Ww2 Glider Pilot

[john ball]

I am trying unsuccessfully to trace the service records and/or anyone who knew a WW2 GLIDER Pilot called SGT ERIC ALAN TAYLOR, DOB 5/12/1924.
Military number 14421841 ? The Glider pilot association do not seem to be able to help. He was a Pilot who flew Horsa's and also was involved in an operation to Norway ? Possibly flying DC3's ?? Would he have flown both gliders and power ?
The reason I am trying to trace him, is for his daughter who is my girlfriend. Unfortunately we met after his death and as a pilot myself, she has now become interested in flying, which never interested her when her father was alive and used to regail all his wartime epics. He learnt on Tiger Moths and I have sat her in a Tiger Moth that she found very emotional.
It is only now when we fly together and she takes part in the freedom of the sky that she realises her fathers love of the sky and how she should have listened to him...
Please give me any advice where I can find information.

[John Farley]

Have you seen this?

G Squadron Glider Pilot Regiment, Op Varsity - Page 2 - World War 2 Talk (http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/airborne/29172-g-squadron-glider-pilot-regiment-op-varsity-2.html)

[Morris542]

The Ministry of Defence still holds service records for WWII veterans I believe. A quick google search of "WWII service records" sent me to this site: Obtaining WW2 Service Records (http://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=24424)
Follow the link in the first post and it takes you to a booklet that might be of help.

[pasir]

... Regarding the Norway aspect - It is on record that gliders were involved in an operation to Norway - probably late 1942 - Its mission being the Norsk Hydro Plant at Vermok - The operation was not a great success apparantly - Most Glider pilot training would probably have taken place at Netheravon - where as you say they trained on Tiger Moths -
others on Magisters - as well as Hectors and Hotspurs.

Hope this also helps your search.

...

[Old-Duffer]

You could try the Glider Pilot Regt Association and place an advert in the magazine "Eagle" for assistance.

On the other site there is correspondence and a transfer to the GPR date of Aug 44. It is unclear whether this is posting on completion of training or initial transfer to the GPR prior to training beginning.

I have a nominal roll for GPR at Arnhem and he is not on that. The other operations after that were South of France (Sep 44), VARSITY 24 Mar 45 and that's it although there were some minor involvements in Greece and the Far East.

As regards trips to Norway - everybody on Op FRESHMAN in 1942 was either killed or murdered by the Nazis : there were no survivors except one RAF Halifax crew.

After the war some glider pilots were used as 2nd pilots flying RAF aircraft such as the Halifax A7 and A9 and later the Hastings. Some flew Army Air Corps aircraft in Malaya in the 1950s although many other pilots were RA seconded as air observation post pilots, particularly in Korea. It is possible that Taylor flew as 2nd pilot until his transfer to ground duties (other site says 1947).

Glider Pilot training started out on the Tiger Moth (some used the Magister) mainly at Derby. On completion they went to a Glider Training School where they flew the Hotspur which had two pilots in tandem but could accommodate 8 passengers in the fuselage (ugh!!!). These gliders were towed mainly by Masters but also Hectors and few exotic types, including even the Lysander.

Pilots then moved to a Heavy Glider Conversion Unit (HGCU) at places like Brize Norton, where they flew the Horsa or the Hamilcar. Some were trained to fly the US standard glider the Waco CG4, known to the Brits as the Hadrian. On completion, pilots were promoted Sgt and graded second pilots. Progress to 1st pilot was by experience, filling operational losses etc. After Arnhem where the GPR lost most of its strength killed, wounded or POW, a large 'injection' of RAF pilots took place and there was about a 50/50 split for Operation VARSITY.

A man joining in Aug 44 ought to have been rushed through and hence available for VARSITY, at least as a 2nd pilot. The secret to finding the true story and identifying salient features of his service is tracing his personnel records and these might be held by any of the regiments/corps within which he served. The Museum of Army Flying might well have course photographs from his pilot training and is well worth a call.

Hope this helps.

Old Duffer

[VX275]

Just a minor point. The total number of seats in a Hotspur was 8, 2 up front and 6 down the back. The original concept the Hotspur was for it to land and all its 8 troops enter the fight. Remember, unlike the US glider pilots, members of the GPR were also fighting soldiers.

As to the mention of Norway in the original post, Sgt Taylor could have taken part in 6 Airborne Divs operations during the liberation of Norway. Also its not mentioned when he left the Army because gliders remained in service up until 1950 and many members of the GPR went on to fly Austers and helicopters transfering to the (modern*) Army Air Corps on its formation in 1957

* The Army Air Corps existed during WW2 and both the GPR and the Parachute Regiment were part of it.

[john ball]

Thank you to everyone for the information and advice. John Farley's recomendation to look at the other sites has turned up an interesting bit of information that someone else is trying to find out about ERIC TAYLOR's flying history. I will contact my girlfriend tonight to find out if she knows anything about this. On a separate matter, he was infact listed as 1st pilot. It does seem a mystery as some people say he is listed as flying on certain operations but others say he is not ? He did talk about crashing a lot, but does that mean most glider landing were controlled crashes or he crashed a lot in training ? I am fairly sure that the Norway operation was in DC3's ? after the war he became a teacher but always suffered from back problems.

[john ball]

Also I have contacted the people whe edit the 'EAGLE' but have not found out if anyone ever replied to any requesting for information or nobody remembered him.

[Jackw106]

Ron Minchin talks about his days in WW11 piloting this heavy bomber.


Flying the Stirling bomber in WW11 - YouTube