was to go over the top of Corsica to the French Riviera. As the highest ground on Corsica rose to about 9,000 feet it would be essential to be sure of a good safety margin for our passengers but as we didn’t have oxygen for them we would have to compromise – I reckoned that if we crossed Corsica at 11,000 feet that should be satisfactory. In fact I observed the approach to the east coast of the island on the H2S. We climbed to 11,000 feet and stayed there until we left the west coast behind us and then descended to our authorised height for the rest of the journey. The twenty minutes or so at 11,000 feet had negligible effect on our passengers. (The rule was that you needed to use oxygen if you flew over 10,000 feet for more than one hour).
The results of this change of route, whilst not affecting our passengers, remained to be seen. Whilst the pilot and myself were attending our second briefing some of the other members of the crew had wandered off to our aircraft where they were accosted by an R.A.F. groundstaff airman who was on leave in Italy but would rather spend his leave in England. Our crew members didn’t see why not and when the rest of us reached the Lancaster they seemed to have got it all arranged. Bill didn’t like it, but surprisingly, agreed on condition that if this “hitch-hiking” was discovered we knew nothing about it.
Our stowaway apparently got away from the Customs airfield at Glatton and went on his way. The trouble began when my chart was routinely scanned by the Navigation Officer and our short cut was revealed. Bill and I were interviewed separately about this breach of discipline but as I was subject to the captain’s instructions it largely devolved on Bill. Whilst the matter was still under consideration our stowaway put his
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spanner in the works. He had somehow to get back to Italy before his leave expired.
He knew we were from 576 Squadron from the aircraft’s lettering and notwithstanding the fact that he had already put us in jeopardy with his outward flight from Italy, he tried to get to our airfield at Fiskerton, near Lincoln, in the hope of a return trip. Unfortunately, he got mis-directed to our base airfield, where, being dressed in khaki drill whilst everyone else was in blue, the service police soon spotted him and took him for questioning. He told them almost the whole story – the only thing he didn’t give away was with which crew he had travelled. The pilot and I were confronted with this chap and we both denied having seen him – I truthfully didn’t recognise him as I hadn’t paid particular attention to him at the critical time.
We could have been right up to our ears in it but for our station intelligence officer withholding a vital piece of evidence. He knew from the time of the ‘bus that our stowaway had caught from Glatton that ours was the only aircraft from our squadron which could possibly have landed him in time, thanks to our cutting the corner on our route and being one of the first aircraft back to England. The intelligence officer told us later how he had worked things out. I suppose one or both of us might possibly have been court-martialled for this serious breach of discipline but nothing happened. Except, one day Bill Addison had to report to Group Headquarters where he saw one senior officer and was reprimanded for cutting the corner, then went (on the same visit) to see another officer to be told that he had been awarded the A.F.C. for his work as an instructor, to add to the D.F.C. he already wore. As it happened, I didn’t fly again with Bill Addison as his demobilisation cropped up very soon afterwards.
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The Japanese surrendered that August, so now there was a general feeling of anti-climax. Personally, I knew I couldn’t throw away four years of studying and I couldn’t get out of the Air Force quickly enough now that the “raison d’etre” had been removed. I tried to get back into the habit of studying science at Lincoln Technical College but found the available course too elementary and had to give up that approach. Later on I had a piece of good news from our R.A.F. education officer. He had made enquiries and discovered that London University had modified its regulations, my School Certificate of 1937 now being acceptable and giving me exemption from the London Matriculation exam. This meant that when I did get back to studying I could aim for the London B.Sc. Special qualification, which had the advantage of an intermediate examination (with certificate) en route.
Our crew was broken up and despatched to various points of the compass. I received a letter from our wireless operator, “Artie” Shaw a year later, just after I was demobilised, from R.A.F. Seletar, Singapore but never heard from any of the others. However, by strange coincidence I did run across Bill Addison again. I encountered him at Lloyd’s Bank in York somewhere about 1960, and it turned out that he was living in Osbaldwick, barely half a mile from our house on Hull Road, York
I was posted to 50 Squadron at Sturgate, a recently constructed airfield near Gainsborough and joined the crew of F/O Titchener. That was in September 1945. We were soon on the Italian ferry trips again, flying to Naples on three more occasions to bring home service personnel. Twice we brought twenty army types and once we afforded the ladies a bit more room to spread themselves by seating only fourteen of them
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(A.T.S. and Q.A.I.M.N.S.) in the space normally occupied by twenty army blokes, but it was the same metal floor.
After that it was back to routine with plenty of cross-countries thrown in. I see that on one night exercise, operation “Bullseye”, we went via Hamburg, among other places, to a target on the island of Spiekeroog in the German chain of East Frisian Islands. This was very near the scene of our memorable exploits whilst battling with the elements during our return from Kiel about sixteen months previously. This time however, things were entirely different – no cumulo-nimbus and no danger of flak. On the way back to Sturgate there was a problem. Visibility had seriously deteriorated and for the first time in my flying experience our aircraft was diverted to Carnaby, near Bridlington, where there was a special emergency airfield, much used during the war. This had exceptionally long runways to accommodate crippled aircraft returning from ops and also an emergency flare path called F.I.D.O. (Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation) which used containers of burning gasoline down the sides of the runway to cause local dispersal of the fog.
We landed safely and found that we would have to stay there till next day. We didn’t think much of the food or the very cold accommodation (it was early January 1946). Maybe there was some problem with our aircraft because another Lancaster from 50 Squadron collected us the following afternoon and flew us back to base.
Nissen huts were never warm in the winter. I can well remember a period during the winter at Sturgate when icicles formed on the inside of the door and my bed was one of the two either side of the entrance.
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The solid fuel stove was halfway back down the hut and I finished my insulation by piling the contents of my kit-bag on the bed before trying to sleep. Some of the stuff consisted of flying gear which I never needed on operations because the Lancaster was warm enough without it.
By late January, 50 Squadron was transferred to the much more hospitable Waddington airfield, just south of Lincoln. Waddington was constructed originally during the first world war and opened as an R.F.C. flying training station in 1916. Now it was a thoroughly modern establishment with permanent accommodation, workshops and offices. I was soon pottering around with various pilots on trivia like bombing at the local range, air-sea firing (for the gunners), four short cross-countries with A.T.C. cadets, air tests (one with an A. V. Roe test pilot who managed to take off in less than half the length of the runway).
There was operation “Frontline”, a propaganda tour of the British Zone in Germany. Just for a change we did a couple of meteorological trips (code name “Operation Seaweed”, both lengthy exercises in excess of eight hours, which took us up to latitude 62 degrees North, passing Fair Isle and the Shetlands with a turning point roughly halfway between the Faroe Islands and the most westerly coast of Norway.
We carried a meteorological observer to take the required data readings, to which I was able to contribute the locations in latitude and longitude and measurements of wind velocity at our height. It was all rather boring but after seeing such wide expanses of ocean for such a long time it was nice to return to land.
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Then there was the novelty of my one and only trip in a Lincoln bomber, the successor to the Lancaster, in which we would probably have done our second tour of operations (against the Japanese). My last flight in the R.A.F. was an abortive air sea mission on which we had to search an area of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. We did sight an empty dinghy, which was very good going considering how tiny they are from any appreciable height, but no sign of any people or aircraft debris. The lost aircraft was later found in the hills of Northumberland.
To fill in a few more weeks before I was demobbed, in August 1946 I was sent, under protest, on an instructor’s course at Finningley. It was interesting in that I got to appreciate more fully the equipment I had been using on a regular basis, but futile from the teaching point of view since I would be leaving the Air Force almost immediately. I suppose our C.O. had been required to send so many persons and it was just a matter of making up the numbers, the Air Force being well into a state of disintegration.
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[photograph of the crew in front of their aircraft]
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[blank page]
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[underlined] Chapter 8: Lancaster ME 758 PH-N “Nan” [/underlined]
Whilst I was home on leave, sometime in June 1945, it so happened that my brother Norman was also at home. We took our bicycles and crossed the Humber by paddle steamer, then cycled south to Wickenby. By great good fortune we found my old aircraft, ME 758 PH-N “Nan” still very much in existence. She had eventually completed more than a hundred operations, the latest ones being to drop food to the starving Dutch just before the Germans capitulated. There was also one of our old ground crew in attendance and he told us that “Nan’s” next exercise would be to take part in a fighter affiliation exercise, i.e. manoeuvering [sic] violently with a fighter aircraft. This didn’t seem at all considerate after what that aircraft had gone through! Anyway Norman took a photograph of “Nan”, myself and my ground crew corporal to add to tone he had already taken of me and my bike! I still have both pictures.
It was only a few years ago that I learned more about “Nan”. That was when I obtained a copy of “Claims to Fame. The Lancaster.” by Norman Franks. This book celebrates the Lancaster “centenarians” – 34 machines that achieved the remarkable goal of flying 100 or more operations. A Lancaster crew’s first tour of duty stood at 30 operations, but both men and aircraft often failed to reach even half of that total. Skill, training and team work would all increase the chances of survival, but luck played a large part in deciding which Lancaster would be found by a night fighter or hit by flak and which would escape to attack again. Only 34 Lancasters in Bomber Command survived 100 operations, about 1 percent of the number which were lost on operations. “Nan” was the only centenarian from Wickenby which was the base for two squadrons, 12 and 626. Franks, through some meticulous
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research has been able to compile a fairly comprehensive narrative for each Lancaster, including crew changes, missions flown and events and incidents during the service career of the aircraft.
Our crew flew in PH-N for the first time when we did a two and a half hours cross-country exercise on 26.5.44 after we had completed three ops. on different Lancasters. We did our fourth op. in her (it was her tenth) when we went to the Rote Erde railway marshalling yards at Aachen. The defences were strong and losses 7 percent (12 out of 170). A day later, 29.5.44, we did another cross-country in her and it turned out to be a rather “hairy” experience.
My log entry merely states “Window lost and aileron damaged. A.S.I. (air speed indicator) read 360 m.p.h. + in dive”.
I cannot remember the cause, but no great harm was done. The damage was repaired and we began a series of eleven ops. in her over the next three weeks up to 22.6.44 covering a variety of targets, including the first daylight raids by Lancasters since 1943, when we attacked the docks at Le Havre and Boulogne, on two successive evenings and virtually ended the E-boat threat to our cross-channel invasion shipping.
This took our total of ops. to 15 and “Nan’s” to 22. Whilst we enjoyed a week’s leave, “Nan” did five more operations with three other crews. We then did four of “Nan’s” next five ops., three of them being to the important French marshalling yards at Orleans, Dijon and Tours, bringing us to 19 and “Nan” to 32.
“Nan” then managed two more trips without us before
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we did three night ops. in five days, returning from Stuttgart on 24/25.7.44 on three engines. Two days later we were air-testing “Nan” with a new engine and tail fin. This damage was not mentioned in Norman Franks’ account nor indeed was there any mention of the operation on Stuttgart, which was our 22nd and “Nan’s” 37th op.
After a couple of short daylight ops. to French targets we were scheduled to attack the V-weapon launching site at Trossy St. Maximin. This, as I have already described in some detail, was the worst experience of our tour and which we were very lucky to survive. Once again this was not mentioned in Norman Franks’ account. In fact he summarises “Nan’s” record as follows:-
“Nan” was almost totally free of mechanical problems, although towards the end of its career the aircraft’s starboard engine caught fire on 2nd February 1945, causing the crew to abort a trip to Wiesbaden. This particular Lanc. was also lucky to escape serious damage from the German defences: only once was damaged recorded when its hydraulics were hit by light flak at 0612 hours during the attack to support Operation “Goodwood” – the Allied breakout from Caen on 18th July 1944.”
This was one of a couple of ops. done by other crews, presumably whilst our crew was on leave after our 19th op. on Tours. That damage cannot have been too bad because the Caen trip was followed, the same evening, by an op. on Scholven!
In the aftermath of the Trossy operation we had to do our next op. in PH-W whilst “Nan” was being repaired. “Nan” didn’t get back on ops. until ten days after Trossy – a long lay-off in
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those days!
We had “Nan” back for the op. on Russelsheim on 25/26th August. Our tailplane was damaged to the extent that we practised landing manoeuvres whilst we still had plenty of height before actually landing at base on our return. With the exception of our op. in V-“Victor” on 28.8.44, when “Nan” was not flying with any crew, possible due to overhaul, we completed our tour in “Nan”, receiving light flak damage on our last operation.
So once we’d got “Nan”, after our three “starter” ops., we did 25 of our remaining 27 trips in her, which must be something of a record in itself.
Altogether she completed 106 operations, six “Manna” sorties (taking food to the starving Dutch people) and two “Exodus” trips (the flying home of released prisoners of war).
Looking back it seems such a shame that after seeing out the war she was “struck off charge” on 19.10.45 and “reduced to produce” i.e. scrapped.
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[black and white photograph of airman in uniform on a bicycle leaning against a wall]
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[photograph]
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[underlined] Chapter 9: GEE. A. P. I. and H2S [/underlined]
My work as a navigator was enhanced out of all recognition by three devices put at my disposal over a six-month period. “Gee” was a godsend after the dismal future I had anticipated relying to any extent on str-navigation. It was a system based on the transmission of synchronised pulses from a “master” (A) and two “slave” (B and C) ground stations. The two “slaves” were situated about 200 miles apart, with the “master” in the middle, and the cathode ray display on the “Gee” set in the aircraft showed the respective differences between the times at which the AB and AC signals were received. When these measurements were plotted on a special chart covered with two distinct sets of parabolic lines it was a simple matter to fix the aircraft’s position with great accuracy. This accuracy gradually declined as the distance from the transmitting stations increased and the crossings of the two sets of curved lines became more acute. Furthermore it was susceptible to interference from enemy jamming stations to the extent that it could not be relied upon beyond enemy shores.
It still gave us the all-important chance of determining accurate measurements of wind velocity and so getting off to a good start on every operation. It also helped to verify one’s position on the way home after leaving the enemy coast and simplified getting back to the right airfield. The Air Force had understandably kept the information about “Gee” from us until it was absolutely necessary to introduce this master stroke. It certainly “bucked up” we navigators no end.
The second of the marvellous pieces of equipment was the air position indicator (A.P.I.). This showed the changes in latitude and longitude of the moving aircraft which would occur
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if there were no wind. It was a mechanical device which combined the inputs of the gyro compass and the air speed indicator, keeping a continuous record of the actual courses and speeds flown, including all deviations from the intended, and including “spur of the moment” tactical manoeuvres. This made life a lot easier by removing much of the drudgery in the manual plotting of lines on a chart by means of ruler, protractor, dividers and calculator.
The third item was airborne radar, known as H2S. This had a rotating transmitter, known as a scanner, housed in a “blister” beneath the aircraft and a receiver at the navigator’s side, the whole system being self-contained. It produced, on a cathode-ray tube, a rough picture of the ground over which the aircraft was flying, irrespective of cloud or darkness.
Water areas, which reflected none of the transmitting signals from the rotating scanner showed darkly on the screen. Land areas (or ground returns) appeared green, but a more reflective area such as a built-up area showed up as a more luminous patch often, but not always approximating in outline to the shape of a town. It was up the navigator to use his other information gleaned en route to decide which town he was observing on the screen. The chief use was navigational for there was a range-finder on the screen and a bearing indicator so one could obtain a bearing and distance from an identified town or feature. It was also possible to carry out bombing attacks without sight of the ground and the equipment could not be jammed by the enemy.
Unfortunately, German night-fighters had, for some time before our tour of operations, the capability of homing onto H2S transmissions - more about this later under “The German Defences”.
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[underlined] Chapter 10: The German Defences. [/underlined]
To counter R.A.F. and U.S.A.A.F. attacks the Germans had to deprive the German forces of 75% of their heavy anti-tank weapons. These 88mm guns had to be used for ant-aircraft purposes, scattered all over Germany and occupied territories because the possible targets were so numerous. 900,000 soldiers manned those guns and, in addition, hundreds of thousands of expert tradesmen could not be used by the German Army because their skills were needed to repair bomb damage. Meanwhile, the increasing requirement for day and night-fighters for defence against the bomber offensive, deprived the German Army on the Russian front of much of its accustomed close support as Messerschmidt 110s and Junkers 88s were drawn westwards.
Our most deadly opposition came from the German night-fighters. The German pilots had long known that the blind spot of the British bombers was below the fuselage but had not been able to exploit this fully because the fighter had generally to be aimed at the bomber to make use of its fixed forward-firing weapons and this could be difficult at night. However, in the autumn of 1943, an ingenious fitter at a Luftwaffe airfield devised the prototype of the deadly “schrage musik” - “jazz music” - a pair of fixed 20mm cannons pointing upwards at 60 degrees. Having located a bomber with the aid of radar or using the bomber’s radar (H2S) transmissions, the fighter pilot could then fly unseen and fairly safely manoeuvre below their target and fire incendiary cannon shells into the petrol tanks between the two motors in the wing, being particularly careful to avoid the bomb bay in the belly of the aircraft. It was then only a matter of seconds before the bomber exploded. The victims had no chance.
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Using this technique, an experienced night-fighter pilot could account for several four-engined bombers in a single excursion, there being so many targets available.
I sometimes wonder if and at what stage our superiors realised the situation and whether they had to decide between warning the crews of the dangers of H2S transmissions and maintaining the advantage of the navigational aid. I am sure a lot of H2S sets would have been little used over Germany if the crews had been presented with the true scenario. To be fair, our leaders would not at the time have been in a position to accurately attribute the proportion of bomber losses due to night fighters as opposed to anti-aircraft fire, but they must have had a rough idea.
What other crews saw was a sudden mid-air explosion and burst of flame. Someone put out the story that these were “scarecrows” fired into the air by the Germans with the intention of making the crews believe they were bombers being shot down and thereby affecting the bomber crews’ morale!
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[underlined and centred] Chapter 11: Reflections on survival [/underlined and centred]
Many factors contributed to my survival, beginning with my decision that I wanted to do the navigation on a bomber aircraft. At the time I volunteered for aircrew this was one of the two jobs of the observer, who was also responsible for dropping the bombs. The latter task was subsequently delegated to a specialist bomb aimer. When I enlisted in November 1941 (after passing the preliminaries three months earlier), there was a bottle-neck in the training scheme for navigators. I was deferred for five months, otherwise I would have been starting my tour in the winter of 1943-44, probably about January. That would have been a rotten time with bad weather and numerous long-distance trips including a high proportion to Berlin.
Then there was the length of the training period which took two years from the end of my deferred service to reaching the operational squadron, partially due to the necessity of fitting in to laid-down training schedules at the succeeding stages, notably:-
(a) the gap between completing the I.T.W. course and catching the boat to South Africa,
(b) five weeks at sea on a circuitous submarine-evading route to South Africa via South America,
(c) several weeks between arriving at 48 Air School, South Africa and starting the course there,
(d) the return to England,
(e) several more weeks delay at O.T.U. whilst the R.A.F. decided that our original pilot wouldn’t make the grade.
All these delays took me nearer to D-Day and the invasion of Europe by the Allied Armies. The increasing
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diversity of the targets needing to be attacked in order to assist the coming assault meant that there was a greater proportion of shorter range tactical targets and only seven over Germany itself. (Air Marshal Harris would have preferred to keep hammering away at German targets but had to give priority to the invasion requirements.) In the final stages before the landings there were attacks on coastal batteries, and radar stations, but the longer term “softening up” was by attacking a large number of railway centres to seriously impede German troop movements and supplies to the invasion front.
We were fortunate in not being “downed” by anti-aircraft fire on a few occasions, particularly near Stuttgart, when we returned on three engines and on the occasion near Compiegne when we got 50-60 holes in the aircraft and two of the crew received minor injuries. We were lucky in our encounter with the severe storm on the way back from our second trip to Kiel. And we were never attacked by a night-fighter, despite getting a close-up view of one on the Stuttgart operation.
On the positive side, we had a well-disciplined crew who didn’t waste time on unnecessary nattering on the intercom. What’s more, there was never any visible or audible sign of fear or distress.
We kept very close to our scheduled routes and times on almost all occasions, i.e. we kept in the middle of the bunch so it wasn’t quite so easy to be singled out.
I am sure that the toughest time for bomber crews was in the six months prior to us joining 12 Squadron. Nevertheless, I was surprised to discover in an “Analysis of Total Losses of Lancasters by Months” in the Wickenby Register Newsletter of
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May 1994 that 12 Squadron lost 31 Lancasters in the six months Nov. ’43 to April ’44 and 27 in the four months that our crew was operating. I suppose that might be explained by the ops. not being so frequent during the winter months.
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[underlined and centred] Chapter 12: Postscript. [/underlined and centred]
After all these years I cannot remember just when or where I was demobbed and received my “civvy” suit. I know that officially my last day of service was 16.10.46 but I believe I was out a few weeks earlier.
I know that I picked up where I left off. I went back to work for B.O.C.M. at the laboratory in Stoneferry and I re-enlisted for Hull Technical College evening classes. As an ex-member of the forces and a background of studying chemistry for almost four years I knew I was eligible to apply for an educational grant of something over £3 a week to proceed on a full time course to a professional qualification. (Out of this, textbooks etc. had to be purchased). This would have meant giving up the day job which paid over £4 a week.
I knew that after four and a half years complete absence from my studies I would have to revise from the very beginning, but now that my School Certificate was accepted as giving me exemption from the London Matriculation exam. I decided that I would defer my application for a grant and aim to take the London Inter B.Sc. examination the next June. The Inter B.Sc. course took two years of evening class work so it meant I would have to cover one-half via the 1946-47 evening class course and the other half by swotting up from textbooks and my old notebooks. If I succeeded in passing the exam, comprising Maths., Physics and Chemistry, I would at least have that certificate to my name and I couldn’t have been further on if I’d taken advantage of the grant. Anyway I took the gamble although I found the readjustment rather tough. It was very amusing when attending an early lecture in Physics to hear the same old lecturer, Mr. Robson, repeat the same hoary joke that
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Walter Suddaby and I had heard in 1938 concerning his friend’s dog who was christened “Hysteresis” because it was always lagging behind.
Back at home there was a problem. My parents had been separated for some years, partially due to the war. The Luftwaffe destroyed Spillers’ flour mill, where my father worked, during a night raid in July 1941. Shortly afterwards, his firm offered him alternative employment at their Wallasey mill, which he accepted. At the tip of the Wirral peninsula he was now well over a hundred miles from Hull, so he wasn’t able to come home every weekend. My brother Norman, although a year younger than I, joined the R.A.F. shortly before I left home, due to my five months deferred service.
So by the time I had to report to the R.A.F. in London my mother, in a matter of a few months, was reduced from a family of five to my young sister Hazel and herself. This was very hard for her in the middle of the war, particularly as the air raid alerts still sounded regularly in Hull.
It was assumed that we should resume as a family when the war was over, although no-one knew when that would be or whether it would be possible. My father settled in Wallasey and mad regular payments to mother. At one time he tried to persuade her to join him in Wallasey but she declined for two reasons. She had worked hard all her life and used a very small legacy from a relative in New Zealand to enable the family to move into a modest home of our own and she was intent on having it ready for our return.
By the time I was “demobbed” things had become more complicated. My father had formed a relationship with his
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landlady and had no intention of returning to Hull. Mother’s situation was uncertain unless there was a legal separation, which would obviously take some time to come to court.
After passing the Inter B.Sc. exam, in June ’47, I had another decision to make. I could apply for the ex-serviceman’s grant or continue at evening classes for another year and then take the Subsid. Maths qualification, clearing the way to the B.Sc.(Special) in Chemistry. This would mean dropping all contact with chemistry for a year. Being slightly mad, but having confidence in my maths, I carried on at the Tech. evening classes for another session! and continued to work full-time at B.O.C.M. I duly passed the maths exam in June ’48.
In the meantime, the legal formalities of my parents’ separation had been formalised on a proper financial basis.
When I got my exam results I composed a letter applying for an educational grant as an ex-member of the forces, pointing out that I had already saved the country money by completing part of the course via evening classes. How could anyone resist that? I got a favourable response and I arranged to leave B.O.C.M. and complete my education full-time but still at the Hull Technical College, commencing in the autumn.
My two post-war years at B.O.C.M. had been spent on the routine testing of ingredients for animal feedstuffs, a boring occupation which I had now endured for six years altogether, plus six years of evening classes. I knew it had to be full-time or nothing.
Fortunately for me those last two years at B.O.C.M. were by no means wasted because it was there that I met a charming
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young lady assistant. Yvonne and I found that we had very similar outlooks and much in common and, although I was transferred to the Foster Street laboratory for the latter part of my stay with B.O.C.M., we maintained contact. In subsequent years I must have cycled a few hundreds of miles between North Hull and East Hull!!
It was rather odd attending the degree course. There were a couple of other ex-forces students, but the majority of our fellow pupils were about eight years younger. An advantage over attending a university was that the staff and the geography were all familiar and I had great faith in the staff, especially Messrs. L. Balmforth and G. R. Dennis.
I proposed to Yvonne on New Year’s Eve ’48 – ’49 with the proviso that I had to concentrate on first passing my final exams in 1950. Fortunately, she accepted!
I found those final two years hard going but I took my A.R.I.C. exams in April and the B.Sc. Special in Chemistry (London External) exams in June 1950 and waited in some trepidation for the results. I didn’t wish to go through all that again. I was now 28 and I’d had enough of college for my lifetime! However, all was well and I had both qualifications.
Now the way was clear to seek employment and plan for the wedding, which took place on September 30th, 1950. It rained all day! Subsequent events would take another book!
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[underlined and centred] Bibliography [/underlined and centred]
FRANKS, Norman
“Claims to Fame. The Lancaster” (Arms and Armour, 1994)
RICHARDS, Denis
“The Hardest Victory. R.A.F. Bomber Command in the Second World War.” (Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. 1994)
HASTINGS, Max
“Bomber Command” (Michael Joseph Ltd. 1979)
CHORLEY, W.R.
“Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War. Vol. 5 Aircraft and Crew Losses. 1944” (Midland Counties Publications. 1997)
SEARBY, John (Air Commodore)
“The Bomber Battle for Berlin” (Guild Publishing, 1991)
HARRIS, Sir Arthur
“Bomber Offensive” (Greenhill Books, 1998)
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[underlined and centred] Glossary of R.A.F. Terms. (Official and Unofficial).
A.P.I.
Air Position Indicator
A.S.I.
Air Speed Indicator
“Bang on”
Spot on, “Wizard”, 100%
“Cheesed off”
Browned off, fed up.
“Circuits and Bumps”
Practice take-off and landing
Cumulo-nimbus
Thunder clouds
D.R.
Dead reckoning with a calculated wind
Elsan
Aircraft toilet
Feathered
Engine switched off with propellor blades turned to reduce air resistance
Flak
Anti-aircraft fire
F.I.D.O.
Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation
“Gardening”
Laying sea mines
GEE
Radio navigation aid, grid box
H2S
Radar navigation and bombing aid
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I.T.W.
Initial Training Wing
O.T.U.
Operational Training Unit
P.F.F.
Path Finder Force
Pitot/tube
An open-ended tube mounted externally on the aircraft facing directly into the air flow to provide a convenient and accurate measurement of the aircraft’s speed.
“Screened”
aircrew rested from ops at end of tour and transferred to instructing
“Solo”
Unsupervised flight
Sprog
Inexperienced aircrew
V1 and V2
Robot flying bombs used by the Germans commonly called “doodlebugs”
“Vegetables”
Mines laid by the R.A.F.
“Window”
Aluminised strips used as an anti-radar device.
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Time out for war
Description
An account of the resource
History of wartime experiences of Ronald Witty. Starts with schooling and early employment just before the war in Hull. Mentions German bombing of Hull and volunteering for the RAF. Describes training in London and Torquay before departing on a troop ship for South Africa. Describes navigator training and activities at Woodbrook and Queenstown. Continues with trip back to England and continuation of training at RAF Halfpenny Green, Desborough (Northamptonshire), RAF Chedburgh, and RAF Hemswell. Goes on to describe his operational tour on 12 Squadron at RAF Wickenby including accounts of some operations including some daylight operations during the Normandy campaign and against flying bomb sites as well as mine laying. Tour culminates with award of Distinguished Flying Cross. Concludes with account of subsequent tours as an instructor at RAF Lindholme and other stations and including account of flying on Cook's tour of German cities. Adds chapters about his Lancaster ME758 PH-N "Nan" as well as another on GEE, A.P.I and H2S. Contains many b/w photographs of RAF personnel and aircraft.
Creator
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A R Witty
Format
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100 page printed book
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BWittyARWittyARv1
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Civilian
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force. Bomber Command
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--Yorkshire
England--Hull
England--London
England--Devon
England--Torquay
England--Lancashire
England--Liverpool
South Africa
South Africa--Durban
South Africa--East London
South Africa--Cape Town
England--Staffordshire
England--Northamptonshire
England--Suffolk
England--Lincolnshire
France
France--Rennes
Germany
Germany--Aachen
France--Paris
France--Normandy
France--Evreux
Germany--Gelsenkirchen
France--Le Havre
Atlantic Ocean--English Channel
France--Calais
France--Dijon
France--Tours
Belgium
Belgium--Kortrijk
Germany--Kiel
Germany--Stuttgart
France--Orléans
France--Pas-de-Calais
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
France--Domléger-Longvillers
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-03-29
1943-07-10
1943-07-27
1943-09-08
1943-10-12
1944-02-25
1944-04-26
1944-04-28
1944-06-14
1944-06-14
1944-06-12
1942-06-13
1944-06-22
1944-07-23
1944-07-24
1944-07-25
1944-07-30
1944-08-03
1944-08-31
1944-12-12
1945-07-07
1945-07-17
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
David Bloomfield
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
1 Group
12 Squadron
1653 HCU
1656 HCU
3 Group
50 Squadron
576 Squadron
84 OTU
Advanced Flying Unit
aircrew
Anson
bombing of the Boulogne E-boats (15/16 June 1944)
bombing of the Le Havre E-boat pens (14/15 June 1944)
Bombing of Trossy St Maximin (3 August 1944)
Cook’s tour
coping mechanism
crewing up
Distinguished Flying Cross
faith
Gee
H2S
Halifax
Halifax Mk 2
Heavy Conversion Unit
Initial Training Wing
Lancaster
Lancaster Finishing School
Master Bomber
military living conditions
military service conditions
mine laying
navigator
Nissen hut
Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944)
Operation Dodge (1945)
Operational Training Unit
Pathfinders
RAF Chedburgh
RAF Desborough
RAF Fiskerton
RAF Halfpenny Green
RAF Hemswell
RAF Lindholme
RAF Methwold
RAF Sturgate
RAF Torquay
RAF Waddington
RAF Wickenby
Stirling
tactical support for Normandy troops
target indicator
training
V-1
V-2
V-weapon
Wellington
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1526/29744/PMilesRJ16070001-0013.1.jpg
26bd256ec0365e468484097581be0f3c
Dublin Core
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Title
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Miles, Reg
Reginald J Miles
R J Miles
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2016-07-26
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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Miles, RJ
Description
An account of the resource
102 items. The collection concerns Reg Miles (1923 - 2022) and contains his audio memoir, log book, photographs and documents. He flew 36 operations with 432 and 420 Squadrons.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by R Miles and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Three Women
Description
An account of the resource
Information supplied with the collection identifies the women as Isobel, Nabiha, Bobby 1942-3 Bloemfontein.
Format
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One b/w photograph
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
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PMilesRJ16070001-0013
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Civilian
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IBCC Digital Archive
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Spatial Coverage
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South Africa
South Africa--Bloemfontein
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/165/2275/SWrightAC1149750v20128.2.jpg
3b369ae4694ebefe716bb5dd7a4da669
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/165/2275/SWrightAC1149750v20129.2.jpg
d592e2e83f3f1d5feae1f6f8ee588a9a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Wright, Jim
J R Wright
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-05-21
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Wright, J
Description
An account of the resource
93 items. The collection contains two oral history interviews with Jim Wright, letters, cuttings and photographs. It concerns James Roy Wright’s research into his father, Sergeant Arthur Charles Wright (1911 - 1943, 1149750 Royal Air Force) and an operation to Turin 12/13 July 1943 which caused 100 aircraft to violate Swiss airspace. Two aircraft were shot down or crashed in Switzerland. There are many photographs and details of the activities that night including reports by the Swiss authorities. The crews are identified with photographs and there are several photographs of the funerals at Vevey. Additional material includes aerial photograph of bomb damage in Germany and the logbook and airman's pay book of W G Anderson. <br /><br />The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Jim Wright and catalogued by Nigel Huckins, with descriptions of official Swiss documents provided Gilvray Williams. <br /><br />Additional information on Arthur Charles Wright is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/126015/">IBCC Losses Database</a>. This collection also contains items concerning Hugh Burke Bolger and his crew. Additional information on Hugh Burke Bolger is available via the <a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/102186/">IBCC Losses Database</a>.
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
Permission granted for commercial projects
Dublin Core
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Title
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Three men, two in swimming trunks, one in airman's uniform
Description
An account of the resource
Two men sunbathing whilst an airman is hiding with his head under a tent made from a chair and a towel. They are seated outside a wooden building. On the reverse 'Humewood Port Elizabeth August 1942'.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1942-08
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One b/w photograph
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Photograph
Identifier
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SWrightAC1149750v20128, SWrightAC1149750v20129
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
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South Africa
South Africa--Port Elizabeth
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Temporal Coverage
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1942-08
military living conditions
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16419/MNealeETH1395951-150731-082.1.pdf
6f3c3513cfbe5ddc27d52c7fc726ac23
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Title
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Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-07-31
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. Some items have not been published in order to protect the privacy of third parties, to comply with intellectual property regulations, or have been assessed as medium or low priority according to the IBCC Digital Archive collection policy and will therefore be published at a later stage. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collection-policy.
Identifier
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Neale, ETH
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
Text transcribed from audio recording or document
[missing letters]e Woodpec[missing letters]
42 AIR SCHOOL, SOUTH AFRICA
Vol. III. No. 5. FEBRUARY, 1944.
Contents:
S.A. [missing word] Training Over 16,000 Flyers! – [missing Page No.]
Well – Cheerio, Hey! – [missing Page No.]
Should “42” Have Post-War Associations? [missing Page No.]
What Is This Thing – A Coon? – [missing Page No.]
Flying Hours Are Second Highest Ever – [missing Page No.]
Dinghies Saved Their Lives – [missing Page No.]
Wood Pickings by the Edito[missing letter] [missing Page No.]
Joe’s Journal – [missing Page No.]
What Others Say – [missing Page No.]
Ten Sons and Three Daughters – [missing Page No.]
Messages Recorded for Broadcast to U.K. – [missing Page No.]
Bandsmen Are Not On The Scrounge! – [missing Page No.]
42 Air School Swimming Gala – [missing Page No.]
Sport – [missing Page No.]
About Ourselves – [missing Page No.]
[advertisement]
[page break]
[page header – THE WOODPECKER FEBRUARY, 1944]
[cartoon]
[page break]
[underlined] GOOD SHOW – [/underlined]
S.A. Has Trained Over 16,000 Flyers!
[italics] The fact that the South African Joint Air Training Scheme has produced more than 16,000 members of aircrews – pilots, navigators, bombers and air gunners – in its three years of life has been revealed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas, K.C.B., M.C., D.F.C., in an article in the Air Force magazine “Wings.” [/italics]
[inserted] “FOR WORK IN SOUTH AFRICA”
The King’s New Year Honours List awards for work in the South African Joint Air Training Scheme included the names of personnel in the South African Air Force, the S.A. Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and the Royal Air Force.
The awards for the S.A.A.F. were one C.B., two C.B.E.s, six O.B.E.s, five M.B.E.s (a W.A.A.F. officer among them), and seventeen A.F.C.s.
Awards to the R.A.F.: one C.B., one O.B.E., one M.B.E., twelve A.F.C.s and one A.F.M.
None of these distinctions came to 42 Air School. [/inserted]
‘THE WOODPECKER’ makes no apologies for reprinting extracts from the recent special Empire Issue of “Wings” because it is good that we should know these things. It is good to know that South Africa alone has trained enough flyers – of the R.A.F., S.A.A.F. and Allied Air Forces – to man thousands and thousands of machines. It is good to know that we at 42 Air School have contributed our fair share to that total.
IT IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT WE ARE – WITHOUT ANY DOUBT WHATEVER – HELPING TO WIN THE BATTLE OF TRAINING.
It is an unexciting battle to the average erk. It is without glamour. It is even misunderstood by some misguided folk who wonder why we aren’t “Up North.” But it is a battle which is being directed by some of the finest brains of the Air Forces of the United Nations – and the finest brains are only directed to the most important jobs. Too often do we forget what a vital part the Battle of Training is playing in the Battles of Berlin, of Italy, of Poland. How often do we feel as we spruce ourselves up to go into town (on nights when there is no flying), that there is something wrong in fighting a war this way? The smaller we are, the more insignificant our job, the less we imagine we are doing for the war effort.
But it is pure imagination. The job in South Africa is important, desperately important – a job someone had to do, a job for which we were privileged to be chosen.
WHO IS JOE SOAP?
[page break]
[advertisement]
[advertisement]
[advertisement]
[page break]
We may think our part is small, but in the vast org[missing letters][missing words] Nations militarism our views don’t count. But time and time [missing words] utterances do mean something have praised what we are doing [missing words] examining what other people – important people – think of us.
His Majesty the King has seen fit to make no fewer than 47 awards in the New Year Honours List, ranging from important Orders to an A.F.M., for work done by personnel in the Air Training Schmee [sic] in South Africa. Not one of these awards was won solely by the person receiving it; all the receipients [sic] will readily admit that they owe a debt to the people who helped them, to the clerks, the mechanics, the storekeepers, to the men who dished out meat and gravy in the cookhouses. These awards are an indirect tribute to all.
[cartoon]
[underlined] NO MEDALS FOR TRAINING COMMAND [/underlined]
Again and again, great leaders have praised the training scheme. Mr. Winston Churchill calls it “the aerodrome of democracy,” Field Marshal Smuts has extolled the South African training organisation in many of his speeches.
Capt. The Rt. Hon. H.H. Balfour (British Under Secretary of State for Air) referred during his visit to South Africa last year to “the extreme value” of training. If we did not win the constant, ceaseless, sometimes dull, but always vital battle in training, we could win no other battle in the air, he said.
That sort of view is expressed so often by men whose opinions count that we cannot possibly ignore it.
In his article in “Wings,” Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto-Douglas referred to the S.A. Scheme as “a most creditable offering to the main war effort,” and the comment of our own Director of Air Training in this country, Air Vice Marshal M.B. Frew is: “True it is today that the Battle of Europe is being won on the training fields of the Empire.”
Do we in South Africa, or our colleagues on training jobs in Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Newfoundland and the U.S.A., need any more encouragement than that? We shouldn’t.
Meanwhile we must carry on our work, for the faster we work the sooner the air will be filled to capacity with well-crewed aircraft, the sooner the cities of Germany and Japan will be in ruins, the sooner the war will be over.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. – [italics] Emerson, 1852. [/italics]
ANY IDEAS? THEN SEE THE EDITOR
[page break]
[underlined] [letter missing]HEIR “BOAT” HAS COME – [/underlined]
[photograph compilation]
[italics] Clear breaks with the earliest days of No. 42 Air School have occurred with the departure for the United Kingdom of many of those who arrived with the original R.A.F. Draft in 1941.
The breaks have occurred in batches – the first some little time ago, when remarkable scenes were witnessed on Port Elizabeth railway station, as the first part of the long journey began [/italics]
MANY of these R.A.F. men, who had been in the city for three years, left behind them wives, fiancées and girl friends. One young South African W.A.A.F. saw her R.A.F. husband go less than three weeks after their wedding, and joining the brides in their tears were many others. Even some of the W.A.A.F.’s had tears in their eyes as they left the platform!
It is no exaggeration to say that several hundred people waved goodbye to this first contingent, colleagues from the school and civilian friends from the city. The Military Band was in attendance and made the occasion all the more impressive with music of Home and “Auld Lang Syne,” probably played more sincerely than ever before, as the train moved out of the station. That toughest of old birds, Tubby Gregory, was visibly moved!
S/Ldr. D.E.R. Matthews was among the many officers on the platform – interesting because he was the only R.A.F. officer in Port Elizabeth to welcome the draft on their arrival, three years before, and now he was able to see some of them off again.
Eddie Tyas decided to go with the lads at the last moment, and was with difficulty persuaded to get off the train, Taffy Williams struggled through the crown to get the band to play “Men of Harlech” and was then passed into the train by a bodyguard of matelots, Norman Hewitt couldn’t resist taking a nominal roll to make sure everyone was there, even rumoured that the Adjutant had a copy of the M.D.C. in his pocket just in case. . . .
For those on the train and those on the platform, it was a farewell that will long be remembered as among the saddest in a service career, where there is always a “goodbe” [sic] to say to someone.
[page break]
[underlined] SUGGESTION – [/underlined]
Should “42” Have Post-War Association?
[italics] Should No. 42 Air School have its post-war Association, a “get-together-once-a-year” club for those who wish to recall old times and old friends when peace comes round again? This suggestion has been made by a senior N.C.O. on the unit and is presented to the station as a proposition. [/italics]
THE Commanding Officer approves of such an organisation if the officials can be found to run it, and if a number of minor difficulties can be overcome.
Suggestions are:
Membership for all who served at 42 Air School at any time and who wish to keep up old associations – open, of course, to R.A.F., S.A.A.F., W.A.A.F. and any other military personnel.
Annual dinners or meetings each year in both South Africa and England, each branch having its own officials but keeping in close touch.
“The Woodpecker” to be maintained as the Association magazine.
An appeal is made to any who are interested to send in names and/or suggestions to The Editor. Above all, people are required who are prepared to act as officials.
Work is the best cure for all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind. – [italics] Carlyle. [/italics]
[advertisement]
[page break]
8
[underlined] GOONERY GRIFF – [/underlined]
What Is This Thing – A Goon?
(By One of Them)
RETURNING from a cheesing trip to Knysna the other day, I folded up my prefabricated log and sank back in the W/Op’s easy chair to get a Q.D.M. on Grahamstown. Before dosing off I got Billy Cotton’s Band coming over well from the B.B.C., and was vaguely interested to hear a dance number called
“The Goon Song,” finale-ed by Cotton’s homely Thameside drawl telling me, “Now you know what a goon is!” Must have been too tired to catch the gen, but my dictionary says:
[italics] “GOON, one upon whom the cultural advantages of civilisation make little impression. From Gonad (Greek – gonê, germ), meaning a reproductive gland in rudimentary state, and Gnu, a ruminant quadruped, member of the order of herbiverous, hoofed mammels that chew the cud as the camel, goat, ox. Indigenous to South Africa.” [/italics]
So now we ALL know what a goon is.
[photograph]
MY CAMP STOOGE reports from the Goonery on a number of speeches made there during the past week. These are condensed as follow: – Navgoon Manser believes no woman can resist the combination of good looks and bad thoughts. (Possibly why they call him “Manser the Metro-mancer”). Hyde, 25 A.N.’s “military analyst,” who has been studying Stalin’s tactics on the Eastern Front, states war in Europe will end August this year. Navgoon Felix, voicing politics from Palestine, says “Let’s have the American.” (Okay, Heinz, they’re yours). Bombgoon Brockfield, dealing with food shortage in Europe: “I know just the W/O Cook to send them.”
WHERE WAS YOUR PAL LAST NIGHT?
[page break]
“THE SERVICE COOKS overseas show they can not only take [missing words] as well.” – (Ida Lupino in “Mail Call”).
HEARD IN THE Airmen’s Tank – “What’s the difference between a Bombgoon and a Baboon?”
“I don’t know.”
“Neither do I.”
Next please!
“What’s the difference between a Navgoon and a Baboon?”
“A Baboon can get there without a W/Op.”
[photograph]
HIGHSPOT performances of the month. Goon badges of merit go to:
(1) The 25 A.B. quintette who rocked the Sports Office by turning in an all-time record of 72 secs. for the 300 yards Fitness Canter.
(2) Bombgoon “Vector” Jones for discovering a wind of Nil m.p.h. which blew from 270 degrees.
(3) Navgoon Judson for the alteration of Course to maintain Course which brought him to Kirkwood dead on E.T.A.
(4) Bombgoon Appleyard for his introduction of the “Canadian Red on Red” technique to service bombing.
WITH Admiral Benbow at sea again for a few days, we cull this titbit from his C.E.B. gen book. Commenting on goon misspellings, the examiners burst into rhyme thus: –
[italics] Some pupils make us weary
With their “Very” pistols – Verey
That’s the spelling aye approved
And “pidgeon” wants the “d” removed. [/italics]
HOMEWARD BOUND. Goons catching the boat – this is the latest gen from Blighty apropos things to take back. Food situation greatly improved, but meat still short. Tinned meats (other than bully) appreciated. Good idea take economic meats like tinned chicken breasts (boneless), lobster, mutton, which go [sic] long way and are unobtainable in U.K. Tinned fruit scarce, too, but jams in good supply. Cigs in Blighty cost 2/4 per 20, so stock up with the[missing letter]. Wines; spirits prohibitive (sherry, pre-war cooking brand, costs 45/- bott[missing letters]
[page break]
10
[advertisement]
[advertisement]
[advertisement]
[page break]
11
Housewives short of drapery nick-nacks – “poppers” (fasteners for dresses), hooks and eyes, etc. Warning re silk stockings: see size large enough, ensure quality will stand up to U.K. climate. Watches, high-priced, scarce, at home, would make welcome gifts. Clothing (pyjamas, sports shirts, bathing trunks) require coupons which you don’t get as an N.C.O.
NORTHWARD BOUND. Mentioning names, there’s a business-minded goon loose who is bringing out a “Goon’s Guide to the Orient.” This tasteful little booklet purports to show how goons can quickly acquire knowledge of the Arabic tongue which will “open the portals of the mysterious East and reduce the complex problems of bizarre civilisations to the simplicity of a Mercator’s chart.” Every page abounds with phrases like “How do you do, baby?” (Enta kweiss bint); “Come over here” (Tala henna); “You’re a smashing bit of stuff” (Enta kweiss kateer bint); “How much?” (Kam feloose). Seems there’s more in Mercator’s chart than meets the eye.
BLACK MARKET for very new goons. Protect yourself against officialdom by investing in the following. Supplies strictly limited.
FOUNTAIN CAP BADGE. Ideal for parades. Your scruffy cap badge will be the target for the inspecting officer. When he bends to get a good look at it you squeeze a rubber bulb and he gets a spray of red ink all over his best blue.
JOKE BEER BOTTLE. Here’s the jest the S.W.O. will fall for. Send him a bottle on his birthday. Looks and tastes like Castle Lager but contains concentrated dose of camphorated oil and prune juice.
SOAP VEGETABLES. Try this on the Orderly Officer. Put one of the life-like vegetables on your lunch-plate and get him to taste it. Then watch the N.C.O. i/c Cookhouse drop in the can.
[drawing]
[page break]
12
[underlined] No. 3 SQUADRON – [/underlined]
Flying Hours Are Second Highest Ever!
[italics] L.G.G. refers to many things in his monthly article – to departures and arrivals, broadcasting, sporting activities and trade test boards. But from his copy we pick out a few words which are the most important of all:
“On the working side, No. 3 Squadron put up a record number of flying hours in January – the second highest ever recorded on the unit, and in February we hope to surpass this.”
Here is the remainder of his article: [/italics]
[drawing]
A new arrival signs the U.T.1’s
JANUARY was an eventful month for the Squadron. More and more of our comrades have gone on their way home again, and we are constantly waiting for F/Sgt. Hewitt to publish further lists of lucky people. He always seems a bit reluctant to do so, and in case, hates to admit that he never has any “boat gen.” Anyway, we wish our old friends a safe trip home and assure them that they are not forgotten. So Jock Good, Cpl. Foy, Clp. Waterfield, Cpl. Youde, Cpl. Godfrey, don’t forget to send us the latest griff from home when you get there, and perhaps the Editor will allow a small space headed “Hints for Airmen on reaching their Native Land.” We shall need them when we eventually get there; what with the price of beer, fags, etc., we shall all be lost.
Everyone in the Squadron must admit they had truly a wonderful send-off, and I think the majority of the credit must go to Sgt. Thompson and his Band for their fine turn-out. Sgt. Thompson thought he had let himself in for many similar farewells, but the next batch to go saw him on the train and not with the baton!
THE Squadron were a little annoyed at the reference in a local paper to the noise made by “our” aircraft, but I think the writer was answered very aptly by a number of correspondents and no further reference is needed from us on the subject.
THIS IS YOUR MAGAZINE
[page break]
SPORTING activities saw us badly left behind in the swimmin[missing words] lack of training though, as the three teams put in quite a lo[missing words] hours; hence the keenness! The football teams are shortly to star[missing words] their paces. Collins, our goalkeeper of last season, will be missed [missing words] is now in No. 4 Squadron, but will be replaced very ably by A/[missing words] We would like to warn other Squadrons that we have definitely got some pro’s this year, and no flannel like last year, when a certain Squadron on hearing these rumours proceeded to do a spot of “Internal Posting” (the Cups are on view by day or night). Anyway all the Squadron are looking forward to the soccer season starting again, as it seems the only sport to which the Squadron give 100% support. Tubby Gregory’s voice will be sadly missed on the touch-line at all matches and for his assistance to the teams last season.
WE WELCOME some new faces to the Squadron this month. F/Sgt. Benecke who is now in charge of Anson Section, arrived from “up North” and has proved himself a worthy “type.” F/Sgt. Pomery-Ward, who has taken over the Oxford side of the Squadron, also from “up North,” is at present on a Senior N.C.O.s Course. We hope to see him again on the termination of his sojourn at Lyttelton. Air/Sgt. Lay also joins the Oxford Section; very worthy “type,” observed trashing almost the first night he was here at a local hop.
DURING the month a number of the Squadron were allowed to broadcast home.
The picking of names was done by the O.C. and in a very fair manner. Airmen who were expecting to proceed to the United Kingdom and new arrivals to the country under one year’s service in the Union were not allowed to participate, giving the people with two to two-and-a-half years’ service in the Union the priority.
THE RESULTS of the last trade test are out and we are pleased to see an appreciable number of new L.A.C.s, far too many in fact to record their names here. Most of the new wearers of the “Props” are new arrivals within the last nine months.
ONE MORE polite inquiry before we finish. Who does all the work in No. 4 Squadron when they arrange a shooting match?
Bishop Wilkins prophesied that the time would come when gentlemen, when going on a journey, would call for their wings as regularly as they call for their boots. – [italics] Maria Edgeworth, 1802. [/italics]
SEND A “WOODPECKER” HOME
[page break]
14
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[page break]
15
[underlined] MEN AMONG US – [/underlined]
Dinghies Saved Their Lives! [drawing]
[italics] The stories of how an officer and an airman now stationed at 42 Air School saved their lives by taking to rubber dinghies – one in the Mediterranean, the other in the Indian Ocean – have become known by the granting of membership of the Goldfish Club to Flying Officer Jack Liversidge and Cpl. Robert Harris, both of the Royal Air Force. [/italics]
THE Goldfish Club – for those who escape death by the use of an emergency dinghy – is on a per with the other two exclusive organisations, the Caterpillar Club, for those who save their lives by parachute, and the Order of the Boot, for those who walk back to base after having to abandon their aircraft in the Western Desert.
F/O Liversidge is entitled to the Order of the Boot as well as the Goldfish Badge (illustrated above), which is wore under the lapel of the tunic.
In January last year he was returning to base from a raid on Tripoli when his aircraft was forced into the Mediterranean about eighty miles from Malta. Through a rough night, from midnight until six o’clock in the morning, he and other members of the crew kept themselves afloat in a dinghy. They were picked up by an R.A.F. motor launch and were landed at Malta about fourteen hours after going into the sea.
Cpl. Harris and companions with him are believed to be the first to have received the Goldfish Badge by taking to dinghies off the South African coast.
