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PART TWO

At 2 EFTS was to instruct the new aircrew recruits to fly the Tiger Moth aircraft. This aircraft is his most favourite type aeroplane and he always longed to fly in one of these again sadly he never managed to do so.

He trained over 90 pupil pilots here and his C/O was Wing Commander "Dutch" Holland who was awarded the Air Force Cross for his services to Training Command at the end of the war. While at Worcester he spent a week at Tangmere with 197 Squadron (Typhoon unit) and managed to fly a Hurricane lIC that the unit had as a "hack". He remembers that he felt the Hurricane heavy and very cramped to fly and is glad he was not given one of those as his "kite".

He was transferred to No 3 (P) AFU South Cerney in April 1944 to be retrained on twin engined aircraft, this it was discovered was for a posting overseas to an operational squadron. He was sent on various courses to other AFU's and Blind Approach Training Flights while at South Cerney.
Finally moving to 5PDC at Blackpool for dispatch to India via Liverpool. He sailed on HMT Strathnaver to Bombay, and sent to Worli to be allocated to a Squadron.

After a short stay at 3 Refresher Flying Unit at Poona and 1672 Mosquito Conversion Unit at Yelahanka. He was posted to 84 Squadron on the same Air station. Here he was teamed up with W/O George Park McMahon a navigator who was "regular" RAF and had flown operations in Europe and over the Atlantic. This partnership was to see him through to the war's end.

While with 84 Squadron he was introduced the Vultee Vengeance aircraft, which he describes as a huge beast that you could almost go for a walk around the cockpit. He also flew again in a Harvard "the squadron hack" and also the Oxfords the squadron had been allocated to prepare the unit for the Mosquito.

The arrival of the "Mossie" brought some more bad luck as he crashed one of the first aircraft the squadron were given (HR638). The mistake is well documented in "Scorpions Sting".
However I would like to add a footnote to this story.
A guide at the Mosquito Museum near Potters bar told me; that his mistakes with the petrol tank switch over drill is believed to one of the reasons given for the loss of W/C Guy Gibson VC.

His yellow slip is still at the back of his Logbook and some nice comments have been added those in the Logbook, these made by some of his fellows at the time I believe. The best one is after the comment "back broken" someone has added "and lots more"

He did make up for this accident when he landed on one engine, thanks to "Mac" McMahon managing to manually lower the landing gear. They had been both told to bail out but the loss of another Mosquito would have been to much to bear, so they stayed with their "kite" and brought her home in mostly one piece. The engine failure was due to a fault in the Constant Velocity Unit of the propeller. This it was believed may have been down to a mistake in maintenance.

While in India many of the airmen stationed there came down with all the types of illness associated with that continent. My father was one of the many who contracted malaria and spent some time recuperating in the Indian Hills.

He also took part in a "Jungle Trek" exercise and his notes made on the journey, even down the kit list he took with him on the trip still are with his logbook.

His logbook continues and notes some night flying, dive bombing and fighter affiliation with 615 Squadron (Spitfires). Finally he was allocated RF699 and this aircraft stayed with him until the freedom of Singapore in Sept 1945.

He spoke many times of the flight on 24/04/1945 to Charra as it was of over 4 hours duration and a most enjoyable trip. While at Charra he broke his wrist while playing football. This accident took him off flying until the end of July 1945.

The units move to St Thomas Mount in Madras and finally to Begachi before the flights south to liberate Singapore are all recorded in his log.

He remembered the flight through Burma and Malaya and commented to me on seeing the jungles again on a film ("The Purple Plain" staring GregoryPeck). "That is just they way I saw those jungles when I flew over them in 1945".

The war was over but he felt someone forgot to tell the Japs and their supporters in the jungles of Burma etc. He remembers the bullets and grenades that flew about the camp at Hmawbi. He told me of the flight into Singapore and the Japanese "peace plane " a DC3 copy, having parts liberated as souvenirs. The family still has the mascot doll, a notebook and Maps from the Japanese Aircraft.

