大象传媒

At the age of 17陆,as a member of 234(Durham) Squadron of the Air Training Corps, I volunteered for training as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, but I had to wait until November 1942 when I was 18陆 before I received my papers to report to HMS Daedulus at Lee-on-Solent for basic training.

After a month here doing drill, field-training and learning the requirements to be a Naval Airman (Second Class) we moved to HMS St. Vincent at Gosport, where under the control of the famous Chief petty officer Willmot we took part in more drill, seamanship and weapons training, some elementary sea navigation and boatmanship and apart from aircraft recognition, very little which suggested that we were aiming at a flying career.

On Passing out we became Acting Leading Naval Airmen and put up our leading rate鈥檚 anchor badge 鈥� or 鈥楰illick鈥� as it was known. Conditions at St. Vincent were primitive to say the least, especially as far as the messing was concerned, and so after a short period of leave we moved to more salubrious surroundings at RAF Sealand to begin our long awaited flying training.
With the luxury of beds with sheets and pillows and a mess presided over by a chef in a white hat we began what we had been waiting for.

Here were real aeroplanes - De Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes with all the excitement of flying kit, parachutes and flying logbooks. The instructors were all RAF pilots wearing real wings and to us were sort of supermen. We spent about 3 months at Sealand in basic flying training 鈥� half time flying and half time theory lessons on airmanship, simple air navigation, meteorology and so on. After the first wonder of actually sampling the magic of flight, the first hurdle was going solo. Those who didn鈥檛 make it after about 12 hours were 鈥榙ipped鈥� and vanished from our lives. We then followed a programme of various flying manoeuvres, aerobatics, some simple navigation and instrument flying, then home on leave again to await our next posting.
In May 1943 we sailed in the Queen Elizabeth from the Clyde to New York and thence by train to RAF Monckton, New Brunswick before proceeding to RCAF Kingston Ontario to begin our Service Flying Training. Four months were spent here flying North American Harvards 鈥� all the usual flying activities including air-to-air firing and bombing those who didn鈥檛 dip were 鈥榓warded our flying badges鈥�, as the navy put it 鈥� nothing so glamorous as the RAF鈥檚 wings presentation.

I was involved in my first 鈥榓viation incident鈥� here. Owing to a breakdown in communication between the Control Tower and the runway control, a Harvard was given the green light to take off and at the same time I was given a green to land on the same runway. On the curving approach my engine prevented me from seeing the other Harvard and I touched down a few yards behind him, but travelling faster than he was. My propeller chewed its way into his tail and although no one was injured we made a most expensive mess of two aircraft; the first two to my tally of Allied Aircraft destroyed.

We returned to England in the Aquitania whose accommodation would have made a slave ship appear comfortable by comparison. My next posting was to RAF Errol in Perthshire for a six weeks conversion course on Swordfish. Here on two occasions I actually flew one of the aircraft which was to become part of the RN Historic Flight many years later 鈥� Swordfish W5856. Before this part of my training I had achieved the rank of Temporary Acting \Midshipman (A) RNVR (not being old enough to be a Sub Lieutenant!)

In February 1944 I began a three month course of operational training at No. 1 naval Operational training Unit at HMS Nightjar the RN air station at Inskip in Lancashire. Her in 766 Squadron we crewed up with our observers and TAGs (Telegraphist air gunners) and carried out a very extensive and demanding flying programme in anti-submarine warfare. Here too I wrote of my third British aircraft. Owing to a fault in the fuel system, while on night practice rocket attack on a dummy U-Boat target in Morecombe bay my engine stopped at about 1000 feet over the bay. I shouted; 鈥淭he engine鈥檚 stopped鈥� to which my observer replied;鈥� That鈥檚 your department鈥�.鈥� It was a moonless starlit night and the sea could just be seen as a dark shining surface. I didn鈥檛 fancy the many obstructions on the land, and I told my observer to lean over the side and let me know how far we had to go 鈥� there was always a bit of a delay with the altimeter. He just started to say 鈥淲e鈥檝e got about 300 feet to 鈥︹�� when we hit the water 鈥� all half an inch of it 鈥� it was actually wet sand as the tide was out. It was most dramatic: wheels ripped off, then the wings and we slid for about 200 yards in what remained of the fuselage before coming to a halt. There was a moment of absolute silence apart from the whirring sound of the gyro compass: then suddenly I started to giggle followed by the two in the back of the aircraft. It just seemed so ludicrous. Deciding we鈥檇 better do something positive we dismantled the radar controls 鈥� it being on the secret list- and then we started to walk the few hundred yards to the shore through the very shallow water. Through the dark we could see, some distance inland, a pinpoint of light. Struggling through fields and hedgerows we came upon an isolated farmhouse and knocked on the door. On enquiring our whereabouts from the surprised farmer鈥檚 wife, we discovered that, unusually for those days, they had a telephone. I rang up the air station and with some difficulty managed to explain to the irate Commander Fling what had happened. 鈥淪tay there鈥� he snapped. 鈥淚鈥檒l send a lorry for you and you can carry out the exercise again. Properly!鈥�

As it turned out, by the time the lorry driver found the farm and delivered us back to Inskip night flying had finished and so we didn鈥檛 have to repeat the exercise until the following night. As was usual the blame for the crash was put down to 鈥榩ilot error鈥� until an examination of the wreckage by an engineer officer discovered that the fuel lines had been incorrectly connected up and the only fuel available had been the small amount in the emergency tank.

During the rest of the course the gremlins were active again. On a flight thirty miles or so off the coast near Blackpool a cylinder head blew off the plane I was flying and only the fact that the Swordfish鈥檚 Pegasus engine was such a remarkable piece of engineering enabled me to make it back to the airfield before the engine stopped.

The next part of my training was a deck-landing course on board HMS Argus with 768 Squadron. Two further incidents happened on board. On my third deck landing the arrester hook bounced four times. There were only four arrester wires and it bounced over each one and so I crashed into the safety barrier, writing off yet another swordfish. During another flight from Argus I flew into a flock of seagulls which didn鈥檛 do the gulls much good but also bent my propeller, so after a bone shaking return to the ship that aircraft was written off too.

Towards the end of May I was appointed to 744 squadron at Maydown RNAS - HMS Shrike- to take part in the Western approaches Anti U-boats course. Reaching my 20th birthday here I was promoted to Sub Lieutenant (A) (Temporary Acting of course) Crewing up with a new observer, Midshipman Danny Wilson and a very elderly looking, to us, Petty Officer Maltby as TAG we were then appointed to our operational squadron, 836, also at Maydown.

836 was the largest squadron in the Royal Navy 鈥� probably in any navy at any time. It was made up of 23 flights of 3 or 4 Swordfish in each. It operated in 17 Merchant Aircraft Carriers or 鈥楳ACships鈥� as they were known, including 6 grain ships and 11 tankers, together with a Royal Netherlands Navy squadron (860) who operated from 2 tankers. These MACships were slightly shorter than and much narrower than the usual Escort Carriers. They were also only able to make 12陆 knots at top speed compared with the escort carriers鈥� 18 knots, thus making take-offs in particular somewhat dicey in low winds.

MACships carried almost full cargoes as well as the aircraft. They were Merchant Navy vessels with MN captains and crews and sailed under the Red Ensign. To make it legal all Royal Navy personnel had to sign on with the MN: officers signed on as 鈥淪upernumerary Deck Officers鈥� and the ratings took out Merchant Navy articles. Because of the situation most of the flights painted out the words Royal Navy on the aircraft fuselages and painted on Merchant navy instead. We found out years later that according to international war that made us either pirates or privateers.

The flight we joined was 鈥楯鈥� flight in the MV Alexia, one of the tankers. My aircraft, LS384 鈥楾he Dingbat鈥� had painted on the side a black cat riding a rocket. After two months escorting Atlantic convoys between Britain and Halifax, Nova Scotia we returned to Maydown where we were split up as a crew and I was transferred to 鈥楳鈥� Flight with a new Observer, Norman dale and Petty Officer Bob Lea as my TAG.

My new aircraft, LS460, was one of four in the flight, each with a pirate鈥檚 head as insignia. The Flight Commander Dennis Shaw鈥檚 was Morgan鈥檚 Mate, the others were 鈥楳in Hai鈥�, 鈥楯oe Malachi鈥� and mine 鈥楤lack Mike鈥�. This turned out to be a most unusual appointment.

We were told that the flight was to go on special assignment in an escort carrier, HMS Boxer, to the Mediterranean and our kit was packed up, our maintenance ratings were sent off with kit and we stood by to follow with our aircraft the next day. Meeting Dennis next morning 鈥� in the 鈥榟eads鈥� 鈥� the Squadron CO told Dennis: 鈥滳hange of plans; you鈥檙e going to join HMS Campania in the Clyde. Don鈥檛 worry about your kit and your troops they鈥檒l catch up with you.鈥� Famous last words!

We took off and flew to the Clyde where we recognised Campania by her deck number and flew over the ship waiting for her to turn into wind. She took no notice of us or our Aldis lamp requests so we beat her up fairly dramatically and apparently grudgingly at last she turned into the wind. We made a smart job of landing on 鈥� here was a bigger deck than that of MACship. As we climbed out of our aircraft the captain walked up and as Dennis was about to report to him he growled: 鈥淲ho the hell are you and what do you want?鈥� He had no signal about our joining him, but in the end as his anti-submarine Swordfish Squadron had flown ashore for a training programme decided to keep us for A/S purposes.