Harris was the wireless operator in an aircraft which was forced on to the sea off East London in November, 1942. Badly injured when the machine struck the water – he broke his neck, a leg and a hand! – he has no idea how he managed to get away from the aircraft. His first memory was finding himself some twenty yards away, being helped into the dinghy by his three companions.
“We were in the dinghy for about an hour,” Harris told “The Woodpecker” recently, “and were then picked up by a destroyer and landed at a South African port.”
Despite his severe injuries, Harris, who has been at 42 Air School som[missing letter] fifteen months, has quite recovered from his injuries and is attached to “[missing letters] Flight Signals section.
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Wood Peckings . . . . . . . by The Editor
RECENT references in “The Woodpecker” to medals for R.A.F. people in South Africa have met with criticism. “Wearing the S.A. Medal would show we’d been away from the war.” “What difference does it make?” and “Rather have the Boat” are typical of overheard comments.
So “The Woodpecker” closes the discussion – until official decision is arrived at – with the following quotation from Veldschoen’s S.A.A.F. News of the Month in Waterkloof’s “Tale Spin”:
“We notice that even the South African Home Front will be privileged under the latest regulations (by the award of the South African Service Medal). This privilege,” he continues, “is indeed a great encouragement to those less fortunate than their brothers in the firing line, and it makes us realise that our efforts are and have been appreciated.
“But what of our friends in the R.A.F.? Why have they been left out? Surely their work, in this country and at home, justifies the granting of the same decoration as we South Africans?
“We can but hope that this sorry state of affairs will soon be remedied.”
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So there it is.
DISCUSSION rages in Brooklyn’s “Erk” on the eternal subject, “Are parades really necessary?”
Ball was opened by a correspondent with the comment: “What encouragement is it to overtime workers to see the number of working hours wasted . . . . on a parade whose object is obscure?”
Commanding Officer Lt.-Col. J.A.B. Sandenbergh’s reply was that “the personnel of this station are primarily soldiers and secondly artisans, and the parades are not undertaken for the fun of it, but because in the experience of military forces and military organisations throughout the thousands of armies in every nation on the face of the globe, parades have been found to be an essential adjunct to military efficiency.”
An anonymous Erk took up the cudgels in the January issue and challenged the C.O.’s opinion that Air Force personnel are “primarily soldiers, secondly artisans.”
WE WANT AFRIKAANS ARTICLES AS WELL
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“It should be admitted,” was his contention, “that for all round efficiency in the use of air power, the artisan must be left to carry on the work for which he has been trained. That is, the artisan is first and foremost an artisan – not part time soldier-cum-labourer. Every man-hour wasted here means a slackening off in the number of aircrews trained and a corresponding lessening of our air blitz. . . . So, as the Prime Minister of England would have us, “Let us gird up our loins, and to the fight” – and not to the parade ground.”
What a tribute it is to the broad-minded tolerance of the modern service that C.O. and Erk are able to cross swords in public print on such a controversial topic.
THE intelligentsia of “42” still don’t appear able to make up their minds to promote a Debating Society. At Witbank, their debating organisation is discussing all the subjects which are most popular in barrack room melees.
At a meeting at the end of last year, for instance, a majority of 20-6 decided that swing music was degenerate. This month the society planned to discuss the propositions that birth control increases immortality and that post-war reconstruction will be impossible with Socialism.
Those are all subjects which are discussed privately time and time again on this unit; why shouldn‘t we have a debating society so that the whole camp may be enlightened?
Debating Societies can be extremely beneficial by radiating to many the views and opinions of the few. There is little doubt that they are a popular diversion in Prisoner of War camps; in fact, Cyril Watling, in one of his broadcasts over B.B.C. wavelengths revealed how debates with a post-war value were held by men who had banded themselves together as a farmers’ association in an Italian P.O.W. camp.
The members of this group are men of Tobruk – Springboks captured there and now in German hands in Northern Italy. The members hold regular meetings and lectures are given by agricultural experts. That the discussions are serious is shown by one of the resolutions which was sent home to South Africa. It was a request for more railways to serve the farming areas of the Union, accompanied by an
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“WOODPECKER” BOX – CORPORALS’ CLUB
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[underlined] EDITOR’S WOOD PECKINGS – (Continued) [/underlined]
enquiry as to when income tax is likely to be reduced!
EVERY now and then “chain letters” come into the news. They are disparaged, cursed and ridiculed – yet they still thrive. A correspondent in the “Eastern Province Herald” took up the same old line recently, while an editorial in Heany’s “Afraf” also deplored “these childish chain letters,” which are “foolish at any time, criminal in war time.
“A more effective method of wasting time, paper and money would be hard to find,” says “Afraf’s” leader writer. “In fact, we condemn it as an excellent war effort – for Germany.”
Chain letters assume two forms. One is that by which good luck is supposed to result from making copies and forwarding anonymously to a specified number of friends. The other is the one in which you send 6d. to the person at the top of the list, put your own name at the bottom and send off a number of copies to credulous acquaintances.
A new one arrived in “The Woodpecker” office this month, though, which would really appear to have its possibilities! It read:
“Dear Old Friend, – This chain was started in Reno in the hope of bringing happiness to tired husbands. Unlike most chains, this one requires no money. Simply send a copy of this letter to five male friends, then bundle up your wife and send her to the fellow whose name appears at the top of the list. When your name works to the top you will, in return, receive 15,176 gorgeous girls. Have faith. Do not break the chain. One man broke it and got his wife back again!”
Anyone want to try it?
OFTEN asked question when “Air Commodore” Winston Churchill appears on the news reels is whether he is really entitled to wear R.A.F. wings. Technically – in that he has not worked through the arduous series of courses required – he is not entitled to wear them, but no one will doubt his moral entitlement.
He was granted honorary wings in April last year, “out of kindness,” as he himself described it.
“Kindness brevets” must be a very unusual award. It would be interesting to know how many others have the distinction.
Genius is one part inspiration,
Three parts perspiration. – [italics] American saying. [/italics]
What anyone bears willingly he bears easily. – [italics] Latin Proverb. [/italics]
Here’s to the Girl with the Golden Shoes,
Eats my dinner, drinks my booze,
Then goes home to mother to snooze,
Stingy!
(“RAFRICANA”).
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[inserted] EDITED by JOE SOAP [/inserted]
Joe’s Journal
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SUPPLEMENT TO “THE WOODPECKER”
WHO IS “GRANNY KILLER” FLIGHT LIEUT?
“Not Me” Say Those Interviewed
“THEY are saying,” writes a correspondent to “Joe’s Journal,” “that one of our brand new Flight Lieutenants earned the name of ‘Granny Killer’ after being seen four Saturdays in succession leading charming local matron up bioscope steps.”
In thirst for gen, Joe sent out Ace Reporter to interview likely Flight Lieuts. on the station.
Bell and Boxhall Twins hotly denied complicity. “We may get up to some mischief,” said Ding-Dong, “but not grannies. Try one of the trashing types.”
So we tried “Woodpecker” Hindley. He would hardly talk. “Mothers maybe, but grannies no,” was only comment, which made us wonder a bit; then on to Bushy Parks, who was so busy with unexpected flow of free beer that he couldn’t spare time.
Gardner, Malley and Cummings greeted query with cold stares. “You know our wives are in town,” they hissed. “What chance do we get.”
Only other we could think of was officer-goon Gandy, but then he’s a busy pupil. It couldn’t possibly be him. . . .
THESE CORPORALS!
Who was the W/Op Corporal who put a colleague on a charge, looked round fiercely and commented: “Now you see what happens to people who cross my path?”
The boys want to know why Joan no longer relies on the runner to trapse round goon classrooms?
WHAT IS THIS BUSINESS?
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YOU’LL FIND OUT?
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GOONS FIND HAPPINESS AT HUMEWOOD!
“Frisking in Sand”
SOCIAL informer writes from Humewood: Everybody happy in the Valley, including Bombgoons Brockfield, Hooper, Irving, Kelsey, Archibald and Berry . . . . Navgoons Judson, Smee and Bellew frisking in the sand with a widow and two little ‘uns . . . . Selwyn buying ice cones for three cuties . . . . “Gaffer” Rothney ton teaching Rhona to swim . . . . listening to the band . . . . Andy Ander-Bombgoon Reilley, in pink shorts, the envy of feminine eyes.
From the Hotel Front: Mr. G . . . n seen creasing pants in Market Square after bout with Al Kohol. Unidentified sergeant on reconnaissance in popular lounge, pelting “ladies” (Line!) with grapes.
“Beer for Fitness” says the goons’ favourite swimming teacher, who practises what she preaches, even if she does have to be rescued by Mr. B., from a fate as bad as the Merchant Navy.
WIFE SAYS “NO!”
Who is the Corporal Armourer who is not allowed to play in the Station Military Band, because “his wife will not let him”?
Joe wonders if his wife will let him do Fire Piquet!
Shook Joe rigid when someone pointed out that Lt. Hi-de-hi was turning his charms to the hospital and the swimming baths these days. Solves the transport problem when her car Gows [sic] so well, doesn’t it?
Report of an Air Mechanic in the Cookhouse who told an L.A.C. to report to him at 08.00 hours – at the Doubell [sic].
It is understood that an officer in the Armament Section invests so much in National Savings Certificates that he can’t even afford to pay for the erks’ tea which he consumes.
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THE SINGING LAFFERTY
It is understood that at a recent braaivleis in town, Sgt. Bill Lafferty tried to sing, with the result that the fire went out and the guests went in.
Try again, Bing.
We heard that F/Sgt. Sturgeon played third triangle with the Station Band at “Good Hope” the other week. Has it anything to do with the lusty quart of free beer he was seen quaffing with the band later in the afternoon?
Eddie Tyas getting athletic these days; seen dashing up and down the length (or is it width) of the swimming baths, and now we hear he has challenged a member of the fair sex to a set of singles at tennis.
Hear entomologist Leslie Berry has added some fine new specimens to his collection. The boys in T.43 say he walked into his bunk one night and they were sitting up in bed for him.
What about that concert airmen in the “Tank” have been talking about for a year now? Rehearsals take place every night, so turns should be up to scratch. Paddy Jackson sings “Ireland for the Irish,” Tex talks about virgin chicken, George Glass trots out own version of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and Bradley adds intellectual touch – “Abide With Me.”
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H.Q. CLERKS TAKE CUTIES RAMBLING!
Waiting for Next Season
OLD SPORT of rambling being revived through Headquarters Orderly Room campaign.
Ramblers Liston, Hewitt, Davies and Burlton – majority H.Q. clerk types – have admitted Sargie Pearl to “42” Rambling Club, together with a dozen other cuties.
Successful outing was had (plus a jolly good time by all) at the Willows recently.
Do we watch D.R.O.s for next sesh?
NAUGHTY, ANNE!
“Anne due Toit, imported from 42, did a short fling with the head of flying affairs – head of the stationery flying put on his number one approach – and a de Reuck number one approach is something.” – Extract from Kowie’s “Drogue.”
Suggest that the authorities at the next swimming gala have a race stipulating “arms – breast-stroke, legs – crawl kick.” Joe knows a Sergeant who would enter.
Flap in Training Wing Orderly Room caused by W.A.A.F. Sgt. who corrected stencil with “Aubert’s Almond and Honey Cream” (elegant preparation for hands, arms and face), then tried to remove with Mlle Elizabeth Arden’s latest in nail polish.
What Flight Sergeant’s wife always collects hubby from passing out “do’s” at 9.30 . . . . just in case?
We’ve heard of some ways of getting well organised with the fair sex, but F/Sgt. Bailiff takes the palm this month. Threw girl’s dog in the sea when she wasn’t looking, went in fully clothed, rescued it, applied artificial respiration and Bob’s your uncle as well as his.
Sam West still waiting on that boat. Someone give him the griff; they’ve stopped building boats. The future lies in the air.
Heard about the electrician who went up to Kassonga on leave, worked three days on the house lighting and then decided to remuster?
In last month’s issue, F/Sgt. Gaze described Joe Soap as an “oaf”. In his plodding manner Joe looked up the definition in the dictionary – “an idiot; simpleton; clumsy, awkward fellow; lout.” Well, Joe wonders if it is a case of the ‘kettle calling the pot black’ – no one knows Joe but we all know Chiefie Gaze. Anyway, he might have pressed his slacks before taking part in a wedding photograph.
It is rumoured that one living-out storebasher in “T” stores stayed behind and worked late until 16.45 one day in January. What’s the matter Stead; stocktaking electric sparks?
EVEN CHILDREN NOW!
There’s a story that’s supposed to be true of a Port Elizabeth youngster of four. Told that the gentleman who would be visiting Mommie that evening was Sergeant . . . . . ., he remarked: “But he’s not a gentleman, he’s a ‘R.A.F.’”
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JEFFCOCK AWARDED “ORDER OF THE BOOT”!
Now King of Drogue Towers
FOR magnificent prunery in the air, L.A.C. Jeffcock receives Joe Soap’s Order of the Boot.
Having left behind bits and pieces to release final drogue after gunnery flight, Jeffcock appeals to pilot.
“Throw out your boot,” was advice of exasperated driver, who probably didn’t know what else to suggest anyway.
So Jeffcock did.
Only trouble is that he’s still searching bush for one item of foot apparel!
ANOTHER ‘T’ STORES WEDDING?
It is rumoured that wedding bells will soon be ringing for another R.A.F. type in “T” Stores.
Long runs the “Fox,” but he is caught at last – or is it just another case of failure to crack the “atom”?
Joe’s monthly award goes to Capt. Richardson for initiative, courage and devotion to duty in trying to locate a “grating, foot, wood” deficient on his inventory.
What’s cooking? Many an erk is seen hanging over the kitchen door at the Camp Hospital. What are the boys hungry for Lofty?
Have you heard of the newly arrived ACH/GD who, when in town, BELLOWS that he is a pupil air-gunner on a course?
Jenny Lee’s advice to medical orderlies on the eve of their wedding: “You only need take your carpet slippers, in case of a fire.”
Famous saying – Paddy Sharkey: “The only course I went on was a race-course.”
Joe wonders why a W.A.A.F. cook was posted from the Camp Hospital to Air Records Office – early morning tea?
“COULD I BORROW MY WIFE?”
It is worth going back to Old Year’s Night to recall that Cyril (of the River of Jordan) was enjoying himself at midnight kissing a fair damsel, when a Captain tapped him gently on the shoulder and asked, “Do you mind if I have my wife when you’ve quite finished with her?”
Is it fear of Joe that compels Sgt. Williamson to hide “The Woodpecker” Box under the bar counter, or is it because the Sergeants’ Mess has lost its one-time sense of humour? However, nothing stops Joe getting his (or her as the case may be) gen. There is the 4 Squadron F/Sgt. who, after trying to ram a petrol bowser, said, “I have ridden a bicycle since I was a schoolboy and this is the first accident I have had.” The Sergeants’ Mess has some queer Wallers.
Much pushing and grunting as he gets on the tram,
It’s no one important – just Wordingham.
It is rumoured that, in early anticipation of the realisation of his two ambitions, F/Sgt. Wing has purchased a ship’s life-belt, emblazoned with “galloping-horses.”
Who was the one-time armourer at Cape Town, now a goon at 42, who was overheard to say, “I am sure one of the Joe Soaps is a woman.”
Joe wonders why he is so emphatic?
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What Others Say . . . .
[underlined] WOODBROOK – [/underlined]
B.O.N.
THE BOMB-AIMERS’, OBSERVERS’ AND NAVIGATORS’ UNION
ONCE again we’ve done it. This time it’s the RA.F. Benevolent Fund. The figures recently issued from Pretoria show that 48 Air School easily leads all other air schools. The purpose of this Fund is to aid any member of the R.A.F. who finds himself – or herself – in financial difficulties beyond his (or her) control. Needless to say, the Fund does a grand job of work. We asked the Accounts Section whether all R.A.F. personnel on the station contribute to this worthy cause, and their answer was that only 80 per cent do at present.
Come on you odd 20. Let’s make this a 100 per cent effort. The standard contribution for airmen is only one-eighth of a day’s pay each quarter – and you won’t miss that.
[italics] [Proportion of contributions at 42 Air School is 67 per cent. Any of the remainder can fill up the appropriate form in Accounts Section. – EDITOR, “WOODPECKER”] [/italics]
[underlined] WATERKLOOF – [/underlined]
TALE-SPIN
[underlined] Official Journal of 23 Air School, Waterkloof, Protoria [/underlined]
WATERKLOOF has long been the premier S.F.T.S. of South Africa. The few must maintain the record of the many. That record is very imposing. The accident rate for the past four months, for instance, has been exceptionally good and, in the analysis of accidents for S.F.T.S.’s against flying hours, Waterkloof’s position has been:
July . . . 2nd
August . . . 2nd
October . . . 1st
September . . . 1st
This reflects great credit upon both Flying and Maintenance Wings and it is essential that the Number One position be maintained, whatever the difficulties that lie ahead.
[underlined] MILNER PARK – [/underlined]
“THE FLEDGLING”
FOR the benefit of the “newies,” the Efficiency Competition is held monthly and every Flight in the Unit competes.
To judge which is the best flight the following procedure is adopted.
100 marks are given to each flight and deductions are made from this as follows:
5 marks for each day’s absence,
3 marks for each “On report,”
2 marks for each “Sick,”
1 mark for each “Excused duty.”
Behaviour, progress and interest in workshops also determine which flights are to be considered.
This month Flight 29 of Wing 2 are to be congratulated on winning the Efficiency Shield for November with the very excellent total of 99%, with Flight 36 of Wing 3 second.
[underlined] HEANY, S. RHODESIA – [/underlined]
THE NEW AFRAF
The RHODESIAS’ FIRST SERVICE NEWSPAPER
THE United Nations are marching forward on all fronts and it appears to many that it may not be too long before the lights of Europe do go up again, though much hard work and danger lie ahead. Yet we must be prepared for that time, and it is up to us to learn to demarcate between the rational and irrational, to disentangle
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one want from another, to realise when we are seeking the satisfaction of hungry emotions and when pursuing rationally the means to a conscious end. We should develop an elementary introspection and ask, “What do I really want?” the test of our democracy will be the way in which we are all ready to accept civic responsibilities by playing our part in the electoral machinery and exerting an enlightened public opinion on matters concerned with our Government.
[underlined] THORNHILL, S. RHODESIA – [/underlined]
[Slipstream drawing]
ACCORDING to newspaper and radio reports published over the last few months, victory in 1944 is not just a remote possibility. Eye-witness accounts, both neutral and German, now reinforced by the reports of repatriated prisoners of war, agree that the German people have lost the war just as we British are convinced that we have already won it.
When victory does come, however, we still have our duty to the country; we cannot afford to slacken our efforts and to adopt an air of complacency. Hitler may feel that, even if he loses the war, he may gain some victory out of defeat by our consequent slackening in the war effort after the armistice. Complacency can bring defeat even after victory.
Naturally we shall indulge in a “binge” and are entitled to celebrate the armistic [sic] exuberantly when it comes, but we must not let this blind us to the duties that lie ahead.
Not only have we our own country to rebuild, but we have our duties to neutrals and even to Germany itself.
It will mean much to lasting peace if we try to understand these problems now. The difficulties of the French, the Belgians, the Dutch, the Czechs, the Poles, the Jugoslavs, the Nordic states – even of the Germans – will be very much our problem.
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[underlined] PERSONNEL PROWLINGS – [/underlined]
Ten Sons and Three Daughters!
[italics] The list of births – ten sons and three daughters for both R.A.F. and U.D.F. personnel – has reached a “new high” this month. [/italics]
CONGRATULATIONS to lucky fathers:-
W/O H.J. Martens – daughter, Valmai;
Sgt. E. Bray – son, Rodney William;
Cpl. G.L. Wright – daughter, Yvonne;
Cpl. L. Worley – son, Leslie Michael George;
L.A.C. J.K. Miller – son, George Boyce;
L.A.C. J.J. Myson – son, Alick Johnston;
L.A.C. J. Moore – son, Terrence James;
L.A.C. E. Jennings – son, Geoffrey Frederick;
L.A.C. A.H. Bassom – son, Alfred Henry;
A/M H.C. Slack – son, Norman Peter;
A/M R. Roberts – son, Richard Michael Rundele;
A/M J.M. Koekemoer - daughter, Katy Christina; and
A.C.1 W.Morrison – son, William McIntyre.
[inserted] NOT SO LUCKY!
There’s a story in Brooklyn’s “Erk” that a R.A.F. sergeant at Youngsfield went through the whole paraphernalia of getting permission to marry a W.A.A.F., i.e. cable to England, banns read in England, Home Office permission, Padré’s permission and C.O.’s permission – and then couldn’t get the girl’s permission! [/inserted]
Two more R.A.F. types have joined the ninety-odd of their colleagues who are already living out of camp, their wives in the great majority of cases being South African girls. The latest to capture daughters of South Africa are:
Cpl. A.Young, who married Miss Iris J. Fellows, at St. Mary’s, Port Elizabeth; and
L.A.C. H. Fowler, who married Miss Aletta Muller, in the Salvation Army Hall, Cradock.
One of “42’s” original settlers, Tommy Scotcher, who arrived an A.C. storebasher and is now a P/O instructor at East London, was married in December to Miss Joyce Campbell.
THERE have been a few promotions, too. Within the Sergeants’ Mess, F/Sgt. G.P. Venter is now a Warrant Officer, and Sgt. L.W. Bowtell has put up his “crown.” New corporals are A/M’s C.S. Ikin and M.J. Lotter.
ODDLY enough, only one 1st G.C. up to the time of going to Press – for Cadet Navigator J. Powell.
WHY NOT WRITE A SHORT STORY?
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[underlined] ON THE AIR – [/underlined]
Messages Recorded For Broadcast to U.K.
[italics] No. 42 Air School took the first step towards going “on the air” on B.B.C. home wavelengths when three officers, twelve N.C.O.’s and nine airmen travelled to the Grahamstown studios of the S.A.B.C. last month to record messages which are to be re-broadcast in the United Kingdom, to wives relatives and friends. [/italics]
THE broadcasters were chosen on individual merits and circumstances, those whose return to United Kingdom is imminent and those with wives of families in South Africa being generally excluded. Of the remainder, married men and those with special reasons were given preference. The choice of personnel appears to have been generally accepted as a fair one.
The lucky ones were W/Cdr. Tucker, F/Lt. Hindley, P/O Fletcher, F/Sgts. Waller, Hewitt and McLagan, Sgts. Baher, Sweetland, Thompson and Walters, Cpls. Blowers, Crerar, Lewin, Sherman and O’Dell, L.A.C.’s Walker, Kilby, Anderson, Penman, Wilson, Birnie, Samways, Williams and Durford.
[inserted] BROADCASTS TO R.A.F. FROM U.K.?
An interesting sidelight on the broadcast by 42 Air School personnel to the United Kingdom is a suggestion by Mrs. E. Minards, mother of L.A.C. C.H. Minards, that relatives in the United Kingdom should have the opportunity of broadcasting to husbands and sons in South Africa.
Inferring a two-way broadcast, Mrs. Minards says (in a letter to the Editor), “nothing would please us more than to be able to speak to our boys after all this time. I have myself written to the B.B.C. and hope for a reply.” [/inserted]
Cpl. Goodwin was unable to travel to the studio, but his message was read for him.
“For those who had never stood before a microphone before – and they were obviously in the majority – it was something of an experience,” writes one of those who took part. “We have seen so many radio studios in films and magazines, that there was nothing strange about sitting in a typical one. We were all pretty nervous, though, and imbued with the awful fear that we should ‘lose the place’ in our script, emit a squeaky or husky voice, cough horribly or trip over the wire to the microphone!
“Fortunately, none of us did, and everything went off splendidly. After a dummy run, came the real thing, our voices being relayed to Johannesburg and recorded there.
JOE SOAP IS WATCHING YOU
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“Then we had the most remarkable experience of all – our own voices were played back to us, just as our relatives will hear them in the United Kingdom! Each one disagreed with the broadcasting officials that that could possibly be his own voice, but it wasn’t much use arguing! No one, however, seemed prepared to admit whether he was disappointed or pleased at how he is heard by the rest of the world!
“We searched for traces of dialect, which we fondly imagined still gave away the districts in Britain we had left. Even Norman Hewitt’s Yorkshire twang seemed to vanish, while L.A.C. Walker came out with a typical South African ‘Cheerio, just now!’ Maybe it is we have been overseas too long (D. of A.P. to note), maybe we have lost our English accents and developed a South African one. We shall only know when we all return home again.”
[underlined] STOP PRESS [/underlined]
As we go to Press, the South African Broadcasting Corporation advises that the recorded messages were successfully beamed from the Cape Town studios on February 2.
It is not known when the messages will be broadcast in England, but sometime in February is probable.
U.K. Gathering of Port Elizabethans
Letter from F/Lt. A.L. (“Robbie”) Roberts, original Settler at Port Elizabeth, now back in the United Kingdom, tells of many 42 Air School people gathering together at a Royal Air Force station in England. They include, in addition to Roberts himself, S/Ldrs. A.R. Macdonald and G.H. Smith, F/Lt. Jimmy Rail, F/O Bill Harvey, P/O’s Foers, Lawson and Lawrence (of 6 A.N.), also Sgts. Alger and Bickers of a later A.N. course.
Quite a gathering of the clans!
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[underlined] FOR INFORMATION – [/underlined]
Bandsmen Are Not On The Scrounge!
[italics] Members of the 42 Air School Military Band are not on a glorious scrounge! That is the attitude taken by Sgt. S.L. Thompson, whose activities with the baton and the organisation have helped to make this band one of the best known in Port Elizabeth. [/italics]
“A CERTAIN N.C.O.,” writes Sgt. Thompson, “is reported to have have [sic] stated that bandsmen are ‘scroungers’ who ‘join us’ to evade station duties. Be it known to all and sundry who care to read D.R.O.s that bandsmen on this station carry out so many duties that they have very little time to themselves.
Anybody disputing this statement is at liberty to discuss it with the bandmaster,” he adds, “together with the question of debit balances and income tax deductions, in the Accounts Section on Monday afternoons!”
