Description
Object description
British officer served as pilot with 73 Sqdn RAF in GB, France and North Africa, 1940-1944, including Battle of Britain, 1940
Content description
REEL 1: Aspects of period with RAF in GB, 1938-1939: early interest in flying; story of applying for short service commission in RAF, 1938; description of training on Miles Magister at Gatwick; transferred to Flying Training School at Grantham; description of training on Harvard; posted to 73 Sqdn at RAF Digby, 1939. Aspects of operations with 73 Sqdn RAF in France, 9/1939-5/1940: posted to France with other Hurricane squadrons and nature of operations in Lille area; role as fighter element with Advanced Air Striking Force; description of journey by road to Cherbourg following German invasion, 5/1940; returned to RAF Digby, GB; story of being scrambled and pursuing Dornier into Germany, 9/Nov,1939: attacked by German aircraft and nature of damage; returned to France and landed at Nancy. Recollections of period as instructor at No 7 Operational Training Unit, GB, 1940-1941: duties on defensive patrols; further training flying Spitfire; role teaching formation flying and tactics; story of shooting down Heinkel, 14/Aug/1940; opinion of flying Spitfire; story of photograph appearing in recruiting pamphlet; question of public perception of fighter pilots; further description of operations in France; attitude to outcome of Battle of Britain; opinion of Douglas Bader and Big Wing strategy; role of Defiant as day and night fighter; outline of later wartime career.
REEL 2 Continues: question of length of training for pilots; morale; use of manual controls; question of importance of Battle of Britain; opinion of Fighter Command; opinion of Dowding, Park and Leigh Mallory; importance of radar during Battle of Britain; attitude to role of WAAFs; question of pressure to train pilots quickly; problem of fatigue; further description of operations in France and role of RAF at Dunkirk; question of fatal accidents during training; description of training pilots to fly in formation; use of colour coding for sections. Aspects of operations with RAF in North Africa, 1942: description of attack on German air fields at El Alemein, Egypt.