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In 1939, when the war started, I was 11 years old. I had an undistinguished school-life and spent the last two years of it at the local Art School. My father sent me there, somewhat in desperation, I think! Leaving school in my fifteenth year I worked at two local factories, both in the engineering field and it was then I discovered my interest in Electrical Engineering. I started further education, the intention being to obtain the National Certificate, employers allowed students to have one day per week at Technical College and the student had to attend, in addition, on two evenings per week. Things went reasonably well but I was not a willing worker and tired of the routine job I was doing. I discovered that the local Airport was in need of staff and as this sounded attractive to me I applied and was given a job in the Electrical Section.

The airport, on the outskirts of the town, in pleasant countryside, was rather primitive, having no Tarmac runways. It had been used mainly by private flyers and at the outbreak of the war was commandeered by the Air Ministry and turned into a flying school for the RAF, this was known as an EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School).
The original airfield had one large brick built hangar which the RAF had turned into a theatre, complete with lighting and sound equipment with a control room in the stage-wings.
For training the pilots, Tiger Moth Bi-planes were used and these were housed in four purpose-built hangars which the Air Ministry had built. There were all the facilities for looking after the planes. They were periodically stripped down and re-built, as inspection requirements demanded. This necessitated various departments, such as an Engine Shop, Canvass and Spar Shop, Paint Shop, Electrical Dept. etc., as well as maintenance facilities of all kinds.
The whole running of the school was delegated to a civilian organization and the trainee pilots were housed in billets adjacent to the flying facility. They had no part in the running of the establishment.
The Electrical Section was run by a relatively young man; this was unusual as most men between the ages of 18 & 40 had been called into the services. I was told that he was rejected on medical grounds. I cannot remember exactly how many were employed in the department but it must have been around six of which I was the youngest (at 17). This had an important consequence for me.

The work of the electrical department was mainly concerned with the maintenance and periodic overhauling of the aircraft.
However two important other functions required the services of an electrician.

The first was concerned with the operation of the airfield at night, for night-flying training of the pilots.

The other one was the running of the station theatre, which almost always occurred in the evenings and several times each month. Events ranged from visiting film shows to a touring stage company and regular dances, with sometimes a large orchestra. The forces entertainment organisation (ENSA) provided the programme, but an electrician was always needed for the local equipment knowledge.
The older men, in the department did not want to do this work and so I was encouraged to take on these duties, something that appealed to me greatly.

Night Flying was quite an interesting operation.
Because the airfield had no permanent runway, the aircraft could operate in any direction. However, small airplanes in particular, were more manageable flying ‘into wind’.
During day-flying therefore, the officer-in-charge would site the direction according to wind. Simple markers were placed, delineating the ‘runway’.
At night however it was a much more complicated operation. A ‘lit’ runway had to be laid, on the instruction of the officer on duty.

The duty electrician drove a trailer unit on to the field, containing all the equipment for the exercise. This would have been prepared during the previous afternoon.
On the field, the duty officer would decide the runway direction and instruct the electrician accordingly. He (the officer) would then leave the field.

The first thing to do was to position the ‘Chance’ generator and floodlight. This unit on it’s own trailer, was a self contained, diesel-driven, electrical generator, with a powerful floodlight, capable of illuminating most of the runway in the event of an emergency (a plane crash-landing).
Wired from this generator, the electrician strung out a line of electric lamps to form the runway.
Alongside each lamp was then positioned a paraffin flare. This provided a much more visible lit path, but these flares had to be extinguished if and when there was an air-raid warning. (Guess who had to do the extinguishing?)

A number of ancillary devices had to be placed at the ends of the runway, to indicate to the pilots, turning points and approach angles etc.
When all was done, the officer would come back onto the field, check that his instructions had been carried out and then commence the flying.
If the weather remained good they would fly until dawn, during which time the electrician spent the night alone, in the dark, in the vehicle he had taken the gear out with.

If there was an emergency, the electrician was always involved. Obviously he was responsible for all the equipment he had prepared, but what I found a little disconcerting was having to tend to ‘crashed’ planes!
This (fortunately) only happened on rare occasions, but if a pilot made a bad landing-and sometimes they would tip the plane on it`s nose, the electrician had to be first in, to disconnect the aircraft battery in the front cockpit, before the fuel caught fire !
Most of the trainee pilots were very young men (not much older than me) and they were full of ‘high spirits’. One of the favourite tricks was, when taxi-ing the plane back after landing, instead of travelling to the end of the ‘runway’ and turning, to cut through, between lamps. As this meant crossing the connecting wire (which they could not see), the plane’s tail hook would start to drag the whole flare-path after itself. The electrician then had to restore the flare path, as best he could!
Despite the various ‘hazards’ of the job, I loved it.

Theatre duty was 100% pleasure for me.
The variety of events made for a most interesting life and some of the visiting artists were surprised to find such good facilities, many of their performances would take place in very primitive locations and so our ENSA Hangar was wonderful.
I would normally ‘reside’ in the control box overlooking the stage, having taken instructions and worked out the requirements from the Master of Ceremonies.
These evenings mostly resulted in a late journey home and then it would be back to the normal routine next morning.

I enjoyed my job at ‘The Airport’ and in the January went through my 18th. Birthday, (in 1946).
All this time I had continued my National Cert. Course at the local Technical College. My boss, was very amiable and I got on well with him. I had achieved something in this because, for the first time in my life I enjoyed the job, and I was satisfactory at it, however I think that he resented me my day each week at Tech. Whether this was because he ‘lost’ my services for the day, or maybe there was some other motive, I did not know. He started telling me that it was ‘a waste of time’, I shouldn’t have listened to him, but being young and foolish and not liking the continual studying, I was glad to have an excuse to stop and so it was that I gave-up going to ‘Tech.’
In no time at all something quite unexpected happened. I received my call-up papers for the Forces! What I hadn’t realised was that my college course was keeping me deferred.

I was sad to leave the airport and apprehensive about my immediate future. My boss said that he would gladly have me back, when I was de-mobbed.
Neither of us realised that the Flying Training School probably wouldn’t exist by the time I came back.
And so it was that I went off to be an Airman.

Postscript:
The war had ended by this time but conscription continued for some years; later this was to be National Service.
I was trained to be a Ground Radar Fitter and eventually spent my time at a Radar station forming part of the navigational chain in Southern England.
After de-mob I worked as an Electronics Engineer and later Manager of an Industrial Electronic Equipment manufacturer.

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