The parades and concerts attended by the Military Band take up a great deal of leisure time in themselves, in addition to which there are hours and hours of rehearsals, usually in the evenings after work.
[inserted] MUSIC IS IMPORTANT!
“The Army has [italics] always [/italics] recognised the importance of music – its cheering and inspiring qualities. Most of us will remember the thrilling story from the last war. Men were lying all round in the last stages of exhaustion – it was in the old market place at St. Quentin. Their Commanding Officer, Sir Tom Bridges, found a tin whistle and a toy drum, and, with the primitive music produced from those instruments, he roused those men to their feet and marched them to safety.” – [italics] Wynford Reynolds, organiser of the B.B.C. “Music While You Work” programmes, in an overseas talk. [/italics][/inserted]
January was quite a typical sort of month for the band, with one or two bright spots.
On Saturday, January 8, the Air Force Band, and a section of the Driftsands Corps of Drums, took transport for ‘Good Hope,’ where Captain Hornblower and his piratical horde made merry for the benefit of the Port Elizabeth children. The band provided incidental music for the party and for a large scale game of ‘musical chairs,’ winding up the afternoon with the ‘Retreat.’ The last order “splice the main brace” was obeyed with alacrity!
GOONS – SEND IN YOUR GEN
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33
A large detachment of S.A.A.F. personnel said good-bye to Port Elizabeth. It was ordained that they should parade from Westbourne Oval to the railway Station, and so, of course, the bands were called out. It was a gruelling march, in almost tropical heat, (the “wobble pump” experts nearly passed out) but, in the words of one Commanding Officer, “large crowds turned out for the send off, and the troops taking part thoroughly enjoyed the march through town.”
The band was again on the railway station to play off a batch of the original 28 Draft, homeward bound. They were given “Blighty” music, and by request, “Will ye no come back again” (rather subtle that) and “Auld Lang Syne.”
The last job, before going to Press, was a camp concert at Driftsands. The band gave a mixed programme, ranging from overture to community selection, and were ably supported by artists chosen from D.A.S. personnel. The very enthusiastic reception which we received was encouragement to do more of this sort of thing in future.
Since the above article was written, Sgt. Thompson has left No. 42 Air School for the U.K. The invitation to discuss band matters in Accounts Section on Monday afternoons, therefore, no longer applies! – Editor, “Woodpecker.”
More W.A.A.F. Promotions
There have been more W.A.A.F. promotions during the month, Corporals Elaine Wassman and Jenny Eales going up to Sergeant, while A/W “Dixie” Sayer becomes a Corporal.
[picture]
WE HAVE SAVED OVER £6,666!
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34
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35
[underlined] 1,750 SEE – [/underlined]
[photograph]
16. Rubber Dinghy Demonstration.
17. DINGHY DERBY FOR THE AIR FORCE FLOATING TROPHY.
18. Ladies’ open Diving. Dives as per [missing words]
[italics] Estimated as the biggest crowd ever to attend a swimming gala in Port Elizabeth, over 1,750 spectators, service and civilian, packed the stands at St. George’s Swimming Baths to see the 42 Air School Military Gala at the end of January.
Gate money amounted to over £123. [/italics]
IN addition to Port Elizabeth military units, teams travelled from Grahamstown and Port Alfred to take part. Against these visiting and local teams, 42 Air School won all the inter-service events.
The standard of swimming and diving showed an improvement on the 1943 gala, and in addition to the more sterotyped [sic] events there was a water polo match between 42 Air School and the Rest, a Dinghy demonstration (organised by F/O John Dovey, D.F.M.) and a comic diving display by Lt. Stanton and Cadet Lauder.
The polo match was very even, the Rest overrunning 42 A.S. in the initial stages. But unfitness told, leaving the long experience of Jackie Wyman on the Rest side and Lts. Stanton and Horn, 42 A.S., to come into its own and dominate the game. After the first swim up, the Rest missed a sitter when Sgt. Jones found himself open and decided on a backflip which missed, but he scored soon afterwards from close in. The Rest scored once again giving them a 2 goal lead. 42 then made a determined attempt and reduced the lead through Lt. Horn. The score was 2-1 for the Rest at half time.
After change of ends, Lt. Stanton scored once more for 42. Soon after Cpl. v.d. Spuy put the Rest up again with a lucky back-flick from the side of the bath. 42 again attached hotly and equalised through Lt. Horn. Sgt. Wyman once again put the Rest in the lead with a long clever shot, but 42 once more equalised just before time.
Result, 4-4.
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36
RESULTS
50 YDS. MEN’S DASH (SERVICES ONLY). – 1, Lt. Horn (42 A.S.); 2, Lt. Tindall (42 A.S.); 3, Lt. Hutchison (43 A.S.) & Cadet Trewartha (Goodhope). Time: 27 secs.
The swimming in this event was a big improvement on that of last season. Of 28 entries, no fewer than 12 competitors clocked under 30 secs. Lt. Tindall of 42 Air School has a perfect style and improves every time he goes into the water.
[photograph]
Lt. Horn and Lt. Tindall, 1st and 2nd in 50 yards Services dash.
50 YDS. WOMEN’S DASH (SERVICES ONLY. [SIC] – 1, Sgt. J. Burrell (42 A.S.); 2, Cpl. J. Cross (42 A.S.); 3, L/Bdr. Lester (Heavy Battery). Time: 33.8 secs.
Joyce Burrell swam a good race to beat Joey Cross by 3 yds., in 3 secs. faster than last season’s time. Twelve entries were received for this event.
MEN’S OPEN DIVING. – 1, T. Furmston (93.6 points); 2, R. O’Neil (91.6 points); 3, R. Horn (87.4 points).
A big improvement by all competitors on diving performances in recent years. Only one bad dive in the whole competition. Tommy Furmston and R. O’Neil were constantly good in all their dives while Ronnie Horn was not much inferior.
200 YDS. MEN’S INTER-SERVICES TEAM RACE. – 1, 42 Air School (Lts. Horn, Stanton, Tindall and Marais); 2, 43 Air School; 3, H.M.S. Goodhope. Time: 1 min. 50 secs.
Once again 42 Air School proved too hot for the opposition with their team averaging 27.5 secs. per man, which is remarkably good swimming for a services team. It was an excellent race with seven teams competing. 42 beat their previous time by 6 secs. Lt. Hutchison, 43 Air School, swam an excellent last lap for his team.
133 1/3 YDS. WOMEN’S INTER-SERVICES TEAM RACE. – 1, 42 Air School (Lt. Spencer Watson, Sgts. Burrell, Harrington and Cpl. Cross); 2, S.A.C.S.; 3, S.S.S. Time: 1 min. 31.6 secs.
42 Air School with their good all round team had no difficulty in winning in the very fast average time of 22.9 secs. per member, every one swimming well.
ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?
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LIFE SAVING (MEN). – 1, Tony Cook; 2, Lt. Levy; 3, P. Stewart. [missing word] 34.4 secs.
A novelty in swimming, which proved very attractive and interesting besides being most useful, showing how quickly a body that has sunk to the bottom can be recovered and rescued.
LIFE SAVING RACE (WOMEN). – 1, Rona Burrell; 2, Pauline Rauch; 3, Cpl. Cross. Time: 42.9 secs.
50 YDS. 42 AIR SCHOOL PUPILS. – 1, L.A.C. Bryan (24 A.B.); 2, Cpl. Philips (23 A.B.); 3, L.A.C. Daniel (25 A.B.). Time 1 min. 27.8 secs.
The A.B.’s certainly made a clean sweep, filling all three places after a very even duel between Bryan and Philips.
50 YDS. OFFICERS’ DASH. – 1, Lt. Hutchison (43 A.S.); 2, Lt. Tindall (42 A.S.); 3, Lt. Marais (42 A.S.). Time: 27.3 secs.
Lt. Hutchison showed his class by winning this event in faster time than he returned in the Services 50 yards and turning the tables on Lt. Tindall. A good race, improving last year’s time by nearly 3 secs.
DINGHY DERBY. – 1, 42 Air School (Cpl. Evans and L.A.C. Moran; right and left of dinghy in picture on page 35); 2, Crash Boat; 3, Driftsands.
The gale blowing spoilt this event somewhat, as the dinghies had blown the length of the bath before the men had adjusted hood and apron. The opening of and construction of the dinghies proved to be more interesting than the race. 42 Air School fully deserved their good win.
WOMEN’S OPEN DIVING. – 1, Lily Davidson (101.4 points); 2, Cpl. Graham (88.2 points); 3, Rhona Murrell (82.4 points).
Here again the standard was a big improvement on that of last year, Lily once more proving herself to win the event twice in succession.
PUPILS’ INTER-COURSE TEAM RACE. – 1, 24 Air Navigators; 2, 23 Air Bombers; 3, 26 Air Navigators. Time: 1 min. 27.8 secs.
With all ten teams competing the event had to be swum in widths instead of lengths, and here the Navigators turned the tables on the Bombers by filling 1st and 3 [sic] places. The winning team averaged 21.9 secs per man, which was fair.
42 AIR SCHOOL INTER-SECTION TEAM RACE CHAMPIONSHIP. – 1, Navigation Section (Lts. Stanton, Glendinning, Birkett and P/O Dovey); 2, “B” Flight; 3, Nondescripts. Time: 1 min. 16.4 secs.
As far as 42 Air School was concerned this was the most important event of the whole gala. Every section possible entered a team, 14 teams in all toeing the mark. Through Lt. Tindall, “B” Flight got a silent lead which they could not maintain. Navigation, who took the lead after the second leg, recorded a close win from “B” Flight and Nondescripts in the record time of 1 min. 16.4 secs., an average of 19.1 per man.
2 WIDTHS GIRLS (12 and under). – [italics] “A” Division [/italics]: 1, Adrian Rauch; 2, Hilary Cook; 3, Gaynor Horn. Time: 23.9 secs. [italics] “B” Division [/italics]: 1, Joan Wheal; 2, Yvonne Wheal; 3, Peggie Mason. Time: 30.3 secs.
WE WANT CANDID CAMERA SHOTS
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38
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2 WIDTHS BOYS (12 and under). – [italics] “A” Division [/italics]: 1, Ronnie Horn; 2, N. Trump; 3, Roger Richardson. Time: 20.3 secs. [italics] “B” Division [/italics]: 1, [missing letters]rek Staples; 2, Clive Reed; 3, Robson Connocher. Time: 23.5 secs.
100 YDS. GIRLS UNDER 18 E.P. BREAST STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP. – 1, Lily Davidson; 2, Pauline Rauch. Time: 1 min. 32.4 secs.
100 YDS. BOYS UNDER 16 E.P. CHAMPIONSHIP. – 1, J. Bishop; 2, E. Stevens; 3, R. Prentice. Time 65.6 secs.
50 YDS. GIRLS 16 AND UNDER. – [italics] “A” Division [/italics]: 1, Joan Horn; 2, Mary Hops; 3, Lily Davidson. Time: 32.3 secs. [italics] “B” Division [/italics]: 1, H. Baynes; 2, P. Forster; 3, Hilary Kent. Time: 35.7 secs.
50 YDS. BOYS 16 AND UNDER. – [italics] “A” Division [/italics]: 1, E. Nicholson; 2, R. Crosby; 3, C. Alexander. Time: 27.5 secs. [italics] “B” Division [/italics]: 1, A. Robertson; 2, I. Lewis; 3, A.G. Blackburn. Time: 29 secs. [italics] “C” Division [/italics]: 1, J. Mortimer; 2, P. Koyd; 3, F. Soloman. Time: 32.6 secs.
It rather occurs to me that it is the common people who [italics] do [/italics] things. – [italics] Stephen Leacock. [/italics]
The best work in the world is done on the quiet. – ([italics] Proverb [/italics]).
Bacchus has drowned more men than Nepture. – [italics] Dr. Fuller’s Gnomologia, 1732. [/italics]
Our patience will achieve more than our force. – [italics] Edmond Burke, 1788. [/italics]
Licker talks mighty loud w’en it git loose from de jug. – [italics] J.C. Harris, author of Brer Rabbit. [/italics]
Enthusiasm is the genius of all sincerity. – [italics] Lord Lytton, 1834. [/italics]
[inserted] WRITERS AND ARTISTS WANTED!
Active correspondents for various parts of the Air School are still required, particularly in the Flights and among the goons. Full length articles should be submitted to The Editor, at “Q” Stores, while snippets of gossip should be sent to The Editor or put in “Woodpecker” Boxes.
There is also plenty of room for more artists to submit drawings and sketches, generally of a humorous, topical and local character. Candid camera or other interesting photographs are also acceptable. These should be sent direct to the Editor. [/inserted]
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40
[underlined] AIR SCHOOL SPORT – [/underlined]
Added Interest . . . . . . . . Shown in Tennis
[italics] Added interest is being shown in tennis on the station, and the second round in both the men’s and women’s leagues commenced during January. Spirit was keen but unfortunately all league games played were lost. [/italics]
THE feminine side has been a little weak but has been putting up a plucky fight against experienced league players. The men suffered their first defeat of the season when they met Ack Ack on 23.1.44. Our team was not at full strength through the absence of Lt. Bond and Cpl. Lyall, and ran up against a hot team in Ack Ack, who had the E.P. runner-up, Cpl. Midgley playing for them. It was a very good match producing excellent tennis which made it thoroughly enjoyable. “42” eventually lost by 3 games.
In the first round, 42 Air School (men) easily headed the log with 5 matches played and 5 matches won, scoring 10 points against Fortress with 6 points, who are reflected second on the log.
Our ladies did well to obtain fourth place in the ladies’ log with 4 points against the leaders’ (S.S.S.) 10.
The results of the three matches were:–
42 A.S. (ladies), 39 games, lost to Fortress, 60 games, by 21.
42 A.S. (ladies), 31 games, lost to S.A.A., 37 games, by 37.
42 A.S. (ladies), 39 games, lost to Fortress, 60 games, by 21.
CRICKET “IN THE DOLDRUMS”
CRICKET seems to have got in the doldrums as far as the inter-section games are concerned, only City League games being played during January.
On the 9th there was a Fortress game against Grahamstown and Port Alfred combined, and we had five players from this station representing Fortress, Lts. Edwards and Bond, Sgt. Waldeck, Cpl. Lyall and Cpl. Barnes. Lt. Edwards earned the distinction of successfully captaining the side which won by 132 runs. Cpl. Lyall took 7 wickets for 32 runs while the fielding of Lt. Bond was an object lesson, surpassing anything yet seen this season.
Seven City League games were played during the month. Four were won and three lost, one by the “A” and two by the “B” team. Seven batting performances of 30 and over were recorded. P/O Mills made the highest score with 59, while Capt. Spence got a useful double of 38 and 35, Lt. Bond doing the same with 41 and 30, followed by Rusling 45 and Vines 30. Only three bowling feats of 4 or more wickets were registered. A/M Scheckle obtained 5 for 26, which included the hat trick, the first of the season. Cpl. Lyall got 4 for 9 and Goetsch 4 for 2.
THE “WOODPECKER” NEVER SLEEPS!
[page break]
41
[underlined] By Lt. F.J. Horn [/underlined]
In the City League logs our “A” team occupied first position at the end of January, with 12 matches played; 7 wins, 3 loses, 2 draws – 16 points.
“B” team occupied third position with 8 matches, having won 4, lost 3 and drawn 1, giving 9 points – three behind the leaders, M.T.T. School.
Results of the seven City League matches played were:–
42 A.S. “A” (86) beat Driftsands (51) by 35 runs.
42 A.S. “B” (76) lost to M.T.T. “A” (119) by 43 runs.
42 A.S. “A” (130 for 5) beat Pirates (128) by 5 wickets.
42 A.S. “B” (74) lost to M.T.T. “A” (144 for 7) by 70 runs.
42 A.S. “A” (118) lost to Union (119 for 6) by 4 wickets.
42 A.S. “B” (78) beat M.T.T. “B” (44) by 34 runs.
42 A.S. “B” (200 for 6) beat M.T.T. “A” (52) by 4 wickets and 148 runs.
[inserted] SOCCER AGAIN!
In spite of scorching weather, a sudden urge to “have a kick round” has developed among the soccer fans. Several impromptu challenge matches have already been played on the aerodrome – resulting more in lost weight than improvement in style!
The soccer season will soon be opening officially, but will be the poorer this season for the loss of W/O “Tubby” Gregory, who has left for the United Kingdom. [/inserted]
REGULAR GOLF
RECENTLY our golfers have been getting matches fairly regularly with two representative Fortress matches in which Capt. Vigne, Lt. Collins, Lt. Bond, Lt. Norval, Lt. Stirk and Cpl. Dunn had the honour of representing Fortress against Fairview and Walmer.
Besides the above, 42 Air School were challenged to play against Fairview on the Fairview Course on 23.1.44 with a team of ten players. Fairview won by 5 to 4 3/4.
SQUASH INTEREST KEEN
THE W.A.A.F.s are taking a keen interest in Squash and there is a regular turn out on the Squash courts most nights. Cpl. Fuller is to be congratulated on the fine progress she has made.
GET YOUR NAME IN PRINT
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BADMINTON STILL POP[missing letters]
[missing letters]MINTON still continues to be very popular and [missing words] Y.M.C.A. Sgt. Perks has developed into a really [missing words] Cpls. Steele and Tee are also making very good progress [missing words]
INTER-UNIT TENIQUOIT
MARY SPENCER-WATSON, Stella Nillson, Ethel Har[missing letters] [missing words] Eileen Tonks and Jessie Post made up the “42” [missing words] Teniquoit Tourney held at the Oval on 22.1.44. We too[missing letters] [missing words]
“NIGHT MUST FALL”
Postings and pending postings are interfering with reheasal[missing words] Williams’ “Night Must Fall,” the latest dramatic venture of [missing words] Air School. The posting of Les Banks has been a great [missing words] gap in the cast.
Among five of the certainties so far, however, are [missing words] Grayne [missing letters]onnie Visser (as Mrs. Bramson), Leone Phillip[missing letters] [missing words] Jill Lawrie (as Dora) and Ted Carter (as Hurbert). Prod[missing letters] [missing words] of Leslie T. Berry.
[advertisement]
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42
[partial advertisement]
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[missing letters]UT OURSELVES
[missing words] The Woodpecker” is copyright and must not be reproduced [missing words] the Editor or unless due acknowledgement is made.
[missing words] from all serving men and women of 42 Air School and Drift- [missing words] [missing letters]embers of the W.A.A.F., C.P.S., S.A.W.A.S. and other organ- [missing words] far as possible an endeavour will be made to return manu- [missing words] Editor cannot be responsible for contributions that are [missing words] [missing letters]uld be original and unpublished and authenticated with the [missing words] the contributor, not necessarily for publication. They should be [missing words], on one side of the paper and should rarely exceed 1,500 words.
[missing words] is published at sixpence monthly and any profits will be devoted [missing words]
THE STAFF
Captain F.S. Stapleton, D.S.O., D.F.C., R.A.F.
Lieutenant G.L. Hindley, R.A.F.V.R.
[missing words] [missing letters]s (in this issue): Lt. F.J. Horn, S.A.A.F.; F/Sgt. L.G. Gaze, R.A.F.;
[missing words] Thompson, R.A.F.V.R.; Sgt. E. Tonks, W.A.A.F.; Cpl. A.W. Linger-Harris, [missing words] L.A.C. J.M. Templeton, R.A.F.V.R.; Miss N. Perry, S.A.W.A.S., and others.
[missing words] issue): Lt. M.H. Tester (ex-42 A.S.); F/Sgt. A.C. Campbell (ex-42 A.S.); [missing words] Gaze, R.A.F.; Cpl. J. Bell, R.A.F.
[missing words] : Station Photographic Section, and other sources.
[missing words] J. Baker, R.A.F.V.R.
[missing words] R.C. Parks, R.A.F., and Airwoman G. Roux, W.A.A.F. [missing words] R.B. Beavington, R.A.F.V.R.
BACK NUMBE[missing letters]
[missing letters] Woodpecker” contained in Volumes [missing words] from October 1941 to September 1942 and from Nov./Dec. 1942 to Septem[missing letters]ocks of which are completely exhausted: Nov./Dec. 1942 January 1943.
In Volume III, copies of the October, November, December 1943 and January 1944 issues are still available at the usual price of 6d.
THE demand for “The Woodpecker” is so great that regular readers are strongly advised to make sure of their copies by forwarding order and remittance to The Editor, “The Woodpecker,” No. 42 Air School, Port Elizabeth.
THE MARCH “WOODPECKER”
The March “Woodpecker” will be published in four weeks’ time – on Friday, 24.3.44.
All copy, drawings, photographs, suggestions, etc. should be in the hands of the Editor (available in “Q” Stores) or put in “Woodpecker” Boxes by Friday, 10.3.44, to ensure inclusion.
“Woodpecker” Boxes are to be found at the Main Guard Room, opposite the Station Notice Board and in the Sergeants’ Mess.
Correspondents not at the Air School are advised to post copy to reach the Editor by 10.3.44.
Only copy of a particularly urgent nature should be submitted after that date.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Woodpecker, February 1944
Description
An account of the resource
A magazine produced by the 42 Air School, South Africa. News, articles, jokes and cartoons about airmen at the school.
Creator
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42 Air School, RAF
Date
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1944-02
Format
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A 23 page printed newsletter
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Identifier
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MNealeETH1395951-150731-082
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Makhanda
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
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Steve Baldwin
arts and crafts
entertainment
sport
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/636/40435/MRoyallGL1801494-220420-05.1.pdf
745c45507cfc7fa5e1e7ba45085249ac
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Royall, George
G Royall
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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Royall, G
Description
An account of the resource
46 items. An oral history interview with Warrant Officer George Royall (1801494 Royal Air Force) his flying log book, photographs, correspondence, course notes, examinations, newspapers and parts of magazines. He served as a bomb aimer on 166 Squadron.
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by George Royall and catalogued by Nigel Huckins.
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.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-07-20
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
The Woodpecker magazine - October 1943
Description
An account of the resource
42 air school magazine. Articles, cartoons, artwork, club information, sports news, poems, advertisements, editor, padre, news from other stations in southern Africa, weddings and births, sports results.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1943-10
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
South Africa
South Africa--Port Elizabeth
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
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Text
Photograph
Artwork
Format
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Twenty-four page printed magazine
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
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MRoyallGL1801494-220420-05
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Conforms To
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Pending text-based transcription
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Air Force Station Port Elizabeth, South Africa
arts and crafts
entertainment
sport
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1246/16342/MNealeETH1395951-150731-001.1.pdf
c68c78b4641f3fb707627f4904d1483e
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
Neale, Ted
E T H Neale
Description
An account of the resource
123 items. The collection concerns Edward Thomas Henry Neale (b. 1922, 1395951 Royal Air Force) who served as a navigator with 37 Squadron in North Africa, the Middle East and Italy. The collection contains his training notebooks from South Africa as well as propaganda leaflets dropped by the allies in the Mediterranean theatre.
The collection also contains a photograph album, navigation logs and target photographs.
The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Alison Neale and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2015-07-31
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Neale, ETH
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No. 4
Vol. 3
JANUARY
1944
6d
[42 AIR SCHOOL Logo]
‘N SPRING VOORUIT.
Registered at the G.P.O. as a Newspaper.
The Woodpecker
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[page header – THE WOODPECKER JANUARY 1944]
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[missing word] Woodpecker
[missing words] SCHOOL, SOUTH AFRICA
Vol. III. No. 4. JANUARY, 1944, Price 6d.
Contents: PAGE
More Work Before the War Ends ! – 3-4
Max Boost’s New Year’s Honours List ! – 5-8
Nineteen Minutes Air Time for “42” ! – 9
Jock Good Goes and Does It ! – 11-13
Thanks for the Memory – 15
Wood Peckings by the Editor – 16-19
Joe’s Journal – 21-24
What Others Say – 25-27
Could R.A.F. Help the S.A. Theatre ? – 28-30
100% Parade Sees Colleagues Honoured – 31
37 Promotions – 7 Weddings – 3 Births ! – 33-35
New 42 Air School Dramatic Production – 37
42’s N.S.C. Effort Gains Radio Fame ! – 39
Eager N.M.C. Boys Are With 8th Army – 41
December a Bad Month for Cricket – 42-43
About Ourselves – 44
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1944-?
Churchill Predicts “Most Costly” Year
“The campaign of 1944 in Europe will be the most sev[missing letters] and, for the Western Allies, the most costly in lives of any [missing word] have yet fought. We must all brace ourselves for that task [missing word] strain every nerve for its successful accomplishment. . . .
“This is no time for relaxation or soft thoughts of the joys of peace and victory. Hitler still has 400 divisions under his command or control. He has a party police force which give him a grip on the agonised and regimented people of Germany incomparably stronger than anything which was at the disposal of the late Kaiser. . . .
“1944 will see the greatest sacrifice of life by the British and American armies, and battles far larger and more costly than Waterloo of Gettysburg will be fought . . . . sorrow will come to many homes in the United Kingdom and throughout the Great Republic of the United States.”
WINSTON CHURCHILL,
9th November, 1943.
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Smuts Believes “Victory Probable”
“We have reached what I think are the final stages of this war. The year 1944 will, in all human probability, see the end of the greatest war in history. There will be very heavy fighting – have no illusions about that. I know you are not daunted by the prospect of the immense labours which will be necessary for victory. The end may be the hardest of the whole long pull.”
JAN CHRISTIAAN SMUTS,
8th December, 1943.
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[underlined] EDITORIAL – [/underlined]
More Work Before The War Ends !
[italics] “The Woodpecker” is not very often a serious bird, but at times like the beginning of a New Year – and what may be a momentous year – it does no harm to break away from the familiar “Woodpecker” styles typified by Joe Soap, P/O Boost and L.G.G. ! [/italics]
[inserted] THE INGENIOUS ERK !
Airplane repair work at the front sometimes involves the necessity for a good deal of ingenuity, as a propeller maintenance man reported recently.