He spoke of driving about Singapore and his V8 Pilot car liberated from the Japs. The trick of the removal of the rotor arm from his RAF jeep to stop anyone stealing it and the pocket full of similar rotor arms to enable him to steal another one should his jeep disappear.

There is the great sadness too of the conditions of the Prisoners of War liberated at Changi. He narrated to me the story of a friend from the next village who was jailed there. How he found his hut and his bed (still warm) but these were empty. He managed to get to the ship taking him home to the UK but was prevented from boarding by the MP's. This was to stop him (or any other military personnel) staying on board and going home too. This story was one that always brought a tear to those wonderful blue eyes of his.

The Squadron's switch from a war footing to that of restoring the peace; with the flights involving the RAPWI being an important task at this time. Many of these operations were long and dangerous flights.

His and "Mac's" flight to and from Saigon is well documented in "Scorpions Sting". It was here in Saigon too the 'War" came back, the Japs (or Viet Min) that had not surrendered, attacked the airfield at night. He told me when this happened; he was waiting inside his room with his revolver drawn and ready to shoot to kill for the first time in his life. Luckily he never had to use that revolver that night. W/O McMahon knew nothing of the attack as he had found a billet for the night with a local French family he had met while attending mass at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Saigon.

The return flight to Seletar was the end for his kite PY — W ‘Willie’ the aircraft was very badly damaged from flying through a monsoon and never flew again.

He told me of his impression of the Mosquito (and ‘Willie’ in particular) was "I felt that in a mosquito I would always get me back to base no matter what". He trusted the Mosquito, even when others were falling out of the sky due to the problems with the mainspar, he always stated would have continued to fly one if required to do so.

His log book entries stop after his return to Singapore, he cannot remember if he flew much after this but thinks it possible but only on very few occasions at the most.

When the allies were policing the Java insurrection and as you know 84 Squadron had a detachment in Java too. He became Acting CO, deputising for W/C Constable Maxwell, at Seletar, when he was in Batavia. He held the post "off and on" for about two months and after the Squadrons move to Batavia he became the Adjutant of the Squadron until he left to return to the UK in February 1946. He told me about flying out of Java on a Dakota but has no memory of the unit or pilot (possibly a 31 Squadron aircraft though).

He returned home via Worli, Bombay and finally 104 Personal Disposal Centre Hednesford near Cannock for his Demob and return to civilian life.

He was very proud to serve in the Royal Air Force and also very proud of all the units he served with. 84 Squadron was his favourite and always in his thoughts. He loved to receive his Squadron Magazine in the post, to find out what the unit was doing now and all the historical information and news.

Although he never flew a powered aircraft again but did manage to fly a glider in Canada in the 1970's. He lost contact with his pals Eric Redhead, Frank Lee and George "Mac" McMahon. I found out that Eric Redhead had died in 2001 but spoke to his daughter who gave me some details on what her dad had achieved in the war. He too flew in Canada at a gunnery School and ended up flying Mustangs over Europe. Dad was glad that I had spoken to her and sent her some copies of photos of her dad as a memento. Frank Lee escaped my search until November 2004. He had stayed in the RAFVR (T) and has only stopped flying recently. I managed to get my dad and him together on the phone and they knew each other's voices immediately. Frank too was glad to speak to dad and was very upset at his passing at Christmas 2004.

As for P/O G P "Mac" McMahon; I am continuing to try to find him, maybe one day I will find out more about him and his exploits with "Jock" Cameron.

From the above it can be noted that my father never fired a shot or dropped a bomb in anger during the whole of the war. It was his job in the RAF mainly to help train the airmen whom would fly the operations to end the conflict. Some of those he taught never returned from these operations, many did however and I hope the lessons that they were taught by my father and those like him were part of the reason they did come home.

I know without men like "JOCK" Cameron; the job would have been a lot harder and longer. It shows that the men and women of the Ground crews, Admin, Support units and most importantly, Training Command played their part in our victory in the War too.

Thanks to all of them.

F/Lt R.G. Cameron RAFVR (Rtd) passed away at home on 24th December 2004.

He is sadly missed and very fondly remembered by his family and friends.

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