Originally Posted by
WHBM
Seeing as I'm in good company here, some more questions if you don't mind.
The position in the glazed nose below the pilot seems in Halifax photos to have guns. Was the navigator expected to man these as well or were there two of them in there ?
Were the officers paid more than the sergeants for the same role ? In the family we didn't really know what the pay was, as the bank maintained him on the employment roll from 1942 to 1945, RAF pay was direct to his bank account, and they made up his military pay each month up to his (quite well paid for the time; he was in his 30s) bank position there. I don't know how many employers did this.
He more than once made contemptuous remarks about there being separate daily ration packs in Burma for officers and for men, and that the contents were exactly the same except that the men's daily pack had two pieces of toilet paper and the officers' one had three. Can that be true ?
In the Halifax nose was the bomb aimer as well. He would have been tasked with firing any guns. During night ops I doubt they were fired, but daylight raids may have seen their use.
On pay, I think a newly qualified sergeant pilot earnt around £210 a year,. Pilot Officer around £230.
I am not totally sure , I would have to reference it.
Maybe other users have a better idea?
Either way compared to the US services, the RAF was underpaid. There was a story that a Group Captain earned a similar amount to a Lieutenant in the US airforce.
Having a bank account was a rarity in those times.
It seems he was very fortunate being paid up by the bank.