大象传媒

Granddads Memories of the Royal Air Force (RAF)

When did you join and what did you have to do to join?

I volunteered as soon as I was seventeen in 1944, at the RAF recruitment office at the bottom of Cambridge Street in Sheffield. I had to get my parents permission to do so. The main reason I volunteered was so I could get in the RAF, if you waited for call up they could put you in the army, or even send you down the coal mines in some cases.

What training was required?

I had to go on a training camp (for what was termed square bashing) where we were taught foot drill, how to use different types of firearms, bayonet fighting and unarmed combat. We were also put through assault courses, long route marches with full kit and physical training. I would think it took about eight or ten weeks and at the end we were extremely fit and ready for anything. I did have a bit of an advantage in some of the training as did some others, having been in the Air Training Corp (A.T.C.) for a time and spent weekends and odd weeks on RAF stations training After this we were posted to various air stations. I was taught how to pack parachutes at 13 M.U. Henlow but I re-mustered and went on an aircraft fitter training course at RAF Cosford. I did this because I had been training as an apprentice fitter in engineering before joining up.

What work did you do?

After I finished the course and qualified, I worked on different aircraft maintaining them and keeping them flying. I worked on Spitfires, Hornets, Typhoons, Tempests, Dakotas and several more. I ended up with the rank of Leading Aircraftsman.

What was the uniform like?

The uniform wasn't bad. It was reasonably smart, hard wearing and the greatcoat was quite heavy and warm. We had what we called best blues which was our walking out uniform and then we had a battledress. We who worked on the aircraft or other jobs you could get dirty on had overalls. Our uniforms were nowhere near as good as the Yank's, neither was the pay.

How much did you get paid?

When I first joined we were paid 3/- shilling a day (30p) 拢1-10p a week, we did get fed and clothed but if you lost any equipment or it was stolen it came out of your pay. We were paid once a fortnight and most were hard up before next pay-day. The pay did increase gradually when you got your trade qualifications and higher rank. I joined the band in my spare time which gave me an extra 6d (2-1/2p) a day, we eventually went overseas from boarding ship I think if I remember rightly we received an extra one shilling and sixpence a day (15p), we felt quiet wealthy, never the less this extra was stopped as soon as we boarded ship to come home although we were many thousands of miles from home.

What did you do in your spare time?

We would spend some time in the N.A.F.F.I. playing snooker and darts, have a drink and a wad (sandwich or cake) until money became short. Sometimes we would go to a local dance or a night at the local, otherwise we would stay in billets.

What were your working hours like?

Working hours were full days like any other job - you had to work extra hours if and when needed, such as when the aircraft were not up to squadron strength. On the top of this you could pull extra duties like station night guards where you would do so many hours on and kip down in the guard room for an hour or so before going on again. You had to be back on normal duties by 10am the next day. Fire Picket was a full week which you started after normal duties after first having a meal and you finished around 10pm but there was no excuse being late for normal duties next day. Cook house duty was for a week and you were excused normal duties but you would be working different shifts throughout the week. All week duties were seven days.

Where did you live?

We lived in Nissan huts made of corrugated steel and wood which were very cold in winter with only one stove to heat them. Fuel to burn in them was in short supply and sometimes in the really cold weather you would wake up in the morning to find frost on the top of the blankets. Sometimes we used our greatcoats on top to try and keep warm. There were about thirty people to a hut.

What was the food like?

On the whole the food wasn't too bad, although I couldn't get used to eating potatoes for breakfast. There were some strange concoctions at times and plenty of baked beans, though we avoided these when we were flying which we had to do when a plane had been repaired by us and the crew were testing it before signing for it.

What were the Aeroplanes like?

The planes were excellent and apart from a few bad designs there were none better. The maintenance was first class, any work you did on the aircraft had to be signed for on completion on the form 700. If anything went wrong then and it was your fault, it was a Court Marshall offence. A lot of these planes are still flying today. The famous American Mustang only became that after it was fitted with the Rolls Royce engine which we had in most of our own fighters and bombers. I have not flown since leaving the RAF, have never flown in a jet, but I would fly in one of these tomorrow given the chance, as I always say the ones with fans on the front are my type of flying.

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