Description
Object description
British officer served as pilot flying Spitfire VB with 225 Sqdn, 285 Wing, RAF in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944; served as instructor flying Harvard with 74 Operational Training Unit, RAF in Palestine, 1944-1945; served flying Spitfire with No 5 Advanced Fighter Unit, RAF in Italy, 1945; served as flying Spitfire IX with 225 Sqdn, 285 Wing, RAF in Italy and Austria, 1945-1946
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of background in Highgate and Clapham, London, 1922-1939: family background and social circumstances; education at Dover College, 1936-1941, including sporting activities and OTC training. Evacuation with school to Blundells and Poltimore House, Pinhoe, 1939-1941: role of OTC acting as Home Guard and patrolling on moors; following progress of war; relationship with local children; background to recruitment to RAF, 6/1941. Period at Air Crew Reception Centre, St John's Wood, Loondon, 6/1941-7/1942: medical and intelligence tests; flat accommodation; food rations; drill; relationship with recruits. Period with Initial Training Wing, Scarborough, 8/1941-9/1941: drill; story of getting drunk. Recollections of period flying Miles Magister with No 5 Elementary Flying Training School, Meir, 9/1941-11/1941: familiarisation flight; nature of Magister; relationship with flying instructor; flying controls and instruments; circuits and bumps training including taxiing, turns and landing.
REEL 2 Continues: spinning and recovery; loops; assessment; first solo, 12/10/1941; effects of weather on flying training; news of posting for flying training in US. Period at Heaton Park, Manchester, 11/1941. Conditions durinig voyage aboard Norwegian ship to Halifax, Canada, 12/1941. Period at Monckton, 1/1942. Recollections of period flying PT 19 A and BT13 A with No 3 British Flying Training at Miami, Oklahoma, US, 1/1942-8/1942: train journey; hospitality of US civilians; composition of unit; relationship with civilian instructor; nature of PT19A; continuation of training; ground training in navigation and armaments; conditions of service and lifestyle; cross country flights; night and instrument flying; assessment; relationship with US civilians; classification as average pilot; nature of BT13 A and Harvard AT6.
REEL 3 Voyage aboard Queen Mary to GB, 8/1942. Period flying Miles Magister with No 5 Advanced Flying Training Unit at Tern Hill, 9/1942-10/1942: opinion of Magister; nature of course. Period flying Mustang and Hurricane with 41 Operational Training Unit at Old Sarum and Hawarden, 10/1942-12/1942: move due to inadequate airfield; nature of Mustang; operational navigation using compass; practice photographic missions using oblique and vertical camera; question of prior selection for army cooperation role; question of photographic interpretation; importance of accuracy in photographic reconnaissance; absence of gunnery training; news of overseas posting to Hurricane unit; training on Hurricane IIc and IIb, 12/1942; question of formation flying; sessions on Link Trainer. Voyage to Algiers, Algeria, 1/1943. Period flying Hurricane at Holding Unit, Blida, 1/1943: nature of flying; tropical gear; conditions of service. Recollections of period flying Spitfire VB with 225 Sqdn, 285 Wing, RAF, Souk el Khemis, Algeria, 3/1943-6/1943: first impressions; prior replacement of Hurricane with Spitfire; memories of pilots arriving in replacements draft; opinion of Squadron Leader Millington; allocation as to No 2 to Flying Officer Neil Wylie for TAC(r) reconnaissance missions.
REEL 4 Continues: nature of Spitfire VB; nature of runway; role of No 1 and No 2 on TAC(R) mission; account of TAC(R) with Flying Officer Neil Wylie on Mateur sector, 10/4/1943, prior ground attack by Messchershmidt on airfield and changing airfield, German anti-aircraft fire, evasive tactics, personal morale and reporting to intelligence officer; composition of Air Liaison Section; story of being shot down by AA fire during TAC(R) over Zagouan sector, 28/4/1943, including hiding in farmhouse to evade German patrol, walking south and rescue by French unit; debriefing and rejoining unit; TAC(R) over Mateur; monastery billets; messlife including food rations and drinking habits, dawn missions; recreations; view of German POWs.
