大象传媒

As a boy growing up in the 1920鈥檚 and 1930鈥檚, I was interested in aircraft and flying; and as I had an Uncle in the RAF, and my Father talked of flying SE5鈥檚 and Sopwith Camels in the Great War, as it was called then, it became almost a passion.

During 1930, when we lived in London I saw the R101 Airship pass over on it鈥檚 last test flight before setting out the next day on the First Commercial Flight, during which it crashed in France, killing all on board, and bringing British Airship flights to an end.

My father took my brother and myself to Croydon Aerodrome many times, where we saw the enormous bi-planes of Imperial Airways; and also we went to the RAF displays every year at Hendon, and I was definitely hooked! Visits to Alan Cobham鈥檚 Flying Circus when it visited Hastings where we were now living followed, and only added to my determination. At that time the best way to enter the RAF to fly, was to get to University, and join on a Short Service Commission for four years. I was now at Hastings Grammar School aiming for a place at Oxford University to study law.

Unfortunately WW2 started in my last year at school, and Hastings was evacuated on September 15th, Battle of Britain day, and we were moved to Leicester, where I had to get a job in a local factory, as I was still under the age for entry. I enrolled in the RAF for Aircrew when I was 16 years old, but my Service did not start until I was 18. After the usual basic training I was sent to Canada for flying training, but instead of becoming a pilot I became an Air Bomber. On returning to this country I was given the opportunity of volunteering for a Special Services Unit, which sounded a bit dangerous, but considering the Bomber crew losses at that time were about one crew in five on each raid, it did not seem too bad. We became part of 38 Group, which supported the Special Operations Executive by flying Agents into and out of Occupied Europe and supplying them. We also helped with Glider operations such as Arnhem and helped to train Glider Pilots. We used various aircraft, Whitley鈥檚, Albermarles, Halifax鈥檚, Stirling鈥檚 and Lysanders and the ubiquitous Dakota.

As the war in Europe was coming to a close we were transferred to the Far East, and were posted to Transport Squadrons supplying the 14th Army, in its push down to Rangoon.

I had now been given basic pilot training and was classed as Second Pilot which did not always go down too well, as I still wore an air bomber鈥檚 insignia. At first we were based at Akyab on the coast of Burma, delivering supplies sometimes by parachute, sometimes at low level by free dropping, but mostly landing in small jungle clearings. It was not unusual to clip the tops of the trees during landing or take-off, and the clearings were also used by Fighters and Bombers on local operations, so the air was very crowded. The weather was often atrocious as the Monsoon season approached, but we had fly as we were the only supply method. Ports and roads did not exist and 8 RAF Squadrons supported by 8 American Squadrons, flew all sorts of supplies, ranging from food and fuel to ammunition, fresh water, and small equipment. We once even had a load of Brylcreem! Whoever ordered that we never found out. On the return journey we brought out a steady stream of wounded and flew in their replacements. VIP鈥檚 occasionally visited, films for entertainment, even the occasional ENSA group of entertainers.

The weather only got worse during the summer, temperatures inside the aircraft at take-off averaged 100 degrees and yet at flying altitude you literally froze. Rain was incessant and Radio reception very difficult. You often flew higher than necessary because the charts we used were drawn up for the Navy mainly for the coastal areas, so inland mountain heights were not considered so important. Consequently heights were not often reliable as some crews found out to their cost. Considering things, our losses were not too bad, and replacement of crews and aircraft arrived. Rangoon was taken on May 2nd on target, and mopping up operations carried on against the Japanese until the end of the War.

With 267 Squadron in Burma you did not fly on a rigid system of belonging to a crew, you flew when and where you were needed, normally up to 10 hours a day every other day, whereas in Europe, you were picked as a crew and that crew was your family. You owed your life to that group of men, and you usually went everywhere together. After 87 Operational flights from Akyab I was given a break, and moved back to Karachi in India where we did a similar job, but further back in the supply chain. We flew from the Persian Gulf to Burma visiting most main parts of India, flying supplies and personnel and generally enjoying ourselves. I returned to Burma, this time to Rangoon just in time for the end of the War in the Far East, fortunately we did not have to invade Singapore, we were glad as our role was to crash-land on the beach and go in with the Army, something we did not relish!

Once peace was declared, we did a lot of collecting of POW鈥檚 from all over South-East Asia; and then settled down to setting up civil airlines to cover the area from India to Australia one way, and Japan and Hong Kong in the other direction. Even though there was now no Enemy activity to worry about, the weather was still our main problem, and this kept us on our toes for over a further year. I was made redundant from flying in June 1946, and returned to the UK at Christmas that same year.

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