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 at 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 of family 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 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 at 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; effects of signing on with Merchant Navy; nature of Merchant Aircraft Carriers; 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 escort carrier 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.
