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This story was told to East Ayrshire Library Staff by James Gilmour during a People’s War Tea Party at the Dick Institute on 27th April 2005.
James can remember being 19 when the war started and he joined the RAF with a slightly older workmate. They were both sent to Warrington and then after a few days his friend was sent back to Scotland. After training and 4 years as ground staff all over the country – he applied to join an aircrew. This he achieved after being successful in exams. He was then sent to Babbacombe - then Manchester.
30 or 40 members of the RAF went to Manchester at the same time. James and others were about to be sent to train in South Africa as the climate there allowed more flying time than in the UK when one of group got German Measles. This quarantined everyone for days – then instead of South Africa they were all sent to the USA.
Setting sail from Liverpool – they went first to Canada where they were kitted out. They then went on by train to Arizona, or Texas or Nevada etc. A group of them went to Arizona (including James). They arrived at Phoenix – the capital of Arizona - and went to the local aerodrome where James started his flying training.
There were talks by professors – one of them explained about desert hazards like scorpions etc. – so you never put your clothes and shoes on in the morning without checking.
There were three phases of training, which lasted 9 months – after which many of the trainees were eliminated for various reasons. Those who failed the course as pilots could train as gunners and navigators.
Over the 3-4 years of training in Phoenix about 40 trainees and instructors lost their lives. They are commemorated every November in a service attended by the mayor of Phoenix and veterans of the training. In 2004 about 200 people attended the service and it was covered on television.
James contracted Valley Fever about this time ( which was contracted from a fungus, which attacks your chest) and he went to hospital where he stayed for 3 & 4 weeks. He missed part of his course – but after leaving hospital he was due a week’s leave. Someone suggested going to visit Hollywood – which he duly decided to do. He was given a name to contact in Hollywood so he hopped on a train to Los Angeles. He contacted the lady and she sent a car to pick him up at the station. He got a short tour of Los Angeles including Beverley Hills. He then met his hostess Mrs Day? – the wife of the Canadian Consul. He stayed with Mrs Day and was given a very warm welcome.
After meeting a Mrs Schiller – whose husband worked in Hollywood as a writer – James met Joan Blondell and Joan Crawford and other Hollywood stars. James visited Hollywood a couple of times. He was taken at one time to the Grand Canyon – hitching rides back to Los Angeles.
Coming back to Britain in 1945, he found that the war in Europe had ended and he was to go to war against Japan. In Britain he trained on Hurricanes for 3 weeks then went onto Typhoon training. He was then all set to go, when the USA dropped the 1st nuclear bomb on Japan. 3 weeks later the 2nd bomb was dropped and Japan surrendered. James did not see action.

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