大象传媒

BEFORE THE WAR
I was born in Birmingham on November 24th 1915 in a working class neighbourhood to a working class family, but had a pleasant childhood being taken around the countryside and seaside in our BSA motorcycle and sidecar.
My mother was very ambitious for me and pressed me to do well at school, but I expect she would have been surprised by the way my life evolved because of World War 2.
From a school at Ward End, I progressed to Suffolk Street Centreal Secondary School and after two years gained admission by exam to King Edwards 6th Grammar School, which at that time was in the centre of Birmingham in New Street.
I managed to matriculate but at 16 had to go into the world and earn some money. After spells at Esso Petroleum and Thomas Cook (bankers)Ltd, I joined the Employers Liability Assurance in about May 1937.
During all this time I was a member of St Margarets church, Ward End engaging in associated activities such as tennis, rambling and dancing - teaching at Sunday School and arranging concerts - sometimes with the help of my sister Kay.
It was a pleasant carefree life that was to some to an end soon after as the Drums of War could be heard in the distance.

DRUMS OF WAR
In early 1939 I decided I should join one of the forces and I soon found that the Royal Air Force was the most hospitable (after being turned down by both Army and Navy). They were pleased that I liked Maths and Geometry as they were short of navigators.
Without much thought I joined up but I had to admit that I had never flown - indeed never even seen an aircraft in the ground. However the die was cast. Shortly afterwards we started lessons in Navigation at Handsworth and I began to realise what it was all about.

MY FIRST FLIGHT
We were 'treated' to a flight at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome, which nearly caused me to change my mind. I was in an open cockpit in a Hawker Hart with a helmet too large for me and as soon as we took off my helmet filled with a savage wind and nearly forced me out of the aeroplane. A struggle ensued, but I eventually got down below the level of the open cockpit where the wind could not get at me and there I stayed until we landed. I thought what have I let myself in for!

TRAINING BEGINS IN ERNEST!
Shortly afterwards I was sent for and had a spell at Pembroke College, Cambridge for lessons in discipline and drill. We slept on sacks of straw with two light blankets to cover us but generally I enjoyed my time there. From there we went to Staverton Aerodrome for further training, but now including flying. I loved the lessons on Navigation and could always be near the top of the class, but I had other troubles with flying as I was terribly air-sick.
However, having got so far I couldn't bear to give up,so I gradually got used to this sickness.
My training finished with spells in the Isle of Man for gunnery exercises which I hated and to Aldergrove in Ireland for bombing,which I liked. Soon there was a passing out parade and I was a full Sergeant Observer.
We had to be able to do all the jobs in the Aircraft except pilot it.

OPERATIONAL TRAINING
The next stage in our training was at the OTU (Operational Training Unit) where we met our aircraft for the first time.
We were mixed in together at the Station and told to sort ourselves out into crews. I ended up in Pilot Officer Downall's crew with five others including a P.O. war gunner.
We had a week or two getting to know one another and the aircraft and I really can't remember where this aerodrome was.
Then came the day about early to mid forties when our [posting came through to our operational aerodrome. I was posted to 75 New Zealand Squadron at Feltwell Aerodrome on the Norfolk/Suffolk boundary.
At that time I had been seeing a lady Miss Kathleen Senior from my home church and district of Ward End and she came to join me at Hockwold cum Wilton a quaint small village in the heart of the countryside. She stayed with Oscar and Edith in a cottage and I was able to visit briefly but not allowed to sleep off camp.

PHOTO FLASHES ON THE BOMBS
Operations were ongoing and although we thought we were very successful someone had the bright idea of putting photo flashes among the bombs giving a picture of the ground where the bombs fell. Imagine our disappointment when after exhaustive searches of maps many miles from the expected target our results were deplorable - missed by miles or bombed a decoy.
We were hit occasionally by flak and I was lucky that the Wellington was a sturdy aircraft and didn't seem to mind a few holes.

A NEAR MISS
The nearest we came to being shot down was in a raid over Schippol Aerodrome, Holland, where we made the mistake of flying along the cloud base where its height had already been calculated by the defending gunners. But luck was with us and we returned safely. I also got safely through the rest of the 30 trips but in the meantime I bagged three days leave to get married at the same St Margaret's Church on September 28th 1940.
A day late returning from leave nearly got me court martialled, but generally speaking they were an understanding crowd particularly the New Zealanders.