He told of travelling to a marsh in North Africa to look after a plane. “We took the propeller off, using a gasoline drum as a bench,” he said “To straighten the blade we backed a truck over the bent portion; a wooden pattern was made to check it. Then the plane was towed to an open field and the patched-up propeller flew it back to a depot for complete repairs.” [/inserted]
WHILE we are fully justified in taking hope from the words of that most eminent statesman of our times, Field Marshal J.C. Smuts, who believes that “in all human probability” the war will end in 1944, we must, at the same time agree with Mr. Winston Churchill that “this is no time for relaxation or soft thoughts of the joys of peace and victory.”
[italics] In short, the war may be over before 1945 dawns, but it is not over – yet. [/italics]
It is obvious that the war is not over to those in bomb scarred Britain, to those returning to the battered cities of Kiev and Kharkov, to those chased from their Far East plantations and business houses by the Japanese, to those who still suffer in the occupied countries. It is not so obvious in South Africa. The petrol ration has been steady for a year, certain classes of motor tyres can now be re-treaded, the Black Out in Port Elizabeth has been lifted, at Christmastide we wined and dined on as lavish a scale as before the war – even silk stockings can be bought in the shops again! Abyssinia is a memory, the Hun has been driven from African soil, he is now fighting for his life halfway up the Italian peninsula. The war is indeed far away from Port Elizabeth – but only geographically.
The victories for the United Nations in Europe, in Asia, in the Pacific will depend in the great plan of things as much on the men and women of 42 Air School as on those working in the front lines. There are going to be more air
WHO IS JOE SOAP?
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[letter missing]echanics from South Africa drafted to the front line, but some will have to stay behind.
For those who remain, the work is going to be harder.
We can hear the man in the workshop saying, “It’s the poor old air mechanic again. Whenever there is a can to be carried, whistle up an air mechanic.” To a great extent that has been true – not because his work hasn’t been appreciated. But because it has never been properly recognised. It’s not always interesting being just one of those men in the workshop – an aircraft plumber, an erk – call him what you will. But everyone from the C.G.S. downwards knows that if it wasn’t for the air mechanic there wouldn’t even be a humble Anson in the air.
And they do know that the biggest raid over Berlin and those devastating attacks on Italy would not have been possible had it not been for the air mechanic. You’ve got to have a serviceable machine before even thinking about instructors or pupils. You’ve got to have training schools to get front line pilots. To have a training school, you’ve got to have aircraft. To have aircraft – well-serviced aircraft, which are the kind we are concerned with – you have to have that backbone, that too often forgotten backbone of the Air Force – the air mechanic.
The air mechanic may not be glamorised or much talked of, but in higher places he’s not forgotten.
Did You Miss Your “Woodpecker”
A lot of people had a big moan last month – they found they were too late to buy their Christmas “Woodpeckers.” It isn’t a new complaint – it happens pretty well every issue – but while the organisers of “The Woodpecker” can’t do much about it, you readers can.
Paper restrictions prevent us from publishing more “Woodpeckers” each month. Of the total printed –
50% are sold on permanent staff pay parade,
10% on pupils’ pay parade,
20% go to the various messes for officers and other personnel who do not attend pay parades,
10% are sold in town for the benefit of non-42 service people and for interested civilians, and
10% are posted to official libraries and to regular subscribers.
It is believed that this distribution is as fair as possible. However, if you can’t get your copy on pay parade and if your mess has sold out every time, why not call at “Q” Stores, deposit a few shillings (6/- for a year of [sic] 3/- for six months) and have your copy sent to you each month? It will be delivered to you on the station, and if you are posted will be forwarded on to you without fail every month. It’s the only way to be sure.
THE “WOODPECKER” NEVER SLEEPS!
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[underlined] AMONG THE OFFICERS – [/underlined]
Max Boost’s New Year’s Honours List!
PILOT Officer Max Boost – for fifteen months chronicler for the Officers’ Mess – is graciously pleased to award the following High Distinctions to Deserving Colleagues:-
F/O Nicky Carter: N.S.C. (and bar).
Lt. Hi-di-hi Webb: Protector of the Most Sacred Bull.
F/O “Smithy” Smith: Order of the Lost Bicycle.
Lt. Ann du Toit: The Most Revealing Order of the Garter (or Modern Counterpart).
F/O Johnny Plowman: The Maltese Cross (with Irrepressible Citation).
Capt. Dave Miller: The Inconstancy Medal (for social activities in Port Elizabeth).
P/O Whatcha-Chums Fletcher: The Outstanding Gallantry Medal (for constant courage in the face of his mother-inlaw [sic]).
S/Ldr. “Matt” Matthews: The Order of the Unbelievable Shorts.
P/O Ivor Edwards: The Horned Order of the Ram.
F/Lt. Bill Harper: The Maintenance Metal (for distinguished work in locating the supercharger on a Cheetah engine).
All Staff Pilots: The Supreme Order of the Permanent Finger.
P/O Eric Baker: Companionship of the Invisible Moustache.
F/Lt. “Bushy” Parks: Bar (without medals).
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BUT – [underlined] SOME [/underlined] OF THEM SLEEP IN CAMP, SURELY!
SEND IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS
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[italics] I’ve never heard the tale before
From colleague, quack or man of lore,
A tale so quaint and yet so true –
And explanation I’ll leave with you.
Some years ago, Bill Harper said,
My bloody big toe forced me to bed,
With pain so great you can’t conceive,
And such no doctor could relieve.
My life was bitter, hard t’endure
Until sweet day, I found my cure,
‘Tis just to carry, free from mud,
Where’re you go, a little spud. [/italics]
[photograph]
MUST GET THIS LEMON SQUEEZER FIXED OR HARPER WILL BE ON MY TRACK!
Cupid has become as rife in the mess of late as the inventive and creative spirit of Matthews & Harper, architects, builders, interior decorators and general furnishers.
Lieutenants Retief and Birkett have both taken the Awful Step, and by announcing his engagement to Miss Daphne Hunt, of Port Elizabeth, P/O John Dovey stands on the first rung of the ladder.
MILITARY term explained –
Adjutant: Derived from Latin word meaning “to help.” No one can explain this derivation. Not at his best unless he has two telephones. Uses them for telling people that someone else is dealing with the matter. It is recorded that there was once an adjutant who knew where his O.C. was and what he was doing. This occurred in 1742. Can always be depended upon to quote a routine order that prevents you from getting what you feel sure you are entitled to.
(And don’t blame Max Boost for that either, Cop; it came in a circular from Fortress!)
[italics] Tordoff took the “Pecker’s” tip,
No longer gives us all the pip;
Now we warn another flyer,
You’re being watched, young Dickie Dyer. [/italics]
FAR too many parties over Christmas to say something about all of them.
Searching over the pieces of toilet paper he commonly uses for a notebook, Max Boost discovered the following odd notes, and as the House Warming Party in the Mess was an unusual “do,” they are repeated for the sake of history.
Guests received by Mrs. Ann Stapleton and W/Cdr. Tommy Tucker (in absence on duty of the C.O.) . . . . Jackie Malley pinching a fellow F/Lt’s girl
WHERE WAS YOUR PAL LAST NIGHT?
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friend to give a tango exhibition. . . . Even Fletch and Beavy “among those present,” cheering up their rare appearance at a mess social by consuming lots of beer. . . . Fletch watching the legs, Beavy the bare backs. . . . “Transport” Kauffman grumbling because he had no champagne for Bushy Parks to borrow. . . . Dave Miller very quiet for a change. . . . Ann du Toit bouncing (What a lovely word – Ed.!) from twig to twig. . . . Connie Hopkins hanging out of the window – but looking at the moon, she says, not the result of excess lemos. . . . Elaine Kellaway looking all wrong in frills and fluffies. . . . Nick Carter seen to dance once, rest of time ogling his band. . . . Doc Lawrence in amazing spirits, in several senses. . . . Lt. Smith popping in and out – “for a walk,” he said – with different partners. . . . Bonzo Bond was – as usual. . . . Large numbers of wives and girl friends, also other people’s wives and other people’s girl friends. . . . Lt. Lucy introducing some new talent to the mess. . . . Killian’s moustache wilting visibly towards the end of the evening. . . . Bill Harper and Partner not on speaking terms, after Bill’s collapse on the dance floor. . . .
BEAVY
[italics] He’s only small, and somewhat shy,
With eye so blue as summer sky,
So full of light and dancing love
Of man’s own gift from God above. [/italics]
[sketch]
THIS IS YOUR MAGAZINE
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9
[underlined] BROADCASTS HOME – [/underlined]
Nineteen Minutes Air Time For “42”!
[italics] No. 42 Air School is to have nineteen minutes of broadcast time all to itself on B.B.C. home wavelengths, to enable R.A.F. personnel on the unit to send messages to their wives, parents and friends in the United Kingdom. This is a direct result of negotiations originated by “The Woodpecker” in August last year.
[inserted] B.B.C. PROGRAMMES FOR S.A.
Depending on the range of the radio set being used, B.B.C. programmes from London can now be heard in South Africa for eighteen hours a day – i.e., right round the clock except for the period 01.00 to 07.00 hours.
The General Overseas Service is audible from 07.00 to 10.00 and from 15.00 to 01.00 hours; the African services from 13.50 to 13.45 [sic] and 18.30 to 23.59 hours; and various European programmes from 13.30 to 16.30, 18.30 to 19.15, and almost continuously from 22.00 to 00.45 hours. [/inserted]
ON a census of station personnel, individual qualifications to broadcast were considered, and the names of three officers and 22 N.C.O.s and airmen (and messages they will broadcast) were submitted for approval before Christmas. Although at the time of going to Press, the messages have not yet been recorded, it is expected that this will take place at Grahamstown today, 28.1.44. After recording, the messages will be re-broadcast. That the B.B.C., London, requested “a special message programme from the R.A.F., Port Elizabeth” to last nineteen minutes is revealed in a letter from the S.A.B.C. Controller of Programmes, Johannesburg.
An earlier letter from Assistant Director of Publicity at the B.B.C., London, stressed the “entirely sympathetic” attitude of the Corporation towards broadcasts by service personnel. “The B.B.C.,” it was added, “would like to be able to give time on the air to everybody who asks; unfortunately, the time that can be devoted to message programmes in the Home Service is limited.”
No. 42 Air School may, therefore, be considered fortunate in obtaining this programme to itself.
The School’s broadcast will be one of many from the Union. During the past year, the B.B.C., in collaboration with the S.A.B.C., has arranged two programmes of two-way conversations between airmen in South Africa and their wives and relatives in Great Britain, and two programmes for the men of all services in St. Dunstan’s, South Africa.
(It is hoped that an account of how the recordings were made will appear in next month’s “Woodpecker.” – Ed.).
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[underlined] L.G.G.’s DESPATCH – [/underlined]
Jock Good Goes And Does It!
[italics] Even Boat Talk took second place in No. 3 Squadron – and goodness knows, that’s saying something! – against the excitement of Flight Sergeant Jock Good’s wedding to Miss Molly Joan Gouws in December, at Russell Road Methodist Church. [/italics]
THE bridegroom was supported by F/Sgt. L.G. Gaze, as best man (the supported part of it must not be taken literally), and the groomsman (not to be confused with horses, as that oaf Joe Soap will most probably imagine) was Sgt. Richmond, of Oxford Section; truly a No. 3 Squadron wedding. The most worried person during the whole of the ceremony was Richie. He was positively white with fright. Anyway, the whole ceremony went off without a hitch, all replies were made without falter on the part of the bride and bridegroom except that Jock seemed rather keen to get out of the church at the cessation of the service. He left the others standing, so at one point it looked as if it was three separate weddings in progress. Still no one worries at a wedding over small things like that. It all helps to enhance the proceedings and give one very happy memories to look back on in later years.
The wedding reception was held at the home of the bride at Walmer, where everyone turned up to offer congrats to the happy couple. Amongst those present were Mrs. F.S. Stapleton, wife of the Officer Commanding No. 42 Air School, whose presence and kindly interest were greatly appreciated by all, F/O J.H. Smith, O.C. No. 3 Squadron, F/Lt. Levitt then O.C. “B” Flight, “Hi de Hi Webb, and a host of other Well Known Personalities, not forgetting of course “There’s a thing” Joe Pountain and the Tarmac Terror, Sid Dewey,
ARE YOU A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT?
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12
who had had his instructions from the bridegroom previously reference camp beds (shades of Paddy’s wedding!).
The reception went with a swing, speeches were made, S/Sgt. Zeeman, of the N.M.C., excelling himself with his speech which was most entertaining and witty, reference being made to the boys in blue pinching all the nice South African girls. And he was not far wrong either, looking round the gathering present. Refreshments were on a lavish scale and enjoyed by the guests until midnight!
Jack [sic] and his bride left for their honeymoon at 5.45 p.m., the Zuurberg Hotel being their destination. This was finally reached after a burst radiator and a change of cars at the twenty-fifth milestone. Anyway they reached their destination at 9.45 p.m., complete with tennis rackets (this last remark being very subtle). Jock did not take his tennis togs. So ended a perfect day, and now Jock catches the Walmer bus with unfailing regularity at “Pack up,” and the Sqaudron Office now forward Mrs. Good a duty list for the ensuing week. This overcomes all doubt as to where Jock actually is.
ANOTHER big celebration was the occasion of the Airmen’s “DO” in the Toc H, the party in celebration of the pending departure of No. 28 Draft. From all reports, a good time was had by all. Joe seemed a little disappointed that he was unable to get a hearing in the stage. Still there will be many more occasions before all the Draft eventually leave, (This is not boat gen, only surmise. – Ed.).
ANOTHER departure that should be mentioned is that of F/Lt. Lionel Levitt, “E” Flight. He threw a terrific party in the form of a Braaivleis, which members of the Squadron attended. Who are the Squadron going to blame for late take offs now? In his place we welcome Capt. Sterley, D.F.C., who has also interested himself in the Brighter Office movement in his new Section, and has already condemned the colour scheme of the Pilot’s Room. The colour at present being rose, on first glances it somewhat resembles a ladies’ boudoir!
A PILLAR of Lovers’ Lane has left the Squadron – Cpl. Ginger Williams. He is now trashing in Queenstown. We hope he is not leaving the car doors open there when he has finished using the interior.
At the time of writing one has to walk very warily at night from the Squash Counts to the Sergeants’ Mess Lines. It is the most embarrassing hundred
[inserted] MEMORY!
“From that first moment that we heard the bells of the Campanile ringing out across the waters towards our ship we felt we reached a destination and a marking point in life,” wrote Hakim In the “Woodpecker” of Oct. 1941. “The approach to land revealing the trams and buses, the skyscrapers and the busy trade of Port Elizabeth, was a revelation, and the welcome we were accorded seven thousand miles from all that we held dear was as unexpected as a miracle. The welcome, the hospitality and the assential cordiality of it all cannot be described in mere words. In less than twenty-four hours we knew we were at home.” [/inserted]
“WOODPECKER” BOX – SERGEANTS’ MESS
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yards in the whole Unit. One feels an interloper, carefully negotiating shadowy figures locked in each others’ embrace. In fact it was remarked by a comrade that if perchance you happen to collide with anyone, you stand a good chance of being kissed.
L.A.C. DOCKERILL is now the proud owner of a baby daughter. The Squadron offer their congratulations to him on his new acquisition.
Wally Tate was a visitor recently to P.E. He informed us that he was on his embarkation leave. (Is this duff gen from Oudtshoorn?).
Joe Pountain is again in the news in view of his very amusing sketch the other Sunday night, entitled “The Plague of London” or “Bring out your Dead.” The part was excellently done, caused great amusement and was appreciated by the majority of us. Some took exception probably thinking poor old Joe was referring to them. Joe was ably assisted by the Sergeants’ Mess “Werewolves.”
The Squadron understands that Bread-for-All Tippet has destroyed his patent formula now. Its departure was missed over the festive season.
“42 IN THE LIMELIGHT”
“Somehow or other,” wrote a local newspaper, “members of 42 Air School are keeping themselves in the limelight. We don’t mean by way of marriages and engagements – although, heaven knows, there are plenty of them – but by working for useful efforts for their fellows.”
This was a reference to the Garden Fete at Walmer, held in December in aid of Christmas Cheer for the air forces Up North. It was a great success, both socially and financially.
The garden fete in the afternoon – at which the Air Force and Maritime Bands “shattered Walmer’s usual suburban charm with a well balanced programme” (to quote a correspondent) – was followed at night by a combined band concert and dance.
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Thanks For The Memory . . .
Thanks for the memory
Of sweet Pretoria nights,
Of guards at Roberts Heights,
Of spring in all its glory,
Of Jo’burg and its lights –
How lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of Martini’s sweet and dry,
Of Girls we left to cry,
Of long weekends and parting friends,
Who left us high and dry –
How lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of brawls in P.E. bars,
Of O.B. battle scars,
Of burning lips and dreams of ships
And drives in people’s cars –
How lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of Gold mines on the Rand,
Of bathing belles and sand,
Of getting burnt and wish you weren’t
But never getting tanned –
How lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of ladies we have met,
Of sessions in the “wet,”
Of lager ache, and Chateau shakes
And duff reports from “Met” –
How lovely it was.
Thanks for the memory
Of girls who have a flat,
Of welcome on the mat,
Of evenings we have spent there
Just doing this and that –
How lovely it was.
At the first cup man drinks wine; at the second cup wine drinks wine; at the third cup wine drinks man. – Oriental proverb.
SEND A “WOODPECKER.” HOME
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Wood Peckings. . . . . . . by The Editor
OUT of a position of vagueness, there at last dawns some indication of the war service medals which will not be granted to personnel of the Royal Air Force who have served for three years in the vital but non-operational Joint Air Training Scheme of South Africa. The words “will not be granted” are chosen deliberately.
It was obvious, of course, that the Africa Star would not come the way of those who had seen service only in the Union, and now the terms of a British Army Council Institution (circulated recently in South Africa by S.A.P.A. – Reuter) made it clear that no 1939-43 Stars will be coming this way either. This Star – to be granted to most who were not actually in the North African campaign – will be granted to all officers and other ranks of the United Kingdom and Colonial Forces, Nursing Officers, officers and other ranks of the A.T.S., and V.A.D. officers and members who, between September 3, 1939, and December 31, 1943, aggregated at least six months’ service in operational commands in Iraq, Syria, Persia, Madagascar, Sicily and Italy. Time spent as a Prisoner of War up to December, 1943, counts, and men with six months’ sea-going duty in dangerous waters, which include the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans are also eligible.
That leaves out the R.A.F. in South Africa, and, indeed, the R.A.F. – thousands and thousands of them – who have been doing a “binding,” unglamorous job for years in the Training Commands of Rhodesia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Why not recognise those who have involuntarily had war service without the thrills and the satisfactions of operations by introducing a Training Service Medal? This could be granted to personnel who served in peaceful conditions admittedly, but with few grumbles away from their wives and families and homes, so that thousands of their comrades could become efficient pilots, navigators, bombers and gunners to man the 1,000 bomber raids on enemy territory. It would be some indication that they are not the forgotten men.
At the time of going to Press, no clarification has been made as to whether the R.A.F. attached to the U.D.F. prior to May, 1943, will be entitled to wear the ribbon of the South African Service Medal.
In fact, so far the R.A.F. in South Africa isn’t doing at all well!
WHILE on the subject of medals, the award for bravery in the air of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal to an ex-pupil of No. 42 Air School (reported in the November “Woodpecker”) caused a certain amount of controversy, led by those who contended that the C.G.M. was a purely Naval medal. In the early days of the war that was true, and one of the many booklets devoted to medals and decorations, and published in 1939, stated that the C.G.M. could be won “for acts of conspicuous gallantry in action with the enemy, and is open to N.C.O.s and men of the Royal Marines as well as Petty Officers and men of the Royal Navy.”
During 1942, however, there was a general pooling by the three British services of medals normally reserved for themselves.
For example, the C.G.M. – previously a Naval award only – can now be won
ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?
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by warrant officers, N.C.O.s and men of the R.A.F. and also by Army men on flying duties, none of whom are eligible for the D.S.O. (which is only awarded to commissioned officers). The C.G.M. takes precedence over the D.F.M., in the same way as the D.S.O. is superior to the D.F.C. When awarded to Naval personnel, the C.G.M. has a white ribbon with dark blue marginal stripes. When awarded to airmen and the Army, the ribbon will be light blue with dark blue marginal stripes.
Similarly, for acts of gallantry on the ground, personnel of the R.A.F. may receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal, formally only an Army award. The D.F.C., A.F.C., D.F.M. AND A.F.M. – previously confined to the flying services – are now also available for Army personnel engaged on flying duties, as glider pilots or observers.
“CHURCHILL this evening suggested war-end in 1943 or 1944 – hell!”
I don’t remember writing those remarkable words, but they appear in my diary on the date 26th December, 1941 – over two years ago, a few months after leaving the U.K., when a quick peace and a quick rolling on of the boat were foremost thoughts in mind. It is only keeping a diary that makes it possible for us to look back on our one-time re-actions. In those days of 1941 the idea of war till 1944 was frightful; it has turned out a reality. Churchill, indeed, appears to rival H.G. Wells as a prophet!
And talking of prophets, a quick browse through English newspapers published in 1942 produce a few items of interesting reading. In 1942, for instance, Old Moore’s well known Almanack (according to the “Daily Mirror”) forecast an Allied victory in 1943! Then there was the man who told a Welsh Conscientious Objectors’ Tribunal in 1942 that by his scientific discoveries he could end the war in six months. He swore that if the tribunal did not take him seriously, he would take up work for the enemy, who would, he declared, be able to invade England in 1943.
The tribunal certainly didn’t take him seriously! Neither did his threats come to anything! There are lots of predictions and lots of threats – particularly Hitler’s – that never came true. We can laugh at them now.
SELF-PRAISE, it is said, is no recommendation, but when comments on “The Woodpecker” appear in one of the world’s leading newspaper and magazine trade periodicals – “World’s Press News” – they are worth repeating. In a short article dealing with South Africa’s service periodicals – they now number fourteen – “The Woodpecker” received its own special mention as “a neat 48-page publication, pocket size, packed with personal quips, current gossip, good photographs and some fine articles.”
Editorial staff was still blushing when a letter arrived from Arthur J. Heighway, Managing Director and Editor of “World’s Press News,” with the remarks: “Congratulations on the merit of ‘The Woodpecker.’ It is a bright little number, which I am sure is read with much interest by all your boys.”
Thanks to Mr. Heighway, a copy of “The Woodpecker” now lies in the Library of the British Press Club!
WE WANT CANDID CAMERA SHOTS
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gotten during this great festival when “Good Christian Men Rejoice.” The rather prosaic camp life changes for a while and everybody becomes filled with good cheer even if it is of the “Castle” variety. Senior officers whom we have viewed with fear over the past twelve months, descend from their thrones to mix with the most inconspicuous of A/C2’s.
We do believe that these occasional relaxations of discipline and the comradeship that exists between officers and men does more to help the war effort than any propaganda. For a spell the serious problem of war is forgotten whilst we all relax for four whole days preparatory to working even harder for the great cause after the “break.”
[underlined] WOODBROOK – [/underlined]
B.O.N.
[underlined] THE BOMB-AIMERS’, OBSERVERS’ AND NAVIGATORS’ UNION [/underlined]
During the past year, 48 Air School has had many reasons to be grateful to the people of East London. The hospitality and the kindness, which pupils and permanent staff have received in East London homes, have given us memories which we shall carry away with us wherever we may go, when the time comes to say “adieu.” . . . . On your behalf, “B.O.N.” takes this opportunity of voicing a sincere “thank you” to the many good civilian friends of the station. . . . The good spirit of the station is reflected in the excellent relationship that exists between East Londoners and 48 Air School.
[underlined] HEANY, S. RHODESIAN – [/underlined]
THE NEW AFRAF
The RHODESIAS’ FIRST SERVICE NEWSPAPER
Heany Messing Officer declared that this year’s Christmas pudding is probably one of the biggest ever made in the Colony. It weighed over 600-lbs. when stirring was in progress; also mixed are £5 worth of tickeys [sic]. Thirty six bottles of brandy, 36 bottles of rum, and 450 eggs were amongst the ingredients that were well mixed together.
Below is a full list of everything that went in:
Flour . . . 75-lbs.
Breadcrumbs . . . 75-lbs.
Suet . . . 75-lbs.
Sugar . . . 75-lbs.
Eggs . . . 450
Currants . . . 75-lbs.
Sultanas . . . 75-lbs.
Raisins . . . 38-lbs.
Mixed Spice . . . 5-lbs.
Almonds . . . 7-lbs.
Brandy . . . 36 bottles
Rum . . . 36 bottles
Twelve W.A.A.F. Promotions
No fewer than 12 W.A.A.F. promotions have been promulgated recently, one new sergeant and ten new corporals.
Promoted to Sergeant are Corporal Ethel Harrington and Corporal Phyllis Anderson, while the new Corporals are Airwomen L. Hicken, A.S. van Wyk, D.M. Robinson, N. Bestwetherick, G. Dargie, J.M. Chiles, I.Y.M. Holmes, J.H. Norris, E.J. Botha and E.J. Eales.
Two Goldfishes!
The story will be told in next month’s “Woodpecker” of how an officer and an airman, now at 42 Air School, became eligible – by saving their lives in dinghies – for the Goldfish Badge.
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[underlined] EDITOR’S WOOD PECKINGS – [/underlined]
All of which really makes us quite famous!
DO you remember how Milner Park’s “Fledgling” chewed us up some months ago, criticised our sense of humour and said (among other things) that the essay on The Cow, which appeared in the August “Woodpecker” was a hoary old joke, anyway?
Remember, too, how we inferred lack of humour in “Fledgling” and retorted that editors of “The Port Elizabeth Advertiser” and Waterkloof’s “Tale Spin” had both thought this same essay on The Cow funny enough ot [sic] print?
Latest is that Thornhill’s “Slip-stream” has also published this “grand epic!”
So more and more people agree with our sense of humour, “Fledgling!”
VEREENIGING’S magazine “Clamp,” has gone all cynical – at the expense of women. Here are some of the things it says:-
Which is more important to man, his trousers or his wife? His trousers – he can go lots of places without his wife.
