Description
Object description
British naval airman trained with Fleet Air Arm at HMS Daedalus, Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent and HMS St Vincent, Gosport in GB, 11/1942-1/1943; naval airman trained with Fleet Air Arm at No 19 Elementary Flying Training School, RAF at RAF Sealand and No 31 Service Flying Training School, RCAF Kingston in Canada, 2/1943-10/1944; officer served as pilot with No 9 Advanced Flying Unit, RAF at RAF Errol, GB, 1/1944-2/1944; served with 766 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm at No 1 Naval Operational Training Unit, HMS Nightjar, Royal Naval Air Station Inskip and with 768 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Argus in GB, 2/1944-5/1944; served with 836 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm in North Atlantic and Arctic, 6/1944-11/1944; served as Deck Landing Control Officer aboard MV Empire MacKendrick in North Atlantic, 12/1944-5/1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Sacriston, GB and Australia, 1924-1942: family; brief emigration to Australia; education; early interest in aviation; reaction to declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; story of father's escape from German prisoner of war camp during First World War; effects of war on education. Aspects of enlistment in Fleet Air Arm, 1942: volunteering for Fleet Air Arm, selection process; activities with 234 (Durham) Sqdn, Air Training Corps (ATC) prior to enlistment; employment in bank whilst waiting for call-up; call-up to HMS Daedalus, Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent, 11/1942. Recollections of training as naval airman with Fleet Air Arm at HMS Daedalus, Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent in GB, 11/1942-1/1943: reaction to basic training; drill; issue of uniform; unofficial adaptation of uniform; accommodation and rations; amusing story of half Mexican recruit activities during training; importance of adopting officer like qualities; problems with boots.
REEL 2 Continues: emphasis on cleanliness; familiarisation with Royal Navy; reaction to firing rifle and Lewis Gun. Recollections of training as naval airman with Fleet Air Arm at HMS St Vincent, Gosport, GB, 1/1943-2/1943: memories of Chief Petty Officer Wilmott; instruction on boat pulling; amusing story of petty officer instructor's claim not to wash his back; pattern of training including ship recognition; opinion of rations; encounter with leading seaman on train on graduation as leading naval airman; amusing story of baiting petty officer instructor; sea navigation; reaction to promotion to leading naval airman at end of course; emphasis on appearance; growing self reliance. Recollections of flying training with No 19 Elementary Flying Training School, RAF at RAF Sealand, 2/1943-4/1943: selection process; character of airfield; ground lectures and cockpit familiarisation; climbing into De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth; blind instrument panel; communications; method of starting aircraft; familiarisation flight; keeping aircraft straight and level.
REEL 3 Continues: aerobatics including spinning, looping and rolling; method of getting out of spin; problems with inverted spin; first solo of aircraft; taxiing De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth; practising forced landings; restarting engine in air; instrument flying; night flight; cross-country flights; degree of proficiency at end of course; character of De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth. Recollections of flying training with No 31 Service Flying Training School, RCAF Kingston, Canada, 6/1943-10/1943: voyage aboard HMT Queen Mary from GB to New York, United States of America, 5/1943; journey to RCAF Kingston; uniform worn; intensification of training; fate of course failures; collision with aircraft landing on airfield; opinion of North American Harvard; formation flying.
REEL 4 Continues: air-to-air firing; angle of attack on air-to-air targets; practice of bombing targets; nature of Chief Flying Instructors Test; pre-flight checks; reaction to passing out and issue of badge; voyage aboard HMT Acquitania from Canada to GB; commissioning on return to GB; selection for type of aircraft to be flown. Aspects of period as pilot with No 9 Advanced Flying Training School, RAF at RAF Errol, GB, 1/1944: attending conversion course to fly Fairey Swordfish; initial impression of Fairey Swordfish; dummy torpedo attacks. Aspects of period of flying training as pilot with 766 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm at No 1 Naval Operational Training Unit, HMS Nightjar, Royal Naval Air Station Inskip and with 768 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Argus in GB, 2/1944-5/1944: night flying; crewing up; attitude to night flying; practise rocket firing; technique for rocket attacks at night; depth charge practise attacks; low flying; Dutch officer's unofficial flights over wife's house; character of Fairey Swordfish; story of crash landing in Morecambe Bay.
REEL 5 Continues: opinion of flying Fairey Swordfish; incident when cylinder head blew over Irish Sea; deck landing training with 768 Naval Air Sqdn on HMS Argus; principles of deck landings; night deck landings on HMS Argus; taking off and landing on aircraft carriers; role of batsman; stalling speed of Fairey Swordfish; use of arrester hook during landings; flying clothing worn; visibility in Fairey Swordfish; approaches to carrier; observer's reaction to taking off from aircraft carrier; communications. Recollections of operations with 836 Naval Air Sqdn, Fleet Air Arm in North Atlantic and Arctic, 6/1944-11/1944: character of squadron operating from Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MACs); effects of signing on with Merchant Navy; nature of Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MACs); operating in poor weather conditions; relations with Merchant Navy crews.
REEL 6 Continues: first convoy aboard MV Alexia; personal markings on his aircraft 'Dingbat'; duration of patrols; reliance on observers; accommodation on carrier; playing deck hockey; flying routine; amusing story of army gunners on board; use of blind approach beacon system; story of how crews were allocated in squadron; squadron administration; loss of ships in convoy; reaction of bus queue in Newcastle upon Tyne; memories of Denis Shawcross; amusing story of joining HMS Biter; raid on Norwegian coast; joining Convoy JW 61A to Soviet Union, 10/1944; threats to convoy; sleeping below decks; tactics for attacking submarines; chances of survival if ditching in water; narrow escape after gyro compass went wrong in Arctic; amusing story of being on watch in Kola Inlet, Soviet Union.
REEL 7 Continues: amusing story of Fairey Fulmar crew bombarding ship with toilet rolls; barrage carried on board aircraft; taxiing into HMS Shrike, Royal Naval Air Station Maydown and taking off, 11/1944. Recollections of operations as Deck Landing Control Officer (DLCO) in GB and aboard MV Empire MacKendrick in North Atlantic, 1944-1945: training as batsman; skills needed by batsman; problems batting on Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MACs); use of talker to communicate with bridge; use of Rocket Assisted Take Off Gear (RATOG) for take offs; incident when Fairey Swordfish crashed over side of ship; dangers to batsman; clothing worn; differences in British and American landing systems; operating in box; responsibilities for batsmen. Aspects of period as pilot with Fleet Air Arm at HMS Daedalus, Royal Naval Air Station, Lee-on-Solent, 1945: flying Fairey Firefly; incident of getting into spin; demobilisation and career options, 1946; story of flight in Cessna Cherokee, 1994; attitude to serving with Fleet Air Arm during Second World War.
