Worrall, John (Oral history)

British cadet trained as pilot at Royal Air Force College Cranwell in GB, 1930-1931; officer served as pilot with 1 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Tangmere in GB, 1932-1933; served with 208 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Heliopolis in Egypt, 1933-1936; served with No 1 Mechanised Transport Lifting Coy, RAF in Palestine, 1936; served with British Embassy in Peking, China, 1937-1939

REEL 1 Aspects of period as cadet at Royal Air Force College Cranwell in GB, 1930-1931: background to passing entrance examinations to Royal Air Force College Cranwell; organisation of course; flying training; presence of foreign cadets; discipline; advanced flying training; flying accidents; cadets' origins; relations with instructors. Recollections of period as pilot with 1 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Tangmere in GB, 1932-1933: status of Cranwell educated and short service commissioned officers; choice of posting to squadron at RAF Tangmere, 1/1932; formation flying and navigation training; air gunnery training; character of annual interception exercises; attitude to squadron service. REEL 2 Continues: reasons why bombers could evade fighter defences; relations between junior and senior officers; relations with ground crew; shortage of aircraft and squadron establishment; superiority of Hawker Fury over the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin; squadron rivalry; lack of contact with RAF high command. Recollections of period as pilot with 208 Sqdn, RAF at RAF Heliopolis in Egypt, 1933-1936: reaction to posting; familiarisation training; conditions on troopship; contrast between service life in GB and Egypt; reasons for unpopularity of new pilots; army co-operation training and duties; Royal Air Force annual cruises; flying conditions in Egypt; health; description of station; service conditions and flying hours. REEL 3 Continues: relationships with army; close contact with 6th Bn Royal Tank Corps and British Army officers flying with Royal Air Force; air gunners; transfer of wireless duties to pilot; communication within the aircraft and between aircraft; character of long distance cruises; refuelling at desert airstrips; starting engine on Hawker Atlas and Hawker Audax; use of Hucks Starter; transition from Hawker Atlas Radial engines to Hawker Audax's Inline engines; effects of Abyssinian Crisis, 1935; duties as transport officer and effects on vehicles of desert conditions; character of air defence of Cairo. Aspects of period as officer with No 1 Mechanised Transport Lifting Coy, RAF in Palestine, 1936: posting to unit; character of unit; move to Palestine; operations against insurgents. REEL 4 Continues: Recollections of period as officer with British Embassy in Peking, China, 1937-1939: background to selection to learn Mandarin Chinese language as specialisation; posting to embassy; start of Japanese offensive in China; Japanese restrictions on travel; attitude of Japanese towards British; return to GB, 1939; limited amount of flying in China; degree of skill in Mandarin; aborted possibility of service with Chinese Air Force; relations with British community. Reflections on service with Royal Air Force, 1930-1939: contentment of RAF personnel; promotional prospects; expansion of Royal Air Force and preparations for war; Royal Air Force relations with Royal Navy and British Army.