26er
My FTS course in 50/51 had as our flight commander on Harvards, a very steady chap with DSO, DFC & Bar (Flt Lt Geof Bray). We all wanted to go on multis and eventually a few took the Wellington OCU route, and one even disappeared to the kipper fleet where before being used as a driver airframe one had to learn real navigation on white painted Lancasters. But about two months before graduation Geoff was posted and the new guy, Flt Lt Dean Jones, was a fighter boy through and through. There was a complete change of attitude. He arranged for six Meteors of his old unit to visit us at Ternhill, the smell of avtag was injected into our veins and seven of us went to Valley to become starry eyed killers.
What became of Plt Offs Perry, Smallwood, Price and Lawrence and Sgt Pilots Jones and White?
26er Plt Off Perry is my father. He flew the Meatbox and Vampire, bailed out of one into the Bristol Channel (if memory serves). Emigrated to Australia in mid 50s and joined the RAAF where he flew Lincoln (operationally in Malaya) and C47s among others. Joined TAA in 1961, QF in 1966 and retired from QF on the 747-200 in 1987.
He is alive and well...and recently became a Great Grandfather
PM me if you would like his email addy.