大象传媒

A collection of Roy Veal's memoirs recording his days in the Royal Air Force 1941-46 / 1950-55

INTRO
As an eager young man of 20, with World War II in full swing, my father Roy Veal wanted to join the RAF. The thought of flying in the latest machines that technology could produce really appealed to him. (The Hurricane and Spitfires were equivalent to the Harrier and Tornados' of today.) He signed up at The Yorkshire Grey P.H. in Eltham. It was a large pub with a hall attached (Now a McDonalds restaurant!). Initially he was told that he was too short to be accepted but after some deliberation and comments about sitting on a cushion, he was finally accepted. Hence the nickname "Shorty", which stayed with him throughout his career in the RAF.

TRAINING:
In 1941,he was shipped out to Canada to learn to fly. This was the standard procedure for would be pilots during the war. He was stationed at an airfield near a place called Moose Jaw, in Saskatchewan. He had said learning to fly in Canada had been a pleasurable experience and that he had seen a Rodeo. Flying experience was gained in a De-Havilland Tiger Moth (a bi-plane trainer) and progressing on to the much faster Harvard.(monoplane trainer) Actual training lasted some time approx 10 months(This was just after the Battle of Britain and therefore pilots weren't needed in such a short time scale, allowing a little more time for more thorough training).

6 SQN - NORTH AFRICA
In 1942, Roy was assigned to No.6 Squadron (known as the "Tankbusters" or "Flying Tin Openers"). The emblem showing a can-opener with wings was painted on the side nose of the aircraft. At that time the squadron was equipped with Hawker Hurricane MK IID's (powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin engine) which was developed for low level attack against heavy armour, and had a 40mm cannon attached under each wing (the largest of its type attached to any aircraft at that time). Initial training with 6 Sqn. took place in the Sinai Desert east of Cairo,where new recruits would swoop on dummy tanks.(some pilots lost their lives practising these tactics, diving too low crashing into the rocky sandy terrain.) On 23rd Nov.1942 dad had escaped one such crash, I have a photo of the wrecked upside-down Hurricane.

They would practise flying at just 10 to 20 feet off the ground and some pilots joked about fixing bayonets to the wings for added effect.!

Very few squadrons were equipped with Mk IID's and although they proved effective, they suffered very high casualties in comparison to other squadrons; this was partly due to low flying tactics and the heavy armament they carried, which slowed them down considerably. They were used specifically for low level tactical bombing against heavy ground armour such as tanks, trucks and large guns, like the German 88mm anti-tank gun. The Hurricane IID was not used as a fighter aircraft, it was a 'Tankbuster' and the German Afrika Korp, for very good reasons, feared them. Not much else could penetrate the thick armoured plating of the German Panzer tanks.

Roy spoke about having to unofficially remove the heavy armoured protective plating behind the cockpit, to make the airplane lighter in order to gain more speed.

He remarked when the 40mm cannons were fired, they gave such a jolt to the aircraft, that the nose would rise up suddenly and after each round he would have to re-align and steady the airplane momentarily.

He was shot down a couple of times, but would never bail out. He hated the thought of it, so would always try to crash land. On one occasion, he crash landed and the Hurricane flipped up side down. He was stuck in the cockpit and had suffered burns around the tops of his legs. He also lost a number of teeth. The story is that the British serviceman that saw the incident did not rush over; thinking he must surely be dead they had stopped to pick up spades in order to bury him! They were amazed when they saw he was still alive. He had said he had been shot in the knee and always joked about having a tin knee. He spent some time in hospital recuperating, and was very proud of his new false teeth!

On another occasion, he crash landed and a bullet had just scraped the top of his scalp, causing huge amounts of blood to flow down his head and in his eyes. This may have been the time he when he said he was captured by the Italians and was put into a POW camp in the desert. He had been interrogated and due to the old man's stubbornness to reveal any information was badly beaten up (he never had a good thing to say about Italians after that moment!) Soon after this incident, he decided that he had had enough and was not going to stay in this place any longer, in his own words he said "I just got up and walked out".

He actually must have sneaked out underneath the wire fence at night into the desert, heading back towards the British lines. after a number of days walking in the hot desert, surviving on ants and grubs, he was picked up, thankfully by the British. He remarked on the extreme conditions with the desert being blisteringly hot during the day with near freezing temperatures at night.

There was an unofficial, special club for RAF personnel who had been shot down in the desert, crash landed and managed to walk all the way back. This was called 'The late arrivals club'. My father became a member of this very exclusive Club and was presented with a silver brooch which was cast in the figure of a pilot's boot with wings on the heel.(An example can be seen at Tangmere Aviation Museum along with many other artefacts.) Dad was very proud of this and even wore it on his uniform on his wedding day some time later back in England.(the wedding photos show this)

During hot hazy days in the desert, the pilots would take turns in flying to a high altitude, where it was extremely cold, to collect ice (I'm not quite sure how?), for the drinks!. Pilots slept rough in bivvi wacks and every morning they routinely tipped up and shook their boots, just in case a scorpion had crawled in over night!.

As mentioned, casualties were high within the squadron and my father had seen many friends killed in action. The bodies were placed in a sack and buried in the sand, with a simple wooden cross. This grim view of death had a lasting effect. But he realised how lucky he was and often said that every day after the war was a bonus to him.

