Interview with John Harvey

British aircraftman trained with No 1 Aircrew Reception Centre, RAF, St John's Wood, London and No 17 Initial Training Wing, RAF at Scarborough in GB, 5/1942-10/1942; trained as navigator with Royal Air Force at No 48 Air School, South African Air Force, Woodbrook, East London and No 47 Air School, South African Air Force, Queenstown in South Africa, 6/1943-12/1943; NCO served as navigator with 76 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1944-11/1944; served with 148 (Special Duties) Sqdn, No 334 Wing, No 205 Group, RAF in Italy and Palestine, 11/1944-6/1946

REEL 1 Background in Gateshead, GB, 1923-1939: family; social circumstances; education; religious beliefs; activities with Boy Scouts; educational qualifications obtained; employment with shipping company; wages; attitude towards Germans. Aspects of period as civilian in Gateshead, GB, 1939-1940: memories of declaration of Second World War, 9/1939; role as messenger with Air Raid Precautions; gas mask issued. REEL 2 Continues: precautions against German Air Force raids; air raid sirens; air raid shelters; effects of war on employment. Aspects of period as NCO with Home Guard, 1940-1942: holding rank of lance-corporal; training; uniform; weapons; attitude to invasion; drill and route marches; patrols; weapons training; opinion of instructors. Recollections of training as aircraftman with Royal Air Force in GB, 5/1942-1/1943: background to enlistment in Royal Air Force, 3/1942; medical; selection interview and tests; call-up for service with Royal Air Force, 5/1942; basic training at No 1 Aircrew Reception Centre, St John's Wood, London; drill; accommodation; uniform and kit; route marches; daily routine; guard duty; inspections; sleeping and messing arrangements; opinion of food. REEL 3 Continues: recreational activities; pay; social background of other recruits; opinion of NCOs; attitude to discipline and dress code; swearing; move to No 17 Initial Training Wing, RAF at Scarborough, 6/1942-10/1942; daily routine and training; accommodation; lectures on maps and charts; astral navigation; drill; weapons training; use of Dalton Computer for calculations; route marches; opinion of instructors; parade drill; attitude towards black cadets and question of racism; church parade; attitude to alcohol; recreational activities in Scarborough; posting to holding unit with Aircrew Disposal Wing, RAF at Brighton; accommodation; nature of training; aircraft recognition; classed as observer trainee; receiving posting to South Africa, 1/1943. REEL 4 Continues: embarkation leave. Aspects of description of voyage from Liverpool, GB to Durban, South Africa, 1943; problem of seasickness; accommodation; opinion of rations; daily routine and duties; lectures; climate; issued with khaki coloured uniform and kit; discipline; posted to transit camp on arrival in Durban, South Africa; inoculations; holding rank of cadet; health and venereal lectures. Recollections of training as navigator with Royal Air Force at No 48 Air School, South African Air Force, Woodbrook, East London and No 47 Air School, South African Air Force, Queenstown in South Africa, 6/1943-12/1943: posted to No 48 Air School, Woodbrook, East London, 6/1943; attitude to Apartheid and incidents of racism in South Africa; description of camp; accommodation; use of black labour; move to No 47 Air School, Queenstown; pattern of training; night flying; story relating to Afrikaners; daily routine. REEL 5 Continues: relations with civilians; sporting and recreational activities; prior recollection of flying De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth in GB; climate and weather conditions; flying suit and clothing worn; question of flying over Afrikaner towns; parachutes; type of aircraft trained on; attitude of Afrikaners to British; description of training as navigator; night flying; flying height; opinion of Avro Anson and it's manually operated undercarriage; logging details of flight; charts and maps; question of taking over as pilot in emergency; noise in aircraft; communications; lectures; question of air sickness; debriefing; opinion of pilots; accidents during training; comparison of day and night flying; attitude towards Afrikaners; passing out parade and receiving wings. REEL 6 Continues: passing out with rank of sergeant; voyage from South Africa to GB, 12/1943. Aspects of training as navigator with No 20 Operational Training Unit, RAF and No 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF in GB, 4/1944-9/1944: posting to No 20 Operational Training Unit, RAF at RAF Lossiemouth, 4/1944; question of adjusting to flying in northern hemisphere; question of rank; training and flights to Norway; flying in Vickers Wellington; incident of death of bomber crew during exercise; story of Canadian Mohawk Indian and helmet; navigational aids including Gee and radar; move to No 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit within, No 4 Group; 7/1944; conversion to Handley Page Halifax; crewing up process. Aspects of operations with 148 (Special Duties) Sqdn, No 334 Wing, No 205 Group, RAF in Italy, 11/1944-5/1945: joining 148 (Special Duties) Sqdn RAF at Brindisi, 11/1944; role in delivering supplies to Special Operations Executive and partisan groups; reception committees; story of Austrian agent. REEL 7 Continues: role as navigator; dropping of supplies of money; area of operations; attitude to Italians; question of secrecy; story of German Army officer; importance of navigator; command structure; nationalities; aircraft; navigational aids; issue of cyanide pill; problem of jamming; story of squadron supply drops over Warsaw during Warsaw Uprising, Poland, 8/1944-91/1944; opinion of effectiveness of United States Army Air Force supply drops; casualties; figures of supplies dropped; question of identifying markers on ground; use of single aircraft for supply drops; question of secrecy of routes to Warsaw, Poland. REEL 8 Continues: memories of end of Second World War in Europe, 8/5/1945; question of German resistance; conversion to Consolidated Liberator; prior recollections of operations with 76 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 10/1944-11/1944; attitude towards award of medals. Aspects of operations as navigator with 148 (Special Duties) Sqdn, No 334 Wing, No 205 Group, RAF in Palestine, 5/1945-6/1946; role in counter-insurgency operations; raids on Kibbutz; story of execution of Royal Air Force personnel; attitude of Jewish population towards British presence; story of bomb in suitcase; attitude towards Jewish populace; recreational activities; story of derailing of train; posting as warrant officer to RAF Uxbridge, GB, 6/1946; demobilisation, 8/1946. Reflections on service with Royal Air Force: opinion of senior officers; amusing story of Elsan Toilet; story of being injured by anti-aircraft fire; post-war civilian employment with Ordnance Survey.