Re post 388
I was selected for national service pilot training having arrived at Padgate 30 Nov '49. We were kitted out for about a week, then to Hornchurch for aptitude tests etc, back to Padgate for a couple of days then those selected went to Driffield to hold until Christmas. 28 Dec report to No 1 ITS Wittering for groundschool, drill etc. At Easter the whole unit moved to Jurby, then 17 May 50 to 6 FTS Tern Hill until 31 May 51. When I started national service was for eighteen months so that should have been the end of my time but sometime around the start of 1951 it was increased to two years. So providing there were no holdups you were awarded your wings, commissioned or became a sgt pilot, then had time to go on leave, go to 202 AFS Valley on 2nd Jul via a week holding at Feltwell, and at the end of October to 229 OCU Chivenor. Not enough time for me to complete the course before finishing national service on 28 Nov 51. After five months of civvy street I rejoined, went reluctantly to CFS and was instructing on Meteors age twenty one and a bit but had it not been for that posting (and that's another story ) to become a QFI I would have been on a fighter squadron before my 21st birthday.
A prerequisit of acceptance for pilot training was an agreement to complete five years in either the RAux AF or RAFVR. I seem to remember that there were periods of leave at natural points during training such as completion of ITS, end of basic (Prentice) and on completion of Harvard phase.