No. 3 FERRY UNIT - NORTH AFRICA:
Roy stayed with 6 Sqn following the British Eighth Army through Tripoli and Tunisia up to the end of 1943, by which time the British and Americans had pushed the German and Italian forces out of North Africa and had now invaded Italy. 6 Sqn. had a high turn over of pilots and following his tour of sorties he was assigned to Transport Command, No 3 Aircraft Delivery Unit or 'Ferry Unit'. The task was to ferry aircraft of all types from the shores of North Africa, to places all round the Mediterranean. This was a supply route for replacement aircraft destined for various squadrons throughout the Med.

He had the opportunity to fly various types of aircraft including Hurricane Mk's I,IIc & IId, Spitfire Mk's V,VIII & IX and also DC3 Dakotas, a Liberator, a Beaufighter, a Miles Martinet, the list goes on..... He particularly enjoyed the Supermarine Walrus, a flying boat used primarily for rescuing downed pilots that fell into the sea.

Many times whilst relaxing in the mess-room, after a light ale or two, he would boast about doing a loop-the-loop in a Walrus, which apparently defies the laws of physics!. Friendly arguments would ensue and Dad was always more than willing to prove the point.!

In Morocco he met the Whirling Dervishes, dined with Arab Sheikhs and was offered sheep eyes as a delicacy.(it was considered rude to refuse) He kept two ducks as pets (Paddle Bum & Waggle Tail, I think?), which followed him everywhere. Apparently on one occasion during a visit at the station, he even had to introduce them to a General (General Slim, I think?) when he was ordered to fly the General on to a forward destination.

EASTERN AFRICA:
Apparently, dad had volunteered to help administer an outpost somewhere in the Sudan (Mala Macau) for a six month period. One night he was disturbed from sleep, to find a bush man stealing his boots! He leapt out of bed, grabbed his revolver, shouted a warning and shot the fleeing man! with no regrets!!......".good quality boots were a valuable commodity in the jungle!!"

He made friends with the Dinka tribe.(noted for their height 6 foot average) He sat on the veranda and shot crocodiles, a handbag was made from the skin, which he sent home to his mother . A colleague at the same outpost went mad, and shot himself. Dad caught malaria, grew a beard and lost a lot of weight. When he arrived back in North Africa (Morocco), an old pal and fellow pilot, Phil Fricker also from Dartford didn't recognise him. The effects of malaria never left, with bouts of hot sweats and bad dreams re-occurring every few years.

HOME:
May 1945 the war in Europe was over and the Japanese finally surrendered in August the same year. Roy flew back to England in September 1945, co-piloting a Liberator (bomber) and was finally released from service in April 1946.

KOREAN WAR - CALL UP:
At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Roy was called up again and due to his experience with flying a wide variety of aircraft was trained as a Flying Instructor. He passed the instructors course and subsequently went on to train future Fleet Air Arm pilots in the aeroplane he first flew,... the Tiger Moth. He also had the opportunity to fly some of the very first, early jet aircraft, such as the De Havilland Vampire, and Jet Provost. He stayed on with the RAF at various stations around the country (Little Rissington/Syerston) until 1955 when, being married with three children, considered it to be a too high risk job and left to join "civvy-street."

LOOKING BACK:
When recalling his flying days in the RAF, it was the Hawker Hurricane that he held with such great affection, which he considered "a sheer joy to fly .... a reliable trustworthy workhorse, which could take a lot of punishment and still get you home". He joked about straddling a Rolls Royce Merlin, a beautifully crafted engine. He also loved the fact that he was being paid to fly.

As a founder member, he regularly attended the Dartford RAFA (Battle of Britain memorial hall , bottom of East Hill, Dartford) every second Thursday of the month, he was a keen collector for the RAF Benevolent Fund and always tried to attend the Battle of Britain church remembrance service at Christchurch Dartford.

It was a great honour to see the Dartford RAFA Branch flag bearer at my father's funeral (Sept.1994) along with many of his old RAF pals
One thing I know for sure, is that he was extremely proud of his association with the RAF.

------------- x ------------

Some other noteworthy stories

One time he had to land with a bullet stuck in his cockpit sights! "a very disturbing image" (this was a very thick piece of glass!).

He unwittingly landed at an airfield not knowing it had recently been occupied by the other side. Shots were fired at him as he clambered out of the aircraft. He consequently jumped back in very swiftly and with a few curses , promptly took off again!

Crates of whiskey were flown from airfield to airfield. Apparently it was a useful bargaining tool!.

Whether it was exhaustion, tiredness, hallucinations or a trick of the light, a strange phenomena occurred whilst flying up high above the clouds: Dad says he could clearly see gremlins dancing on the wing of his airplane. He was not afraid to admit this fact, dismissing mockery, and strongly believed that the small elf-like figures he saw happily dancing, could only be described as gremlins, and would not be told otherwise. (This story caught the imagination of us kids)

All these stories I found fascinating and interesting. I also found it incredible that a young man in his early 20's could experience that much and survive the consequences. But during those turbulent times, they just took it in their stride. They had a job to do and got on with it.

Steve Veal ...2001
(revised..11/03)

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.