A girl with cotton stockings never sees a mouse.
Some evening gowns are fitting and proper. Others are just fitting.
The downfall of man is often the result of the upkeep of woman.
A wife is one who stands by you in trouble you would never have had if you had not married her.
A modern girl learns a lot on her mother’s knee, but she learns a lot more on her bot friend’s.
Many a girl has gotten herself into trouble through obeying the boyological urge.
There is no man so bad that woman cannot make him worse.
A SOLDIER passed through a South African port on his way to other spheres during this war. His name was John Drolle, of the R.W.A.F.F.
“I see a new nation,” he wrote after his visit, “which will eventually become the mother of all African countries, and the key to all African civilisation and culture. For surely this country has taken its place beside the others who are fighting for freedom. Surely its very youth cannot deny it a prosperous future.”
Those are words worth bearing in mind.
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EDITED by JOE SOAP
Joe’s Journal
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SUPPLEMENT TO “THE WOODPECKER”
“WOODPECKER” PUBLISHES OWN RIVAL!
WHAT You’ve Been Waiting For
THIS is something unique in journalism, something you’ve been waiting for. “The Woodpecker” is doing what probably no journal has ever done before – publishing a rival newspaper within its own pages!
There are several reasons for it. Joe Soap’s gossip – feature of “The Pecker” for fifteen months – needed revitalising; so “Joe’s Journal” is a new format. For as long as Joe has been writing for “The ‘Pecker,” there have been those who could not send copies back to their homes because of what he had said about them; so “Joe’s Journal” will now be published on the centre pages each month, pages which can easily be removed without spoiling the rest of the magazine! “The Woodpecker” can go home minus “Joe’s Journal!”
Then there is this question of the Editor and his Staff – “protected personnel” they have called because they always intrigued to leave out the juiciest bits about themselves! Now Joe is given a free hand to publish what he likes in his “Journal,” even about “The Woodpecker” officials.
“Joe’s Journal” is a free and independent paper. It will say what it likes about anybody, may even criticise “The Woodpecker” itself.
The identity of Joe Soap will continue to be as great a secret as ever, but he will get around in a way that will amaze you. He will creep among officers, N.C.O.s, airmen and W.A.A.F.s, just as he always has done. He wants help, though, and contributions for “Joe’s Journal” will be considered from anyone who wants to send them in. They may be addressed to “Joe’s Journal” or to Joe Soap, at “Q” Stores, or may be put in “Woodpecker” boxes round the camp.
Remember, the Editor of “The Woodpecker” doesn’t edit “Joe’s Journal,” it’s Joe’s affair and his alone. Now get cracking and push in all the most gossipy and the most spicy gen you can.
Joe looks forward to it!
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JOE ATTENDS CORPORALS’ GUEST NIGHT!
“Sweeney Chapman Blew In”
ONCE again Joe Soap slipped into a Corporals’ Club Guest Night in December, just to see that everything was running smoothly. To his satisfaction he found the usual crowds gathered together to enjoy the informal occasion in spite of the weather being so hot.
This time the band was in attendance, rendering all the latest numbers . . . Titch tinkling away on the ivory keys. . . George Britton nursing his beloved saxophone. . . Mush Williams, feeling the heat a bit too much for him, rid himself of his jacket. . . Sweeney Chapman blew in after a satisfactory weekend leave and joined the dancers. . . Lofty Pitt complaining that his tonsils were sore, but didn’t seem to make any difference to his swallowing. . . A/W Smith left her patients at the hospital to join the party and do a spot of singing for us. . . Tutt was there complete with well trimmed moustache. . . Alice complaining that her mosquito bites kept worrying her. . . B. . . accompanied by a merry widow. . . George Mallyon’s very hearty laugh – must have been a good one George. . . Frank Bird, accompanied by his very charming wife but dancing quite a lot with someone else. . . could it be dance lessons you were giving , Margaret? . . . incidentally, Joyce and Sweeney seemed to make a “go” of it on the dance floor. . . Bradley too, seemed to feel the heat, as witness the patches of water on the back of his shirt. . . Todd doing his best to sell a few tickets for the Corporals’ Club Sweep. . . once again the tempting savouries and refreshments provided by the mess and O’Dell proving himself a very efficient bar man. . . altogether a very jolly evening.
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[italics] Scenes in the Corporals’ Club at Christmas: photos by Corporal W.J. Bint, of Photographic Section. [/italics]
OFFER TO S.A/C.O
Certain W.A.A.F.s on the unit are debating whether S/Ldr. Matthews will exchange his beautiful shorts for a split skirt.
Interviewed on the subject, the S/Ldr. Showed his usual reticience [sic]. “The W.A.A.F.s and I will have to get together,” was his comment.
W.A.A.F. UNDERWEAR BRIBE?
Joe Soap is telephone snooping as well, these days. Picked up a ‘phone the other night to overhear an S.P. offering a telephone operator a set of underwear.
Either the tel. op. boobed or Paddy shouldn’t make offers like that by ‘phone.
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BUTCH LEONARD “GOES ALL SOFT”
Heat or Girl Friend?
It was noticed at the Sergeants’ Mess Draw Night that Butch Leonard, overcome by the heat (?), failed to pay the necessary attention to his girl friend, who came all the way from Durban for the occasion.
Consequently Saturday night found Butch walking out of camp with a large bunch of flowers taken from the “T” Stores garden.
It is now wondered whether or not she accepted his peace offering.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” – Winston Churchill, May 13th, 1940.
We have nothing to offer ourselves but to get “blood” hot in the sun at Humewood, to “toil” to get a deck chair, to “tear” ourselves away from our work to get to Humewood and to “sweet” trying to get a seat on the tram. We shall never give in.
It is rumoured that Sgt. Burlton – who recently staggered the Orderly Room by smoking a cigarette! – is soon to take a P.T. course in the old Y.M.C.A.
Joe wants to know why F/Sgt. Taffy Davies wishes to apply for a (com)passionate posting to No. 4 Squadron. Has he heard the bells ringing?
Did you convince yourself about Chinese maidens on Christmas night, Chalky, or did you just go to dance?
Stevens Road seems to be popular with the “E” Flight twins and a certain rigger these days. Is it the hill or Sheila getting you down, Stevie?
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It is stated officially that the drawing on the W.A.A.F. page last month was not intended to portray Mrs. Walsh at the salute.
Congratulations to Sgt. Granny Thompson on his “promotion” to Group Captain at the Walmer Garden Fete last month. (It is denied that the C.O. will soon take up an appointment in Pay Accounts).
Then there was the W.A.A.F. who wondered what was this “ultra violation” she had to have at the camp hospital.
FISHY STURGEON
F/Sgt. Sturgeon – a weird sort of bloke,
Always ready to tell a good joke,
A feller who rarely feels energetic.
And when annoyed (wow!) makes blokes regret it,
For his man hour sheet the boys are all timed,
And there’s no slacking now, with that in their mind,
But the boys always wangle time off for tea,
And he’s not such a bad feller I’m sure you’ll agree.
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[underlined] “JOE’S JOURNAL” – [italics](Continued)[/italics] [/underlined]
We were sorry to hear that Smudge suffered a severe cigarette burn at a recent Corporals’ Club evening. Well, you would dance with one shoe off.
Joe often wonders if F/Lt. Stonehouse ever sings “In my Solitude.”
Why did a certain wireless operator go walking among the bushes after the Corporals’ Club party? Was it to see whether his better half would be bitten by mosquitos.
Who was it at the Sergeants’ Mess Dance sought admiration from the fair sex about his moustache? Is he looking for Sudden fame?
Joe believes Policeman George had a good time after a recent Corporals’ Club guest night, especially when he was kissed goodnight by Alice. We are watching for further developments, George.
Why did I take that drink of gin Cried Harold of the Sergeants’ Mess. Judging by the “head” I had next day I should have taken less!
Who is Sgt. “Joe Smith” alias the “Little Romeo”? Could it be he who Wings his way out of camp each night on an early bus?
Who is the officer who has discovered that 25 Group has been removed to Humewood?
I hear a boat come sailing
Across the wintry sea.
It takes not “28” to Blighty,
But instead to the dusty M.E.
We notice Eddie Tyas surpassed himself on Old Year’s Night by trying to drown the orchestra with his crooning.
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What Others Say. . . .
[underlined] GEORGE – [/underlined]
DUFF-GEN
The war has gone on for over four years, and inevitable war-weariness and staleness is setting in, especially so and understandably so amongst those who have had the far from glamorous task of training people all the time. We are all of us perhaps at times inclined to take it out of each other and to be intolerant of each other’s shortcomings. We are having to combat the disease of apathy, which is just what Master Adolph and the nasty little Yellow Men are counting on. How about a big “chase away the Blues-cum-Pull-finger” movement, chaps!!
The Union of South Africa has a motto which translates as “Unity is Strength.” One can think of very few better mottoes. It is a simple truth, but one to think deeply on.
[underlined] BROOKLYN – [/underlined]
“THE ERK”
The word co-operative in South Africa is generally associated with the wealthy wine, wool and sugar companies controlled by rich land owners. It is beyond the imagination of the average airman on the Brooklyn bus to think of owning shares of one of these co-operative companies. Yet “The Erk” takes this opportunity of bringing to the notice of each Erk and Erkulass the existence on this station of such a co-operative movement.
It is a “Co-op” on wheels known to all and sundry as Fitt’s Folly and Fitt’s Folly will pay a dividend to every member living on the station.
Recently the airmen on this station volunteered a 2/- a month Messing Fee to be used for improving rations. Fitt’s Folly will pay the Mess a further two shillings a month per man, thus doubling the amount of money available for the improvements.
As it is the intention of the organisers not to compete with the Y.M.C.A., a better quality product is offered for sale, yet all cakes are sold at cost – the profit coming from a trade discount allowed.
In the past, buying anything was a one way affair. We paid are money and that was the end of it. Our new “Co-op” shop by giving back the profit it makes to the Erks has made everyone a virtual shareholding member. We don’t know who originated the idea – the popular name may provide a clue. But who ever it was deserves a “hats-off” for this successful social station experiment.
[underlined] THORNHILL, S. RHODESIA – [/underlined]
Slipstream
For many this is the third Christmas in Rhodesia; for others it is their first. Indeed so many new faces are to be seen on the camps these days that we wonder how we have survived that exodus month by month. Yet surveying life from a broad angle we can say that we have enjoyed ourselves in the Colony and, although Christmas out here is not quite like the one at Home, we do have good times.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of Christmas is the spirit of goodwill that it fosters. So many enmities are for-
SEND US NEWS OF EX-GOONS
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[underlined] “WOODPECKER” SPECIAL – [/underlined]
Could R.A.F. Help The S.A. Theatre?
[inserted] By
J.M. TEMPLETON
peacetime journalist, now a Cadet Navigator at No. 42 Air School; former drama and film critic of a London suburban weekly newspaper, Scenario Editor of a London Film company and stage aspirant with London’s Old Vic., Sadler’s Wells and “Q” Theatre companies. [/inserted]
[italics] The belief that members of the Royal Air Force – with their background and experience of British and London drama – could provide a stimulus for the Theatre in South Africa is expressed in the article that follows – regarded as one of the most outstanding serious contributions ever published in “The Woodpecker.”
Other views are expressed worthy of consideration by leaders of the South African Theatre. [/italics]
WHEN I came to the Union at the beginning of last year (writes Templeton) , actress Marie Ney – who made a “hit” in “The Lake,” Whitehall Theatre, London, about 1932-33 – was tearfully giving up the ghost of the South African Theatre at a convention of Amateur Drama Clubs in Benoni.
This fine stage player, who left a promising career in London’s West End to try and shake some life into drama in this country, declared that although South Africa could produce men and women willing to disport themselves on a stage she couldn’t produce the people to organise their successful appearance.
The drama critic of a Durban newspaper told me very much the same story. Amateur shows, he said, were so badly produced and staged the public just wouldn’t support them.
At East London I heard another side. The stage-minded there told me the public simply couldn’t understand the Art of the Theatre.
These views, to my mind are all significantly interesting.
It seems unbelievable that simple fisherfolk of the Scottish Highlands, who have never seen a railway-engine, can be more drama-conscious than South African townspeople who have sampled, often in less than a lifetime, the very essense [sic] of drama, the whole gamut of emotions attending the growth of a civilisation.
Drama is only the appreciation of life. To appreciate you must experience. Why is it, then, that the simple Scots folk mentioned should have, at least once to my knowledge, carried off the supreme award of the British Drama League, the largest organisation of its kind in the world, while critics bemoan the fact that South Africans with their infinitely wider experience are blind, deaf and, indeed, dead to the appeal of the Theatre?
The answer is, I think, that in British drama started as, and largely still remains, a family affair. Commercially, the Theatre, like sport, depends upon amateur interest, which is built up into a national force from small, scattered beginnings.
[inserted] GWEN FFRANGCON-DAVIES SAYS –
“I believe that the time will come in the not too distant future when the South African Theatre will take a jump forward, from the professional point of view,” Miss Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, the well known actress, said at a public function in Johannesburg nearly two years ago. She praised the amateur theatre, but added: “There will only be a theatre worthy of South African audiences if it can be run by people who are going to direct their whole life to it.” [/inserted]
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In South Africa, the Theatre was painted on to public life as a veneer of someone else’s civilisation. (The old “Diamond Studded” Opera House at Kimberley was outstanding evidence of that.) There was no foundation in the bones of the country. The Theatre just came, and was kept on as spurious proof that South Africa actually was civilised. Exactly the same thing happened in Egypt, where Cairo’s fine old Royal Opera was kept on by the Government to show foreigners that the Egyptians were progressive.
But Egypt has awakened to the realisation that without a consciousness of its own drama no people can ever work together as a nation. Egypt has only been taught that lesson during this war, and she has been taught it by her “visitors” – the refugees of Europe and the armed forces of the United Nations.
If South Africa had had some sort of elementary family theatre and could have developed it, through the years of her struggle, so that it came to be a permanent basis of the country’s culture, much more would have been achieved as regards drawing together the English and Afrikaans speaking communities. The popularity of dialect plays in the American Barn Theatre movement and of Gaelic (Irish and Scottish) in the British Drama League contests shows that to be a legitimate assumption.
But it is certainly not too late for South Africa to do something about it. There are two things that ought to be done.
The first is to encourage plays, particularly one-act plays, with a South African theme and setting. It is regrettable that most of the short plays, and all of the long, put on by amateurs in this country are well-tried “throw-outs” from London. What the Union needs in her barn halls, town auditoriums and city theatres is a healthy percentage of the real life stuff of this country. There are plenty of “arty” folk here who could deliver the goods once they rid themselves of the delusion that shop-soiled London, Paris and New York transplanted in Capetown or Johannesburg is the right diet for a 20th century South African palate.
Secondly, and in conjunction with the first, more use should be made of the visitors to the Union and of the traditions and ideas which they have brought with them.
These things can be used to bring out the finer shades of South African culture just as the Americans have succeeded in bringing out hidden facets of their national life by utilising their abundant European influences. (American University students are now producing the first indications of progress in the medium of the one-act play which we have had in fifty years.)
In the London Professional Theatre, war-gained refugee talent from the
[italics] (Continued on page 30) [/italics]
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Could R.A.F. Help the S.A. Theatre?
[italics] (Continued) [/italics]
drama centres of all Europe has laid the foundation of an even wider theatrical scope for post-war development. Even in Cairo, that mummified institution, the Egyptian Theatre, has been prised out of its sarcophagus, dusted, dressed up and presented to a public that has never been so large or so appreciative. Not the least part in this was played by members of the R.A.F., who founded Cairo Little Theatre and staged shows in which airmen performed alongside Egyptians, Syrians, Greeks, French and Russians. Three years of war in the Middle East has brought drama to that most uncultured of all classes of any nation – the Egyptian Fellahim. Not only is he now learning, through the stage, something of his own national traditions, he is able to slap his thighs in palm fibre edifices in Suez, Ismailia, Port Said, Luxor and Assuan at Arabic versions of “Charlie’s Aunt” and “The Ghost Train.”
Anyone who knew Egypt before the war will tell you that is impossible, but, co-operation with visitors has achieved the impossible in Egypt. Why not in South Africa, a more closely allied civilisation, where the numbers of R.A.F. and others from overseas is as great, as widely distributed, and far more happily mixed with the people of the country?
The standard of co-operation achieved by the R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. in 42 Air School’s recent production of “Dangerous Corner” gives just a little indication, but sufficient, of the practicability of the scheme and of the advantages all can gain by it.
Mary had a little dress,
Dainty, chic and airy.
It didn’t show the dirt a bit,
But gosh! How it showed Mary.
– (“Slipstream”).
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[underlined] CERTIFICATES OF GOOD SERVICE – [/underlined]
100% Parade Sees Colleagues Honoured
AN indirect tribute has been paid to the work of No. 42 Air School as a whole by the award of Certificates of Good Service – the non-operational “mention in despatches” – to four commissioned officers, a warrant officer and six N.C.O.s of the Roal [sic] Air Force, who between them represent practically every section of the school.
These certificates – one of which is reproduced on this page – were presented by the Commanding Officer, Group Captain F.S. Stapleton, D.S.O., D.F.C., at a special 100% parade early in the New Year.
The recipients were:
Squadron Leader D.E.R. Matthews.
Flight Lieutenant L.S. Levitt.
Flight Lieutenant W. Harper.
Flying Officer R.A.W. Carter.
Warrant Officer W. Gregory.
Flight Sergeant J. Good.
Flight Sergeant G. Wing.
Sergeant W. Bowtell.
Sergeant E. Bray.
Sergeant V.R. Groves.
Corporal G. Lawson.
[good service certificate]
F/Lt. Levitt was not present at the parade, having travelled on posting to another unit on the previous day.
42 AIR SCHOOL’S FOURTH D.F.C.
News of the fourth Distinguished Flying Cross to be awarded to ex-pupils of No. 42 Air School has been received in Port Elizabeth. The latest award of this medal goes to Flying Officer W.B. Gaunt, who was on No. 3 Observer Course, in the comparatively early days of the school.
Eight medals for gallantry have been awarded to ex-pupils – four D.F.C.s, one G.C., one C.G.M. and two D.F.M.s.
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[underlined] PERSONNEL PROWLINGS – [/underlined]
37 Promotions – 7 Weddings – 3 Births!
[italics] Two new pilot officers, three flight sergeants, a staff sergeant, eleven sergeants and twenty corporals go to make promotions the Big Thing of the six weeks since the last “Woodpecker” was published. [/italics]
TO Pilot Officer: Sgt. D. Lumsden and Sgt. H. Green.
To Flight Sergeant: Sgts. G.H. Hartnoll, A.F. Collier and C.F. Davies.
To Staff Sergeant: Sgt. H.V.C. Maybery.
To Sergeant: Cpls. A. Knee, A.N. Beckman, D.G.L. Coley, J.G.A. Day, G. Chapman, H.J. Pitt, J. Sankey, S. Thompson, R. Bell, J. Hunter and J. Sullivan.
To Corporals: L.A.C.s L.W. Dale, W. Jackson, W. Moss, L.A. Daw, J.W. Brooks, R. Harrison, R. Wordingham, J.R. Guiver, A.C. Bell, A.R. Mills, C.W. Stones, T.G. Wood, F. Rex, N. McRoberts, L.L. Worley, L.L. Brown, G.C. Sayer, J. Noal and in the S.A.A.F., A/M.s J.G.P. van Zyl and C. Seaman.
[inserted] 9th and 10th R.A.F. – W.A.A.F. WEDDINGS
Ceremonies in December and January brought the number of R.A.F. – W.A.A.F. weddings in P.E. up to ten in twenty-two months, or roughly one every two months!
Cpl. C. Morgan married Miss Thelma Leonie Aspeling, of 42 Air School W.A.A.F., at St. Mary’s, Port Elizabeth, in December; and three weeks ago Cpl. Jock Morrison, of the Bombing Range, was married to D.A.S. W.A.A.F., Miss Rayna Morrick, at Victoria Park Baptist Church, P.E.
Other R.A.F. – W.A.A.F. weddings are thought to be pending! [/inserted]
THERE have, of course, been the usual Good Conduct Stripes for those with three years’ unsullied service; they go to a sergeant, four corporals, eleven L.A.S.s, two A.C.1.s and am A.C.2 of the permanent staff, and to three corporals and three L.A.C.s among the pupils.
THE Personnel Prowler tripped up in the December issue, when it was reported that there had been a slight drop in the wedding average for R.A.F. personnel. News has been slow in getting around, however, and weddings which took place as long ago as October are among the five below. Congratulations go to:
WHO IS P/O MAX BOOST?
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F/Sgt. Jock Good, who married Miss Molly Joan Gouws, at Port Elizabeth Methodist Church (L.G.G. reports this wedding elsewhere in this issue);
Sgt. H.G. Hart, who married Miss Freda Williams, at the Church of St. Columbia, P.E.;
Cpl. F. Bird, who married Miss Joyce Gray, at the New Law Courts, P.E.;
L.A.C. C.H. Minards, who married Miss Irene de Vries, at St. Mary’s Church, P.E.; and
L.A.C. W. Moran, who married Miss Julia Mary Hirst, at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church, P.E.
Two R.A.F.-W.A.A.F. weddings are reported in the panel on previous page.
Congratulations, too, to three happy fathers on the unit – to L.A.C. and Mrs. E. Dockerill on the birth of a daughter, Lorraine; to P/O (L.A.C. Cadet at the time) J.D. Adams and Mrs. Adams on the birth of a son, at Liverpool; and to L.A.C. H.F. Russell, whose wife, in Harrow, Middlesex, has also had a son.
[inserted] A.C.M.’s GREETINGS
Air Chief Marshal Sir W. Sholto-Douglas, K.C.B., M.C., D.F.C., Air Officer Commanding in Chief, R.A.F., Middle East Command, extends his good wishes for the New Year to all members of the R.A.F., S.A.A.F., W.A.A.F. and Allied Air Forces in the Union and South West Africa (states the D.G.A.F. in an official notice). [/inserted]
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[underlined] FAMOUS LAST WORDS [/underlined]
More Staff Changes
Barely a month goes by without staff changes, owing to postings and other service exigencies. The departure of P/O B.E.P. Smith to Durban left the Advertising side free, and this is now being handled by P/O E.T. Baker. Assistant circulation expert, Cpl. Sheila Grant, has gone to Port Alfred and is succeeded by A/W G. Roux.
GET YOUR NAME IN PRINT
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New 42 Air School Dramatic Production
Plans are being made for a new 42 Air School dramatic production to follow the success of “Dangerous Corner.” Emlyn Williams’ “Night Must Fall” has been chosen, but at the time of going to Press, casting is not complete.
After their Y.M.C.A. success, the pioneer dramatists who put on “Dangerous Corner” went to even greater heights. The 42 Air School show was followed by “one night stands” at Driftsands Air Station and at the Port Elizabeth Opera House.
Referring to it as a “courageous performance,” the “Port Elizabeth Advertiser” had some easy criticism to make about the Opera House production. “In the first act,” said this newspaper, “there appears to be lack of confidence among the players, some of whom seemed afraid of their own voices. But these faults were remedied during the second and third acts, and the play went on to a successful climax.
“It is to be hoped,” it was added, “that further efforts by these players will be made.”
Work is the best cure for all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind. – [italics] Carlyle [/italics].
Military Bands again aid Red Cross
On Saturday, December 11th, the Air Force Military Band, the P.E. Maritime Band and the Driftsands Corps of Drums officially opened the Humewood Summer Season with a route march, Retreat Ceremony and a concert. The proceeds, totalling £30 13s. 7d., were handed over to the Red Cross Society.
He tried it on the sofa,
He tried it on the chair,
He tried it on the window sill,
And couldn’t do it there.
He tried it in the garden –
And, oh how she did laugh,
To see how many times
He tried to take her photograph.
– (“SLIPSTREAM”).
[page break]
38
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[page break]
39
[underlined] REPORT FROM U.K. – [/underlined]
[missing numbers]’s” N.S.C. Effort Gains Radio Fame!
[italics] It is now well known on the unit – for a great many letters from the United Kingdom mentioned the fact – that No. 42 Air School’s National Savings Certificate effort received wireless publicity over British Broadcasting Corporation home wavelengths during November. [/italics]
THE achievement of raising £5,000 in nine months was mentioned by Cyril Watling in one of his weekly South African newsletters, and it is surprising evidence of how many listen to Watling’s newsletters – probably for the reason that they have husbands, sons or boy friends serving in the Union – that so many relatives should have written about it.
“We were listening to the news about South Africa,” wrote one mother, “and were quite surprised to hear the announcer say that the lads of 42 Air School had surpassed all records for savings.” Another mother’s comment was, “We heard news of your air school on the wireless in the news from South Africa – about the splendid effort of your savings scheme,” while F/Lt. A.L. Roberts, ex-42 Air School (now in U.K.) also reported hearing the radio “mention.”
Then came the explanation.
The wife of one of the R.A.F. officers at 42 Air School had sent a copy of the September “Woodpecker” to Cyril Watling, hoping he would be able to use influence in arranging broadcasts to the United Kingdom by R.A.F. men in the Union. While the question of broadcasts was out of his province, Mr. Watling replied to this officer’s wife, he was interested in “The Woodpecker” and proposed to mention 42 Air School’s N.S.C. record in his next broadcast.
He did so!
“Are you troubled with improper thoughts?”
“No, I rather enjoy them.”
“WOODPECKER” BOX – CORPORALS’ CLUB
[page break]
40
42 AIR SCHOOL MILITARY GALA
(UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE E.P.A.S.A.)
By kind permission of O.C. 42 Air School, Group Captain F.S. Stapleton, D.S.O., [missing letters]
to be held in
ST.GEORGE’S SWIMMING BATHS
At 2.30 p.m. on
SATURDAY, 29th JANUARY, 1944
Programme of Events:
1. Two Widths, Girls, 12 years and under.
2. Two widths, Boys, 12 years and under.
3. 100 YARDS, GIRLS UNDER 18. E.P. BREASTSTROKE CHAMPIONSHIP.
