大象传媒

I emerged from the nstructors course brimming with knowledeg and enthusiasm , Posted To Insworth Gloucester I ws immediately in action transforming all manner of men in to Airframe Mechanics, They came "like an never ending stream" and went I know not where.I had a job which satisfied me that I was really doing a good job.As part of it I was then attached to a squadron of Polish Airmen to put them through the full course. They had no English but with an interpreter we managed surprisingly well, Their background was such that they were very eager to get into battle They left us to do just that..
My services were required elsewhere however and I was posted to The Premiur Garage Slough. The garage had been taken over to act as a base for recovery and repair of Battle of Britain arcraft. There the main work was on spitfire mainplanes. I was in charge of small teams who went to do repairs at airfields in Kent. This was serious stuff and quite different from training, I was surprised to find that some factories around London had stocks of replacement aircraft , I had to make sure that they were indeed immediately avallable for use.Any obvious defects had to be put right, parts ordered and then fitted.It was all very hectic ,. But I was need elsewhere and I was posted to Weston on the Green near Bicester.With plans for a landing in Europe there was a need to train glider pilots at speed and in great numbers. That was the job,With a few antique bi-planes the gliders were towed into the sky and released to glide their way back to the field.They advanced to low level ,hedge hopping lands.Finally they flew with live loads. All day long the routine went on. It was all great fun and excitement at the training but the thought of these chaps eventualn task filled me with admiration of their bravery.They were army voluteers who wanted to fly. but who would want to make it a one way trip ? The training was practice in various sorts of landings, Released at a higher altitude they glided down. Then they did high speed low level hedgehopping approaches Meantime the routine of being towed into the sky and being released went on and on. For myself I was finding being with the army rather different to RAF .With learner pilots there were lots of occurences .I
The red notice on my documents came into play again. I was recalled to Instructing again, Now to Hednesford. It was a large training school with an intake of 500 or so a week There was a mixture of airmen, waafs and later in great numberFleet Air Arm.
My job was the revision Phase which preceded their Passing out examination .In two weeks we had to run through the entire course, This required having the total course at your finger tips and importantly being able to express it so that if they could fully understand it. I found this a big challenge, Fortunately I was lucky to be paired up with someone that I regarded as a genious. Together we made models of hydraulic and pneumatic and control systems.
.Parry-Williams could translate some of my ideas into demonstrating models which I still regard as being brilliant.. We held lectures with about 200 participants. With the examination being so close they were all eager to listen and maybe catch up on something neglected during the course
I resisted the invitaion to transer to Navy gear when later the main activity was Fleet Air arm
As the rush died down "They" decided I aught to have a trip overseas and the posting came for me to report to Morecambe prior to embarkation. It was time for me to study what was happening to war in other. parts of the world.. Rumours were rife as to our various destinations. That is the next part of my story.

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