BARTER LASTE THAN NEVER
Oscar our host lent me his Austin 7 which I drove in to the Aerodrome and half filled it with Aviation Spirit diluted later with ordinary petrol
On days off he would take me round the local countryside where he conducted a barter business - giving away many things not easy to obtain - butter, sugar, chickens, pheasants and somehow always ended up with a bit extra for our own use or for the next day's barter.
Our water was from a well fetched up by bucket and it was advisable to strain it first.
We became well known at the local hostelry and Kath got a job at the chicken farm in the office and was occasionally disturbed by marauding German aircraft.
Whenever I returned from Ops and could get home I used to give her a whistle - must have been difficult waiting and not knowing whether I had returned or not.

DRIVING BY THE STARS!
The next posting was rather more pleasant. I was told to prepare to go on a course of Astro Navigation or finding our way about in certain circumstances by the stars.
I have already given you some idea of the difficultuies we faced unless we were lucky enough to get a verification pin point on the ground so anything that could assist was welcome.
So, in mid-December I went to Glasgow and boarded a Dutch liner, and set off for Canada. Why Canada? The English skies were too crowded for training flights at night.
I was allocated a hammock for sleeping somewhere down in the lower quarter, but after the experience of one night I reverted to sleeping on the floor, anywhere except for the hammock.
I saw whales and icebergs and eventually arrived in on Christmas Eve 1940 and what a sight - all the lights were on.
LIT UP IN CANADA
Allowed ashore I went to a Radio broadcast for free. We were granted six days leave and given a few dollars, so I hitched rides down the Queen Elizabeth Highway and had a marvellous time through Stratford, London, Niagra Falls, Toronto and back to base off the shores of Lake Eerie. Then work for a spell, but the Canadians had been most wonderfully hospitable and I was feted, welcomed and fed for the whole of the Xmas and New Year holiday.

I JOIN 97 SQUADRON
After a few weeks training in how to take readings with an unsteady sextant and how to interpret them, we returned to England and I was posted to 97 Squadron at Squadron Navigation Office at Coningsby.
This was an Operational Squadron and were just changing over from Manchester Aircraft which were not considered satisfactory to Lancasters which were marvellous.
About this time it was suggested that I apply for a Commission and this I did with alacrity for obvious reasons. Luckily I was accepted and soon became a Pilot Officer proudly wearing the flying orifice on my uniform. It was a time of great change particularl as regards navigation.
THE BEGINNINGS OF RADAR NAVIGATION
The Radar boffins had obviously been hard at work and one of their best achievements was the GEE box. A transmitter was placed in the North of England and one in the South, both on the Eastern side of Gt Britain. These sent out Radar Signals which could be received in the form of a blip on a small round screen in our aircraft.
There were lines on our maps which could be identified and thus by obtaining two readings from our screen our position was identified where the two lines crossed.
It was very accurate near the source of the signals but became less so the further east we flew.
However, it gave reasonably accurate pin points on our journey and provided us with wind direction and the the first time, our navigation became a little, in fact a lot, more accurate.
As 97 Squadron were amongst the first to get these new sets we were the guinea pigs of the training exercises and we were constantly visited by people from Bomber Command Headquarters.

IN AT THE START OF H25 TELEVISION
Another new and wonderful piece of equipment followed at least it seemd marvelous at the time - was the H25. This was an early sort of television.
Radar signals were sent to the ground area below the aircraft and repeated back to a receiver in front of the navigator.
The ground appeared grey on our little TV screens, towns were black and water white or no colour. We were thus able to get a picture in black and white (somewhat fuzzy at times) including coast lines, rivers and towns. So when we arrived at our area where the GEE was not accurate, the H25 gave us pictures for identification purposes and worked even through heavy cloud.
The RAF had at last come into its own and it was a busy time for me, especially as I was promoted to Station Navigation Officer of the whole Station of Coningsby which included both 97 and 106 squadrons.

FIRST OF A KIND
I now worked alongside the intelligence staff and Commanding Officer and believe I was the first navigator to achieve this position as previously only pilots were used. It was a natural progression as there was so much training needed to become familiar with the new gadgets.
After about a year in this position I was told to prepare for another spell of active operations and I was given the choice of 97 or 106 Squadrons. I chose the latter as W/Commander Gibson had just been made its Commanding Officer.