The next day we joined up with HMS Trumpeter and a number of escort vessels and sailed for the coast of Norway, where Avengers from Trumpeter carried out a mine-laying operation, Wildcat fighters from the two carriers attacked an aerodrome and some radio stations and our flight carried our anti-submarine patrols. We returned to Scapa Flow where our kit finally reached us 鈥� but no news of our troops.

Next we joined up again with Trumpeter and several destroyers to escort two liners, the Empress of Australia and the Scythia on a special high-speed convoy to Russia. We were told that the liners were carrying elements of the Norwegian Army to Russia ready to invade Norway from the north. Many years after the end of the war I found out that this convoy 鈥撯�極peration Golden鈥� 鈥� JW/RA 61(A) was actually carrying Russian prisoners of war who had been fighting for the Germans in the Ukraine. They were being returned to Russia for 鈥楻e-education鈥�.

Returning to the UK, Campania was heading for Belfast for some repair work and the Wildcat fighters flew off to return to their base as did the one Fulmar night fighter, the latter making a most dramatic exit by 鈥榖ombing鈥� the ship with toilet rolls. Unfortunately for the crew, about five minutes later the aircraft engine began to misfire and they were forced to land on again. The captain excelled himself with a very imaginative vocabulary.

The four swordfish remained on board until we docked in Belfast and it was decided to crane us ashore. We had, of course all our kit and this was festooned all over the aircraft. I had two cabin trunks. A number of flying-kit bags, some assorted suitcases and 鈥榙itty boxes鈥�.

The aircraft were craned onto the dockside and with our wings folded we taxied out of the docks and along the road to Sydenham aerodrome and in through the gates. The wings were unfolded and we taxied out to the end of the runway for take-off 鈥� quite a hairy business with all the extra load decorating the aircraft.

On return to Maydown, Bob Lea was posted elsewhere and Norman and I became for a time spare crew, ferrying odd passengers to Speke and back. It was at this time I met my wife to be. Barbara was Norman鈥檚 fianc茅鈥檚 best friend and as they all lived in Birkenhead the trips to Liverpool were much appreciated. However in true 836 squadron style, we were split up again as a crew and I was offered the chance to train as a Deck Landing Control Officer or 鈥楤atsman鈥�. I wasn鈥檛 too sure at first but found that I had a natural ability in this activity and really began to enjoy the job. After a fortnight鈥檚 training I joined the MV Empire MacKendrick 鈥� a grain ship 鈥� as DLCO and I鈥檓 pleased to say I 鈥榖atted in鈥� about 200 landings without a single accident. We did have one dramatic event when, during a rocket assisted take-off when I gave a signal to the pilot, Alan Spencer, my best friend and the plane cartwheeled into the sea alongside the ship. The chief worry of everyone was not the crew鈥檚 safety but whether the depth-charges had been fused. We shouted to Alan and he shook his head as the plane bobbed around in the water. The rescue ship was quickly alongside and Alan and his observer were fished out satisfactorily. By this time the Swordfish were all MarkIII versions with special ASVX radar and we no longer had TAGs.

On the 18th April 1945 two ships in our convoy HS 348, a tanker and an ammunition ship were torpedoed; the only ships to be sunk in over 200 convoys escorted by MACships.

On May 8th, at 40 degrees west, right in the middle of the Atlantic we heard the news of the end of fighting in Europe and signals were received concerning the remaining U Boats. Most people have the erroneous idea that the battle of the Atlantic was over to all intents and purposes in 1943 鈥� a picture often given in the media. In actual fact, after VE Day, 156 U-boats surrendered , flying as instructed, black flags and a further 220 scuttled themselves in their home ports.

The German war being over I was posted to HMS Daedalus at Lee-on-Solent for a fighter pilot鈥檚 conversion course where I flew Fireflies. We began an operational training course once more at HMS Nightjar at Inskip, but while there the atom bomb was dropped and the course was never fully completed.

My last flight, in a Firefly, DK497 was on 28th December 1945. On June 13th 1995 I was invited to RNAS Yeovilton and given a flight (in the rear cockpit) in Swordfish W5856, one of the RN Historic Flight aircraft and the same aircraft I had first flown on December 23rd 1943.

From a fleet Air Arm Song
Now in the Royal Air Force a landing鈥檚 OK
If the pilot can get up and still walk away;
But in the Fleet Air Arm the prospects are grim-
It鈥檚 too bloody bad if the pilot can鈥檛 swim!

Cracking Show! I鈥檓 alive!
But I still have to render
My A25*

*The A25 was a form to be filled in by a pilot after a crash.

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