Battlestead Hill
With regard to executing a dead stick landing on any aerodrome from Newcastle to Dover, I remember thinking on a 1000 bomber raid, when crossing the coast it was almost possible to jump from wing tip to wing tip from Newcastle to the Wash, at least. With Halifaxs to the North of the Humber and Lancs to the South.
Another petrol story. When Francois and I used petrol drained from the Tiger Moth tanks. We had a lot of trouble, due to water in our motor bike carburettors. We eventually asked the flight mechs if they had any answers to the problem. It turned out that the drain tap on the bottom of the tank was solely for the purpose of draining off condensate each night , after which they filled the tank,. this then stopped any further condensation. After this we drained the water off first.
REGLE. Tee Em training magazine , and ‘The most highly derogatory order of the irremovable finger’. Think the offending airman was always given the name P/O Prune.
Burton’s venturi. I think Bernoulli of Bernoulli’s theorem fame, would have something to say about this, L.O.L.
After another month or so at Harrogate, I was posted to R.A.F Burnaston S.W of Derby. A few days elapsed and we were then ‘trucked to Battlestead Hill,16 E.F.T.S , Burton on Trent where we were again to ‘keep our hand in’ on Tiger Moths. On the way one, of our fellow travellers, told us the local draught Bass beer was twice as strong as anywhere else, and that it would be best to drink half pints, until we got used to it. Unfortunately nearly everyone ignored this advice (see later) . The camp composed of Nissen huts and outside ablutions, with a grass airfield but, was a very happy place. Most of the staff had done their thirty opps ranging from F/Sgts to F/Ls who I suspect, felt sorry for us sprogs, who still had to carry on where they had finished. The Sgts mess was the best we had ever experienced in the U.K, with white table cloths , and a bottle of H.P sauce on each table. A sauce I hadn’t seen for years. The food was even acceptable Another perk was that we were allowed to work in the brewery in our spare time , we earned a few ‘bob’ , and were allowed a certain amount of beer.
On our first Saturday night out, unfortunately some of our colleagues didn’t take the advice about drinking half pints. One of them decided to see if he could walk out with the ’Smoke room’ carpet. The operation was successful , and it set off a chain of events. Visiting other pubs, other comedians followed suit. I remember one of them struggling with a large wall mirror bearing the words, Inde Coup and Alsop’s Ales. They all finished up at the local town hall dance and stacked the loot in the foyer much to the surprise of the staff , who said nothing. Think they were used to it. Finally, as the items were picked up by the airman , one of them took a xmas tree, and they were then taken back to Battlestead Hill. ( Xmas tree ? We must now be in December 44) The following morning there were phone calls from various publicans. A parade was held, and the Adjutant said , that if all the items were taken to the guard room and loaded into a Q.L Bedford he and two Airmen , who new where each item came from , would return them to their rightful owners. Evidently at each pub, they were rewarded with a pint of strong bitter, and returned , including the Adjutant ‘somewhat the worse for wear’.
As for flying, we practised the usual, low flying, circuits and bumps etc, but some of us had more experience on the Tiger Moths then the instructors. We also ferried instructors to an airfield near their homes at weekend, a jolly bunch of flack happy vets.. It was at Burton on Trent we first came across , white nights, and black nights. The American blacks and whites had problems when both were in town together, so had separate nights. Even the ‘Snowdrops’ ( S.Ps, service police with helmets painted white ) were white on a white night etc. All in all a very enjoyable month but a waste of time?. With another forty five hours on Tiger Moths.
And what next? You’ve guessed it . HARROGATE.
P.S Why does a pilot always sit on the left or port side of an aircraft. Is it because most of us are right handed ?