WORKING WITH GUY GIBSON
By this time I was a F/Lt or Sq Leader and the whole squadron was moved to Syerston in Leicestershire between Nottingham and Newark. During my time there I flew on the last trip Guy Gibson made before he went on to the famous 'Dam Buster' squadron and I subsequently joined the Pathfinders.
Guy was 'warlike' and all for his aircrews. His Nigger used to come into the mess and people used to put small amount of beer down for him to drink. After this he would go back to his 'room' with a slight roll.
Kath had moved to the Farm enar the Lera Gate Inn at Coningsby and was working in Boston. She had to move again to a small town near Syerston and I occasionally got home to join her - although Gibson frowned on such visits, we were supposed to concentrate on flying and nothing else, although an occasional visit to the well known hostelries in Nottingham seemed OK.

I MEET THE PILOTS THE DAMBUSTERS
It was a time of great tension - German night fighters were getting more successful and I was flying with men such as Burpee, Shannon, Hopgood and Gibson - all of whom eventually went off to form 617 The Dambusters Squadron.
John Searsby became my pilot on occasions and I formed a great affection for him and he became a firm friend.
Donald Bennett sent for Searsby and asked him to take Command of 83 Squadron at Wyton, The Pathfinders and of course he went.

I JOIN THE PATHFINDERS - THE ELETE FORCE!
I had done about half my second tour at this point, when Searby asked if I would join him as his Navigator at 83 Sqdn PFF and this I did.
Kath had to move again and finished up in Hemmingford Grey - near St Ives where I saw her occasionally.
I ended up being made Bar Officer and Catering Officer and was responsible for trying to obtain extra drink for our officers mess bar and extra food for the mess to augment our meagre rations.

PERKS FOR THE PILOTS!
I got a large quantity of Arrah from The Oliver Cromwell at St Ives and extra supplies of Guiness from The George at Huntingdon, which was much appreciated especially at out Officers Mess parties to which our wives were always invited.
These ended up as fairly noisy affairs as we had to let off steam somehow and there were also some strenuous games played in the Mess.
Howevert, things were more exciting for me. I still had 15 or more trips to do and although the PFF trips were counted as a sortie and a half, it was indicated that I was required to complete my second tour of 30 trips with 83 Squadron at Wyton.

DANGER AND EXCITMENT LOOM
Air raids were intensifying and my job as a Pathfinder Navigator was more complex and demanding. We now had to carry coloured markers and get to the target early and lay the initial markers. We also had to calculate wind speed and direction to relay to the following planes unless there was radio silence.
There were several raids on Hamburg which badly damaged the town and later raids on Berlin.
In between times there was the spectacular raid on the Radar establishment at Peenemunde where we were acting as Master of Ceremonies. This entitled supervising the whole raid from start to finish and we passed over the target eight or nine times to direct or redirect the PFF's coloured markers and in doing so had to risk the flak, collision dangers, bombs and incenduaries descending from above and the un-nerving sight of the occasional bomber being shot down.

FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE ENEMY AND A CRASH
We had an encounter with an enemy fighter on leaving the target, but were not hit and returned home safely and were circling the aeordrome at Wyton at 2,000 ft when we were in collision with another Lancaster also circling the aerodrome at Upwood. We sustained some damage and lost our rear fin and rudder - and the upper perspex turret, but managed to land without further trouble.
Our last raid was on Kassell and my pilot John Searby was determined to get back unscathes if possible.
He went up to 2,600 ft and weaved all over the sky. I was terribly sick - I suffered as you have heard, but it was all worth it to get home safely on our last operation.
I was therefore lucky enough to complete two tours of ops (60 trips over Germany)and was subsequently awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Flying Order.

MY GUARDIAN ANGEL APPEARS
I constantly lost friends - they just didn't come back, which reminds me how lucky I was
There was one other incident worth recording briefly. I stayed at Wyton for a short time as Navigation Officer and during that time lost two Squadron Commanders. Then a new man W/Commander Hylton was appointed and he asked if I would fly one more trip on ops with him to which I agreed.
The crew lists went to Group Headquarters my name included and by coincidence John Searby was at Group and saw my name. He immediately telephone and ordered my name to be withdrawn and a spare navigator was found. Was it fate or luck - the crew were lost over Berlins that very night!
My next posting was to nearby Warboys as Chief Ground Instructor at the Pathfinder School under Donald Bennett. Every crew that came through to PFF had to be trained in our methods and all were supposed to be volunteers - many were not but that's another story........more to come

TWO VC'S
After the war I was invited to a signing ceremony, of prints by an artists who did limited editions of paintings ofplasne in action. I have a photo of myself at the print signing with two VC - one was Bill Read who got his for galantry and also survived.

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