4. 100 YARDS, BOYS UNDER 16. E.P. FREE STYLE CHAMPIONSHIP.
5. 50 Yards, Men’s Dash (Services only).
6. 50 Yards, Ladies’ Dash (Services only).
7. Men’s Open Diving – Two Compulsory, One Optional. Compulsory Dives: 1. Standing Dack [sic] Dive, “A” position Low Board; 2, Running Header Dive, “B” position 3-Metre Board.
8. 50 Yards, Girls, 16 years and under.
9. 50 Yards, Boys, 16 years and under.
10. 200 Yards, Men’s Inter-Services Team Race (4 per Team).
11. 133 1/3 Yards, Ladies’ Inter-Services Team Race (4 per Team).
12. Life-Saving Race (Men). Swim 20 yards, recover brick from bottom and return to start by first method of rescue.
13. Life-Saving Race (Ladies). Swim 20 yards, recover brick from bottom and return to start by first method of rescue.
14. 50 Yards, 42 Air School Pupils only.
15. 50 Yards, Officers’ Dash.
16. Rubber Dinghy Demonstration.
17. DINGHY DERBY FOR THE AIR FORCE FLOATING TROPHY.
18. Ladies’ Open Diving. Dives as per Event No. 7.
19. 42 Air School Pupils’ Inter-Course Team Race (4 per Team).
20. 42 AIR SCHOOL INTER-SECTION TEA RACE (Two Widths ench [sic]).
21. Water Polo – 42 Air School vs. The Rest.
ADMITTANCE:
Reserved Seats – 2/6
Unreserved – 1/6
Services (Other Ranks) – 1/-
Children and Competitors – 6d.
[italics] Book at Smokers’ Stores, Main Street, or St. George’s Swimming Bath. [/italics]
[page break]
41
[underlined][missing letter]EMEMBER – [/underlined]
Eager N.M.C. Boys Are With 8th Army
[italics] “Why will European service men not sit next to natives in the buses?”
“Does this colour discrimination prevail on the battlefield, too?” [/italics]
BOTH these queries were raised by correspondents in last month’s “Woodpecker.” It is a coincidence that a few days after the last issue was published a British Broadcasting Corporation Newsletter arrived, describing how men from Basutoland have rendered great service to the Allied armies. How highly their fighting qualities are valued by the Eighth Army was illustrated by Major Nathan in a B.B.C. short wave talk. His points are worth remembering.
One of the first messages the Eighth Army sent after it had obtained a footing in Sicily, he said, was to the Middle East, and it said: “Please send us our Basutos,” “Our” referred to Basuto members of the Auxiliary Corps whose splendid work helped the Eighth to keep up its historic advance from Alamein to Tunis. Several companies of the Basutos crossed the Mediterranean and did excellent work on Sicilian lines of communication. Originally there had been no intention of sending them out of Africa. But their enthusiasm and eagerness, together with the urging of the Eighth Army, were too strong.
Sergeant Mpete, from one of the Basuto units, said the men were anxious to get back to active service. “We belong to the Eighth Army,” he insisted, “we were bombed with them, we enjoyed the same rations, we laughed at the same jokes, we were blown up by the same mines.” The sergeant said they liked being soldiers. They didn’t want to fly and had no liking for the sea, they thought it “best to be a soldier on the ground.”
He gave an interesting example of their transactions with the Arabs in the desert. “Funny thing was they would not come near us to sell their eggs. When they knew we were Basutos they were afraid and ran off. We had to put our money on a stone and then go away. After a while, the Arabs crept up and took the money, leaving eggs in exchange.”
[page break]
42
[underlined] AIR SCHOOL SPORT – [/underlined]
December A Bad Month for Cricket
[italics] The Christmas break, personnel on leave and rival fest[missing letters]tions in Port Elizabeth were among the factors resulting in less sporting activity on the station during December. [/italics]
TWO representative games on consecutive week-ends did not allow many Cricket League fixtures to be fulfilled. Only five matches were played during the month, four of which were City League games. Air School only registered one win (which unfortunately breaks our unbeaten record), due to the teams being badly weakened by our best players for Fortress on the 4th and 16th, and on the 18th attending a wedding!
Lt. Miller, Lt. Penver, Cpl. Lyall, Cpl. Alborough, Cpl. Barnes and A/M Goetch are to be congratulated on their selection for the Fortress Team against Cicilians on 4.12.43. Lt. Miller had the further distinction of captaining the side while Cpl. Lyall was the best Fortress bowler by obtaining 6 wickets, and Lt. Penver proved the best bat, obtaining 39 runs.
Against East London Fortress the following week-end we only had two representatives in the Port Elizabeth Fortress Team, Cpl. Lyall and A/M Scheckle, our two bowlers, neither of whom came off.
Following were the scores of the five matches played during December: -
19 A.N. “A” (83) beat 19 A.N. “B” (79) BY 14 runs (Station).
42 A.S. “A” (123) lost to Port Elizabeth (132) by 3 wickets (City.
42 A.S. “B” (78) lost to Heavy Battery (88 for 7) by 10 runs (City.
42 A.S. “A” (115) lost to H.M.S. Goodhope (126 for 6) by 4 wickets (City).
42 A.S. “B” (86 for 6) beat Fortress Signals (39) by 4 wkts. and 42 runs (City).
TENNIS INTEREST MAINTAINED
INTEREST in tennis was more than maintained, three league League [sic] matches (one Women’s and two Men’s) having been played. This activity for the month ended in a very successful and most enjoyable Mixed Doubles Tournament on the 19th, staged by Fortress on the 6th Heavy Battery Courts, Humewood.
42 Air School entered nine couples. Altogether 36 entries were received, which necessitated four sections. Members from this Station won three of the four Sections. Cpl. McDonaugh and Mrs. Cook won the “A” Section, while Lt. Smith and Mrs. Searle won the “C” Section, with Lt. Bands and Sgt. Tonks winning “D” Section.
In the semi-finals Cpl. McDonaugh and Mrs. Cook beat Lt. Bands and Sgt. Tonks 6-5, while Lt. Smith and Mrs. Searle were beaten 6-5 by a Fortress couple, after very evidently being the best couple on view.
JOE SOAP IS WATCHING YOU
[page break]
43
[underlined] By Lt. F.J. HORN [/underlined]
The finals proved to be the most exciting of the whole day. During the first four games, recurrent deuces were experienced and extraordinarily enough, all four were won by Cpl. McDonaugh and Mrs. Cook. They also won the fifth which gave them a 5-0 lead. The Fortress couple won the sixth game and all the rest, doing the almost impossible to win by 6 games to 5 and to win the Tournament. Cpl. McDonaugh played a magnificent game and was well backed up by his partner until the sixth game, when she became so tired that she could hardly return a ball, allowing the Fortress couple to snatch a sensational win.
The results of the three League games played during December were:-
42 Air School (91 games) beat Driftsands (74 games) by 17 games.
42 Air School (112 games) beat M.T.T.S. (53 games) by 59 games.
42 Air School (W.A.A.F.s) (49 games) lost to Signals (50 games) by 1 game.
SWIMMING GALA TRAINING
PRACTICE in the St. George’s Bath takes place regularly every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The various Sections are trying out their swimmers to get their teams into shape for the big 42 Air School Swimming Gala, taking place on the 29th January. Competition for the Station Team Cup is going to be very keen, and the champions, 4 Squadron will have to look to their laurels if they want to remain the Station Champions.
[inserted] ATHLETICS TOURNEY IN FEBRUARY?
“I am told,” writes the Sports Editor of “B.O.N.”, No. 48 Air School’s magazine, “that there will be a triangular – Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London – Inter Fortress athletic meeting in the coming year – probably in February.”
Comment on this report by Lt. F.J. Horn, 42 Air School Sports Officer, early in January, was: “It is not authentic yet. The meeting is still in its embryo stages.” [/inserted]
GOLF CHALLENGE
A GOLF CHALLENGE against us by Fortress was played off on the Humewood Course on Wednesday, 1.12.43. Each team fielded 12 players, and in a four-ball contest, Fortress beat us 4-2.
On the 18th a Fortress team of 20 players played against Walmer Club on the Walmer Course. Seven 42 Air School players were included in the Fortress Team.
GOONS – SEND IN YOUR GEN
[page break]
44
ABOUT OURSE[missing letters]
ALL literary matter in “The Woodpecker” is copy [missing words] without permission of the Editor or unless due [missing letters]wledgemen[missing letter]
Contributions are invited from all serving men and women of 4 [missing words] –sands Air Station and from members of the W.A.A.F., C.P.S., S.A.W.A., [missing words] –isations in Port Elizabeth. As far as possible an endeavour will be [missing words] –scripts, if requested, but the Editor cannot be responsible for [missing words] mislaid. Contributions should be original and unpublished and [missing words] name, rank and number of the contributor, not necessarily for publication [missing words] written, or better still typed, on one side of the paper and should rar[missing words]
“The Woodpecker” is published at sixpence monthly and any profits [missing words] to Regimental Funds.
THE STAFF
President: Group Captain F.S. Stapleton, D.S.O., D.F.C., R.A.F.
Editor: Flight Lieutenant G.L. Hindley, R.A.F.V.R.
Correspondents (in this issue): S/Ldr. J.L. Lawrence, R.A.F.V.R.; Lt. F.J. Horn, S.A.A.F.; F/Sgt. L.G. Gaze, R.A.F.; Sgt. E. Tonks, W.A.A.F.; Cpl. A.W. Linger-Harris, R.A.F.V.R.; L.A.C. J.M. Templeton, R.A.F.V.R.; L.A.C. D.C. Campbell, R.A.F.V.R.; Miss N. Perry, S.A.W.A.S., and others.
Artists (in this issue): Lt. M.B. Brady, S.A.A.F. (ex 42 A.S.), Cpl. J. Bell, R.A.F., and others.
Photographs: Cpl. W.J. Bint, R.A.F.V.R., and other sources.
Advertising: Pilot Officer E.T. Baker, R.A.F.V.R.
Circulation: Flight Lieutent [sic] R.C. Parks, R.A.F., and Airwoman G. Roux, W.A.A.F.
Treasurer: Flying Officer R.B. Beavington, R.A.F.V.R.
BACK NUMBERS
COPIES of “The Woodpecker” contained in Volumes I and II – i.e. from October 1941 to September 1942 and from Nov./Dec. 1942 to September 1943 – may be obtained from “Q” Stores, price 3d. each, with the exception of the following, stocks of which are completely exhausted: Nov./Dec. 1942, January 1943.
In Volume III, copies of the October, November and December, 1943, issues are still available at the usual price of 6d.
THE demand for “The Woodpecker” is so great that regular readers are strongly advised to make sure of their copies by forwarding order and remittance to the Editor, “The Woodpecker,” No. 42 Air School, Port Elizabeth.
THE FEBRUARY “WOODPECKER”
The February ”Woodpecker” will be published in four weeks’ time – on Friday 25.2.44.
All copy, drawings,photographs, suggestions, etc. should be in the hands of the Editor (available in “Q” Stores) or put in “Woodpecker” Boxes by Wednesday, 9.2.44, to ensure inclusion.
“Woodpecker” Boxes are to be found at the Main Guard Room, opposite the Station Notice Board and in the Sergeants’ Mess.
Correspondents not at the Air School are advised to post copy to reach the Editor by 9.2.44.
Only copy of a particularly urgent nature should be submitted after that date.
[page break]
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[page break]
[advertisement]
[missing word] by the Air Force Station, Port Elizabeth, and printed by E.H. Walton & Co., Ltd., 1 Baakens Street, Port Elizabeth.
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Woodpecker
Description
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42 Air School magazine, January 1944.
Creator
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42 Air School
Date
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1944-01
Format
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26 printed sheets
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Text. Service material
Identifier
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MNealeETH1395951-150731-001
Coverage
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Royal Air Force
Spatial Coverage
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South Africa
South Africa--Makhanda
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IBCC Digital Archive
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
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Steve Baldwin
training
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1333/20538/PSearleROJ17030038.2.jpg
abd3461da7e08000712748942a76be2e
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1333/20538/PSearleROJ17030039.2.jpg
e7617766befd4a28d5811d0bb262328f
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1333/20538/PSearleROJ17030040.2.jpg
5fbb6fd37c689c7220532c25a1a1923c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Searle, Rex. Album 1
Creator
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2017-07-25
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
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Searle, ROJ
Description
An account of the resource
74 items. The album contains photographs and papers relating to Rex Searle's pre-war family life as well as his wartime and postwar service.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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The Playhouse Newsletter
Description
An account of the resource
Three sheets of a newsletter describing forthcoming events plus adverts.
Date
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1941-03-26
Format
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Three printed sheets
Language
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eng
Type
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Text
Identifier
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PSearleROJ17030038,
PSearleROJ17030039,
PSearleROJ17030040
Coverage
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Civilian
Spatial Coverage
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South Africa
South Africa--Durban
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Temporal Coverage
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1941-03-26
entertainment
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1389/31212/BWhitwellHJWhitwellHJv2.1.pdf
c67ff1aae9154ab574a553817bbd3b80
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/1389/31212/BWhitwellHJWhitwellHJv1.1.pdf
7406c01065baf0a488c437d96644bf46
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Connock, Mike
Michael Connock
M Connock
Publisher
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IBCC Digital Archive
Date
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2015-02-24
Rights
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Connock, M
Description
An account of the resource
Eight items. The collection concerns (Royal Air Force) and contains people who served with 50 and 61 Squadrons at RAF Skellingthorpe.
They include:
W Dixon
GR Williamson
BV Robinson
GA Walker
L Barber
HJ Whitwell
The collection has been donated to the IBCC Digital Archive by Mike Connock and catalogued by Barry Hunter.
Transcribed document
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading.
Transcription
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*An account by H J Whitwell, a Wireless Operator with 50 Sqn. He describes his crew and being shot down on 8 October 1943. Having parachuted to safety, he recounts his capture and experiences as he travels from one POW camp to another, finally arriving at Stamlager IVB.
I think probably the best thing to do before relating my experiences after we left England on that fateful “op” on Friday the eigth [sic] of October is to give the names ect [sic] of my crew, so here goes.
John Charles Peter Taylor nicknamed “JCP” after his initials was a P/O the pilot and captain of our aircraft a Lancaster “N” for Nan [?] and along with “Stubby” our bomberdier [sic] was the only officers in the crew, he was London born.
Stewart Stubbs nicknamed as above was of course the bomb aimer and an F/O, he hailed from Hertfordshire.
James Gray the mid-upper gunner was a South African, though he [page break]
[Second page is a re-write of the page above and does not therefore follow on from it]
Probably the best thing to do before relating my experiences after leaving dear old England on that fateful “op” on Friday the eigth [sic] of October 1943, will be to give my crew names ect, [sic] so here goes:-
John Charles Philip Taylor, the skipper of our aircraft “N” for Nan was a Pilot Officer. He was only recently commissioned. We nicknamed him JCP and he was a Londoner. Nan was a Lancaster.
Stewart Stubbs the bombardier was a Flying Officer and along with JCP was the only officer members of the crew. “Stubby” was his “monica” and he hailed from Hertfordshire.
James Gray our mid-upper gunner was a South African, though he lived in [page break]
[follows on from first page, not quite from second] lived in Rhodesia, Jimmy was a W/O.
William Beckthold the rear-gunner came from Canada he also was a W/O, we called him “Canada”.
Our own Navigator Fred Burton whose home town was Winchester and he held the rank of F/S.
Joseph Handley the Flight-Engineer was also a F/S and like myself belonged to the county of “Broad Acres”, Otley being his home-town.
Yours truly the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner was an humble Seargent [sic] of 9 months standing my home being at York.
We had been very busy for the past eleven days operating on Hanover [page break] twice, Hagen, Borchum [sic], Munich and Frankfurt and we were all looking forward to the “Stand down”.
On the morning of Friday the eigth [sic] of October I felt pretty rough, having a bad cold and throat; Joe advised me to report sick but I held on thinking today would be the beggining [sic] of the Stand down as the moon was well up.
Freddy the navigator was grounded lucky for him, his ears were giving trouble.
We were soon to learn [inserted] that [inserted] we were on that night and did an air test. Our navigator for the night was to be a young fellow who had just [page break] returned from leave his own skipper was unfit. I can’t remember his name.
Our usual “kite” “Z” for Zebra was unserviceable with engine trouble, this old stager although being the oldest one on the squadron, was always lucky for us, we had flown in her the last 5 trips, she was a grand climber and although being rather untidy inside we were very attached to her.
We were given “N” for Nan in her place a brand new model, this was to be her first operation.
Briefing time soon came around and [page break] and “Jay” [?] gave us the “gen”, Hanover was to be visited once again, this meant a six hour trip at least.
Soon, we got the main briefing and was checked and told to run through it ourselves, we were given more “gen” from the Wing Commander and Group Captain. The Group Captain wished us best luck and away we all went to get our specialist tackle and back to an [sic] hurried “ops tea” This being over, we boarded the transport to the locker rooms to collect our chutes, harnesses, may [sic] - [page break] wests and other flying clothing. I have a warm position in the aircraft there-fore [sic] the only flying clothing I took along was my “flying boots”.
“Andy” our transport friend had the bus waiting. Little did we think we were not to see him again, and we were soon whisked away with our ungainly load of “gen” ect [sic] to “N” Nan. Very shortly we clambered aboard her and got all our stuff carefully positioned & visually checked the equipment and “J” and Joe warmed up the [page break] engines. Then we got our may[sic] -west’s [sic] harnesses and chutes fixed on and got out to stretch our legs and chat to the ground crews who were putting the final touches to her. As the time drew near to take off we clambered aboard once again and soon the engines were ‘revving’ up and we were taxing [sic] along to the runway. We were about one minute late in take-off but had plenty of time to spare to gain hieght [sic] over base. When 10,000 feet was reached and everything rechecked in the air and [page break] found to be satisfactory our oxygen was turned on by Joe and we fitted on the now fimilar [sic] mask. Course was set on schedule and we set ourselves as comfortably as possible for the trip ahead.
The navigator did his job alright as did everyone else in the crew, the engines were behaving well and we soon reached 20,000 feet and kept joking away to each other every so often, and in fact all went without incident.
Up came the tracking flares and on [page break] approaching the target Jimmy drew our attention to the P.F.F. flares. We went in and “Stubby” began the commentary for the bombing-run. The time then would be approximately 0045, when I noticed the radio had gone off. The first thing was to check my fuses, this meant opening up the panel on the starboard side of the A/C and in doing this duty I pulled my intercomm [sic] plug out of its socket. I am used to being off the i/c being a W/OP so did not worry as [page break] I knew it wouldn’t be a long job. While engaged thus I felt a violent lurch and the plane took a terrific dive, I was thrown upwards towards the roof and for some time was powerless to do anything. I knew by the feel of this we had been hit. The A/C pulled out to a certain extent, and I observed the escape door in the nose was open and bodies were leaving hurriedly. Then I saw the captain leave, all this time the navigator had not warned me of the “abandon [page break] aircraft” call, but looked dumbfounded-ed [sic] and powerless to move. The smell of burning and fumes was very strong and although the engines appeared to be functioning OK they were revved down and I was able to go forward and shout to tell him to grab his chute and jump for it, his chute was behind the chair propped on the starboard side, I observed no fires aboard.
I then moved to the W/OPs seat and grabbed my chute, I then remembered the IFF so hurriedly put down my chute and pressed the button to explode the [page break] IFF and Navigation Aid. Of course I was not sure the navigators [sic] and pilots [sic] positions were to “live”.
The next thing was to get my chute and clip it on, this proved a tricky job as the “Gee” was pretty bad now, being unable to hold the chute and clip it on this way, I moved to the navigators [sic] position, placed my parachute on his table and manoeuvred myself so clipping the chute on.
All this time my thoughts had been on the speed the plane was moving earthwards I knew we must be very near the “deck” now, I shouted once again to my navigator telling him to [page break] get his own chute on and I then moved forward towards the escape hatch.
The navigator then rushed at me without his chute and grabbed the lower part of my body shouting “I want to go down with you!”
I had no time to argue but jumped with him clinging to me. After a few seconds I pulled the rip-cord and the chute opened, halting my downward descent considerably, but at the same time the jolt had flung the navigator off, almost certainly to his death, as the height I estimated to be 200 to 250 feet. If he had act-[page break]ed calmly he would have had ample time to escape OK as he must have been warned well in advance by the Cpt. I felt a sharp pain in my right little finger, also my left ear seemed to have gone deaf on me.
My feelings at this juncture were very scattered, it seemed as though I was in a bad dream I pulled myself together and realised I was not dreaming but slowly approaching German territory, fields roads, hedges ect [sic] were rapidly racing towards me. Soon a pond seemed my destination but I pulled my harness on one side, and managed to steer myself to land [page break] or should I say splash in the shallow part. I was glad to get down, as there was still a fair amount of heavy & light “flak” also searchlights about and I did not want peppering.
I found out later from members of my crew that as we were levelling up to take our photograph, we were attacked and hit in the port petrol tanks by JU 88s. I had not of course heard a word from my skipper up there on account of the I/C plug being out.
We had [inserted] however [/inserted] dropped our bombs which was a good thing. I had dropped away from the main blaze and although [page break] the sky was a red glow only a few cottages were burning around me, it appeared to be out in the countryside where I had dropped. I found I was in a big garden or park surrounded by barbed wire. I could hear the sound of voices and the barking of dogs in the distance, though I was tensed up and listened as best I could with the good ear for fear they had seen my descent but the voices didn’t seem to be coming my way. I clambered out of the pond and then silently gathered in the chute, took off the harness and may-west [sic]. I had been fortunate in [page break] one respect as I still retained my flying boots. I kept listening every few seconds and heard voices, and also saw bicycle lamps approaching on a road which passed by. I kept very quite [sic] until they had passed. By this time the drone of our bombers were fading away, the gunfire was subsiding, and the searchlights were going out one by one, I judged the time to be approx. 0110. I ripped a big chunk off my parachute with the aid of my knife also took the torch out of my may-west [sic]. My right hand little finger was bleeding profusely so I tore off a strip of silk [page break] and roughly bandaged it, it was pretty painful also my ear was still effected. [sic] I felt very envious of those more fortunate crews homeward bound to a warm meal and then to bed.
My next job was to scoop out an [sic] hole in the soft earth, and so bury my tackle. I got my stuff over carefully to a spot that was hidden from the road and would afford good cover from passers by on the road, by the way a good thick edge skirted the road which was all to the good. I soon, silently scooped out an [sic] hole and gathered in my chute as tightly as possible and along with the harness may west [sic] and [page break] cap I buried. The next thing was to carefully find a good spot to get out of the place. I got over the barbed wire entanglement with some difficulty. This done, I found I was in a big field of sugar-beet with a wood in the distance. There was a road at right-angles to the other road. The noise of people chattering and barking dogs also lights flickering, presumably bicycles. The lights of blazing Hanover made the landscape comparatively clear, the gunfire and searchlights had now packed up. I swung out to the right as far as possible to keep clear of the road, there were 3 or 4 barns ablaze quite nearby so I then and there [page break] decided the best thing to do would be to go into the wood and get a few hours sleep if possible, and carry on about 0400 o’clock, also to get my thoughts collected and organise my next move. I was about to enter this wood when I thought searchers were about, as a light kept flicking in and out intermittently this certainly “shook me”, I immediately threw myself down and waited a few minutes but the light seemed to be in one position so I ventured forward and discovered it to be [inserted] an [/inserted] almost burnt out incendiary bomb. Into the wood, I went and soon found an [sic] hollowed out piece of ground, not before a lot of stumbling [page break] around so I decided to bunk down here for a spell.
Although I was wet and miserable, I did manage to get to sleep. I slept longer than I had intended; cold and my feet still wet. It was getting light and must have been about 0500 Saturday morning. The weather conditions were cold but dry. I then got up and decided to survey the wood, it was quite small I got near to the edge and before I realized what was happening, 3 men appeared. They were uniformed, and armed, though I didn't know to which organisation they belonged. They gathered round me and one said in broken English that I was to follow them. I was led over to the road and [page break]
Page 22 missing [page break]
smeared with ersatge [sic] honey also a cup of ersatge [sic] coffee which I thought tasted pretty terrible, a few sips of the coffee and half slice of bread was enough for me. They were amazed that I didn't have it all. Very shortly I was told to put on my boots as I was to go to Hanover. Two guards appeared, and then I began a walk of about 5 miles to the town. Two guards each armed with rifles. It was then that I observed the enormous damage that we had done on this and previous raids, it seemed as though nothing had escaped and every other building was down or badly damaged by either explosives or incendaries [sic]. We passed through a village on the way and the local firefighters were busy. I felt pretty uncomfortable [page break] as the Germans kept glaring at me and uttering words of abuse, though I was not molested at all. When Hanover hove into sight, the damage was even more extensive, chaps were busy working away on the gutted and smoldering [sic] buildings. My thoughts at this time were, the sooner I get away inside some building the better for me. I was finally handed over to some Luftwaffe men at a building, they enquired the cause of our plane being shot down, wether [sic] “Ack Ack” or fighters.
This is of course I did not know and told them so. Two more guards were summoned and away we went again, through the main streets parks ect [sic] for at least 3 miles. Lorries cars and powered [page break] vehicals [sic] constituted a very small part of the traffic and even on these, large tanks fitted in the rear showed them to be run by gas, but there were many bicycles on the roads. As earlier, I came in for much abuse & I got used to it and payed [sic] no attention. I was also impressed by the sad unhappy looks of the people. The civilians clothes were poor and old fashioned compared to our standards. Uniforms of many types and colour were very evident and the “swastika” armbands kept popping up here and there. The german [sic] uniform seemed to my idea very “threatrical” [sic] looking. At this point my feet were beginning to trouble me and I wondered how much farther I had [page break] to go to get to my final destination.
