Description
Object description
British NCO served as aircraft fitter with RAF in GB, Gibraltar and North Africa, 1940-1945
Content description
REEL 1: Aspects of period in GB, 1920-1940: family background in Sheffield, Yorkshire; interest in designing and making model aircraft; story of visiting Alan Cobham's air shows; education; left school age15; employment as apprentice electrician; further education at night classes; reaction to outbreak of war, 3/Sep/1939; story of volunteering for RAF in Sheffield, 1940. Aspects of training with RAF in GB, 1940: basic training at RAF Padgate; not selected for aircrew and posted to RAF Alton for technical training as fitter. Aspect of period as aircraft fitter with RAF in GB, 1940-1942: posted to 222 Sqdn, RAF Coltishall; first impressions of Spitfire; description of general maintenance and repair work; posted to satellite aerodrome RAF Matlaske; problem of grass runway damaging aircraft undercarriage; difficulty of servicing Spitfire and accessing cockpit; story of first flight in Miles Magister; posted to RAF Ludham; opinion of accommodation and facilities; social life; description of German fighter attack on RAF Coltishall; opinion of Stanford Tuck.
REEL 2 Continues: relations with officers; problem of accidents caused by lack of air control system and insufficiently trained pilots; opinion of Polish pilots; posted to RAF Padgate, 5/1942; description of voyage aboard cargo boat from Liverpool to Gibraltar. Aspects of operations as aircraft fitter with RAF on Gibraltar, 5/1942-8/1943: posted to flying boat base; description of 32 Spitfires being unpacked from crates, assembled and towed by barges to aircraft carrier HMS Eagle; conversion of Spitfires by removal of guns and addition of 90 gallon drop tanks; slept under aircraft at night; description of Spitfires being launched from flight deck of HMS Eagle in groups of eight; role of Spitfires in defence of Malta; accidents and loss of aircraft; reaction to news of sinking of HMS Eagle, 11/Aug/1942; duties preparing aircraft for use in Operation Torch, 11/1942; total number of Spitfires and Hurricanes assembled; chain of command; opinion of accommodation and food on Gibraltar; morale and discipline; story of two drunken ground crew crashing Wellington on runway; story about flying boat squadron rioting.
REEL 3 Continues: Aspects of operations as aircraft fitter with RAF in North Africa, 8/1943-12/1945: posted to Maison Blanche airbase, Algeria; description of work repairing and servicing components for Spitfires; posted to Spitfire repair unit at Boufarik; role in training multinational workforce including Italian POWs; story of friendship with local French family; awareness of progress of war; state of health; climate; water supplies; social life in Algiers; recreational activities in camp; opinion of Americans and aircraft; story of flight to Sicily in US plane; reflections on wartime experiences; opinion of US rations; various memories of Italy, 11/1945; returned to GB, 12/1945; posted to Air Transport Conversion Unit, RAF Linton-on-Ouse; demobilized, 10/1946. Opinion of Spitfire. Story of learning to fly after war.