Barson, Henry Clifford (Oral history)

British NCO served with Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in GB, 1936-1939; officer served as flying instructor with Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, GB, 1939-1941; served as glider pilot instructor in GB, 1942; served as chief instructor with No 5 Glider Training School and Glider Instructors' School at RAF Shobden, GB, 1943-1945

REEL 1 Background in Anerley, GB, 1913-1936: family education; employment. Aspects of period as NCO with Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in GB, 1936-1939: reasons for joining Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, (RAFVR), 1936; background to becoming a flying instructor at Gatwick Airfield, 1939; aircraft types flown; importance of flying according to book and self-discipline; emergency landing in Hawker Hart at Horsham, 1939; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; discarding of RAF boots for shoes on outbreak of Second World War, 9/1939. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of period as officer flying instructor with Royal Airforce College Cranwell, GB, 1939-1941: induction course at RAF Upavon prior to posting to Royal Air Force College, Cranwell; opinion of standards of equipment and cadets at Cranwell; question of effects of prospect of invasion on atmosphere of college; orders for flying instructors to stand by with bombed up Hawker Audaxes to attack invasion barges; familiarisation flight in Hawker Audax; degree of information available in Second World War; question of possible German Air Force attacks on Cranwell; German night intruder attack on fellow instructor during night flight; move of college outstation to RAF Church Lawford, 6/1941. REEL 3 Continues: testing Standard Beam Approach blind landing system at Central Flying School, RAF Upavon, 10/1941; job rewriting RAF flying instructional manual, 10/1941. Recollections of period as glider instructor in GB, 1942: formation of glider training organisation; transfer to glider training; difference between sailplane and military gliders; difference between instructing on powered aircraft and gliders; exacting nature of landing gliders; importance of maintaining flight discipline amongst glider pilots; opinion of glider pilots and General Aircraft Hotspur Glider; role of furniture companies in manufacture of gliders. Recollections of period as chief instructor at No 5 Glider Training School and Glider Instructor's School, RAF Shobden, GB, 1943-1945: training duties. REEL 4 Continues: problems retrieving gliders after landing and communication between tug and gliders; degree of knowledge of operations carried out by his glider pilot trainees; degree of damage to General Aircraft Hotspur Gliders on landing; incident of tow aircraft and glider in struck in flight by lightning.