Wg Cdr Murray – Part 2
I shall follow Homer by starting
in medias res with an example of Tucker’s mischievous and somewhat stubborn character. This was revealed to me when, in his late eighties, he told me how reluctant he was to comply with his family’s desire he adopt motorboating and stop single-handed sailing.
49 Squadron – RAF Scampton‘I completed 39 operations with 49 Squadron before they tried to post me on a rest. They hadn’t invented tours by then, we reckoned we could keep going until the end, it was our war, and we began it the first operational crews. Suddenly in September four of us were posted to 14 OTU which had just been formed and we were horrified. Our very last operations had been bombing the invasion barges in the Channel ports and to be taken off ops at this stage was an insult. We were pretty tired by then. We just ignored the order and went down to flights carrying on in the normal manner. We managed to do a few more ops, there was a long silence from Group who didn’t know what to do with these mutinous crews. They eventually offered us three weeks tired crew leave. The chance of a rest was welcome news and we jumped at the change.
Little did we know, it was their opportunity to clear all our stuff out of our rooms and sent it down to 14 OTU. When we got back from leave there was a lorry waiting to take us all down to the OTU. I left 49 Squadron on the 25 September 1940.’
After 21 of these 39 operations, he had been recommended by his CO for the DFC, the recommendation was endorsed by the AOC of 5 Group, a certain AVM Arthur Harris, as follows:
‘most strongly recommended, an outstanding efficient and resolute pilot.’
14 OTU – RAF Cottesmore
14 OTU’s job was to convert pilots to the Hampden via the Anson. There was only one flying position meaning the students had to observe the instructor until the instructor had enough faith to let him loose.
‘This posting has a so called rest tour. We were the first operational pilots to be posted into the OTU as instructors. We were regarded with the utmost suspicion by the CFI and junior squadron instructors alike. We were expected to protest at the training syllabus and we did. We were doubtless arrogant and unruly but I think the unit benefitted nevertheless. I was not a good instructor and soon found to my disgust that each pupil invariably made the same mistake, thus making flying a monotonous affair.’
‘I was then selected for a squadron that was being formed entirely of second tour crews to man the new Avro Manchester’
Six months to the day of his arrival at 14 OTU
Thos Murray left for RAF Waddington and 207 Squadron.
To be continued