REEL 5 Period at Bou-Fiche airfield, 6/1943-7/1943: air firing at drogue towed by Hurricanes; cross country flights; fishing with grenades; story of engine failure and ditching Hurricane while towing drogue; dinghy dropped by Flying Officer Roger Fearon. Recollections of period based at Francesco and Milazzo airfields, Sicily, 8/1943-9/1943: situation; TAC(R) over Italy, 29/9/1943. Period at Foggia, 10/1943-1/1944: prior movements during Eighth Army advance through Italy, 9/1943; situation; death of friend in crash; metal surface laid by US; tent accommodation; nature of operations on Adriatic coast; role as No 1 on TAC(R) and Photo (R) missions; method of ranging guns during artillery observation missions; flying conditions and story of near crash low flying in valley. Period at Lago airfield, 1/1944-4/1944: reunification of unit; flying over Monte Cassino sector; length of tour and personal morale; preference of no 1 role on missions; Spitfire cover for missions; question of German fighter raids on airfield.
REEL 6 Continues: knee injury during mess game; and leaving unit at start of second tour; prior missions over Anzio sector and situation; mess games; drinking habits and story of being drunk at opera; relationship with Italian civilians. Period at No 1 General Hospital, Naples area, 4/1944-6/1944: eruption of Mount Vesuvius; convalescence at Sorrento; question of rejoining unit. Period at Cairo Transit Camp, Egypt, 6/1944-7/1944. Period flying hurricane with 26 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit, RAF at El Firdan, Ismailia, 7/1944-10/1944: training flight over AA sites along Suez Canal; recreations. Period as instructor flying Harvard with 74 Operational Training Unit, RAF at Petah Tiquah, Palestine, 11/1944-5/1945: unit role training pilots selected for army cooperation role; question of reputation of 225 Sqdn, RAF; role as instructor checking flying skills and flying reconnaissance missions; prevalence of crashed amongst pupils when landing Spitfire; question of attacks by Jewish insurgents; minimal contact with Palestine civilians; Christmas celebrations, 25/12/1944; social life; question of approach of end of war. Period flying Spitfire with No 5 Advanced Fighter Unit, RAF, Gaud, Italy, 5/1945: nature of Spitfire IX; VE Day, 8/5/1945; story of securing posting to 225 Sqdn, RAF.
REEL 7 Recollections of period as flight commander with 'B' Flight, 225 Sqdn, 285 Wing, RAF in Italy, 5/1945-9/1945: reception on joining unit at Villa Franca, Verona, 5/1945; state of unit; move to Tissano, Udine, 5/1945; tent accommodation; training flights; participation in flying display by Desert Air Force; reconnaissance flights over Yugoslavian border during Trieste crisis; relationship with Italian civilians; officers' mess; memories of Flying Officer Kurt Taussig including story of his problems with airspeed indicator during flight to Tissano and his Czech background; role of flight commander; opinion of various officers including Adjutant Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Lupton, Squadron Leaders McCandlish and George Moore, Flying Officers John Pratt and Connors; minor flying accidents; background to temporary disbandment of unit at Campo Formida, 5/9/1945. Period flying Mustang IV with 250 Sqdn, RAF at Lavariano, 9/1945: nature of Mustang IV and practice in close support role flying rockets; opinion of Squadron Leader Peter Bagshaw. Recollections of period flying Spitfire IX with 225 Sqdn, 324 Wing, RAF in Austria and Italy, 9/1945-12/1946: background to reformation of unit due to return home of South African units; reactions; nature of Klagenfurt airfield; relationship with Austrian civilians; flying Messchershmidt ME 109; routine flying; GB leave, 1/1945-12/1945; promotion to squadron leader.
REEL 8 Continues: arrival of Wing Commander W. Laurie to command unit; effects of snow and clearing runway; story of accident during take off; role as squadron leader and cross country flights; relationship with Wing Headquarters and Wing Commander Cassidy; role of Flying Officer Kurt Taussig in establishing RAF leave hotels; story of meting future wife at ATS party; allergic skin complaint; story of marriage, 6/1946; recreations; reaction to leaving unit, 12/1946; question of remaining in RAF; train journey back to GB and theft of weeding presents, 12/1946. Demobilisation and demob suit, 12/1946. Post-war career: work for family textile firm, 1947-1948; career as insurance inspector.
REEL 9 Recollections of service with RAF Volunteer Reserve at Fairoaks airfield, Woking, 1950-1952: background to recruitment; flying Tiger Moth; annual camps; mobilisation and initial period flying Harvard at Oakington, 6/1951; flying Spitfire XXII, 8/1951; first flight in jet in Vampire V, 3/9/1951; nature of Vampire and comparison with Spitfire; question of Korean service; demobilisation, 9/1951; continuation of flying; background to leaving RAFVR, 1952; membership of 225 Sqdn Assoc, 1947-2008.