Pro Bonu Publico
Threeput please barge in again. Your father after graduating at Pensacola, was one of the few R.A.F bods who were awarded both R.A.F and American wings, and entitled to wear the American wings on his right chest.
It seems as if Warmtoast has the correct solution to the Q.G. H question, we were all right. He was using Q.G.H (controlled descent through cloud) in the fifties. Sometime after this, it must have been deleted from the Q code so it no longer exists. An electronic glide path ?
To answer Chugalug, Darr School was the name of the airfield, but in effect it was a R.A.F station under lease-lend, with a C.O , adjutant , and maybe one or two other officers . Can’t remember. These officers were in charge, and we were still subject to K.Rs, (Kings) S.R.Os etc. All other staff were civilians, but it was best to obey the flying instructors, We did have a “very short leash” but nevertheless I cannot remember any one being put on a fizzer. Too much was at stake we were there to learn , and return to the U.K. to get in our spitfires, and destroy M.E 109s . (some chance). We did have a half hearted enquiry after an A.T 6, one night with landing lamps on, flew down the local railway line , towards a train. The train driver did an emergency stop, and reported it to the police. Surprisingly no one would own up to it, and as other aircraft were in the air at the time the matter was dropped. We were informed the American cadets were put on our course, so that the army air corps could compare training methods and results.
To bravo lima In “Thlandidno“, Can’t remember discussing the “color “ prob discussions at Moncton, but can remember that horrible film in the camp cinema showing the effect of certain diseases. Memories of Astra cinemas , and that oft repeated film, Robert Donat in The thirty nine steps. By the time the war ended we could have acted any part of it,
Johnathon68 your contribution was far from boring. In fact very interesting. I suspect there are one or two old codgers on here ,like me, who’s minds wander off to times gone by when people like you mention Brough, East Riding (Blackburn Aircraft Ltd, Beverley, Bucaneer, Skua), Uxbridge, target towing ( brings back memories of towing a drogue behind a Lanc on a long rope so that “tail end Charlie” could practice firing) , the remaining bits of rope came in useful . We used the remaining bits to tow the crew back from the local pub, in Gainsboro. Well six crew at least. Three on the motorbike and three on the towed push bike, providing it had a backstep.
Was your father from the Republic of the East Riding.? May tell the tale of another Sqdn Ldr ex Brough about the same time as your grandfather, whose famous mess trick was to stand on his head, swallow a raw egg, and then drink a pint of beer.
Better get back on thread, where we should be changing back from American K.Ds to R.A.F uniforms,Irvine jackets and trousers, due to the weather becoming colder.
P.S my spell checker doesn't like the word backstep. Two long tubes , screwed on to the back spindle of a bike, rear gunners for the use of.