大象传媒

16.08.44. A toughening up course at Whitley Bay. We drilled, both marching and running (鈥榓t the double鈥�) with full pack. Somewhat laden, we marched to a camping site. Those not given duties were able to attend a nearby dance where some were invited to tea the following day. It rained all night. Our tent had one hole directly above my boots! Next day, Sunday, having breakfasted in mud, we were ferried back to base. Goodbye tea!

When reminiscing, Fred, Edgar and myself each remember events forgotten by the other two. Fred recalls that we went to practise Dinghy Drill at the local baths. A dinghy was placed upside down in the water. Our job to right it and get in 鈥� useful knowledge if you ever 鈥榙itched鈥� into the sea. Many did.

Was it here that for a few mornings we had to wash and shave outside in freezing temperatures? I can see her now, a marvellous lady, with a kettle full of hot water, approaching down her garden, from the house which backed onto ours.

Taking advantage of time off we visited a fair at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. One stall-keeper asked us in his own way to 鈥渕ove on鈥�. Our rifle aim was too good.

More leave. Apart from my service abroad I was never away from home for longer than three months. When home, Birmingham City Council, on request, issued us with free bus tokens. Most conductresses/conductors refused to take the tokens; such was the friendliness during the war.

Fred and I back for a few days at Yatesbury, were posted to the same Advanced Flying Unit (AFU). Farewell to Edgar, posted to No.10 Air-gunnery school at Barrow-in-Furness prior to a posting to a conversion unit at Carew Cherington, flying Oxfords, then moving on to Coastal Command.

19.09.44 10(O) ( At the outbreak of World War 1 Army pilots carried Observers, origination of (O), who reported on location, size and movement of enemy troops). AFU near Dumfries, Scotland. Here we trained in Ansons together with other 鈥榗rew鈥� members, now flying by night as well as by day. Navigators, Bomb-aimers, Signallers, we were all nearing completion of our training. At route briefing we were told our plane, our pilot, instructor etc and such things as our flight and expected weather conditions. I remember the instructor鈥檚 eyes lighting up upon realising that his signaller pupil was deemed able to fly solo. Usually within minutes after take-off the instructor would settle himself on the floor of the craft with instructions to awaken him on approach to base 鈥� a confidence booster for the trainee.

One of my friends Bill Wallace hailed from Glasgow and even when on different 鈥榮hifts鈥� I would spend occasional weekends at his parent鈥檚 home. I slept on a 鈥榖unk鈥� bed recessed into the wall. A drawn curtain gave privacy. Once when together, his Uncle treated us to a meal in a hotel in Sauchiehall Street, a posh place, the carrots diced. We then went back to Bill鈥檚 to satisfy our hunger! Saturday evenings in Dumfries was dance-time. All Ballroom Dancing then 鈥� gratefully remembered now, as with new fashions and Zimmer frames there are less and less of us to take the floor. During the interval we were entertained by pipers 鈥� I must admit that many of the tunes sounded similar to me.

Our first flight from No.10 (O) AFU 01.10.44, the last 16.11.44, flying a total of 60hrs, half of them night trips. With many aircraft simultaneously attempting to contact ground operators to obtain bearings and fixes 鈥� which enabled the Navigator to check and plot course for the Pilot 鈥� beating the queue could be very exacting. The 鈥楺鈥� (Query) Code saved valuable time. Eg QDM = Query Direction Magnetic. An impatient Navigator was asked, jokingly, for two pence, the price of a box phone call, to put into the Transmitter for an immediate answer.

Many aircrew had to parachute out from their disabled plane whilst flying over enemy territory. Some were lucky, evading enemy capture. A few reached neutral country; some were picked up by the local resistance.

To prepare us for this eventuality we were taken into the nearby Scottish hills in an enclosed vehicle. We were dropped off in pairs, at frequent intervals. In case we had to make an emergency phone we carried the exact change: two pence. I think we were equipped with a compass. Our mission: to find our way back to the station without being detected. We succeeded, and with those that didn鈥檛, were given a 48 hour pass.

The course successfully completed, seven of us were invited to become air-instructors. Bill declined and carried on to Operational Training Unit (OTU). Fred recorded that he and I parted company on 20.11.44. He was posted to No. 12 OTU at Chipping Warden then joined a crew, but never saw active service.