We eventually arrived at a big building which I took to be a kind of Information Bearau [sic], shephared [sic] inside, and told to wait. Many uniformed men both Officer and NCO type were constantly coming in, and going out, also lots of “civvies”. This too had suffered, many Lufftweffe [sic] men were clearing debris away. During this time many spoke to me enquiring my nationality ect [sic]. After about one hour’s wait along came a Lufftwaffe [sic] Officer, he spoke good English, he said “the war was over for me, and I was lucky to be alive,” he also said, “what a beautiful place Hanover had been before the damage". I was taken into [sic] a nice car with him, an NCO was driving it. We seemed to go round the [deleted] busy [/deleted] main parts again [page break]. The damage [inserted] was [/inserted] everywhere, some of the roads were littered with debris about a foot deep, it was impossible to drive the car through. Eventually we arrived at a big building, and he got out and went inside, after about five minutes or so, he came out again and away we drove to land up at an Aerodrome.
He handed me over to the Officer in charge, and then I was conducted to a solitary cell with a wooden bed, a small table and stool, a very small barred window was the means of ventilation, the door had a peep hole in the centre, the time I estimated to be 0430. I was also given 2 blankets and although there were only hard boards to lie on I settled down and was soon fast asleep. I was shortly awakened and taken to a waiting van where along with two german guards was seated a Canadian Pilot Officer [page break] pilot, I noticed both his eyes were swollen and discoloured; on attempting to speak to each other we were “hushed” by the guards. I thought maybe the “Canuck” had been manhandled, but later learnt he had sustained these injuries before leaving his aircraft.
We started off, worming our way through side streets and the town was very soon left behind and after about seven or eight minutes we arrived at another big place this may have been the buildings of an aerodrome. Out we climbed to move into a big modern building, all our personal things and identity discs were taken from us after a thorough search.
Each article and my six shillings in English money were checked and listed and we were each made to sign our names and service numbers on this list. We were next taken to another guardroom, with [page break] similar cells to the last place, except there was heating laid on. I was ushered into one of these cells and given 2 slices of german [sic] bread and margarine with ersatz coffee for drink.
Being very hungry I soon consumed this, they also gave me a couple of blankets, the guards were pretty decent and spoke to me in broken English. I asked to have my injured finger dressed, and shortly along came an orderly and dressed it, though it looked to me a trifle septic. I was allowed to visit the latrine and after this got down on the rough wooden bed and was soon asleep. The next morning it being Sunday, I was awakened by the guard and given the usual couple of slices of bread with honey this time, and also the coffee. [page break]
The time the guard showed me was 0800. After my sparse meal, I thought I heard the voice of that of my captain, it seemed as though he was at the toilet, so I let out a yell and he gleefully acknowledged me. Soon after I was allowed to go to the toilet and there had a quick wash with ersatz soap. While so engaged I heard Joe’s voice also that of “Jimmy” but was restrained from calling them. While so engaged I heard both Joe & Jimmy’s voices but was restrained from calling them, it certainly was a relief to know that 4 of us at least was [sic] O.K. I returned to the cell and heard someone tapping morse on the wall, but was unable to read this. The time passed slowly as there was nothing to occupy ones time. At about 12 o’clock the guard came in again and [page break] beaming all over his face said “Comrade, goot German essen”. He was carring [sic] a plate containing a yellow looking concoction very salty which contained potatoes fat scraps and some vegetables, it looked has [sic] though it had all been cooked up together. I did not eat much although I was hungry but asked for a glass of water, or “Vasser” as it is called by the Germans, he brought some in. I passed the rest of the day until about 1800 hours by walking about the small cell. Occasionally the guards would appear and chat away in broken English, they appeared pretty decent fellows. At approxianetely [sic] 1800 hours I was given my couple of slices of bread and margarine also ersatz coffee. I visited the toilet, and then got down on the crude bed and was soon asleep. I awoke about eight o’clock, this of course being Monday, and then the guard brought in my breakfast and said, all the Englanders [page break] and myself were going to Frankfurt that afternoon. I was very glad to hear this, and hoped it would be the end of our confinement. I next was allowed to have a rough wash and awaited [sic] impatiently for afternoon. Around about midday the guard brought in the same type of dinner as the previous day, and on enquiry he said at about 1500 hours we would be moving and that I was to take along the bread rations for the whole journey. We were to arrive at our destination about 10.30 Tuesday. An hour or so later I was told to come along, and taken to a room and there was J.C.P., Jim and Joe, also the Canadian P/O and a New Zealand W/OP A.G. I then realized how scruffy I must look when I saw them, long tousled hair and quite a growth of the old face fungus. They all seemed unhurt except for minor cuts. JCP had lost his flying [page break] boots, Joe was minus one boot, but Jimmy had all intact. About six guards and a Seargent [sic] were in charge of us, they carried a kind of submachine gun each; also some large leather bags which I guessed contained our personal things: We were shepherded into an awaiting bus, with the guards at stratigic [sic] points and sat down, we were allowed to smoke. The bus started off and soon we were outside Hanover suberbs [sic] to finally stop at a small railway-station; probably the reason why we didn’t go to the Hanover main station was on account of damage to the same. We all got off and through to a platform, I felt sorry for J.C.P. walking around in his stocking feet, Joe too was inconvienenced [sic]. The station was quite busy, trains coming, and going, also many troops of all types were around and civilians. We were of course the object of attention [page break] although no demonstrations were made. The seargent [sic] or “under-officer” as he is known, in charge of the party got us a drink of the fimilair [sic] coffee. After waiting for about thirty or forty minutes, our train pulled in and we clambered aboard, the carriages by the way appear to be second and third class in Germany. Jimmy, the New Zealander and myself with guards were in one compartment while J.C.P., Joe and the Canadian were in another with their guards. I must say the guards were very good en-route, chatting and giving us food and apples, we stopped at quite a number of stations and were handed large cardboard mugs containing ersatz coffee, this seems a common practice in Germany, the people appeared to be very appreciative to the armed forces. We arrived at Frankfurt Main about 2355 and marched to a big building, [page break] on the station like an Enquiry Office. Upstairs, we found a very big room with rough beds on which were laid hundreds of American Army Air Corp. We were amazed to find such a lot of “Yankees”, many were wounded, there seemed a sprinkling of R.A.F here too, about half a dozen I should think. A few guards were posted about us; having no alternative we got down on the ground and though cold and uncomfortable I was soon in the land of nod. It was near 0630 and Tuesday morning when we were awakened and taken to a waiting [inserted] train [/inserted] which we boarded, though previous to this the under officer got us a drink each. Very soon, the train started and within fifteen minutes we arrived at a small station. The Americans were aboard too and we all got out, helping the wounded on to lorries. We all got on the lorries eventually and away we went again [page break] to arrive after about twenty minutes at a small group of wooden buildings heavily wired around with barbed wire. We went inside a small abulution [sic], I took the opportunity to get a wash of a sort minus soap. The next thing was that a guard took our names ranks and numbers After this were called for singly, and thoroughly stripped and searched in another room by an equivalent of our W/O. Of course escape aids, were what he was after. He seemed satisfied with me and away I went. Regarding the Americans, it appeared that a number had been P.O.W in Italy and the majority had been shot down on day raids over Germany very recently. I was struck by the very large number who had baled out of the “Forts” injured or otherwise I would say 90% compared to only ?% [missed from scanning] of our crews. Of course “baling out” in the daylight is a much simpler matter than the same operation at night-time, which I think partly accounts for this. I was taken to another room, [page break] and the door was locked. The size of this was about 10 feet by 8 feet and contained the usual rough bed and table. On the bed was sat an R.A.F Seargent [sic] A/G. He had been here two days and was getting “cheesed off” on his own, and was only to [sic] glad to have someone to speak to. Apparently it had been his first operation on Hanover and [inserted] he [/inserted] was the only member of his crew alive I felt sorry for him for we at least could say we had hit the enemy good and hard. Soon after this, another RAF Seargent [sic] A/G came in he was cut about the face and also had shrapnel splinters in his left leg, he was only too glad to get laid down on the bed. Four Americans were the next visitors and by now the small room was becoming rather crowded although it was much better than soltary [sic]. We spent the time chatting away and grumbling about our bad fortune until approximately 12 o’clock when a guard brought us dinner, which consisted of 5 unskinned potatoes each [deletion] unskinned [/deletion] there were also a glass of herbs tea [page break] a terrible tasting concoction. We spent the rest of the afternoon quitely [sic]. About 1700 hours a guard entered and called the injured RAF fellow and myself over and said, we were moving. We then went out into the passage and I saw J.C.P. and Joe among a bunch of Americans with some of our boys too. Jimmy was not there and I wondered what had happened to him, we soon was [sic] formed up and began a march of about half a mile to come eventually to a large collection of newer wooden buildings. The injured were helped along by the fit men as best they could, someone said this was the place we were to be interogated [sic]. After a short wait in one of the rooms our names were called singly and I landed up in another small confined room. The same furniture as previously I found inside. By this time, it must have been turned 1800 hours and growing dark [page break] I was given a couple of blankets and decided to try and to get some sleep. I was just getting “drousy [sic]” when the guard came in and grabbed my flying boots and slammed the door again. The usual fare as before was given me the next day which was Wednesday. The time certainly dragged as there was absolutely nothing to occupy ones [sic] mind, but on the Thursday afternoon I was visited by a German Officer who produced a form and wanted to know my home town my trade ect [sic] also the names of members of my crew although I did not tell him the first queries he told me the names of JCP Joe and Jimmy and I wrote them down on this form. About thirty minutes after he went away another chap came along with a list for the clothing ect [sic] I had. I guessed the time to be 1600 hours when I was asked to follow a guard and soon found myself in a big room with maps routes ect [sic] on [page break] The walls, a good fire was burning, seated at a desk was a “big shot” Luftwaffe Intelligence Officer I knew now this was an Interogation [sic] Centre. He was a cultured looking fellow and asked me to be seated, also offered me a cigarette. He soon got down to “brass tacks” and said that I was to give him answers to questions, he already knew so that he could satisfy himself I was not a sabetour [sic] or spy. I, of course referred him to my identity discs uniform ect [sic] and said that I wouldn’t been [sic] in the present unhappy state if I was a spy. Anyway he went on to ask me questions regarding training leading up to the Squadron Commanders ect [sic] I answered a few wrongly and he got wild and said, that he would keep me confined quite a time and then bring me back again for questioning. He told me quite a lot of things about the squadron that was correct, he had a big book with lots of “gen” on my squadron. the Wing [page break] Commander Flight Commanders names, he also mentioned the name of a surviving member of a crew lost earlier. I was led back to the cell very depressed, I certainly was not looking forward to another spell in my little room. I got back but along came another fellow, he wanted a list of my clothing also my description, hieght [sic] wieght [sic], colouring ect [sic] all of which he tabulated. He then said to my great relief, you are leaving, collect your blankets and give them to me. I did this very soon and away to a room where I found among lots of Americans and a fair number of R.A.F chaps J.C.P. Joe and later on jimmy [sic] came. Here we recieved [sic] our personal property, I was minus my keys and keyring also my six shillings English money but did not worry about this. We were given our bread rations and formed up and marched away to an awaiting bus minus [page break] Jimmy once again. The bus did not have seats so we all squatted down on the floor. Guards armed with submachine guns watched over us. We were soon on the move; by this time the moon was up and lighted up everything, we soon reached Frankfurt town and we were surprised to feel the bus pulling up in it seemed to us the centre of Frankfurt. We got out and a fair sized encampment ringed with barbed wire confronted us, quite a few buildings were under construction. We were counted & then moved into the place, then we were given a small towel and a packet of 20 French cigarettes by the RAF Staff. After this we went into one of the large Hutments, each contained about 20 small rooms with a fireplace, table, cupboards and five two–decker beds in each room. These we discovered would house 10 men each, there was also ablutions and latrines in each Hutment. Well, I must say this place had a very heartening effect [page break] on us. We bunked down for the night looking forward to the morrow when we were to recieve [sic] new Red-Cross underclothes also a box of toilet articles, then we would get to work and have a shower and remove the face fungas [sic].
About 0800 next morning Friday we went down to the cookhouse mess and had a big cup of tea with lots of milk and sugar also two slices of german [sic] bread and j [?] butter with jam. We were told that all the Red Cross parcels were “pooled” and put into three good meals and cooked by a permenant [sic] staff of British N.COs [sic]. The chocolate and cigarettes, fifty by the way, were given to the men on Saturdays. We thought it a grand idea; this meant all except bread, potatoes, with a small amount of sugar and margarine was provided by the Red Cross.
There was a small library on the camp, which in daylight turned out to be very small camp and “transit” only but we really thought it was like heaven compared to the other places. The toilet articles were, Soap and Soap container, toothbrush and container, haircomb, toothpaste, shaving cream, Gillete [sic] razor with three blades and housewife [page break] we also recieved [sic] one pair of underpants vest, shirt and socks, later we recieved [sic] 1 great coat and one pair of boots, all these were provided by the American-Red Cross. A small sick-bay or “Revier” [sic] was installed on the camp and so I went along every other day and had my injured finger dressed. There was [sic] parades at 0900 hours also 1700 hours, otherwise we had no duties, in fact [deleted] one [undeleted] we had too much time on our hands. Americans kept arriving and going almost every day; to regular camps of course.
The R.A.F. personel [sic] came along very slowly, consequently we had a fortnights stay at the place before we were sufficently [sic] strong to move along. Jimmy had arrived later on Thursday night and “Stubby” turned up on the Sunday worse for wear, but uninjured; he had been caught in his bid to escape. He was of course overjoyed to see us. We chatted with different fellows and learnt that some had been months on the loose before been [sic] finally picked up. We volunteered to go to the railway station at Frankfurt on two occasions to collect Red Cross Parcels, it passed [page break] the time, the exercise was good also one had the opportunity [self-corrected] to see the town and folks. Frankfurt was a pretty big town but the streets were deserted of people compared to towns of a like size in England. The folks looked under norished [sic] and depressed. We had been at Frankfurt about 8 days when [inserted] at night [/inserted] the sirens sounded, all lights were extinguished and very soon the sound of heavy bombers were heard. It was our boys and the [underlined] ACK-ACK [/underlined] opened up in no uncertain manner, the searchlights too were very numerous. Soon the fimiliar [sic] P.F.F flares were dropped, greens and reds and instead of seeing them from above we now saw how effective the [sic] were from the ground. Of course we expected to hear and feel the “cookies” dropping any time now but as it turned out nothing happened good for as it was a “spoof” and certainly had it’s effect. One four-engined A/C away to the west, was coned and held by the searchlights right across the sky but although they pumped up everything they had he seemed to escape alright. We kept ourselves occupied at Dulag Luft as it was called by walking also reading and using [page breaks] the tops of our flying boots to make mittens caps ect [sic]. Jimmy & Joe used an Irvin jacket to line the insides of there [sic] battle dress. We had been at Dulag [sic] about 8 days when we lost J.CP [sic] and Stubby they left with the officers to a place near Berlin. We had been there a fortnight when our names were put on the next posting list of British N.C.Os to Muhlburg situated between Liepzig [sic] and Dresden. Berlin was about forty miles away to the north. By this time over ninety of us had accumulated.
It was Wednesday afternoon when we left Dulag-Luft,[sic] first we were searched and all war –booty was siezed [sic]. I gave my mittens to an American so they would not fall into German hands. Some of the party managed to secret [sic] articles away cunningly and get by the close scutiny [sic] of the guards. The officer in charge also gave a short speech in which we were warned on the consequence of escape he also said we were not to converse with any of the civilian populace. These warnings proved unecessary [sic] as can be soon seen.
We moved off and together with an armed guard boarded a tram; after a short while we climbed off and marched to a goods yard it will be approxamately [sic] 1800 and getting dusk and we waited until 3 cattle trucks [page break] were shunted in. We noticed these trucks were large enough to hold eighteen horses, straw was placed in them and we had a terrible shock when we were informed that forty three had to go in one of the trucks and forth two in the other, also two guards. our [sic] boots were taken from us and along with the guards were housed in the third truck [sic] We each received one Red Cross English parcel. Jimmy was in charge of the rationing of German food ect [sic]. An unthankful job I must say. The guards boarded up all openings, not that there was any likelihood of us escaping minus our boots [sic] We were two nights confined to this and arrived at Muhlburg about mid-day Friday. It really was an awful experience as at night-time we had to lay as best we could propped against each other, it being practically impossible to relieve stiff cramped limbs. The guards two changed over every hour and this caused more trouble not to mention them letting in the cold night air. The lighting consisted of a broken lamp with a night light placed inside. The toilet arrangements were bad too [sic] The reasons given by the Germans why we travelled this way was that they were so badly off for railway carraiges [sic]. on [sic] reaching Muhlburg which proved to be a [page break] small village we clambered out and were given back our boots. Next we were counted and marched in fives to the camp which was two to three miles from the station. The wounded were put on a cart and dragged by some British “tommies” who eagerly enquired from us the latest “gen” from Blightly. They also gave us some idea of the camp which wasn’t very encouraging.
Up to this point I have refrained from giving any idea of the weather conditions in Germany since landing. Well, every day without break had been fine sunny and practically rainless. We arrived at the camp after about forty minutes, hugging our belongings, sweating and thirsty. Dust seemed to be everywhere [sic] The camp was a big one surrounded by walls of barbed wire and high sentry boxes placed every three hundred yards or so with a searchlight in each. Electric lamps were spaced about seventy yards apart too. We arrived at the entrance to find this was STAMLAGER IV B. We were recounted [page break] and handed over to our new keepers and away went the old guard. I had left untouched my Red Cross Parcel, not knowing when the next issue would be. Then away we went to land up in a big compound and told to wait further orders. We were certainly glad to get a rest as it had been a hot and dusty walk. The next thing was to scrounge some water as we were all longing for [delete] for[/deleted] a drink. Eventually we noticed a building near at hand and managed a cup of water each from some Frenchman. There appeared to be every nationality under the sun here though each had a compound.
Next, we had to suffer the indignaty [sic] of having our hair sheared off, a fellow came out with a strange contraption which proved to be an [sic] hair shearer. One fellow turned an [sic] handle while another chap started shearing off our lovely locks. This was the closest thing to being baldheaded I have ever seen. We had a good laugh at each others [sic] transformation and when my turn came I took a peek in a window at my reflection & I wasn’t so happy. Still we were all alike & who was to see us except our companions. Afterwards [page break] we stripped and everything we possessed was place [sic] in big “debugging” ovens. The best part was to come for after this we moved into a big shower room and took a really hot shower bath, it [delete] was [/undeleted] certainly was enjoyable. We then moved along to drying rooms with big electric fans and soon dried off. Passing through another door we was [sic] suddenly caught unawares and found we had been disinfected. The next thing was inoculation [sic] and vaccination and from here we went outside to collect our clothes ect. [sic] Both Italian and Russian P.OWs were also going through the same processes and one could not help noticing the poor physical condition of a lot of them. Our photographs and other details were taken at another place and here we recieved [sic] our POW number. It was getting dark when we arrived at the British compound and we all felt hungry. On enquiry from the German Sentry we learned no rations were forthcoming at this time of day. We waited around for about an hour and about this time it was dark and we were cold and “browned” off. We were eventually shown into one of the barrack rooms the first impression one got was bad, there must have [page break] been well over two hundred men in one half of this [sic] barrack rooms, three tier bunks were crammed together down one side of the room while in the centre was [sic] draught pipes and two fires with hot plates on each for cooking and “brewing” purposes. Down the other side we found long tables and forms. An [sic] Hut Commander was in charge of each room and he certainly had a full time job. At one end of these rooms was a primitive latrine for night use only and at the other end we found a sink and cold water tap for washing up purposes while another brick place housed the abulutions, [sic] no baths or showers were provided. We were given “Billy” cans each and paliases [sic] stuffed with paper waste also a couple of blankets each and told as no beds were spare, we must bunk down on the brick floor. We were unable to get our beds down until the rest of the chaps cleared off to bed and altogether it was a terribly congested state of affairs. We lived under these conditions for over a week and in that time we each recieved [sic] an [sic] half share in a Canadian parcel [page break] by the way. I had shared my British parcel with two other fellows. We managed to eke out a fairly balanced diet with a little planning and the German sugar, margine, [sic] bread, potatoes and tinned meat supplemented our Red Cross foods. Quiet [sic] a deal of time was spent in preparing and cooking the meals. The way the Hut functioned was as follows, the Hut Commander was in control he supervised Rations, Water, Special Issues in fact everything in general that concerned the welfare of the fellows in his hut. Then there was [sic] Group Leaders who controlled the food and special issue of a group consisting of about thirty five men. Lastly we had Section Leaders who had the job of sharing out the rations of about five or six men under there [sic] section. Also there were Hut fatigues which consisted of “Chow-Carriers” whose job was to collect the soups and potatoes at dinner time. Dry Rations which consisted of either bread, margarine, sugar, cheese, raw and tinned meats were collected by other chaps. [page break] Hot water issues a day were made and fellows were detailed to collect these, another duty was known as Duty Hut fatigue and on this, practically everyone could be called on to do some duty as Wood Gathering Paper Gathering ectect [sic]. Well after about one weeks stay at Hut 36A as it was numbered we moved into another vacant Hut and was [sic] we pleased. This meant we got a bed each and I took the opportunity to bunk near my crew. [sic] Joe and Jimmy we also palled up with a paratrooper called Tom Berwick and Jimmy’s friend Sam Keok [sic]. The five of us decided to pool our parcels. [page break]
This account refers to the Hanover Operation on 8 October, 1943 by Lancaster I (DV324 VN-N) of 50 Sqn. Having taken off from Skellingthorpe at 2304, it was hit by flak at 21,000 feet while leaving the target area and crashed at Wilkenburg, 7 km SSE from the centre of Hanover. Sgt Dock and Sgt Beckthold RCAF are buried in the local War Cemetery. F/S Handley had a narrow escape in that his parachute pack very nearly became detached before he could pull the ripcord. W/O J.S.Gray was interned in Camps 4B/L3, PoW No.259874 with Sgt H.J.Whitwell, PoW No.259922. F/S J.Handley in Camp 4B, PoW No.259877. F/O S.D.Stubbs in Camp L3, PoW No.3013 with P/O J.C.P.Taylor, PoW No.3014.
(Chorley Bomber Command Losses 1943 and Lostaircraft.com)
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
The memoir of Sergeant Harry J Whitwell wireless operator / air gunner 50 Squadron RAF
Mrs Whitwell
Description
An account of the resource
A detailed account of an operation on Friday, 8th October 1943. The crew of Lancaster 'N for Nan' were Pilot PPilot Officer John Charles Peter Taylor from London, Flying Officer Stewart Stubby bomb aimer from Herefordshire, Warrant Officer James Gary mid-upper gunner from South Africa, Warrant Officer William Beckthold rear gunner from Canada, Navigator Flight Sergeant Fred Burton from Winchester, Flight Engineer Flight Sergeant Joseph Handley from Otley and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Harry Whitwell from York.
Their usual aircraft was unserviceable and they flew N for Nan for the operation. During the operation the aircraft was hit and all the crew bailed out. He jumped out with the navigator holding on to him. When Harry's chute opened the navigator fell to his death. He landed safely in a pond then assessed his misfortune. After a sleep he was caught by three men who fed him and gave him an ersatz coffee. They took him to Hanover which was very badly damaged. He met up with three of his crew in jail. They were transferred to Frankfurt by train and the guards were relatively friendly. Later they were transferred to an interrogation centre. They were then taken to a camp in Frankfurt centre and supplied with clothes, food and cigarettes provided by the Red Cross.
Next they were transferred in cattle trucks from the Dalag Luft to their permanent camp, Stamlager IV. Harry describes in detail the conditions and food in the new camp.
The account includes two photographs of Harry, one half length portrait and one full length of Harry in flying kit.
A printed version with identical text is included.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Harry Whitwell
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
59 page handwritten sheets including two b/w photographs
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Text. Memoir
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
BWhitwellHJWhitwellHJv1, BWhitwellHJWhitwellHJv2
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
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1943-10-08
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
England--London
England--Herefordshire
South Africa
England--Winchester
Otley (West Yorkshire, England : Parish)
England--York
Canada
Germany--Hagen (Arnsberg)
Germany--Bochum
Germany--Munich
Germany--Mühlberg (Bad Liebenwerda)
Germany--Leipzig
Germany--Dresden
Germany--Frankfurt am Main
Germany--Hannover
Germany
Germany--Ruhr (Region)
England--Hampshire
England--Yorkshire
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
50 Squadron
air gunner
aircrew
anti-aircraft fire
bale out
bomb aimer
bombing
briefing
Dulag Luft
final resting place
flight engineer
Ju 88
killed in action
Lancaster
navigator
Pathfinders
pilot
prisoner of war
RAF Skellingthorpe
Red Cross
shot down
target indicator
wireless operator / air gunner
-
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/163/22379/PBanksP15020011.1.jpg
0dc10efdae2983234238520930372150
https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/original/163/22379/PBanksP15020012.1.jpg
b4656ee3546434d64deb98d9c648e6d7
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
Banks, Peter. Album two
Description
An account of the resource
The album contains a varied collection of photographs taken whilst based at RAF Feltwell from 1937 onwards. There are aerial views of Windsor and Buckingham Palace, Harrow aircraft, plus social and service events. Post-war he was transferred to Singapore via India and Burma. The album reflects his social life with occasional photograph of his service activities at RAF Seletar. His return to UK via Bombay at the time of Indian independence is recorded, followed by scenic shots round Wick in Scotland. Finally there are some photographs of Angkor Thom in Cambodia. It also contains pages from newspapers dated 18 and 19 June 1940. <br /><br />Return to the <a href="https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/show/140">main collection</a>.
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.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
One photograph album
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
IBCC Digital Archive
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBanksP1501
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
The British Empire can beat the dictators
Description
An account of the resource
Left page: three columns of photographs one each of navy, army and air force with views pf people and equipment all with captions. Centre and right page photographs of Canada, S Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand army personnel. In the centre a map showing countries of British Empire.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Daily Sketch
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940-06-18
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Two newspaper pages
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Photograph
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PBanksP15020011, PBanksP15020012
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Great Britain
Canada
South Africa
India
Australia
New Zealand
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 Navy
British Army
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.
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1940-06
Blenheim
Defiant
Sunderland
training