Royal Air Force Gaydon 232 O.C.U.

[JanotLapin]

Id like to know if anyone out there served at RAF Gaydon .I was there from 1961 to 63 . There was a small reunion at Gaydon Heritage Museum on the 17th of December which I attended , but didn,t meet anyone who worked on Victors .I was on "A" squadron which was led by W.O. "Artie" Shaw . Crewchiefs that I remember were Jock Stewart , Tom Swinburne , Fernihough , "Taff" Jordan ,and Ted Long .My bosses were Sgt Robbie Cooper [he was a Flt. Lt. by the time I left , and Norman Blomfield . Legs Diamond was an electrician ,Malcolm "Mac" MacDonald , Derek Powell and Mick Rush were radar Corporals , [Mick leaving the RAF as a squadron leader.] For my first two weeks I was in the Hangar working with Johnnie Westland and Ernie Rosquet , and we all went on to be musicians due mainly to Rosko,s [ as he was known] influence.He still works in a bar at Dinan , Brittany . John sadly died a couple of years ago. I,d known him for 44 years . Sorry to ramble on , but I,ve had long phone conversations with Group Captain Everitt DSO , DFC ,[former Station Commander] and ex Chief Tech Swinburne lately and feel that what happened at Gaydon should be written down somewhere .

[Purdita]

To JanotLapin,
I worked for 'Artie' Shaw on 'A' squadron in 1962/3. I seem to remember a lot of time spent digging Victors out of snow. I also recall Tom Swinburne, Legs Diamond, Dick Hedgecock and Dave Williams, the last two were Corporal electricians at that time. I was a rookie electrician on my first posting out of Halton, ex 91st entry. I was not at Gaydon very long but have some very happy memories of my time there.
I was not aware of the reunion you mention but I have been to a couple of ex 91st reunions, there were 5 or 6 of us posted to Gaydon in January 1962 and it was January this year that I made contact with one of them for the first time since 1964.
I have kept in touch with one ex Gaydon instrument fitter who has been in Australia for about 25 years and who in fact sent me the link to your message. It is good to know there are a few others out there, but as for writing it down my memory is not that good any more.
Best regards,
Purdita.

[Wyler]

My Dad would have been there in 61. Cpl Bob Gibson, an electrical technician. I remember the married patch well because I had my first ever pedal car (I was 3!!) which I spent hours in. We left in 62 to go to RAF El Adem in Libya.

Happy days.:ok::ok::ok::ok:

[ArthurR]

I went there in 64, after completing Boy Entrant training, was on victors
(MEAS), then the pod bay, then went to Marham with the Victors after the demise of the Valiant, remember living in wooden huts, no coal for the stove though.

[Mender]

Hi, I am new to this Forum but I wonder if anyone can help me. I am trying to find any info on a John Morrison Young who I believe was in Bomber Command flying Lancasters during the war, I am told he was shot down three times and the last time was bayoneted to the ground, however he survived and after the war he ended up in 207 Squadron Gaydon, and later around 1958 at 232 OCU Gaydon as a trainer.
My wife knew him as her Uncle John, sadly he died and I am trying to find any info about him to add to her family tree.

[Top West 50]

Spent my 21st birthday at Gaydon - wisdom tooth extraction followed by 4 hour Victor simulator sortie - quite a day!

[NRU74]

I was there in ‘63, aged 19, do you remember the padre who ‘played’ the saw in the mess ?

[Wensleydale]

Hi, I am new to this Forum but I wonder if anyone can help me. I am trying to find any info on a John Morrison Young who I believe was in Bomber Command flying Lancasters during the war, I am told he was shot down three times and the last time was bayoneted to the ground, however he survived and after the war he ended up in 207 Squadron Gaydon, and later around 1958 at 232 OCU Gaydon as a trainer.
My wife knew him as her Uncle John, sadly he died and I am trying to find any info about him to add to her family tree.

Is this him? (Best guess given the lack of information).


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1491x319/img_20191106_0001_1d8a9072d2fd21bd1601b60dd9a1eeaf1a4595a2.j pg

[Mender]

Hi
Sorry its taken some time to come back to you, yes that is the John Young i enquired about. Do you have any info on him, I know he was a Flight Sergeant, so what would his role have been on flights. I also found out he is buried in Congham, Norfolk. I know from the Family he was shot down three times and the last time was bayonetted to the ground through his arms before being taken prisoner where he stayed till the end of the war, being freed by the Americans. I have info that he worked in 207 sq as an instructor and then on 232 OCU on Simulator Staff. any info would be valuable.

[rolling20]

From that listing he would have been the Bomb Aimer/Air Bomber.
If he was shot down before over Europe, he would have most likely landed in Allied held territory.
That might have been possible as the date of his last flight was 27.2.45. Although this link shows 26.2.45
The picture is of a Lancaster MkII, not a MK1 that he flew in.
https://www.backtonormandy.org/component/mtree/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/lancaster/20707-NG1751945-02-26.html

It was very unusual for airman who were shot down and then evaded in occupied Europe
to be allowed to return to operations. This was because they might compromise the network if
shot down and captured again. That however would have been before the allies captured parts of occupied Europe.
So he was probably shot down and landed in Allied held territory.

He may have served elsewhere however, in the Middle East for example and been shot down there.