21.11.44. 7(O) AFU, Bishops Court, County Down, Northern Ireland. After a 鈥榯est鈥� trip 24.11.44 with an experienced instructor I had my first pupil the following day. I knew that in fairness to all concerned 鈥� pupil and future crew 鈥� I had to set a high standard. Imagine my surprise when I heard 鈥榩ure music鈥� transmitted by the trainee. Far better than me I had no option but to pass him as fit to fly solo. On the walk back to debriefing the Canadian explained that though he had many years civilian air experience he still had to learn our procedures. Someone ensured that I had an easy start.

But not so on another flight with a Chinese Canadian pupil. On testing the trailing aerial (a long wire with ball weights, to minimise lash under the fuselage when wound out 鈥� always by hand) I found it broken. The trainee had difficulty locating the spare but assured me that he knew how to fit it. Now to digress, apparently. If you were lucky the plane would be fitted with a tun-dish from which a tube passed down through the fuselage 鈥� the crew鈥檚 urinal! Believe it or not, when the tube was missing I, like others, have actually opened the door of the plane, arched outwards, and relieved myself. How young were we? Now, my confident trainee, holding the aerial reel, was desperately trying to unwind the balls down the tube.

In very bad weather when flying through storm clouds, it was essential to wind in (by hand) the trailing aerial, having first removed the aerial from the TR1154/1155 and earthed to the earth box. Only once, wearing gloves as instructed, did my earthing coincide with our craft being struck by lightning. I was thrown backwards across the floor but luckily suffered no real harm.

Sometimes the dense mist was very localised, quickly rolling in from the sea. We would blindly grope our way to the briefing room only to be told by the Meteorological Officer that visibility was 鈥榯en out of ten鈥� 鈥� excellent. There was always a chance of flying into a local mist. I can remember two occasions when the Pilot instructed me to radio back to base that dense mist was causing problems, and as the same information was being relayed by other planes we were reluctantly given permission to turn back. Through the window I watched as the other pilots gave the thumbs-up to each other. The 鈥榞ood-do鈥� in the mess would not be missed! The evening often concluded with a sing-song: Rugby clubs would have been right proud of us.

Occasionally, usually in very bad weather, a plane 鈥榙itched鈥� into the sea and we went out to search for survivors. Flying in poor visibility we were almost as busy keeping a watch for other searchers. I still see 鈥榟im鈥�: A friendly instructor advising me on my initial trip as 鈥�1st WOP鈥� that no-one signed the book against No. 13. What happened to him and the rest of the crew remained a mystery. Their craft was never found.

If our first trip was cancelled because of bad weather we would don capes and cycle (bicycles were available on camp) the 7-8 miles to the dance in Downpatrick. The return journey wasn鈥檛 always a happy trip: the ominous clear sky heralded an 鈥榦k to fly鈥� message for the early morning (often about 0300 hr) flight. Thankfully, we rarely had a trainee for this duty, consequently the log book recorded 鈥榃OP鈥� only, not 鈥�1st WOP鈥�.

Flying 鈥榮olo鈥� the Navigator and Bomb-aimer were still gaining experience. We often flew across to Blackpool for the Bomb-aimer to bomb, by infra-red photography, the Post Office. It was strictly forbidden to fly round the Tower but more than one Bomb-aimer let down the Pilot by forgetting to operate the off switch! With photographic evidence against him the Pilot had no chance of not experiencing two or three weeks in the 鈥楪lasshouse鈥�, (military discipline centre).

On one occasion I reported my cape stolen. On being asked 鈥淎re you going to the concert tomorrow?鈥� I replied 鈥淵es鈥�. 鈥淎t the end of the concert you will place your cape under your seat before standing for 鈥楾he King鈥�. Then you will come and tell me that the cape was stolen whilst paying respect to His Majesty!鈥� The cape was replaced free.

For reason unknown to me WOP/Air was the only crew category required to take an extra exam in order to gain further promotion. I missed examination day travelling back home to be 鈥楤est Man鈥� at the wedding of another station friend, Phil King, also from Birmingham. A most enjoyable wedding and week-end. Was this one of the two times that I cadged an airlift back to Northern Ireland?

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of J. F. Humphreys and has been added to the site with his permission. J.F. Humphreys fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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